Introduction
Below I am offering you some very special holiday treats. And when it comes right down to it – who deserves a treat more than you?
OK, a lot of people probably deserve it way more than you do. We are all pretty fortunate to have the time & resources to devote to this great hobby of ours. After all, coin collecting is ranked as the #1 greatest hobby in the history of the world, at least according to the survey I just did of my customers.
But on the other hand, you know exactly what you want. And if I’ve done my job correctly, some of those items that you want (and perhaps a few you didn’t know you wanted until you saw them) will be listed for sale below. If not, hopefully you find the presentation worth skimming, as nearly every one of these items cannot be found elsewhere.
Because I found so much boffo stuff, I had to break it up into two newsletters. The second part of the list will go out to you on Monday of next week.
What Coin Collecting is all About (Really)
Recently I was emailing back and forth with a good customer. We were discussing a cool but esoteric medal. [If you must know, we were discussing the 1933 Huey Long ‘Toilet Medal’. It's a neat medal with a great back story). During the course of our email string, he sent me something so profound that I asked to reprint it here, so all 4 of my loyal readers could appreciate it. He agreed:
To be honest and serious about what it’s supposed to be all about, in February 2015 I purchased a Proof 65 Cameo 1863 dime in a Heritage auction. This coin is not something I normally collect or buy. But for whatever reason, I just kept thinking about that coin: Someone in the midst of the Civil War took the time to buy a proof coin from the mint.
Obviously I have no idea who it was. But that person, almost surely a man, and I have something in common. If he died in 1900, he’s been dead for 116 years but if we could meet, I expect he and I would be able to talk about coins and collecting.
Given that small fraction of our population that ardently collects coins, I have something more in common with that person than with virtually all of my contemporaries. (Now, I also suspect that I’d vehemently disagree with many of his views, but he and I are both products of our vastly different times.) I’ve kept that coin on the small coffee table next to where I watch TV ever since it arrived at my house. I look at it reasonably frequently and muse a bit about the person who purchased it and what his life was like.
Now On to the NewP's
As in my previous newsletters, these coins are the items I have gathered over the last few weeks. The plan is to upload all these coins to my website. In the meantime, readers of this newsletter will be the very first to lay eyes on these offerings. By popular demand, I've included photos of the coins where I have them.
The “Making the Grade” Featured Coin
1896 Six Piece Proof Set. NGC graded Proof-65 to 67.
A gorgeous, perfectly matched proof set of the kind that is rarely seen in today’s market. Most such sets were broken up during the dawn of the slab era to satisfy collectors in each of these proof series. Even if you don’t purchase this, take a moment to see how well matched these coins are. The coins are graded as follows: Cent: Proof-65 Red & Brown; Nickel: Proof-67 Cameo; Dime: Proof-67 Cameo; Quarter: Proof-67 Cameo; Half: Proof-66 Cameo; Dollar: Proof-66 Cameo. Photos of each individual coin in the set will be sent to those seriously interested upon request. $29,750.
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New Listings
(Ca 1670) St. Patrick’s Halfpenny.. PCGS graded VF30.
Vlack 1-B. A nice medium brown, with hard surfaces. The golden splasher over the crown is quite large and well centered. $2650.
1938 Lincoln Cent. PCGS graded Proof-66+ Red CAC.
This coin is accompanied by a PCGS TrueView Image. Of the 7 coins PCGS has graded at this level, auction records range as high as $1,880. This one is … $985.
1966 Souvenir Cards Presented Personally by Felix Schlag, Designer of the Jefferson Nickel, in Connection with Anniversary Celebrations at Local Banks.
A great go-with piece for a Jefferson nickel collection. Each has a Mint State Jefferson nickel incorporated as part of the design: St. Joseph Valley Bank, Elkart/ Nappanee, Indiana, white card stock, hand-signed by the designer of the nickel, Felix Schlag; and Community State Bank of Dowagiac, Michigan, pale blue card stock, Serial No. 1014, with door prize stub still attached. Felix Schlag died in 1974. $150.
1835 Bust Dime. PCGS graded AU55.
The best coin to come out of a small group of coins that I purchased here in Connecticut from a non-collector holding. It was found in a drawer with a few other coins of the period. I just got it back from PCGS. It doesn’t happen too often any more, but it is always fun to handle a coin that has been in a non-collector hands since it was made. Be the first to add it to a collection. $475.
1832 Bust Half Dollar. PCGS graded XF45.
Small Letters. Gorgeous blue, gold and green toning. This coin is accompanied by PCGS TrueView images. $275.
1834 Bust Half Dollar. PCGS graded AU53.
Large Date, Large Letters Redbook variety. Green, blue and gold toning over lustrous surfaces. $395.
1926 Indian Quarter Eagle. PCGS graded MS63 CAC.
Yes – this is a common coin. But these are currently so bizarrely cheap that I couldn’t resist listing this flashy, lustrous one. $495.
World Coins, Exonumia, Flotsam & Jetsam
"1652" (ca. 1853) Oak Tree Shilling. Wyatt Copy in Silver. Almost Uncirculated [uncertified].
Noe-OA, Kenney-3. Medal turn. Glossy surfaces show deep golden-gray toning and excellent eye appeal. Well centered and struck, it appears to have a wavy planchet similar to the original oak tree shillings that Mr. Wyatt was imitating. PCGS# 534621. $775.
1787 Contemporary Counterfeit 2 Reales. About Uncirculated [uncertified].
Kleeberg 87B-P5. Brass. Believed to be unique. Ex. Mike Ringo Estate; Schaumburg sale Stack’s 6/2009:69 at $747.50; Stack’s 11/2012:6916 at $546.50). How many unique coins that likely circulated in pre-federal America can you buy for less than a grand? Here is one. $650.
1796 Contemporary Counterfeit 2 Reales. Extremely Fine [uncertified].
Kleeberg-unlisted. The plate coin in the Lorenzo update to Kleeberg, and the finest of the three that are now known (a third specimen of this variety was discovered in October of 2016). Counterfeit two reales don’t come much better, regardless of variety. $495.
1801 Contemporary Counterfeit 2 Reales. Very Fine [uncertified].
Kleeberg 01A-M7. A popular variety due to the backwards 1’s in the date. Great pedigree too, and significant, as it was originally purchased from a non-numismatic source in the New York City area, where some theorize these counterfeits were originally made. Ex. New York City jeweler; Mike Ringo Collection; Dennis Wierzba; Stack’s 11/2012:6935; private collection. $195.
1806 Draped Bust Half Dollar With Counterstamp. Very Fine [uncertified].
A richly toned early half dollar with “Wagner” counterstamp in the obverse field. Quite rare to find a counterstamp on a desirable host coin like this. $950.
1849 Half Eagle “California Prospector” Counter. NGC graded AU58.
A popular issue with the obverse imitating an 1849 half eagle and a reverse showing a gold prospector. A few of these have sold at auction in recent years in the $800 range. They aren’t worth that, but in this high grade they are easily worth … $250.
1854 Cathedrale de York. Wiener Cathedral Medal. Uncirculated [uncertified].
Hoydonck-unlisted. 59 mm, bronze. This is the extremely rare variant in French. Unlisted in any reference on the series – this is the first time I’ve laid eyes on one, much less owned one. A grand opportunity for the collector of these magnificent, intricately detailed medals engraved by the master engraver, Jacques Wiener. $975.
1854 Seated Quarter With Arrows. J Polhemus Counterstamp. Host Coin About Good. Counterstamp Extremely Fine [uncertified].
J. Polhemus/Druggist/Sacramento, CA. This is an extremely popular counterstamp, largely due to the fact that coins were found with this counterstamp at the bottom of the sea – as a part of the Central America treasure. $650.
(Ca. 1862) Lovett's Washington Headquarters Series. Baker-194A. GW-488 through GW-497. NGC graded MS64 Brown to MS65 Red & Brown.
During the civil war, George Lovett of New York City issued a series of ten medals featuring the various sites where Washington had established his headquarters during the Revolutionary War. The obverse of each medal has a bust left portrait of Washington in a military uniform with the headquarters building shown on the reverse.
Thanks to Neil Musante's just published, world class two volume set of books entitled, “Medallic Washington”, there has been a resurgence of interest in this series. On page 448 of his book he illustrates an ad that George Lovett placed in a February 10, 1862 Bangs, Merwin & Co. sale catalog where these medals were originally sold to collectors. Occasionally I see an offering of one of these medals here and there, but this is the first time I recall seeing a complete set of 10 medals for sale. This set was likely kept together since the time it was issued in 1862.
They feature the second obverse, exhibiting Washington's bust, facing left, inside a border of stars. Included: Chad's Ford MS64 Brown; Dobb's Ferry MS64 Red and Brown; Harlem MS65 Red & Brown; Morristown MS65 Red and Brown; Newburg MS64 Red and Brown; Sufferns MS64 Brown; Tappan MS65 Red & Brown; Valley Forge MS64 Brown; Whitemarsh MS65 Red and Brown; and White Plains MS65 Red and Brown. $2475.
1873 Seated Half Dollar, With Arrows. Bradley & Smith Counterstamp. Very Fine [uncertified].
A great looking, richly toned example of this rare and desirable counterstamp. It reads: Bradley & Smith/Brushes NY/Asbury Park, NJ. If The Boss (a.k.a. Bruce Springsteen) collects coins, I would bet he has one of these in his collection. $750
"1781" (2014) Libertas Americana Medal. Paris Mint Restrike. Silver. 5 ounces. Proof- 70 Ultra Cameo (NGC).
A large, impressive, heavy silver medal (as the lead in the movie, Annie Hall might say, “It achieves total heaviosity.” ). This specimen is serial number 477 of a maximum mintage of 10,000 pieces. $675.
"1781" (2014) Libertas Americana Medal. Paris Mint Restrike. Silver. 5 ounces. Proof- 69 Ultra Cameo (NGC).
Serial # 891. The same as the above coin, only one grade lower. The original box, COA and wooden case are included here as well. These make great gifts. $550.
Contact info to reserve coins:
Website - www.DaveWcoins.com My email address – davewnuck@gmail.com Phone - (203) 231-1213
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