Our first contribution today includes some reminiscencing from Gawain O’Connor:
Hi Richard,
I found your note from 2005, when I signed up for the newsletter:
>You are now on the list. Thank you. I include the first issue which went out Sunday below.
>I also collect 1795 halves by variety. I lack O-101, O-118 (if it exists at all), O-123 and O-132. It's nice to meet a kindred spirit.
I see that a O-132 is coming up for auction. I'm already outbid, but thought you might like my notes on the other one -
It turns out it has been seen since 1929.
1795 O-132 (T-27) Beistle 10-C. Beistle describes this as “Exceedingly rare; the only one I have seen and believe it to be unique.” James Matthews wrote an excellent summary when the second example was discovered in July 2000. In his article, Mr. Matthews makes the case that the coin pictured in Beistles’s book is actually from the collection of Colonel Green. He assumed it could be in Eric P. Newman’s collection after that. But it did not show up in the sale of his collection. Steve Tompkins’ book provides a clue to what happened to the original coin. The B. G. Johnson (St. Louis Stamp & Coin Co.) invoice to F. C. C. Boyd 1942 ($32.50) shows who purchased it.
Checking the Newman Numismatic Portal for the F.C.C. Boyd sale - It appeared again in the Numismatic Gallery (Abe Kosoff) Sale No. 31, April 14, 1945 as lot 43 with a very terse lot description and an estimate of $25 – the price realized was only $15.
Does anyone know who bought it? I see W. David Perkins has some of the bust dollar information from this sale...
Gawain
Editor: Here is a link to the Heritage auction for the 1795 half, O-132: https://coins.ha.com/itm/early-half-dollars/half-dollars/1795-50c-2-leaves-o-132-t-27-r8-vg10-ngc/a/1279-3086.s?ic4=ListView-ShortDescription-071515
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Rich Uhrich followed up his contribution from last week with additional information:
In addition to the Bust Halves I posted last week, I also have three Bust Quarters in Heritage's Long Beach auction, as follows:
Lot 3550 is an 1825/4/(2) with the "E" counterstamp in NGC AU-50. As many of you know, the 1825 "E" is by far the rarest of the four 1815 and 1825 "L" and "E" counterstamps. It is a nice coin but not as nice as the ones shown at the Bust Quarter Collectors Society meeting at ANA.
(The headline coin for this week’s JR Newsletter is this “E” Quarter!)
Lot 7274 is an 1806 B-7 in PCGS Genuine. It has VF details but that is not on the holder. I owned the coin quite a while and have yet to determine why it is in a Genuine holder, as I can't see anything wrong with it.
Lot 7276 is an 1831 B-3 which is an R5 variety. It is a PCGS AU-53 with slight prooflike surface.
Thank you,
Rich
