Sunday, March 11, 2012

JR Newsletter: 11 March 2012 (79)


Tom Little wrote:

Thanks for the update and information.  I will review the pictures provided.   The 25/3 "L" counterstamped Bust quarter I mentioned earlier, I purchased finally from the dealer yesterday for $1000. It looks to be XF with less wear than the other I bought from the same dealer and had certified at PCGS.   One question:  Is it best that I pay PCGS to attribute the counterstamped coin for market purposes? 

Thanks,
Tom
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W. David Perkins wrote in response to Michael Sullivan's question about the Highlander Collection:

I recall seeing early dollars from the Highlander collection over a period
of years.  The Highlander early dollar collection was listed as a PCGS
Registry Set at one time.  If you click on the following link you will get a
listing of the Highlander early dollar collection PCGS Registry Set:

http://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/alltimeset.aspx?s=475&ac=1

From this listing the Highlander early dollar collection appears to have
been what I would term a "Date and Major Type Collection of Early Dollars
1795-1803" 

The following is a description of the set as it appears on the PCGS Registry
web site:
"About this set: Americana at its finest! The Highlander Early Dollar set
consists of original examples in the Very Fine to Extremely Fine category.
However, one example grades Fine and two examples are almost uncirculated.
An early dollar with a smooth planchet, solid details, original patina, and
minimal circulation marks is a historical treasure to behold. Some specimens
are pedigreed and emanate from the Amon Carter, Benson, Cardinal, Clapp,
Eliasberg, Flannagan, Hering and Ostheimer cabinets. The Highlander Early
Dollar set holds the first 1800 Wide Date Low 8 obverse with AMERICAI
reverse, 1798 Large Eagle 5-Stripes, and 1800 10-Arrows certified by PCGS"

A lovely 1798 B-3, BB-94 Dollar, ex. Amon Carter, Jr. Collection sale and
Highlander Collection resides in my collection today.  I did not acquire
this specimen directly from the owner of the Highlander Collection and I
don't know exactly when this collection was dispersed.

Based on the pedigrees noted above, the sale of the collection had to take
place after 2002.  I don't know if the early dollars were all sold at the
same time, or over a period of months/years.  I suspect the latter.  I
asked an early dollar collector friend who was active at the time if he knew
when and how the early dollars were sold.  He replied, "I thought the
dollars were almost all sold to dealers and collectors at shows.  I know
they sold a different denomination collection or two via auction houses." 

So the answer is the Highlander Collection of early dollars was not sold via
public auction and it appears that the early dollars were likely dispersed
over a period of time to different dealers and collectors at a number of
different Conventions/Shows. If I had to venture a guess the early dollar
collection was dispersed in or around 2004-2008. 

W. David Perkins
Centennial, CO
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David Perkins also wrote about the E and L Bust Quarters:

There has been some discussion in JR Newsletter over the last few weeks on the E and L Counterstamped 1815 and 1825 Capped Bust Quarter Dollars.

All current JRCS Members should now have the new index to the first twenty volumes of the John Reich Journal which was compiled by Stephen J. Herrman.   For those JR Newsletter readers who are not members of JRCS and do not have a copy of the index I have pasted below a list of all articles about the E & L Countermarks that have appeared in the first 20 volumes of the Journal (1986-2010).  As you can see the E & L countermarks have been a popular topic over the years!

On behalf of all JRCS members and the JRCS Board of Directors I'd like to again thank Steve for all of the hard work and hours he put into compiling this index.  Thanks Steve!

SUBJECT INDEX ___________________________________________________________________
QUARTERS : CAPPED BUST – Countermarks

6:26 Mint Counterstamped Large Size Bust Quarters 1815 & 1825                           Hotz, Mark B.

6:31 “E” & “L” Counterstamps - Another Theory, The                                                Subjack, Bill

7:34 “E” and “L” Counterstamps - Yet Another Theory                                              Cooper, Hugh

13:22 Those Darned Counterstamped Bust Quarters – The Saga Continues            Hotz, Mark B.

16:33 Counterstamped Bust Quarters: Factual and Not-Quite-Factual             Blackwelder, Larry

17:17 Damn Those Counterstamped Bust Quarters (Part III in the Continuing Saga)    Hotz, Mark B.

47:4 Enigmatic “E” and “L” Countermarked Quarters of 1815 & 1825, The: A New Hypothesis Regarding Their Origin, Purpose and Historical Context (Part I)                McAuley, Ted

47:23 Enigmatic “E” and “L” Countermarked Quarters of 1815 & 1825, The:  A New Hypothesis Regarding Their Origin, Purpose and Historical Context (Part II)        McAuley, Ted

49:3 E and L Counterstamps: The Questions Continue                                    Karoleff, Bradley S.

51:5 E and L Counterstamps; The Questions Continue                                    Karoleff, Bradley S.

W. David Perkins
Centennial, CO