Sunday, January 7, 2018

JR Newsletter: 7 January 2018 (377)

David Perkins wrote:

FUN Convention Report

The 2018 FUN show was a good one for me and others I talked to, both collectors and dealers.  
A highlight of the show for me had to be the JRCS Regional Meeting.  Dr. Glenn Peterson, our Program Chairman had Jeff Friedman, noted half dollar and half dime collector, presenting on cuds starting with historical definitions of cuds from various sources.  The presentation included slides of many neat late die state coins, good questions, and much discussion at the end of the presentation.  I didn’t count the members and guests attending, but the room was packed, and it seemed like there were 40 to 50 in attendance!  If you weren’t there you missed a good one!

Brad Karoeff, JRCS President and Editor, and I handed out a couple dozen copies of the John Reich Journal at the show.

Early U.S. Silver Dollars, a specialty of mine, were notably in demand at the show.  I usually have one of the largest inventories of early dollars at shows, and wish I’d had more this time!  I sold 7 early dollars (all that I had outside the Miller Collection that Andy Lustig and I purchased) at the show and was only able to acquire one new Dollar while there.  

One happy collector picked up the ex. Newman-Col. Green 1795 B-1, BB-21 Two Leaves Dollar graded PCGS AU-58 CAC in a private transaction.   

Andy Lustig and I are down to only 11 of the 169 early dollars that we purchased from collector and JRCS member Warren Miller.  The beautiful and very late die state 1798 B-33, BB-117 in PCGS VF35, an R-8 with three examples known to me, found a good home in December in an early dollar collector’s collection.  It might have been a Christmas Present to himself….  Another collector added on Saturday morning (at FUN) the neat ex. Miller 1798 B-11, BB-111 VLDS Dollar in PCGS XF45, with the neat double die break through Liberty to the 13th Star on the obverse.  

A pretty amazing price was realized for one 1795 Flowing Hair Dollar Lot in particular in the Heritage Platinum Night Sale.  This was Lot 4892, titled “1795 Flowing Hair Dollar, XF45 / Rare B-12, BB-26 Variety / The Thomas L. Elder/M.H. Bolender Coin”  and was graded PCGS XF45 CAC.  I’ve seen many of the Bolender Collection 1795 FH Dollars over the years, but had not seen this one “in person” prior to the auction lot viewing. The obverse of this specimen was plated in Bolender’s The Early United States Silver Dollars from 1794 to 1803 (1950).  I would have loved to have this coin for inventory and wish I was still a collector on this one (as you can stretch even more!) – most of the price guides show XF 1795 FH Dollars in the $12-15K range, and I’ve sold some particularly attractive and choice examples in the middle to high teens.  This 1795 Dollar realized $32,400!   Was it the deep, old, original color, the pedigree, the fact that it was a Plate Coin in the Bolender book, the strong lustre mostly visible at the edges, it being in the Condition Census for this die marriage, or???  I know two disappointed collectors on this lot, and add myself to the list as I’d have loved to acquire it.  If the winner of this lot will contact me I’ll share more on the pedigree, a good one.  


I also heard on Saturday that I’d missed some great, high grade Capped Bust Quarters on the bourse.   The well-known JRCS member who told me this did not miss them!  

Lastly, I received numerous JRCS membership dues payments at the show.  We picked up a couple of new members along with a couple of members that had not been active the last couple of years.   Notices for dues for Volume 28 of the John Reich Journal were sent with the last issue, Volume 27, Issue 3.  Payments should be sent to me (as Treasurer) at JRCS, c/o W. David Perkins / P.O. Box 3039 / Centennial, CO  80161-3039.  Also, don’t forget to send your Reiver Award ballots to me at this same P.O. Box address.

Great show!  Happy New Year to everyone.

W. David Perkins
Centennial, CO



 1798 B-11 courtesy of PCGS and David Perkins