No contributions this week
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Sunday, July 14, 2013
JR Newsletter: 14 July 2013 (149)
We have two contributions this week.
First, David Finkelstein wrote that he will
discuss "The Colors Of Our Heraldic Eagle Silver & Gold Coins" as
the educational presentation at the JRCS Annual Meeting at the Summer ANA
Show in Chicago.
Also, David Perkins wrote to us concerning an
article on early dollars that I am sure you will find fascinating:
The following article by W. David Perkins
appeared in latest issue of The Asylum (Volume 31, No. 1, pages 3-20),
the quarterly Journal of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society (NBS).
I have submitted for the JR Newsletter the text (pages 3-4) and first
catalog listing and commentary from the article. Auction sale coverage
runs from Haseltine (1881) through more recent sales such as Luebke (2007),
Queller (2008) and Hesselgesser (2011).
If any JRCS Members or JR News readers
would like a copy of this article along with the illustrations and the complete
auction and FPL catalog listings please send
a note to W. David Perkins at wdperki (at) attglobal.net and Dave will send you a PDF copy of
the article, courtesy of himself and NBS. Membership and other
information on NBS can be found at www.coinbooks.org
Key Public Auction Sales and Fixed-Price
Lists: Early United States Silver Dollars, 1794–1804, by W. David Perkins
I have been collecting and researching the
early United States silver dollars dated 1794–1803 for over a quarter of a
century now. A primary focus of my research has been the great collections and
collectors of the early dollars.
Early dollars can be and have been
collected in many different ways over the last 150 years or so. In the mid- to
late 1800s, most collected simply by date. Others put collections together by
type—different combinations of Flowing Hair and Draped Bust obverse dies mated
with Small Eagle and Heraldic Eagle reverse dies, overdates, etc. Over time
this evolved to what I term “date and major type.” Some focus their collecting on
the major types and varieties listed in A Guide Book of United States Coins
(the Red Book). Completing a collection of Red Book varieties is a formidable
challenge, especially locating nice examples in higher grades. Today there are
also PCGS and NGC registry set collections. Currently the ultimate achievement
may be a collection of all 118 different die marriages—all the different
combinations of obverse and reverse dies used in striking the early dollars.
(The total of 118 does not include the “novodel” issues of 1801–1804.) Only one
person ever has completed a set of all 118 known die marriages. A number of die
marriages have only one specimen known, thus only one person can have a
complete set of all 118 different die marriages at any one time. Assembling
close to 100 or more die marriages is quite a challenge and in most cases takes
many a decade or more to achieve.
As collecting the early dollars evolves,
perhaps the ultimate set someday will include advanced die states, mint errors,
counterstamped early dollars, and all four proof “novodel” issues! Classifying
and collecting early U.S.
silver dollars by die marriage originated with Capt. John W. Haseltine and J.
Colvin Randall prior to the publication of the 1881 Haseltine Type Table
catalogue. The catalogue of the Messrs. Bangs & Co. auction sale of November 28–29, 1879, noted on page
7:
Where a variety is designated by “H.
& R.” and a number, it relates to number of the variety, fully described in
a work on the types and varieties of the United States Silver Dollars, Half and
Quarter Dollars, compiled by John W. Haseltine from his collection and that of
Mr. J. C. Randall, to be issued in 1880.
Lot 41 in this
sale, for example, was cataloged as “1795; wide date; one point of star touches
the curl nearly at the end; reverse has 19 berries; very fine; H. & R., No.
1.” (For additional information on this subject, see Charles Davis, “The
Randall Haseltine Type Table,” The Asylum 9 no. 4 (Fall 1993), pp. 17–19.)
Despite this statement, as many numismatists
know today, Haseltine offered his personal reference collection in the Messrs.
Bangs & Co. Type Table sale of November 28–30, 1881, where the collection
was catalogued using only Haseltine (H) numbers. Haseltine (H) numbers were
used to classify the early dollars until around 1950 with Milferd H. Bolender
published his new book, The United States Early Silver Dollars from 1794 to
1803. This book introduced Bolender (B) numbers and included the Haseltine (H)
number equivalent, for example, “1794 H-1, B-1 Flowing Hair Dollar.” If a die
marriage was unknown to Haseltine, just a Bolender number was provided.
Bolender numbers are still used today, along
with Bowers-Borckardt (BB) numbers from Q. David Bowers, Silver Dollars and
Trade Dollars of the United States:
A Complete Encyclopedia, volume I, published in 1993.
Following is a listing of what I consider
some of the better early silver dollar collections by die marriage that were
sold via public auction sales and fixed-price lists, starting with the Haseltine
Type Table sale in 1881. I have also included a few selected “date and major
type” collections. Please note that there have been other great collections
formed in the last hundred years that were sold privately and are not included
in this listing. Each sale noted is followed by a short overview of the
collection and a few highlights.
Key Sales of Early U.S. Dollars
5 November 28–30, 1881 John W.
Haseltine’s Type Table sale
Important as the first extensive date and
die-variety collection of early silver dollars offered via a public auction
sale, the “Haseltine Reference Collection.” Some varieties that were disposed
of prior to the sale are listed in the back of the catalogue (1794 Haseltine-1
(H-1); 1795 H-8; 1802 H-7 and 1804 H-1). No specimens were plated, making it
difficult to attribute die varieties using only the descriptions. B. Max Mehl
reprinted the Hazeltine [sic] Type Table in 1927.
(Article continued on pages 5-20)
The Numismatic Bibliomania Society (NBS) is a
non-profit educational organization founded in 1979 to support and promote the
use and collecting of numismatic literature. Numismatic literature includes
books, periodicals, catalogs and other written or printed material relating to
coins, medals, tokens, or paper money, ancient or modern, U.S. or worldwide.
Membership is open to any individual or organization interested in the study of
numismatics and the study and collecting of numismatic literature.
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Sunday, June 30, 2013
JR Newsletter: 30 June 2013 (147)
We have some exciting news from Sheridan Downey:
I thought readers of the JR Newsletter might appreciate an advance copy of the announcement that will appear later in the week on my web site, www.sheridanscoins.com. The big news is that Henry Hilgards's
fabulous collection of bust half errors has been sold to a private
collector. Photos of Henry's coins as well as his descriptions
will soon be available on my web site. I will be out of town this
weekend, picking up the still mysterious "Part 3" of my upcoming Mail
Bid Sale #37. I am accepting last minute consignments to the Sale
through Wednesday July 3. Readers not already on my mailing list are
welcome to request a copy of the catalogue for MB 37, to be mailed in
late July.
Sheridan
Here is the announcement:
The
ANA Convention this year is in Rosemont, IL, a suburb of Chicago, very close to O’Hare
Airport. The show opens to the public at 10:00 AM Tuesday August 13 and
runs through Saturday August 17. The Convention Hotels surround the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center and may be accessed (at
discounted rates) via this ANA web site:
http://worldsfairofmoney.com/plan-your-trip/book-a-hotel-room.aspx.
MAIL BID SALE 37
I
will be conducting a significant Mail Bid Sale during the Convention.
Catalogues will be mailed approximately 2 weeks before the show. The sale will
close at 6:00 PM Wednesday August 14, 2013. At this writing there
are 80 coins consigned to the sale, including two lovely PCGS XF 45 1795
flowing hair half-dollars:
First, a 1795/1795 Recut Date
O.112 PCGS XF 45 Ex Queller.
Second, a 1795 O.124 PCGS XF 45:
The “anchor” consignment comes from the collection
of Steve Nomura. For more than 20 years Steve put his sharp and practiced eye
to good use in selecting beautifully toned coins grading AU and UNC. The
provenance of Steve’s coin tells us of their quality: Pittman, Eliasberg,
Prouty, De Olden, Meyer, Solomon and (surprise!) George Plimpton, consignor to
the astounding Sotheby Sale of June 1992.
THE
HENRY R. HILGARD COLLECTION OF MAJOR BUST HALF-DOLLAR ERRORS
Part
2 of the Sale consists of a small group of coins from
the estate of my colleague and closest friend, Henry Hilgard. The family consigned these coins to me along
with Henry’s unrivaled collection of major bust half-dollar errors. Not wanting to earn a 2nd Can
of Worms Award, I withheld the announcement of the consignment until
negotiations for the outright sale of the primary collection were
complete. Do you remember the summer of
1993 when, after mailing the catalogue for MB 9 – Selections from the Overton
Collection – I withdrew the entire consignment and sold the collection,
intact, to an anonymous buyer. (In whose
hands the Overton Collection rests today.)
Henry’s set of major bust half errors has been sold to collector and
will likewise remain intact. Henry’s
wife and daughters are thrilled with the disposition of the collection. The importance of Henry’s error collection
cannot be overstated. There are 58
pieces (including a “Chinese” 1826 off center counterfeit) in the “primary
collection.” (Editor's Note: The following two sentences provided by Sheridan had "place holders" for links, but the links were not live...so I suspect you will need to check Sheridan's website this week for the images and descriptions of Henry's coins) Here is a link to
photographs of each coin. Henry wrote a
masterful description of each piece last year.
You will find it here.
Dick Kurtz
photo of Wayne Aubel, Van Harvey, Wayne Smith and Lenny Schramm presenting the
Can of
Worms Award to Sheridan at the July 1993 ANA Convention in Baltimore.
YET TO
COME – PART 3 OF THE SALE
More
consignments are coming the first week of July. I will update the list of
consigned coins as soon Lance Keigwin is able to photograph these last minute
consignments. The sale is limited to 150 lots. If you would like your
bust halves to appear in the sale do not dally. The extended consignment
deadline is Wednesday July 3, 2013. Call or email now! Commission rates are very reasonable. Sellers’
fees range from 0 to 5%, depending upon the scope and value of your
consignment. The buyer’s premium in my
sales continues at 10% of the hammer price.
To
view a list of the coins currently consigned point your browser here. Photos are available here. Lot numbers and written
descriptions will appear after the consignment deadline has passed.
HOW
ABOUT A BOOK OR TWO?
In
the meantime you may want to order the latest edition of Steve Herrman’s AMBPR.
This invaluable pricing tool is yours for $30. (Postpaid, media mail; add $5
for Priority Mail.) I have 6 copies of the Spring 2013 Edition in stock.
First come, first served. Other books in
stock include Edgar Souders Bust Half Fever, the 2nd
edition of Davignon’s book on Contemporary Counterfeits, Dick
Graham’s recent reference work on die varieties of Reeded Edge Capped Bust Half
Dollars and (just uncovered in the dungeon of my garage) Steve Herrman’s 2010
“AMBPR Complete Edition” on CD. Call or
write for current pricing on these items.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
JR Newsletter: 23 June 2013 (146)
Two contributions this week:
Chuck Allen had an inquiry based on the announcement made by Don Willis that PCGS had price information for half dollars by Overton varieties:
Where on the PCGS website is the Overton
price guide? I have looked and cant find it, I can find pop report and price
guide but for major varieties only, not Overton vatieties.
Thanks,
Chuck Allen
Editor's note: Here's the answer...
1. Go to www.pcgs.com
2. Click on Price Guide
3. Find the Half Dollar series of interest (flowing, draped, or capped) and click on the series
4. You will find listed in the second column of the price guide the major varieties/year for each Half Dollar in the series (e.g. 1807 Large Stars, 1808, 1809 XXX Edge, etc.).
5. In the first column of each listing is a four or five digit "PCGS Number" that is preceded by a small plus sign surrounded by a small square. Looks like this:
6. Click on that small box and the desired Overton information will open.
------
David Kahn wrote:
I have just returned from an incredibly busy Whitman Baltimore Coin Expo with a major prize in hand, and would love to offer it to the JRCS membership before it is offered to the general public on my website.
I have available a brand-new, absolutely mint copy of the super-deluxe, full leather-bound book, "Early Quarter Dollars of the United States Mint, 1796-1838", by Rory Rea, Glenn Peterson, Brad Karoleff and John Kovach. This is copy number 38 of 50 prepared, all of which sold out very quickly, thanks in large part to the absolutely breathtaking, full-color photographs of the Eric Newman quarters, which can only be found within. The book is signed by all 4 authors and by Eric Newman as well. The binding is superb, with its raised spine and fabulous Draped bust obverse design executed on the cover. A must-have item for the serious Bust quarter collector and/or the numismatic bibliophiles among us. The price is the same as when issued - $500, plus $15 for Priority mail shipment.
Please contact me directly at David (at) DavidKahnRareCoins.com if you would like to add this very important and completely impressive book to your library. First-come, first-served.
Dave
www.DavidKahnRareCoins.com
------
David Kahn wrote:
I have just returned from an incredibly busy Whitman Baltimore Coin Expo with a major prize in hand, and would love to offer it to the JRCS membership before it is offered to the general public on my website.
I have available a brand-new, absolutely mint copy of the super-deluxe, full leather-bound book, "Early Quarter Dollars of the United States Mint, 1796-1838", by Rory Rea, Glenn Peterson, Brad Karoleff and John Kovach. This is copy number 38 of 50 prepared, all of which sold out very quickly, thanks in large part to the absolutely breathtaking, full-color photographs of the Eric Newman quarters, which can only be found within. The book is signed by all 4 authors and by Eric Newman as well. The binding is superb, with its raised spine and fabulous Draped bust obverse design executed on the cover. A must-have item for the serious Bust quarter collector and/or the numismatic bibliophiles among us. The price is the same as when issued - $500, plus $15 for Priority mail shipment.
Please contact me directly at David (at) DavidKahnRareCoins.com if you would like to add this very important and completely impressive book to your library. First-come, first-served.
Dave
www.DavidKahnRareCoins.com
Sunday, June 16, 2013
JR Newsletter: 16 June 2013 (145)
We have some very interesting contributions this week. Enjoy!
Don Willis wrote:
Some of you may be interested to learn that PCGS now offers a price guide for all Overton varieties of Flowing Hair, Draped Bust and Capped Bust half dollars. This price guide is free to everyone and is available on www.pcgs.com. Estimated survival rates of each coin are published as well.
We recently completed the work of building this comprehensive price guide. All the prices were extensively researched. We used all the real world data we could find. This was a very time consuming project - there are a lot of prices! If you notice anything that is askew please let either David Hall or I know.
Meanwhile enjoy and hopefully you will find it useful.
Thanks
Don Willis
------
Sheridan Downey wrote to tell us about an upcoming mail bid sale with what appear to be (in this editor's opinion) some very cool coins. Details can be found on his web site:
http://www.sheridanscoins.com/
------
We have a couple of contributions from David Perkins:
Come view the Eric P. Newman Collection of Early U.S. Silver Dollars from 1794 to 1803 in Baltimore – Members of JRCS and Non-members are welcome to attend.
W. David Perkins, JRCS Treasurer and Early Dollar specialist will be hosting the JRCS Regional Meeting at the Whitman-Baltimore Expo. The meeting will be held from 4:00-5:00pm on Friday, June 21 in Room 330 in the Baltimore Convention Center.
Members and non-members are welcome to come meet fellow collectors and view a presentation by W. David Perkins on the extraordinary Eric P. Newman Collection of Early U.S. Silver Dollars from 1794 to 1803. This Date and Major Type Set of early dollars was hand-picked from the Col. E.H.R. Green collection in the 1940s. All of these dollars are high grade and are the majority are beautifully toned from storage in Waite Raymond holders since at least the 1940s.
Photos of the Neman Collection of early quarter dollars 1796-1838 will be available for viewing in Baltimore. Please see W. David Perkins if you would like to view these photos during the meeting or show - Dave will have the early dollar and early quarter dollar photos at the show on Thursday and Friday. Dave can be contacted at wdperki (at) attglobal.net prior to the show if you have any questions or would like to arrange to view the photos at the show.
and
New and Possibly Finest Known Specimen of the R-6+ 1806 127a Die Marriage – Can be seen at Whitman-Baltimore Expo next Week
In the last issue of the John Reich Journal (Volume 23 / Issue 1) on page 40 there is a one page article on a newly discovered specimen of the 1806 O-127a half dollar die marriage in PCGS VF25. It is now graded PCGS VF-25 CAC. This specimen is likely one of the two finest known and possibly the finest known. The other a specimen also in PCGS VF25 owned by a JRCS member. According to Steve Herrman this die marriage is currently rated R-6+.
This specimen will be offered at the 2013 ANA Convention in Chicago in a Sealed Bid Sale at my Table, # 1030. I will be at the Whitman-Baltimore Expo / Coin show on Thursday and Friday, June 20th and 21st. I will have the coin with me if anyone would like to see it. Please page or find me on the bourse, or contact me at wdperki (at) attglobal.net . Thanks.
W. David Perkins
Don Willis wrote:
Some of you may be interested to learn that PCGS now offers a price guide for all Overton varieties of Flowing Hair, Draped Bust and Capped Bust half dollars. This price guide is free to everyone and is available on www.pcgs.com. Estimated survival rates of each coin are published as well.
We recently completed the work of building this comprehensive price guide. All the prices were extensively researched. We used all the real world data we could find. This was a very time consuming project - there are a lot of prices! If you notice anything that is askew please let either David Hall or I know.
Meanwhile enjoy and hopefully you will find it useful.
Thanks
Don Willis
------
Sheridan Downey wrote to tell us about an upcoming mail bid sale with what appear to be (in this editor's opinion) some very cool coins. Details can be found on his web site:
http://www.sheridanscoins.com/
------
We have a couple of contributions from David Perkins:
Come view the Eric P. Newman Collection of Early U.S. Silver Dollars from 1794 to 1803 in Baltimore – Members of JRCS and Non-members are welcome to attend.
W. David Perkins, JRCS Treasurer and Early Dollar specialist will be hosting the JRCS Regional Meeting at the Whitman-Baltimore Expo. The meeting will be held from 4:00-5:00pm on Friday, June 21 in Room 330 in the Baltimore Convention Center.
Members and non-members are welcome to come meet fellow collectors and view a presentation by W. David Perkins on the extraordinary Eric P. Newman Collection of Early U.S. Silver Dollars from 1794 to 1803. This Date and Major Type Set of early dollars was hand-picked from the Col. E.H.R. Green collection in the 1940s. All of these dollars are high grade and are the majority are beautifully toned from storage in Waite Raymond holders since at least the 1940s.
Photos of the Neman Collection of early quarter dollars 1796-1838 will be available for viewing in Baltimore. Please see W. David Perkins if you would like to view these photos during the meeting or show - Dave will have the early dollar and early quarter dollar photos at the show on Thursday and Friday. Dave can be contacted at wdperki (at) attglobal.net prior to the show if you have any questions or would like to arrange to view the photos at the show.
and
New and Possibly Finest Known Specimen of the R-6+ 1806 127a Die Marriage – Can be seen at Whitman-Baltimore Expo next Week
In the last issue of the John Reich Journal (Volume 23 / Issue 1) on page 40 there is a one page article on a newly discovered specimen of the 1806 O-127a half dollar die marriage in PCGS VF25. It is now graded PCGS VF-25 CAC. This specimen is likely one of the two finest known and possibly the finest known. The other a specimen also in PCGS VF25 owned by a JRCS member. According to Steve Herrman this die marriage is currently rated R-6+.
This specimen will be offered at the 2013 ANA Convention in Chicago in a Sealed Bid Sale at my Table, # 1030. I will be at the Whitman-Baltimore Expo / Coin show on Thursday and Friday, June 20th and 21st. I will have the coin with me if anyone would like to see it. Please page or find me on the bourse, or contact me at wdperki (at) attglobal.net . Thanks.
W. David Perkins
Sunday, June 9, 2013
JR Newsletter: 9 June 2013 (144)
Brad Karoleff wrote:
We still need a few articles for the pre-ANA issue of the journal. There are a couple in the folder but not yet enough to put out an issue. The next journal will have to be shipped in the middle of July. I would love to have your submission by June 15 to give us ample time to put the issue together.
Please consider sending something for publication. It can be as simple as an experience you have had in collecting.
I would like to thank all of our authors past, present and future for their help. The journal only gets issued with the help of the membership.
Also, JRCS is in need of a volunteer or two to help at the June Baltimore numismatic expo. We need some one to host the 4:00 PM Friday afternoon meeting. This will entail opening the meeting and moderating the program. Which brings me to the next need. Is there anyone willing to give a short presentation at the meeting? I will be attending the summer seminar at the ANA and will not be in Baltimore.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at bkaroleff (at) yahoo.com
Brad Karoleff
We still need a few articles for the pre-ANA issue of the journal. There are a couple in the folder but not yet enough to put out an issue. The next journal will have to be shipped in the middle of July. I would love to have your submission by June 15 to give us ample time to put the issue together.
Please consider sending something for publication. It can be as simple as an experience you have had in collecting.
I would like to thank all of our authors past, present and future for their help. The journal only gets issued with the help of the membership.
Also, JRCS is in need of a volunteer or two to help at the June Baltimore numismatic expo. We need some one to host the 4:00 PM Friday afternoon meeting. This will entail opening the meeting and moderating the program. Which brings me to the next need. Is there anyone willing to give a short presentation at the meeting? I will be attending the summer seminar at the ANA and will not be in Baltimore.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at bkaroleff (at) yahoo.com
Brad Karoleff
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