No new contributions this week
Sunday, June 15, 2014
Sunday, June 8, 2014
JR Newsletter: 8 June 2014 (192)
This week's issue of the JR Newsletter has all sorts of good
information. Nathan Markowitz starts us
off:
I would like to reply to Bob Stark and embellish the
comments made about the silver happenings a few weeks ago on this forum.
Indeed, early dollars WERE represented in Colorado
springs. We chose the 1798 B-16 die marriage
with its wonderful die stage progression. Three representatives made
cameo appearances with two VF mid/late state examples and the latest know
example from the Willasch collection in mint state. For anyone who loves
cracks and cuds its hard not to warm up to this die marriage; an especially
wonderful experience to view them side by side.
Going forward, we would like to have more early dollars
represented at the show; I encourage anyone to attend or send along their
example of the chosen die marriage so it too can be shown alongside its
brethren; we depend on the collectors to send their examples as this is an
entirely voluntary event. If anyone has an idea for a die marriage to be
displayed next year, this is a great place to make the suggestion and its never
too early to make a proposal; just remember that we need the coins to
"show up" to make it work. Next year the show is in Dallas
at DFW the first weekend of May, and in 2016 its in downtown Charlotte
April 6-9 (if memory serves).
Nathan Markowitz
------
James Higby wrote:
A small typo correction to Denis Loring's R-scale: R-5
should read 46-60 and R-5- should then be 61-75.
In addition to this, there is the matter of condition
rarity. An R-6 die marriage would be represented by 13-30 examples, but
if 29 of them are G5 and only one is F15, then the Fine15 becomes an R-8+
while the other 29 are all R-6-.
Things get complicated once you get past Brown & Dunn!
James Higby
------
Steve Tompkins sends this, on the same topic (rarity):
I wanted to reply to Mike Sherrill's comments from last
week, but forgot to do so until the new issue came today...
When a die marriage is given a particular rarity rating,
what exactly does this mean?
I would say that it would mean what each author for every
series has stated it means, as different people have different definitions.
However, there is a universal consensus as to what each level of rarity
consists of as far as quantities go, as was stated by Denis Loring:
I grew up with the
dime book - my definition of rarity probably derived
from page 20 and is "estimated number of surviving examples in all
grades, both attributed and not". But to take other examples, the 1836
B5 quarter is widely regarded as R6, in one of the quarter books "15-17
known". In the latest dime census, the 1820 JR12 is listed as R6 with 17
reported. My first thought is, "these are actually R5+ die marriages".
from page 20 and is "estimated number of surviving examples in all
grades, both attributed and not". But to take other examples, the 1836
B5 quarter is widely regarded as R6, in one of the quarter books "15-17
known". In the latest dime census, the 1820 JR12 is listed as R6 with 17
reported. My first thought is, "these are actually R5+ die marriages".
Although I applaud the authors of the dime book, as I
believe it is the impetus for raising the level of research and presentation of
die marriage attribution reference books and is the starting point for any
serious student of early US Mint coinage, I have to disagree with the
definition presented above by Mike. If that is what they meant then I don’t
agree. Actually, this what it states in the dime book under the heading of
"RARITY" on page 20:
“The following table
shows the approximate number of dimes in existence for a given rarity:”
It goes on to list the range of coins for each level of
rarity from R-8 through R-1. At the time, the addition of a plus or minus was
not in general use as it is today to distinguish the separation between the
higher and the lower parts of the range.
The issue might be in the statement “in existence”. Perhaps
Mike is interpreting this to mean those coins that are both attributed and
those not yet attributed. If so, then I
would state that this kind of thinking has the potential for problems down the
road.
How can you state with any certainty how many coins of a
given die marriage exist if they are not yet all identified? Any rarity rating
given using these criteria may be correct, but can be just as incorrect.
Attempting to define a rarity rating based on how many you think might exist is
fraught with error possibilities.
A case in point is the rarity rating given by Don Parsley in
the 4th addition of Overton for the newly discovered 1807 O-115. Parsley stated
that it was an R-6, most likely due the fact that he believed that more would
surface. He even gives a condition census that includes 5 separate coins
(although he states that these are estimates…)!
However, after almost 10 years since it was discovered,
only five examples have been identified, making the die marriage an R-7+.
That is not to say that more won't be found some day, but to start out with
R-6? The population could increase five-fold and still be an R-6. What if
no more are ever found? It would have been better to give a rating based on
known examples than supposed examples..
This example shows what I believe rarity ratings should
represent…the total number of coins known to exist at a given point in time.
Things are not static, they change over time, and rarity ratings can and should
change over time. They will be updated and changed when a newer reference is
published and for the rarest die marriages, will be tracked, in between
editions of a series reference. In fact, the rarity rating for the more scarce
coins is probably more accurate than for the lower ratings. (Who has the time
to actually count examples for R-1, R-2 & R-3?)
As to the rarity ratings listed in the new quarter books,
both state that the 1836 B-5 is an R-6+ with 15-17 examples known not R-6. This
was accurate at the time, but since has changed. Several more examples have
been discovered and the population is now in the lower 20’s making the rarity
an R-6 for the die marriage. Will it eventually become an R-5+? Maybe…but to
state such now or when the books were published would be irresponsible in my
mind. Will another 10 coins be discovered and attributed? Again, I say
maybe…but I doubt it.
Anyone who wants to seriously collect a particular series
needs to arm themselves with all the information they can. This includes the
latest edition of a reference book on the series, and any new information
pertaining to examples of the rarest die marriages. I will also state that the
census compilations we see in the JRJ need to be taken with a grain of salt, as
they are far from all encompassing and only include those examples that the
membership reports. Believe that there are more examples than reported, perhaps
many more.
Steve M. Tompkins
------
Finally, a couple of notes from the Editor:
The email address for Pete Mosiondz, Jr. was
left off of his listing for books offered for sale. The address is choochoopete(at)comcast.net
Also, the email address for Paul Hybert listed
in last week's JR Newsletter was incorrect.
The correct email address is jrcsweb(at)yahoo.com
Sunday, June 1, 2014
JR Newsletter: 1 June 2014 (191)
We have three contributions this week, with the first
spurred by a question asked in the last JR Newsletter.
In response to the question, " When a die marriage is
given a particular rarity rating, what exactly
does this mean?" -- Denis Loring wrote:
does this mean?" -- Denis Loring wrote:
As I understand it, rarity rating estimates the number of
existing examples, as follows:
R-8: 1-3
R-7+: 4-6
R-7: 7-9
R-7-: 10-12
R-6+: 13-18
R-6: 19-24
R-6-: 25-30
R-5+: 31-45
R-5: 46-50
R-5-: 51-75
R-4: 76-200
R-3: 201-500
R-2: 501-1250
R-1 over 1250
Be careful, though. If a given variety has,
say, four die states, each state could be R-6 with 20 known but the
variety itself would only be R-4(+) with 80 known.
Denis Loring
------
Paul Hybert wrote:
Collector Exhibits for the 2014 Summer ANA
Convention
Although the ANA summer convention is still two months away, the
deadline for submitting your application to enter an exhibit is less
than three weeks away -- a completed application for each exhibit must
be received at ANA headquarters by June 20. If you have spent the past
months working on your exhibit, please do not let this deadline trip
you. If you promised to enter a small exhibit, do not panic, the
application form needs just a title and one-paragraph overview. The ANA
web site has a page, at http://www.worldsfairofmoney.com/collector-exhibits.aspx
with links to the rules, application, and an essay on preparing an exhibit.
Standard Disclaimer: Exhibiting is not possible for most people -- the
exhibits must be in place by the early Tuesday morning opening of the
convention, and the exhibits cannot be removed until very late on
Saturday afternoon (when the convention closes).
Do you have questions? Email them to me at jrcsweb(at)yahoo.org
Although the ANA summer convention is still two months away, the
deadline for submitting your application to enter an exhibit is less
than three weeks away -- a completed application for each exhibit must
be received at ANA headquarters by June 20. If you have spent the past
months working on your exhibit, please do not let this deadline trip
you. If you promised to enter a small exhibit, do not panic, the
application form needs just a title and one-paragraph overview. The ANA
web site has a page, at http://www.worldsfairofmoney.com/collector-exhibits.aspx
with links to the rules, application, and an essay on preparing an exhibit.
Standard Disclaimer: Exhibiting is not possible for most people -- the
exhibits must be in place by the early Tuesday morning opening of the
convention, and the exhibits cannot be removed until very late on
Saturday afternoon (when the convention closes).
Do you have questions? Email them to me at jrcsweb(at)yahoo.org
Paul
------
Peter Mosiondz, Jr. sent us an offering for various articles
of numismatic literature
Brand New Books Offered Subject Unsold by Peter Mosiondz,
Jr.
The United States Half Dimes by David W. Valentine. 1975
Quarterman reprint of the 1931 original incorporating additional works by
Newlin, Breen, Davis, and Ahwash. 273 pages. Hardbound. Dust Jacket protected in Mylar®. $15.00
History of the First United
States Mint by Frank Stewart. 1974
Quarterman reprint of the 1924 original. 209 pages. Hardbound. Dust Jacket
protected in Mylar®. $15.00
2014 Coin World Guide to U.S.
Coins, Prices and Value Trends. 464 pages. Softbound. $3.00
Common Sense Coin Investment by Q. David Bowers. 189 pages.
Paperback. $3.00
Rochester
Numismatic Association: Celebrating 100 Years of Fellowship. Card Cover. $3.00
The Lovett Cent: A Confederate Story by Harold Levi and
George Correll. 276 pages. Softbound. $15.00
The Expert’s Guide to Collecting and Investing in Rare Coins
by Q. David Bowers. At 34 chapters and 656 pages, it covers everything from
grading to determining values to techniques of smart auction bidding. More than
1,300 photographs and illustrations. Hardbound. DJ protected in Mylar®. $15.00
Coins and Collectors by Q. David Bowers. 214 pages.
Softbound. $8.00
Abe Kosoff: Dean of Numismatics by Q. David Bowers. 351 pages.
Softbound. $15.00
Add $3.00 postage per order.
Peter Mosiondz, Jr.
26 Cameron Circle
Laurel Springs,
NJ 08021-4861
Phone: 856-627-6865
Sunday, May 25, 2014
JR Newsletter: 25 May 2014 (190)
Louis Scuderi wrote with a request for images of half dimes:
I am doing some research on late die state and full reverse cud
capped bust half dimes. I am seeking
images of coins with reverse cuds and also of coins that are late die state just before formation of the cud. Specifically, I am requesting images for the
following die marriages and your permission to use the images (with
acknowledgement) when the research is presented in the JR Journal:
1830 LM-1.2
1832 LM-5
1832 LM-10.4
1833 LM-1
1832 LM-5
1832 LM-10.4
1833 LM-1
1833 LM-4.3
1833 LM-8
1835 LM-1
1835 LM-5.2
1835 LM-9.2
1833 LM-8
1835 LM-1
1835 LM-5.2
1835 LM-9.2
1836 LM-1.2
Images and correspondence should go to cirque1(at)gmail.com
Thank you,
Louis
------
Bob Stark wrote in response to Glenn Peterson's discussion
of bust dollars studied at the EAC-JRCS "Happenings" event:
Thanks, Glenn for writing on the 1798 B-16 MS 62. It is a
beautiful coin illustrated on page 172 of the newer Bowers dollar book and,
apparently, the finest known.
My coin, purchased for me by Jules Reiver at the 1975 ANA,
graded a VF 20 there and Ex-Blanchard, Austin, and Ostheimer. It was thought to
be unique "without any trace of the usual break". However, I'm told that a few others, without
evidence of a break, are known.
With four die states, B-16 seems a neat candidate for a die
state collection.
Bob Stark
------
Mike Sherrill wrote with a question for readers about rarity
ratings:
When a die marriage is given a particular rarity
rating, what exactly does this mean?
I grew up with the dime book - my definition of
rarity probably derived from page 20 and is "estimated number of
surviving examples in all grades, both attributed and not". But to take
other examples, the 1836 B5 quarter is widely regarded as R6, in one of
the quarter books "15-17 known". In the latest dime census,
the 1820 JR12 is listed as R6 with 17 reported. My first thought is,
"these are actually R5+ die marriages".
The previous two examples are far from isolated and so
I'm curious how others define rarity. Is it similar to my definition
above? Is it "number of unique
examples identified" like the previous examples? Is there a right way to
define it? Is it just a question of
sellers inflating rarity and buyers downplaying it? The differentiation is much
less important for the R4 and more common die marriages, but the rarer die
marriages are the focus of many of our collections.
Thanks,
Mike
Sunday, May 18, 2014
JR Newsletter: 18 May 2014 (189)
Brad Karoleff wrote:
The next issue of the John Reich Journal is scheduled to
come out in July. It will contain the census for the half dollars before
the Capped Bust series. Please send your census updates to Steve Herrman
as soon as possible for inclusion in the issue -- Herrman102(at)aol.com
We also need articles to fill the rest of the issue.
Anyone who has been working on a paper, or someone who can write
something for us before the deadline, is encouraged to submit it for
publication. I would like to have any submissions by June 15th so we can
work on getting them formatted for publication. Please consider sending
something for publication to make your journal more interesting.
Brad Karoleff
------
We have two contributions from Glenn Peterson:
First, Glenn Peterson wrote:
Hi JRCS members,
I am doing a study on double profile bust
halves 1807-1836. I am putting together a presentation for the BHNC meeting at
ANA Chicago and if I get enough interesting
information I might put together an article for JR Journal on the subject
as well. I appreciate information from members on capped bust half dollar
double profiles obverse AND REVERSE.
The information I seek is the following
1. Where is the doubling – obverse, face, chin, neck, date,
hair-curls, etc. and reverse above or below L or R wing, etc.?
2. Is the doubling external (a line outside the main device)
or internal ( e.g. a second chin inside the original chin)?
3. Date and die marriage of the coin.
4. How many profiles: double, triple, quadruple, etc.?
I am NOT studying double die halves
like the 1820 O-108 and not studying double struck halves but machine/
mechanical doubling. Dates involved cluster in the early teens, mid
twenties, and a few in early 30's but almost any date can be affected.
Doubling on the reverse is mostly in the 1824-1825 range but can occur in
other years.
Please send
information to gpeters(at)tds.net
Thanks
Glenn Peterson
--
Glenn Peterson also wrote in response to Bob Stark's
comments in last week's JR Newsletter:
I wrote the report to the newsletter May 3rd late at
night trying to get the report out for the Sunday newsletter. In my hurry I did
not get to the bust dollar, 1798 B 16, BB 110 which I demonstrated along with
the 1829 LM 18 half dime. Other JRCS members displayed the dime, quarter, and
halves. We had 3 examples of the 1798 B 16 the latest being in mint
state and had a full cud left of the date. A beautiful coin!! I got
my share of ribbing from the collectors about the half dimes being too small to
see "and now this coin (the bust dollar) I can see..."
Glenn Peterson
------
Finally, a reminder from the editor:
Nominations for the JRCS Hall of Fame class of 2014 are now OPEN. Announcement of
the 2014 inductees will be made at the ANA JRCS
meeting in August.
The membership is encouraged to send nominations for the hall. You can nominate candidates for either the veteran (those who contributed before the advent of JRCS) or the modern (those who have been members of JRCS) categories. Please include any pertinent information about the nominee that you feel necessary. Nominees will then be voted on by the HOF committee and the inductees will be announced at the annual meeting at the ANA convention in the summer. We look forward to seeing your nominations!
Please forward your nominations to bkaroleff(at)yahoo.com or to jrnewsletter(at)jrcs.org
The membership is encouraged to send nominations for the hall. You can nominate candidates for either the veteran (those who contributed before the advent of JRCS) or the modern (those who have been members of JRCS) categories. Please include any pertinent information about the nominee that you feel necessary. Nominees will then be voted on by the HOF committee and the inductees will be announced at the annual meeting at the ANA convention in the summer. We look forward to seeing your nominations!
Please forward your nominations to bkaroleff(at)yahoo.com or to jrnewsletter(at)jrcs.org
Sunday, May 11, 2014
JR Newsletter: 11 May 2014 (188)
We have two contributions this week. Steve Herrman has an announcement with our
first contribution:
Steve Herrman wrote:
COMING SOON!
The second
revision of Auction Prices Realized for
Certified & Graded Bust Half Dollars 1794-1839 (APRCG) shall be
available in late June. The publication covers prices realized for all
certified and graded Bust Halves sold in major auctions over the past three
years. This is in contrast to the AMBPR which focuses on R3+ to R8 varieties,
condition census coins, proofs, mint errors, and contemporary counterfeits.
Softbound, $25.00 postpaid ($22.00 if requested prior to
June 1). Also available in PDF format.
Copies will be mailed to JRCS members with an enclosed
invoice. Advance payment is not required.
Also: $1.00 shall be donated to each the JRCS and the
BHNC for each copy sold.
Please inquire at Herrman102(at)aol.com
Thanks,
Steve Herrman
JRCS LM 28
------
Bob Stark wrote:
Those who don't often make it to meetings relish accounts such
as Glenn Peterson's. I made a mental note as I read to send this thank you. At
the end -- imagine my disappointment to
read nothing of the dollars. The series is so limited and it is our nation's
crown coin that it is a continual surprise to me how often it is overlooked.
Best wishes,
Bob Stark
Sunday, May 4, 2014
JR Newsletter: 4 May 2014 (187)
We are fortunate to have one contribution this week from Glenn Peterson, who participated in the Early American Coppers-John Reich Collectors Society meeting this past week.
JRCS members,
We had a great time at the Happenings meeting in Colorado Springs. We shared a room with our copper collector colleagues at the happenings event. They showed interesting die marriages of half cents and large cents and we displayed examples of half dimes, dimes, quarters, halves and dollars. We showed 13 examples of the 1829 LM 18 half dime, an excellent number of examples of this R5 marriage. We had coins showing just one crack at stars 2-4 and several with two cracks from the rim below star 2 to the rim above star 4. We had two examples of the die marriage showing retained cuds. The first acquired by me from the Reiver sale had the cud demonstrating a section of the die being laterally displaced but not sinking. The last coin borrowed from a friend showed the area of the coin affected by the cud elevated from the rest of the field. In this retained cud, the piece of the die was beginning to sink and pull away from the rest of the die. Does anyone else have such an advanced cud on the 1829 LM 18?
Dimes displayed included both die marriages of 1824. Beautiful examples in mint state highlighted the 1824/2 overdate. The JR 1 and JR 2 share the same obverse but the more common JR 1 has a defective 1 in the denomination. The quarter 1818 B 9 was highlighted by a beautiful example of the deeply clashed arrowheads on the obverse above star 8.
Half dollars displayed included the 1814 O-106, which in late die states has a reverse crack so strong that it almost appears as though a piece on the coin could snap off from the rest of the coin. The second die marriage displayed was the 1827 O-108. This coin shows a remarriage with the 1828 O-101. The 1827 O-108 prime has F unfilled and many die dots below UNITED. The reverse next used in 1828 has these dots gradually being lapped away and F filling. When it is again used for the 1827 a there remains just one dot below UNITED and the F is filled. We enjoyed showing this die marriage to our copper colleagues who do not get to see many remarriages on their large and half cents. We turned the half dollars over showing the reverses and asked them to sort the coins by die state and upon uprighting the coins the remarriage became apparent.
This year I made sure to get around the room and view the half and large cents. They showed me several die marriages with giant cuds developing on late die states of the copper coins. This is what I most like about the happenings - sharing the coins we love with our colleagues and an exchange of ideas about mint production of coins from that era.
The next day we took a tour of the ANA museum. An ANA employee gave us a special treat. They had a die press similar to that used in the early 1800s. They also had a planchet cutting device to cut the planchet from a metal strip made of Pewter. I was allow to work the dies to make a token depicting Miss Liberty, inscribed "Early American Coppers Colorado Springs 2014." I double struck and even flip over double struck the tokens and even formed one piece with an incomplete planchet cut onto the token. A lot of fun.
Next year the EAC/ JRCS meeting will be in Dallas TX. I urge everyone to attend the meeting - one of the premiere numismatic events of the year.
Glenn Peterson
JRCS members,
We had a great time at the Happenings meeting in Colorado Springs. We shared a room with our copper collector colleagues at the happenings event. They showed interesting die marriages of half cents and large cents and we displayed examples of half dimes, dimes, quarters, halves and dollars. We showed 13 examples of the 1829 LM 18 half dime, an excellent number of examples of this R5 marriage. We had coins showing just one crack at stars 2-4 and several with two cracks from the rim below star 2 to the rim above star 4. We had two examples of the die marriage showing retained cuds. The first acquired by me from the Reiver sale had the cud demonstrating a section of the die being laterally displaced but not sinking. The last coin borrowed from a friend showed the area of the coin affected by the cud elevated from the rest of the field. In this retained cud, the piece of the die was beginning to sink and pull away from the rest of the die. Does anyone else have such an advanced cud on the 1829 LM 18?
Dimes displayed included both die marriages of 1824. Beautiful examples in mint state highlighted the 1824/2 overdate. The JR 1 and JR 2 share the same obverse but the more common JR 1 has a defective 1 in the denomination. The quarter 1818 B 9 was highlighted by a beautiful example of the deeply clashed arrowheads on the obverse above star 8.
Half dollars displayed included the 1814 O-106, which in late die states has a reverse crack so strong that it almost appears as though a piece on the coin could snap off from the rest of the coin. The second die marriage displayed was the 1827 O-108. This coin shows a remarriage with the 1828 O-101. The 1827 O-108 prime has F unfilled and many die dots below UNITED. The reverse next used in 1828 has these dots gradually being lapped away and F filling. When it is again used for the 1827 a there remains just one dot below UNITED and the F is filled. We enjoyed showing this die marriage to our copper colleagues who do not get to see many remarriages on their large and half cents. We turned the half dollars over showing the reverses and asked them to sort the coins by die state and upon uprighting the coins the remarriage became apparent.
This year I made sure to get around the room and view the half and large cents. They showed me several die marriages with giant cuds developing on late die states of the copper coins. This is what I most like about the happenings - sharing the coins we love with our colleagues and an exchange of ideas about mint production of coins from that era.
The next day we took a tour of the ANA museum. An ANA employee gave us a special treat. They had a die press similar to that used in the early 1800s. They also had a planchet cutting device to cut the planchet from a metal strip made of Pewter. I was allow to work the dies to make a token depicting Miss Liberty, inscribed "Early American Coppers Colorado Springs 2014." I double struck and even flip over double struck the tokens and even formed one piece with an incomplete planchet cut onto the token. A lot of fun.
Next year the EAC/ JRCS meeting will be in Dallas TX. I urge everyone to attend the meeting - one of the premiere numismatic events of the year.
Glenn Peterson
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