Lots of contributions this week! Mark Borckardt starts us off:
I read with interest that the misattributed 1796 dollar came
from a Heritage auction in 2006 where the incorrect attribution was noted, per
our policy at the time. Today, our policy is to contact the consignor to gain
permission to reholder the item before cataloging, eliminating these
situations.
Mark Borckardt, Senior Cataloger, Heritage Auctions
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Glenn Peterson wrote:
CHECK THE PICTURE! I am the happy winner of an 1835 LM-11 MS
63 bust half dime from Heritage. The listing stated that it was Large Date, Large
5C 1835 bust half dime and it was on the "internet only" section of
the Heritage auction #1175. It was in fact the Small Date and Small 5C and the
more scarce of the two examples (R4). The only other choice UNC example I have
encountered of that die marriage was MS 63 and priced at $2000. I was able to
capture it for well under half that price. Perhaps the mistaken description
help me acquire that piece. I was also able to acquire a MS 63 example of
the second marriage of bust half 1827 O-108 to complement my MS 62 example of
the first marriage without F filled. Between these remarriages, the reverse is
used to produce 1828 O-101. Happy hunting!
Glenn Peterson
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Steve Herrman wrote:
I have a Microsoft Excel document
which may be shared with other JRCS members.
The document contains up-to-date
census spreadsheets for the Bust half dimes, dimes, quarters and halves
(Pre-Turban and Capped
Bust). Whenever entries are added or changed, summary totals are
computed automatically.
Best,
Steve
JRCS #474
Editor's Note: Send an email to me if you wish to receive a
copy of Steve Herrman's spreadsheet.
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Michael Sullivan wrote:
Thank you for a helpful and lively JR Newsletter on
Sunday. As usual, my friends Jim Mathews and W.D. Perkins were
great help in the dialogue and research. While not included in the
article citation last week, my good friend Brad Karoleff helped to inspire my
original submission as well.
I applaud the response of Mr. Greg Hansen to take a
professional, responsible position to clarify the early dollar marriage error, take
the coin off the market, and request NGC to reslab it with the proper marriage
designation (BB-61). Fellow bibliophile and collector David
Lange is also thanked for taking quick action on behalf of NGC at no charge to
Mr. Hansen.
This is a great example of the numismatic community coming
together with information, research, and action via the JR Newsletter.
Michael J. Sullivan
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Joe Brame wrote:
My special interest right now is in the Capped Bust Half
Dime series, and I am hoping you can help me with a question.
I have just recently acquired an 1834 Half Dime, LM-4, which
has very strong mirrored fields on both sides. I did not purchase it (a raw
coin) as a Proof, but I really am wondering if it might be. Certainly I
understand that you could not express any opinion without seeing the coin, but
I am wondering if you might be able to tell me what characteristics might
suggest that it is or is not a Proof. There currently is a PCGS PR64+
1834 Half Dime on eBay (200841547496), which I have tried to compare to my
coin, but I really have not had much success. I would say that the eBay
coin does not appear to be any better struck than my coin, and the fields on
both certainly appear to be comparable. When I noted that my coin does
not have a wire rim, I felt that might be a clue that it is not a Proof.
But the coin on eBay does not appear to have a wire rim.
I am presently planning on submitting my coin to PCGS in
December, but I was hoping you might be able to offer some insight as to what I
should look for in helping me decide if it is a Proof. If my coin is not a Proof, it would probably
grade MS63 or better.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Best regards,
Joe Brame
Editor's note: At the very least, the subject of Proof half
dimes from 1834 is controversial. From the
Logan-McCloskey text ("Federal Half Dimes 1792-1837"), I found
this: "The contents of the Mint
collection have been examined three times by the authors since 1985 and no
proof 1834 half dimes were identified."
And later in the text, one finds this, "Breen accounts for several
proofs of the LM-4 marriage, and claims the year to be the second most common
after 1829 for proof half dimes."
Judging from price
guides, anyone who buys a raw coin and then achieves a Proof designation on a PCGS-graded
Capped Bust Half Dime will have earned a significant premium. I would advise Joe to show the coin to a few
other specialist collectors or dealers before submitting to PCGS to get additional
opinions. I am sure readers have
opinions on the existence and determination of Proof half dimes from 1834…let's
hear the opinions!
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Brad Karoleff wrote:
The EAC/JRCS annual convention is scheduled for May 2-5 in Newark
OH (suburb of Columbus).
The Cherry Valley Lodge is hosting the event. You can contact them at
888.897.4599, mention EAC to obtain the $129 convention rate.
There are still tables available for the show. You
must be a member of EAC to have a table due to insurance regulations. You
should be a member of that organization anyway! To obtain membership
information contact Rod Burress, 9743 Leacrest, Cincinnati, OH 45215.
If you have any other questions about the show the chairperson is Emily Matuska
and she can be reached at rmatuska (at) roadrunner.com.
Our own Nathan Markowitz will be the chair of the
educational presentations. If you would like to volunteer to give a
presentation at the show please contact Nathan at cascades1787 (at) yahoo.com.
On Thursday evening the happenings will take place.
This is where different rooms are dedicated to the study of specific die
marriages for the different series of coins represented at the
convention. The silver room will again have a half dime, dime, quarter,
two half dollars, and maybe a dollar die marriage to study. We are
accepting suggestions as to which DM's to study. Please forward your
suggestions to Brad at jrcs19 (at) roadrunner.com. I am also looking
for volunteers to help in the happening room to show the silver coins.
Currently we have decided to display 1823 O109 for the
Capped Bust half dollars. We have had the 1836 LM1 suggested for the half
dime, 1836 B3 for the quarter, and the 1839-O for the reeded edge halves.
Do you have any other nominations?
The bourse will be open Friday through Sunday. This is
more a throwback to earlier conventions with time to chat coins with your
favorite dealers without the distraction of multiple modern slabs. It is
an experience that every numismatist should avail themselves of at least once
(a year!). Come have some fun with us in the heartland of Ohio.
I can't promise the same side events as last year's convention in Buffalo
(cross dressers of America
had their annual ball at the same time as the convention!) but I'm sure you
will have a great time!
Brad Karoleff
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Last, and certainly not least (especially for collectors
of Bust Dollars), Rich Uhrich wrote:
The Stacks - Bowers Baltimore auction this week contains an
outstanding collection of Bust dollars, for which I am representing the
consignors. The collection is called the Carl and Josephine Legacy
Collection, and each of the 85 Bust dollars is so indicated in the auction
catalog. The consignors inherited this collection, which had been stored
in a bank safe deposit box since 1974. So the coins are fresh to the
market. Fortunately, the collectors had placed the dollars in Capital
plastic holders, so none had been damaged by improper storage. Highlights
of the collection include 8 (!) 1798 Small Eagle dollars, 3 of which are 13
star and 5 of which are 15 star, the finest of which is a PCGS EF-40.
There is also a 1796 Small Dare Large Letters in PCGS AU-53, a 1797 9x7 in PCGS
AU-53 CAC, a 1799 8x5 in PCGS AU-53 CAC,
and an 1800 AMERICAI in PCGS AU-55. But perhaps my favorite coin in the
collection is an 1800 B-17 in PCGS AU-50, because it is the early die state
without the "collar" that is on almost all of this variety.
Reiver knew of only one when he wrote his excellent book, one other was sold in
an auction, but this coin is by far the finest known of this rare die
state. So here is an opportunity to acquire some fresh Bust dollars for
your collection, or one for your type set.
Rich Uhrich
