JR Newsletter: 2 April 2023 (592)

Brad Karoleff wrote:

The latest issue of the JRJ is in the mail!

Anyone not receiving one by tax day can contact me for a replacement at bkaroleff(at)yahoo.com

Hope to see many of you at the upcoming CSNS show in Chicago (Schamburg).  I have a table, please look me up in the program- Coins Plus Cincinnati OH.

Happy collecting!

Brad

—

Richard Meaney wrote:

Nominations are still open for the John Reich Collectors Society Hall of Fame.  The two categories for which nominations are accepted:

1. Veteran:  People whose accomplishments happened prior to establishment of the JRCS (for example, Daniel Valentine was elected to the JRCS Hall of Fame in this category)
2. Modern:  People whose accomplishments have happened since the establishment of the JRCS (for example, Henry Hilgard was elected to the JRCS Hall of Fame in this category)
   

The JRCS Hall of Fame Committee will vote on nominees and forward one selection from each category (if there are nominees and vote winners in each category) to the JRCS President in the May-June time period.

You can send an email to me at richard.meaney(at)yahoo.com with your nomination(s).  

JR Newsletter: 26 March 2023 (591)

 Jeff Tryka asked: Are there any planned activities at CSNS this year?  I plan to be there on Friday, April 28th.

Brad Karoleff provided an answer:  Sorry but there are no meeting at the show this year. The next one will be in Pittsburgh at the ANA. 

JR Newsletter: 19 March 2023 (590)

Steve Herrman wrote:

 

The Auction & Mail Bid Prices Realized for Bust Half Dollars 1794-1839, Spring 2023 Revision, Number 62 was distributed to regular subscribers last week.

 

This issue includes auction records for R4 to R8 varieties from all major auctions for a minimum of the last 10 years and Condition Census specimens for all varieties. Also, included are auction records for overdates and other popular varieties. Separate sections are included for proofs, mint errors & patterns, countermarks, and contemporary counterfeits.

 

About 10 printed copies remain available, and the publication is also available in PDF format. Softbound. Spiral binding. 268 pages.

 

   Printed format (softbound):    $40.00 delivered via Media Mail

   PDF format (searchable):      $28.00 delivered via Email

   Both Printed & PDF formats: $46.00 delivered

 

To order a copy, please contact Steve at herrman102(at)aol.com

 

This is a semi-annual publication. $2.50 is donated to the JRCS for each copy sold.

 

Steve Herrman, JRCS LM #28

 

 

Greg Cohen wrote:

 

 

Please find linked a press release regarding the B.S.T. Collection of U.S. Type Coins that will be highlighted in Regency Auction 58, an official auction of the Central States Numismatic Convention. 

 

For questions regarding the coins in the collection, please email Jessica Berkman, president of Legend Rare Coin Auctions at jessica@legendauctions.com. For images, please email Patrick Braswell at patrick@legendauctions.com.

 

Thank you for your consideration. 

 

Greg Cohen

 

Senior Numismatist | Legend Rare Coin Auctions

PO Box 189 | Lincroft, NJ 07738

 

732-935-1168

 

Link:  https://mcusercontent.com/74a0e3c37d154d935bdeb2daf/files/08cef60f-0ed8-88a4-4e46-24f00cbc42bb/B.T.S._Collection_PR_Draft_1.pdf

 

JR Newsletter: 12 March 2023 (589)

Sheridan Downey wrote:

 

I recently posted a large group of bust halves in the Active Sales portion of my web site: https://www.sheridanscoins.com/inc_activeSales.php.   If you have not paid a recent visit, now is the time to do it.  Pay particular attention to the listings of Steve Nomura’s wonderful collection of Draped Bust Halves and Capped Bust Halves from the Beaver Falls and Tim Osborne Collections.  I have also listed a number of new purchases from my own inventory.  I will bring these coins to the Baltimore show this week.  Please visit my bourse table Thursday or Friday, March 16 and 17.  Unfortunately I must miss the Saturday session of the show.

That’s not the half of it!  I just purchased Don and Bonnie Parsley’s entire collection of over 350 bust halves.  Old-timers will recall the Parsley’s 1993 decision to sell the Overton Collection intact.  I was happy to broker the sale on their behalf.  Don, of course, is the son-in-law of Al Overton.  Bonnie is Al’s daughter.  They acquired the Overton Collection when Al passed away in 1972.  For the next 20 years Don continued to augment the Collection, purchasing bust halves that filled a few gaps or improved those Al had acquired.  Photos of coins in the Overton Collection are readily available.  Just open your copy of Don Parsley’s 3^rd, 4^th or 5^th edition revisions of Al’s standard reference.

After selling the Overton Collection Don still had the “fever.”  He started over, focusing on the Capped Bust series, 1807-1836.  During the period 1994-2000 he put together a die variety set of 340+ pieces that includes such noted rarities as the 1812/1 Large 8 in choice AU, 1831 O.120, also choice AU, 1823 O.113, 1827 O.137 and virtually all of the R.5 die pairs.  I counted 143 coin in PCGS, ANACS or NGC holders.  All PCGS capsules carry the coveted “old green label.”  The NGC holders are of the same vintage.

Most of the coins in the Parsley Collection are “raw,” grading XF or AU.  They will come with me to Baltimore and be offered for sale during the show.  I will also display and offer a small group of “slabbed” bust halves from the Collection.  Others must wait until after the show.  Look for them on my web site in early April or visit me at the Central States Show in Schaumburg, April 26-29.

Bust dime collectors will enjoy a major offering of slabbed and raw coins from the Beaver Falls Collection, over 50 pieces in all.

Hope to see many of you Thursday!

Kind regards to all,

  Sheridan

 

JR Newsletter: 19 February 2023 (588)

 Final reminder:  Half Dime Census data is due by Monday, February 20th via email to Richard.meaney(at)yahoo.com

Thanks!

JR Newsletter: 5 February 2023 (587)

Richard Meaney wrote:
 
We are about two weeks from the deadline to submit your collection data for contribution to the 2023 JRCS Census of early and capped bust half dimes.  Thank you to all who have already sent your data!

Here's what you need to know:
 
 If you own early half dimes or capped bust half dimes, please send your census to:
 
Richard Meaney:  email is richard.meaney(at)yahoo.com or you may snail mail to Richard at this address – 3060 N Lazy Eight Ct, #294, Wasilla, AK 99654.
 
Your data should include the year, die marriage or remarriage, and grade for each coin you are reporting.  The deadline for reporting is February 20, 2023.  We usually associate collections with JRCS Membership Number, so if you provide that and your collection is one of the top fifteen (by completion percentage), your data will be labeled with your JRCS number, unless you ask us to anonymize it.  Similarly, if you don't have a JRCS number, we will assign a random identifier to your collection (but seriously ...you should join the JRCS!).
 
Please note that the only component needed for report of grade is the numerical grade.  It does not matter if the coin is in a PCGS, ANACS, NGC, CAC, raw, or some other holder.  Your assessment of numerical grade is what the census will use.  If you have a holed and cleaned coin with details of an XF40, it is totally up to you as to what numerical grade you report.  If you want to call it a 40, you may.  If you wish to net grade it based on problems and report a lower number, you may do that too.

JR Newsletter: 22 January 2023 (586)

Winston Zack wrote:
 
I am over the moon to share with the JRCS community that as of January 20th, 2023, I finally completed my Capped Bust ‘dime’ die marriage collection. Why is ‘dime’ in quotes? Because these are not your normal John Reich (JR) dime die marriages. Rather these are Zack (Z) hand-made, die struck circulating contemporary counterfeit Bust dime die marriages. And to my knowledge I’m the first person to have ever completed such a collection.

There are only five (5) documented counterfeit Bust dime die marriages of this type. While this is not a lot of varieties, I can assure you that this task is exceptionally challenging as only 19 total examples have been photographically documented in my census.

My first attempt at acquiring an example, an 1833 Z1-A, came in November 2012 but I was outbid and thus did not win it. Nevertheless, as a Bust dime and contemporary counterfeit collector I persevered. My first piece was 1834 Z1-C, a gift from the late Kirk Gorman. This was followed by a rather cruddy and since upgraded fantasy-dated 1838 Z1-D. I then acquired a collection which had 2 other varieties, 1831 Z1-A and 1833 Z1-B (still unique). Finally, earlier this year I was able to acquire the fifth and final variety, an 1833 Z1-A which, and rather amusingly, was the first variety I tried to buy; only 3 examples of this variety have been documented and one of those (the finest) is in the ANS collection. A collage of my collection is included here.

If you have a die struck circulating contemporary counterfeit Bust dime example that I have not documented, or frankly any other die struck circulating contemporary counterfeit U.S. coin, I’d like to hear from you so that I may add your pieces to my growing photographic census and associated documentation for my BAD METAL publications.
 
Sincerely,
Winston Zack

Editor's Note:  You may contact Winston via email at stoneman101(at)gmail.com 
Also, in addition to the photo above (which I reduced in size to fit it better into this blog post, but clicking the photo will open a larger version), you can click this link for a pdf of Winston's complete "dime" collection:  https://mcusercontent.com/74a0e3c37d154d935bdeb2daf/files/c50054d4-977a-bd4e-b01d-4d09f02690c1/WZ_Collection_as_PDF.pdf
---
 
Richard Meaney wrote:
 
We are about one month from the deadline to submit your collection data for contribution to the 2023 JRCS Census of early and capped bust half dimes.  Helping me this year is Sean Kelly (skelly63(at)gmail.com). Sean or I may contact you if you have submitted your collection data and we have questions about one or more coins.  I appreciate Sean’s technical expertise and knowledge of the series.  I know from experience that assembling the census is mentally taxing and challenging to get the details right.  So glad Sean has stepped up to share this task!
 
As a reminder:
 
 If you own early half dimes or capped bust half dimes, please send your census to:
 
Richard Meaney:  email is richard.meaney(at)yahoo.com or you may snail mail to Richard at this address – 3060 N Lazy Eight Ct, #294, Wasilla, AK 99654.
 
Your data should include the year, die marriage or remarriage, and grade for each coin you are reporting.  The deadline for reporting is February 20, 2023.  We usually associate collections with JRCS Membership Number, so if you provide that and your collection is one of the top fifteen (by completion percentage), your data will be labeled with your JRCS number, unless you ask us to anonymize it.  Similarly, if you don't have a JRCS number, we will assign a random identifier to your collection (but seriously ...you should join the JRCS!).
 
Please note that the only component needed for report of grade is the numerical grade.  It does not matter if the coin is in a PCGS, ANACS, NGC, CAC, raw, or some other holder.  Your assessment of numerical grade is what the census will use.  If you have a holed and cleaned coin with details of an XF40, it is totally up to you as to what numerical grade you report.  If you want to call it a 40, you may.  If you wish to net grade it based on problems and report a lower number, you may do that too.