Lord Marcovan's "Eclectic Box" collection as of November 25, 2019
lordmarcovan
Posts: 43,664 ✭✭✭✭✭
In 2013, I did a major purge of all my coin collections and decided to simplify to just one small box of "nicer" coins, focusing more on quality than quantity. However, pursuing quality remains an ongoing challenge on my budget. I have tried to develop a discerning eye for nice coins that are still obtainable on a working-class salary.
I also abandoned the idea of structured "sets", and have gone completely "freestyle", liberating myself to collect whatever catches my fancy, though you'll likely still notice some subtle themes which reflect my personal tastes.
Aesthetic eye appeal is my first goal and historical, artistic, or cultural appeal a very close second. In keeping with the "eclectic" attribute, I'm also trying to add as wide a variety as possible of time periods, cultures, and geographic regions here.
Until mid-2016, I stuck to the "Box of 20" principle, where the collection was always 20 coins (in other words, if I wanted to add one, I had to sell one). I have since abandoned the 20-coin limit and let the collection grow.
Current total as of this update: 45 coins.
In early 2019, I sold off many of my "trophy" coins and decided to stick to a $500/coin price limit (and usually well below that). That puts a lot of things like larger gold pieces out of reach, but there are still a lot of beautiful and historic coins which can be had within this somewhat intermediate budget.
Coin photos below are not shown to scale.
Galleries on the CollectiveCoin site:
(*links may take a moment or two to load)
Eclectic Box gallery (the current lineup)
Eclectic Box "all-time" gallery (including sold coins)
Thanks for looking.
~Robertson ("Rob") Shinnick (aka "LordM")
St. Simons Island, Georgia, November 25, 2019
Greece (Ionia, Phokaia): electrum hekte, ca. 478-387 BC
NGC VF; Strike 5/5, Surface 3/5.
Greece (Thrace, Pantakapaion): bronze Æ21, ca. 310-303 BC
Presently uncertified.
Greece (Spartan colony in Taras, Calabria, Italy): silver drachm, ca. 302-281 BC
NGC XF; Strike 5/5, Surface 5/5.
Roman Republic: silver denarius of moneyer L. Furius Brocchus, ca. 63 BC
NGC Ch VF; Strike 5/5, Surface 4/5.
Roman Empire: silver denarius of Vespasian, struck by Titus ca. 80-81 AD
NGC AU; Strike 5/5, Surface 4/5.
Roman Empire: bronze sestertius of Antoninus Pius, struck ca. 159 AD
Presently uncertified.
Byzantine Empire: gold tremissis of Justinian I, ca. 527-565 AD
NGC MS; Strike 5/5, Surface 4/5, "wrinkled".
Comments
England (Anglo-Saxon): silver sceat, struck in Essex or East Anglia, ca. 685-700 AD
PCGS certification pending, November 2019.
Italy (Sicily, Messina; Norman Kingdom): gold tari of Guglielmo I ("William the Bad"), ca. 1154-1166
PCGS VF35; population 1 with none higher as of 11/25/2019.
England: silver penny of King John, ca. 1213-1215, from the Gisors hoard found in Normandy
PCGS XF45; population 3 with none higher as of 11/25/2019.
Great Britain (England): silver groat of Henry VI, first reign, Calais mint, ca. 1422-1461, from the Reigate Hoard found in Surrey
PCGS XF45; population 5 with 6 higher as of 11/25/2019.
Lithuania: silver half-groschen of Sigismund II Augustus of Poland, 1550; Vilnius mint
PCGS MS63; population 5 with 8 higher as of 11/25/2019.
England: silver sixpence of Elizabeth I, 1575, Tower mint, eglantine mintmark
PCGS VF35; population 2 with 1 higher as of 11/25/2019.
German States (Teutonic Order): silver 1/4-thaler of Grand Master Maximilian of Austria, ca. 1615
PCGS XF45; population 1 with 2 higher as of 11/25/2019.
Great Britain (England): silver crown of Charles II, 1679; mint error
PCGS F12; labeled "broadstruck" (sic) by PCGS, but more likely just slightly off-center.
Mexico: silver 8-reales "cob" of Charles II, ca. 1665-1682, from the 1682 "Johanna" shipwreck off South Africa
PCGS Genuine, Fine Details (environmental damage).
Austria: silver 3-kreuzer of Leopold I ("The Hogmouth"), 1700-IA, minor clipped planchet error
PCGS certification pending, November 2019.
Great Britain: silver South Sea Company sixpence of George I, 1723; double-struck mint error (2nd strike 25% off-center)
PCGS F12; no population data since errors are unique, but a rare error for the type.
Germany (Nuremberg): silver medal by Daniel Dockler the Younger, 1730; bicentennial of the Augsburg Confession
PCGS AU50; population 1 with none higher as of 11/25/2019.
Switzerland (Zurich): silver "city view" 1/2-thaler (1 gulden of 36 schillings), 1739
PCGS AU58; population 1 with none higher as of 11/25/2019.
Spain: gold half-escudo of Ferdinand VI, 1759-JB, Madrid mint
PCGS XF40- population 1 with none higher as of 11/25/2019 - also the key date for the type.
India (Mysore): gold fanam of Tipu Sultan, AH 1200 (1786), Patan mint
PCGS MS62; population 1 with none higher as of 11/25/2019.
Iran (Persia): gold toman of Fath Ali Shah, AH 1233 (1817), Yazd mint
PCGS MS62; population 5 with none higher as of 11/25/2019.
United States: Capped Bust quarter, large size, 1818
PCGS F12, CAC verified; population 88 with 744 higher as of 11/25/2019.
United States: silver half dime, Capped Bust type, 1834
PCGS F12; population 14 with 896 higher as of 11/25/2019.
France: gilt bronze Napoleon Bonaparte medal by Antoine Bovy; special specimen striking for Napoleon's 1840 Paris funeral
PCGS SP64; population 1 with none higher as of 11/25/2019.
United States: copper-nickel 3-cent piece, Liberty Head type, 1866
PCGS MS62+; population 1 with 666 higher as of 11/25/2019.
France: silver jeton (insurance token) engraved by Ernest-Paulin Tasset, 1869
PCGS MS63; population 2 with none higher as of 11/25/2019.
United States: silver 20-cent piece, 1875, Philadelphia mint
PCGS F12; population 35 with 986 higher as of 11/25/2019.
Channel Islands (Guernsey): copper 2-doubles, 1889-H; Heaton mint, Birmingham
PCGS MS65 RB; population 1 with none higher as of 11/25/2019.
Peru: silver half-dinero, 1897-JF
PCGS MS67; population 77 with 7 higher as of 11/25/2019.
Great Britain: gold half-sovereign of Queen Victoria, 1901, from the Dr. Jacob Terner collection
PCGS MS64; population 16 with 6 higher as of 11/25/2019.
India (British): silver 2-annas of Queen Victoria, 1901, Calcutta mint
PCGS AU58; population 2 with 4 higher as of 11/25/2019.
United States: copper "Hard Times" token; C.D. Peacock Jeweler, Chicago, "1837" (struck ca. 1902)
PCGS MS63 BN; population 1 with none higher as of 11/25/2019.
Philippine Islands (US Insular government): silver 50-centavos, 1921
PCGS MS62; population 26 with 81 higher as of 11/25/2019.
Germany (Westphalia): gilt bronze 10,000-mark notgeld token, 1923
PCGS certification pending, November, 2019.
Russia (Soviet Union): silver rouble, 1924- ПЛ, Leningrad mint
PCGS MS62; population 78 with 280 higher as of 11/25/2019.
Greenland: copper-nickel 25-øre, 1926 (h) HCN GJ; Copenhagen mint
PCGS MS65; population 24 with 29 higher as of 11/25/2019.
Germany (Weimar Republic): specimen gold medal memorializing the victims of the schooner "Niobe" shipwreck, 1932
PCGS SP66; population 1 with 1 higher as of 11/25/2019.
Egypt: silver 2 piastres of King Farouk, AH 1356 (1937)
PCGS MS62; population 6 with 12 higher as of 11/25/2019.
Ireland: copper-nickel halfcrown (2 shillings 6 pence), 1951
PCGS MS65; population 14 with 3 higher as of 11/25/2019.
Esperanto (Universal League): copper-nickel 10-steloj fantasy, 1959; struck in 1960 at the Royal Dutch Mint in Utrecht
PCGS MS66; population 1 with none higher as of 11/25/2019.
Greece: silver 30-drachmai of Paul I; "Five Greek Kings" commemorative, 1963
PCGS MS65; population 206 with 77 higher as of 11/25/2019.
Tanzania: copper-nickel 5-shilingi, F.A.O. issue, 1972
PCGS MS63; population 1 with none higher as of 11/25/2019.
Austria: silver proof 10-euro, 2008, Klosterneuburg Abbey commemorative
PCGS PR70 DCAM; population 1 with none higher as of 11/25/2019.
Very nicely accumulated, thanks for sharing.
Awesome as always! I'm traveling to Zurich this spring so I like that city view even more than normal now I'm on the hunt for one myself
LordM - looks great! Especially like the medieval and early modern section.
Great presentation.
My current "Box of 20"
I like your box @lordmarcovan ! It's definitely missing a nice AU/MS portrait 8 Reales though
8 Reales Madness Collection
Indeed. I did have an AU Pillar dollar for a while.
Inspiring collection! Love it!
MY GOLD TYPE SET https://pcgs.com/setregistry/type-sets/complete-type-sets/gold-type-set-12-piece-circulation-strikes-1839-1933/publishedset/321940
That is a sweet portrait on the Pius sestertius! Truly a product of Rome's golden age!
Awesome coins Lord M!
My YouTube Channel
Very nice collection. I particularly like the 1723 sixpence. It is interesting to see errors like that on older coins. The ties to the South Sea Company also add to the "cool" factor.
you've done well grasshopper lol
IMO, it is a crying shame that you have limited your collection - even 45 of the type of coins you have collected is too small a number. You've SOLD some beautiful stuff!
Wonderful coins and presentation all around - terrific selection!
I agree, but such are the realities of my budget and financial state.