It has been about 24-hours since my last post here so I will throw some gold into the mix. I've always liked the Saint Gaudens eagle and have liked it more than the venerated (worshiped?) double eagle, so I was happy to find one that I liked at one point.
As an aside, back in 1997 I was at the Saint Gaudens National Historic Site and they were selling casts taken from the original plaster models used for Saint Gaudens coinage. The casts were made by or under the direction of Frank Gasparro, if I recall correctly, and were each about 12-inches in diameter. They were part of a larger piece of material that was then placed within a maple frame. I purchased the reverse of the eagle. There were only a very small number made, and even though they weren't inexpensive, I have occasionally kicked myself in the butt for not buying all of them when I had the chance. On a return trip to the site the next year they were all gone and the staff believed the only one they sold was to me and that the remainder were likely destroyed.
It appears this thread might have lost some steam. Come on, folks, I can't have hoarded all the OGHs, can I?
This is a British half-crown. I typically don't go out of my way for these pieces as they aren't all that rare, but when I found this one in the OGH and the fact that the coin itself just screamed "We belong together!" I just couldn't help myself. The toning is the kind of original, FDC, un-messed with patina that is so often lacking on what we encounter today. It is actually quite a nice match for the 1878 Seated Liberty half dollar I posted far earlier in this thread.
Like always . . a wide variation in grading . . . at every iteration of the OGH. Granted . . . I like them for a lot of reasons, but here is a chopped up 85-O that makes 64 as a 'C' level coin . . . and an 87 that on resubmission today, would be looked at favorably.
This half cent was purchased from Tom Reynolds at the St. Louis show in February 2013 in an OGH 63. He felt it was a 65 and I did too. I sent it to CAC and it came back with a green bean which disappointed me (thinking it gold bean worthy).
Anyway, given my reaction at the time, I sent it to PCGS for reconsideration and to be housed in a "Secure Plus" holder. It came back a 64+ and green beaned again. I believe I paid close to 65 money at the time and, reflecting back, I probably should have left it in the OGH (Broadstruck equated replacing OGH to killing kittens ). Particularly since it is old copper and the value add of proving stable surfaces. Oh well. I posted a thread on this journey which brought forth much commentary on the vagaries of CAC.
Given the topic of this thread, I'm going to post it here since I can attest it once resided in an OGH. The coin is a chocolate luster bomb:
As I perused the entire thread there was one thing that struck me with the coins that were posted. There were very few that had the bold rainbow toning that you see nowadays in coins. It doesn't have to be rainbow but any coin with bold blue, pink, orange, etc. I mean there were some Morgan's and such but not many. The toning that was seen was more subtle and pastel-like. Just an observation from reviewing the "old-green-holder" thread.
I believe there are at least two reasons for this observation and I will mention them without any priority of importance given to first or second.
The first reason that came to my mind for this observation is that PCGS has, over time, awarded a higher grade to the more outrageously toned coins than they did earlier on and that this gradeflation was rather rampant (in my experience) in the 2000-2004 era. Therefore, a large number of wonderfully and dramatically toned coins in OGHs went into new holders in order to maximize their grades and, by extension, perceived value.
Additionally, many coins that we see today in PCGS and/or NGC holders that have vivid and/or bold colors are (to my experienced eye) altered to look that way. In my opinion, the line-in-the-sand that the TPGs have taken with respect to toning is far more lenient with what we term "market acceptable" than what my eyes and my gut tell me after decades in the hobby-industry. Regardless of what the TPGs might say about those coins, and what folks might pay for those coins, I typically stay away from them.
Yes, the obverse of this Morgan dollar is deep (deeeeeep) purple and the reverse is graced with an arc of color that surrounds a frosty center. I obtained this coin two decades ago from a very serious and knowledgeable collector who was liquidating a rather large number of nice silver dollars. We had never met one another and he only knew of me from what he read on these PCGS boards, but he trusted me enough to ship a few score of these great coins across the country and he had a list of prices he wanted to realize for them.
The prices were reflective of the quality of the coins; that is, he didn't want Greysheet bid for these wonderful examples. It seemed that he had attempted to sell some coins to other, more local and even national dealers, and they responded with Greysheet or even Bluesheet prices. I believed him when he wrote that statement as it had also happened to me (Bluesheet offers for tremendous coins in a sight-seen transaction) when some folks didn't know who I was. Some of those dealers whom I did not deal with are still active today and some would be known to many on these boards (I will not disclose the identities).
Regardless, I had three upcoming shows in a short time period and told the client I would move as many as possible. I waived any commission since I typically don't deal in Morgan dollars and assumed that the added traffic that his coins would generate was the equivalent of any pay. My favorite coin in the group was this 1881-S and it was one of only a few that did not sell in that three show time period. This was at a point when the coin market was revving up and nice material was moving quickly and for decent money. I emailed the client with the small list of coins that didn't sell and told him I was going to ship them back with a check. His response to me was that the 1881-S Morgan that I loved so much was mine as a gift.
@TomB said:
Additionally, many coins that we see today in PCGS and/or NGC holders that have vivid and/or bold colors are (to my experienced eye) altered to look that way. In my opinion, the line-in-the-sand that the TPGs have taken with respect to toning is far more lenient with what we term "market acceptable" than what my eyes and my gut tell me after decades in the hobby-industry. Regardless of what the TPGs might say about those coins, and what folks might pay for those coins, I typically stay away from them.
This was my first reaction when I posted my comment.
@david3142 said:
Here’s another Morgan that I really like. The reverse is strongly PL but the obverse doesn’t make it. It’s also really clean for the grade.
Think I saw this coin on eBay......I almost bought it!! GREAT semi-key!! I have an 1885 S that would make a GREAT companion piece:
“I may not believe in myself but I believe in what I’m doing” ~Jimmy Page~
@david3142 said:
Here’s another Morgan that I really like. The reverse is strongly PL but the obverse doesn’t make it. It’s also really clean for the grade.
Think I saw this coin on eBay......I almost bought it!! GREAT semi-key!! I have an 1885 CC that would make a GREAT companion piece:
Very nice 85-CC! Looks better than a 63 to me. My coin came from Stacks about 3-4 years ago but it could have been on eBay before that.
@david3142 said:
Very nice 85-CC! Looks better than a 63 to me. My coin came from Stacks about 3-4 years ago but it could have been on eBay before that.
Thanks! I paid a premium for it, b/c it looked at least 64, and because of the OGH/green bean combo. Everyone I show it to thinks it's undergraded. I'll never crack it on my watch, as I love OGH holders, especially when they're beaned. I think that the coin I saw on eBay was different, as yours is much more prooflike.
“I may not believe in myself but I believe in what I’m doing” ~Jimmy Page~
@TomB & @david3142 I don't know WHY I said CC...….Must have CCs on the brain!! LOL My 1885 is an S just like David's 1886!! LOL That's the whole reason I posted it!! I am losing it!!!
“I may not believe in myself but I believe in what I’m doing” ~Jimmy Page~
These are not my coins, but I’ve often admired them. There are many wildly toned examples in OGH and concurrent NGC holders. It’s a very cool group and I wonder if the owner would be willing to post any here? @gemtone65
Comments
Folks, just a friendly reminder:
This is not a rattler thread.
Thank you.
.
Successful transactions with : MICHAELDIXON, Manorcourtman, Bochiman, bolivarshagnasty, AUandAG, onlyroosies, chumley, Weiss, jdimmick, BAJJERFAN, gene1978, TJM965, Smittys, GRANDAM, JTHawaii, mainejoe, softparade, derryb
Bad transactions with : nobody to date
Images from CRO.
Know I've posted my favorite coin a bazillion times, but want to add it to this amazing thread.
(has a green bean)
A few more from the Kingdom Collection...
It has been about 24-hours since my last post here so I will throw some gold into the mix. I've always liked the Saint Gaudens eagle and have liked it more than the venerated (worshiped?) double eagle, so I was happy to find one that I liked at one point.
As an aside, back in 1997 I was at the Saint Gaudens National Historic Site and they were selling casts taken from the original plaster models used for Saint Gaudens coinage. The casts were made by or under the direction of Frank Gasparro, if I recall correctly, and were each about 12-inches in diameter. They were part of a larger piece of material that was then placed within a maple frame. I purchased the reverse of the eagle. There were only a very small number made, and even though they weren't inexpensive, I have occasionally kicked myself in the butt for not buying all of them when I had the chance. On a return trip to the site the next year they were all gone and the staff believed the only one they sold was to me and that the remainder were likely destroyed.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
@TomB Super sharp Indian eagle, especially for a 64! That's also my favorite design on a US gold coin, along with the 1795 $10.
@TomB
Do you have a photo of the cast? Love to see it.
It appears this thread might have lost some steam. Come on, folks, I can't have hoarded all the OGHs, can I?
This is a British half-crown. I typically don't go out of my way for these pieces as they aren't all that rare, but when I found this one in the OGH and the fact that the coin itself just screamed "We belong together!" I just couldn't help myself. The toning is the kind of original, FDC, un-messed with patina that is so often lacking on what we encounter today. It is actually quite a nice match for the 1878 Seated Liberty half dollar I posted far earlier in this thread.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
Love the skin of that one Tom. Can’t agree that’s a 64!
Sold this one a while back but adding it anyway to keep thread going.
)
(Whoops. June 7th = Just discovered that I still own this one.
- Jim
Like always . . a wide variation in grading . . . at every iteration of the OGH. Granted . . . I like them for a lot of reasons, but here is a chopped up 85-O that makes 64 as a 'C' level coin . . . and an 87 that on resubmission today, would be looked at favorably.
Love those OGHs !!!!!
Drunner
Keep it going!
These Morgan dollars are ruling the day!
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
I'm running out of steam, but one more:
There are 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who do not.
As long as we're on Morgans..... This is one that I found in a small LCS. Sadly, she lives with someone else now. Has a gold bean now too:
@BryceM , For an MS63 Morgan, that's about as nice and clean as I can recall seeing!
This half cent was purchased from Tom Reynolds at the St. Louis show in February 2013 in an OGH 63. He felt it was a 65 and I did too. I sent it to CAC and it came back with a green bean which disappointed me (thinking it gold bean worthy).
Anyway, given my reaction at the time, I sent it to PCGS for reconsideration and to be housed in a "Secure Plus" holder. It came back a 64+ and green beaned again. I believe I paid close to 65 money at the time and, reflecting back, I probably should have left it in the OGH (Broadstruck equated replacing OGH to killing kittens
). Particularly since it is old copper and the value add of proving stable surfaces. Oh well. I posted a thread on this journey which brought forth much commentary on the vagaries of CAC.
Given the topic of this thread, I'm going to post it here since I can attest it once resided in an OGH. The coin is a chocolate luster bomb:
Also, maybe it is a 65 if resubmitted, but I don't intend to do so.
Is this holder old enough? Not sure but what the hec....
jom
This one is a 7, now.....I almost bought it.....Should have saved it.
“I may not believe in myself but I believe in what I’m doing” ~Jimmy Page~
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947)
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
I do not have a photo in the slab but it is an OGH MS65 CAC.
Here be another:
jom
All I have is Morgans! 😮
Here’s another Morgan that I really like. The reverse is strongly PL but the obverse doesn’t make it. It’s also really clean for the grade.
As I perused the entire thread there was one thing that struck me with the coins that were posted. There were very few that had the bold rainbow toning that you see nowadays in coins. It doesn't have to be rainbow but any coin with bold blue, pink, orange, etc. I mean there were some Morgan's and such but not many. The toning that was seen was more subtle and pastel-like. Just an observation from reviewing the "old-green-holder" thread.
I believe there are at least two reasons for this observation and I will mention them without any priority of importance given to first or second.
The first reason that came to my mind for this observation is that PCGS has, over time, awarded a higher grade to the more outrageously toned coins than they did earlier on and that this gradeflation was rather rampant (in my experience) in the 2000-2004 era. Therefore, a large number of wonderfully and dramatically toned coins in OGHs went into new holders in order to maximize their grades and, by extension, perceived value.
Additionally, many coins that we see today in PCGS and/or NGC holders that have vivid and/or bold colors are (to my experienced eye) altered to look that way. In my opinion, the line-in-the-sand that the TPGs have taken with respect to toning is far more lenient with what we term "market acceptable" than what my eyes and my gut tell me after decades in the hobby-industry. Regardless of what the TPGs might say about those coins, and what folks might pay for those coins, I typically stay away from them.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
Back to coins!
Yes, the obverse of this Morgan dollar is deep (deeeeeep) purple and the reverse is graced with an arc of color that surrounds a frosty center. I obtained this coin two decades ago from a very serious and knowledgeable collector who was liquidating a rather large number of nice silver dollars. We had never met one another and he only knew of me from what he read on these PCGS boards, but he trusted me enough to ship a few score of these great coins across the country and he had a list of prices he wanted to realize for them.
The prices were reflective of the quality of the coins; that is, he didn't want Greysheet bid for these wonderful examples. It seemed that he had attempted to sell some coins to other, more local and even national dealers, and they responded with Greysheet or even Bluesheet prices. I believed him when he wrote that statement as it had also happened to me (Bluesheet offers for tremendous coins in a sight-seen transaction) when some folks didn't know who I was. Some of those dealers whom I did not deal with are still active today and some would be known to many on these boards (I will not disclose the identities).
Regardless, I had three upcoming shows in a short time period and told the client I would move as many as possible. I waived any commission since I typically don't deal in Morgan dollars and assumed that the added traffic that his coins would generate was the equivalent of any pay. My favorite coin in the group was this 1881-S and it was one of only a few that did not sell in that three show time period. This was at a point when the coin market was revving up and nice material was moving quickly and for decent money. I emailed the client with the small list of coins that didn't sell and told him I was going to ship them back with a check. His response to me was that the 1881-S Morgan that I loved so much was mine as a gift.
Thank you!
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
This was my first reaction when I posted my comment.
Think I saw this coin on eBay......I almost bought it!! GREAT semi-key!! I have an 1885 S that would make a GREAT companion piece:
“I may not believe in myself but I believe in what I’m doing” ~Jimmy Page~
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947)
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
Very nice 85-CC! Looks better than a 63 to me. My coin came from Stacks about 3-4 years ago but it could have been on eBay before that.
Thanks! I paid a premium for it, b/c it looked at least 64, and because of the OGH/green bean combo. Everyone I show it to thinks it's undergraded. I'll never crack it on my watch, as I love OGH holders, especially when they're beaned.
I think that the coin I saw on eBay was different, as yours is much more prooflike.
“I may not believe in myself but I believe in what I’m doing” ~Jimmy Page~
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947)
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
Looks more like an 1885-S to me, rather than an 1885-CC as the two of you suggest, but my eyes are old!!!
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
@TomB. Whoops. Yes it is. I just went with WalkerFan’s comment and forgot to check the mintmark.
@TomB & @david3142 I don't know WHY I said CC...….Must have CCs on the brain!! LOL My 1885 is an S just like David's 1886!! LOL That's the whole reason I posted it!! I am losing it!!!
“I may not believe in myself but I believe in what I’m doing” ~Jimmy Page~
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947)
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
@chesterb Take a quick look at the awesome linked collection here: https://collectivecoin.com/Gemtone65/Ag8PtrlxwLBnRDnAa6SY
These are not my coins, but I’ve often admired them. There are many wildly toned examples in OGH and concurrent NGC holders. It’s a very cool group and I wonder if the owner would be willing to post any here? @gemtone65
Here's my Gen 4 OGH example to share. Most of my OGHs are in the safe deposit box.
TurtleCat Gold Dollars
A Barber Quartet is made up of Nickels, Dimes, Quarters, and Halves.