Greysheet News: "A Focus on Some of the More Unusual Coins in the Bass Collection" by Greg Reynolds

Goldbully

On Thursday, September 29, in Long Beach, California, Heritage will auction the first part of the Harry Bass Core Coin Collection (HBCC). Background information regarding Harry Bass and his collection will be provided in a future installment of this series, including references to past auctions of parts of the Bass Collection. At the moment, the upcoming Bass I sale by Heritage is “in the news.”

The focus here is on a few very unusual coins. There are one hundred and six lots, though, in the Bass I sale, seventy-two of which are U.S. gold coins. Representatives of all U.S. gold denominations are included, from One Dollar Gold pieces to double eagles ($20 gold coins). Additionally, twenty-four U.S. patterns of various denominations and alloys will be offered.

1804 $10 Plain 4 PCGS Proof 63 (Images courtesy of ha.com and pcgs.com)

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The most famous coin in the Bass I sale is a Proof 1804 eagle (U.S. $10 gold coin). Business strike 1804 eagles were struck during the year 1804. Proof 1804 eagles were minted much later than 1804, and backdated. The reasons for the backdating are unknown, though it may be true that U.S. Mint personnel misinterpreted the laws in effect in 1834. U.S. Mint officials may have incorrectly figured that there was a legal or bookkeeping reason to date 1834 eagles and silver dollars ‘1804’ as that was the last year that mintages were formally recorded of either eagles or silver dollars.

An alternate explanation is that eagle and/or silver dollar dies had already been partly prepared for other reasons, a few years before the order was given to produce 1834 Proof sets. Those could have already been backdated for testing or experimental purposes.

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.................continues in link......... https://www.greysheet.com/news/story/a-focus-on-some-of-the-more-unusual-coins-in-the-bass-collection

ricko

That 1804 gold coin is beautiful. I imagine it will bring an awesome price. Cheers, RickO

Goldbully

@ricko said:
That 1804 gold coin is beautiful. I imagine it will bring an awesome price. Cheers, RickO

With three days to go.

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https://coins.ha.com/itm/early-eagles/eagles/1804-10-plain-4-bd-2-jd-1-high-r7-pr63-pcgs-pcgs-45742-/a/1353-11066.s?ic4=GalleryView-ShortDescription-071515

lilolme

While the greysheet article is nice, Heritage does an excellent job on their write ups on many coins and this includes this group of Bass lots. If interested, then there is much to be read at the Heritage sale for each lot.
Note: link above for the $10 1804 and write up (3 pages in catalog).

https://coins.ha.com/c/search-results.zx?N=3183+793+794+791+1577+792+2088+4294940607&ic=Items-OpenAuctions-Open-BrowseCatalog-051914

Analyst

Goldbully, I appreciate the attention paid to my article. Indeed, I am grateful that you have been a reader for more than a dozen years and have, on your own initiative, publicly cited my articles on numerous occasions. I do not know your real name and I do not recollect ever communicating privately with you.

lilolme: If interested, then there is much to be read at the Heritage sale for each lot.

My auction previews and reviews were never intended to be substitutes for auction catalogues. Obviously, there is much useful information in the catalogue for the Bass I sale.

lilolme: While the greysheet article is nice …

I hope that it is clear that there are facts, analytical conclusions, remarks about the culture of coin collecting and opinions in my article that are not present in the Heritage catalogue. Also, in more than one passage, it is diplomatically implied or at least suggested that I disagree with some relevant viewpoints held by others.

I am not suggesting that we debate such topics in this forum. My plate is too full at the moment to take the time for long public debates. Furthermore, ever since I started receiving regular payments from CAC, I have not felt completely comfortable posting on this forum, even though I did disclose on this forum that I have been doing freelance work for CAC. It is important for participants to be respectful in regard to the owners of a public forum. I am posting now because I honestly believe that the cited post by Lil Old Me was unfair.

I am asking those commenting to recognize that there is much material in my articles that was never in auction catalogues. Moreover, I have personally examined, and written much about, rare U.S. coins and condition rarities of scarce coins in the Eliasberg, Gardner, Greensboro, Miller, Newman, Pittman, Pogue, and Simpson collections, plus coins in landmark sets formed by Dr. Duckor, Dale Friend, David Queller, R. Fox, “Tettenhorst,” Jim O’Neal and others who I do not recollect at the moment. I attended most of these sales.

lilolme

@Analyst said:
Goldbully, I appreciate the attention paid to my article. Indeed, I am grateful that you have been a reader for more than a dozen years and have, on your own initiative, publicly cited my articles on numerous occasions. I do not know your real name and I do not recollect ever communicating privately with you.

lilolme: If interested, then there is much to be read at the Heritage sale for each lot.

My auction previews and reviews were never intended to be substitutes for auction catalogues. Obviously, there is much useful information in the catalogue for the Bass I sale.

lilolme: While the greysheet article is nice …

I hope that it is clear that there are facts, analytical conclusions, remarks about the culture of coin collecting and opinions in my article that are not present in the Heritage catalogue. Also, in more than one passage, it is diplomatically implied or at least suggested that I disagree with some relevant viewpoints held by others.

I am not suggesting that we debate such topics in this forum. My plate is too full at the moment to take the time for long public debates. Furthermore, ever since I started receiving regular payments from CAC, I have not felt completely comfortable posting on this forum, even though I did disclose on this forum that I have been doing freelance work for CAC. It is important for participants to be respectful in regard to the owners of a public forum. I am posting now because I honestly believe that the cited post by Lil Old Me was unfair.

I am asking those commenting to recognize that there is much material in my articles that was never in auction catalogues. Moreover, I have personally examined, and written much about, rare U.S. coins and condition rarities of scarce coins in the Eliasberg, Gardner, Greensboro, Miller, Newman, Pittman, Pogue, and Simpson collections, plus coins in landmark sets formed by Dr. Duckor, Dale Friend, David Queller, R. Fox, “Tettenhorst,” Jim O’Neal and others who I do not recollect at the moment. I attended most of these sales.

No debate here. I said the greysheet article was nice. Nothing wrong with that and nothing else intended. Perhaps you are reading something into it that really is not there.

I do still believe that Heritage does an excellent job with much of their write ups and I find nothing wrong with stating that. I find nothing unfair about my post.

I do think you making a reference to me as Lil Old Me is kind of unprofessional.