If you could time travel to one past auction, which would it be?

MrEureka · April 1, 2003 5:09AM

If you could time travel to one past auction, which would it be?

Yes, you can bring the coins back with you!

airplanenut · April 1, 2003 5:11AM

Was an 1804 dollar ever auctioned for... say... $100?

tradedollarnut · April 1, 2003 5:12AM

Farouk

MrEureka · April 1, 2003 5:14AM

Was an 1804 dollar ever auctioned for... say... $100?

You can start your research here:

1804 Dollar

airplanenut · April 1, 2003 5:16AM

<< <i>You can start your research here:

1804 Dollar >>

I'm on spring break... must you be so cruel?

numispro · April 1, 2003 5:23AM

The Thomas Elder sale of the William Woodin collection in 1911.

Second choice would be the Albert A. Grinnell sale held by Barney Bluestone in 1945-46. Yea, I know it was a currency auction, but what the heck!

Singapore · April 1, 2003 5:31AM

Stack's 1983 Roper sale, where the colonial offering was comprehensive, and the prices were absurdly low even by the standards of the time. At the Garrett colonial offering just 3 years earlier in 1979-80 the prices there were much, much higher.

Now, while the prices at Roper were low, I personally believe there was some well choreographed collusion by the big hitter-buyers of the time - so if a new bidder time-traveled into the room, picked up a bidder card and jumped into the fray the prices may have suddenly gone north in a hurry.

With Andy's time travel experiment I'll find out and let you know -

MadMarty · April 1, 2003 5:32AM

I just want to go back and buy bags of Morgans at face!!!

boiler78 · April 1, 2003 6:07AM

B.Max Mehls sale of the William Cutler Atwater collection in 1946. The sale featured (2) 1804 dollars and Tradedollarnuts 1885 trade dollar

beartracks42 · April 1, 2003 6:15AM

I agree with Marty...I would like to buy Morgans by the bag at face and also to attend the early GSA sales.

MrEureka · April 1, 2003 10:27AM

I guess I'd choose to go back to Auction '89 and lower my reserves.

Merc · April 1, 2003 10:40AM

The Auction in Egypt in the 1950's after King Farouk was kicked out.

rwhite · April 1, 2003 11:23AM

The Worlds Greatest Collection wayyy back when..

zep · April 1, 2003 11:38AM

I wish I could have had the resources to duel it out at the 1982 Eliasberg Gold sale.

branchmintgold · April 1, 2003 12:29PM

Hard to go wrong with any number of Chapman sales but I'd want to be the big buyer at the George Earle sale of June 1912 held by Henry Chapman. John Clapp Sr. was a major buyer at this sale and many of these coins wound-up in the Eliasberg collection. The Jenks sale of 1921 wasn't too shabby either...
Great question, by the way.

Doug Winter
www.raregoldcoins.com

joejeweler · April 1, 2003 12:55PM

Andy....i feel for you! I'd think a lot of dealers went under around that time. A testiment to your drive and work ethic to still be around !

Also......don't know about when an 1804 dollar may have been available for $100 at auction......but:

I wish my grandfather had been smart enough to pick up a dozen of the 1915-S Panama-Pacific $50 commemorative coins......half rounds and half octagonals! After all....THESE were originally offered at only 2X face, or $100.00! Certainly a lot of money back then to tie up in a coin........but as so many were melted it's proven to have been a very good buy! Check out Adrian's auction for one.......ahhhhh, so many coins.....so few dollars! What a beauty!

1915-S $50 Panama-Pacific

Oh.....for me i would have loved to have been at the Eliasberg later sales (not so much the '82 gold sale, though i would have enjoyed that also), to see more of the monster toned silver and other type. From what i read..... those that went to the preview's to those sales were "stacked up" waiting and could not get to see all they wanted to before the actual sales! I doubt even a couple of months of "previews" would have changed that, though!

Joe T

<< <i>I guess I'd choose to go back to Auction '89 and lower my reserves.

>>

Coinosaurus · April 1, 2003 1:16PM

I can't imagine you could do any better than to pick up proof gold at face value, a frequent occurance in early 20th century sales. For example (without checking here), the Chapman Boerum sale in 1905 had a long run of gold proof sets, about 30 years or so. Oh yeah, there was also an 1804 dollar in the sale (I think for $600), and the only known Unc 1870-CC quarter (sold in Eliasberg for $175K or so) which sold for the grand sum of ten bucks. It turns out that the 1804 dollar here (now in the ANA collection) is somewhat "tainted" in that Boerum may have not disclosed that he owned this coin when filing for bankruptcy several years earlier.

MacCrimmon · April 1, 2003 2:17PM

OK, I won't get too greedy with the time machine, but my numero uno would be the Helfenstein sale in 1964.

All copper, all but 3 unc. or better. Even by todays standards, quite a collection!

Johnscoin · April 1, 2003 3:08PM

No doubt for me...Farouk as well...Just to read about it from Abe Kosoff's articles makes me dream. How fun would it be to buy coins and have the Egyptian government coming after you at any turn...
It sounds like an Indiana Jones movie!

Johnscoin · April 1, 2003 3:14PM

And by the way, Andy, I love your questions. I don't always reply but they always get me thinking. You're an asset to the community here.
John

Blade · April 1, 2003 9:05PM

I fairness to not going too far back, I would want to attend the 1982 Eliasberg gold sale. It's all there.

If you could time travel to one past auction, which would it be?

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