who was/is Benson?

mact

who was/is Mr. Benson of Benson pedigree fame?

thanks in advance

matt

Singapore

Dr. Benson consigned a boat-load full of coll stuff in a series of auction to Goldberg Coins starting in February 2001.

I don't know anything about Benson, and the catalog(s) don't say anything either.

I can surmise that he was 1) loaded, 2) a pretty good judge of coins, and 3) paid about a buck and a half for most of them in the 1940s and 50s.

MrEureka

I think he made his money starring in some sitcom a while back, but I'm a bit fuzzy on that...

jbsteven

really bad andy!

Bustman

You mean it's not the same Benson as the TV show............

Oh man, I paid way over bid for those coins. I think I think I got ripped off!!

Nic

Is there really a Benson? Will anyone comment on NGC's first grading go-round with the coins? K

Ronyahski

There is a writeup of Benson in the cataloques. To excerpt the cataloques, Dr. Benson starting collecting in 1939 as a Boy Scout, in Philadelphia. His fater was also a doctor and collected with him. His father's patients included Ira Reid, and Rae Biester, first female Director of the Mint. Reid interested them with 19th century Proof sets, et. al., while Beister allowed them to purchase first strikes from the mint in the 1940s. They continued to collect until 1950, when the younger Benson went to medical school.

The collection sat in Wayte Raymond holders in a safe deposit box, untouched, for over 50 years.

Ronyahski

Nic - what do you mean NGC's first go around?

BigD5

I believe the coins were submitted, or some of the coins were initially submitted, to NGC before the auction. So many coins were bodybagged, that the coins ended up going to pcgs.
I have heard (I have seen a limited number of Benson coins up close) that bunches of these coins were hairlined from being cleaned, and that's why there were a lot of lower grades given out, in spite of some coins with amazing eye appeal.
I don't know how much truth there is to all that, but I heard the same thing. I would PM Laura from Legend. She would know MUCH more as to any validity to that "story".

dorkkarl

confirmed: many of the benson coins were UGLY, many were cleaned. but there were plenty of exceptionally toned coins as well

K S

Ronyahski

According to the Goldbergs, who oversaw the slab submissions and ran the auction, your story is not true. The coins were submitted once, to PCGS. This fact is printed in the catalogue. A "handful" of coins were not graded by PCGS. Those coins were re-submitted to NGC for grading. I can believe this because having viewed the entire Benson II auction, as well as coins out of the other Bensons, you could spot the coins that appeared Benson like, but were in NGC holders and not pedigreed. They were lower end coins. And no reason to not believe what the Goldbergs told me. Anyway, that is what I've seen and heard about it.

dorkkarl

btw, just to set the record straight, i was not at the benson sale. my observations are based on seeing pedigreed coins floating around

K S

garbageman

<< <i>I think he made his money starring in some sitcom a while back, but I'm a bit fuzzy on that... >>



You bet, he was a very well paid, although acerbic, butler....

wingedliberty

Ronyaski:
Very informative. Thanks

jom

From the one auction I looked at I can say that the 19th material was full of pretty toned coins but many were hairlined from cleaning. And, yes, many were in slabs.

Also of note that the Buffalo nickels overall were mostly spotted and ugly....as I recall.

jom

Baley

The collection sat in Wayte Raymond holders in a safe deposit box, untouched, for over 50 years.

... and in many cases, the coins toned beautifully.

lordmarcovan

What Singapore said.

I have a Barber half he paid eight bucks for in 1944.