Scattershooting on LB / Terner II
MacCrimmon
Posts: 7,058 ✭✭✭
Well, I made it to my hotel, the Crowne Plaza by about 1:00 AM, LA time on Sunday morning - - note to Mac - - do not fly this "red-eye" flight again! 
OK! For anyone heading out in the future, check out the Crowne Plaza. They've just finished a makeover and the beds/sheets/covers (duvets) were MAH-VAH-LOUS! Nice touch! Better touch if you split a double twin for about $47 bucks each!! Got there, BTW, with a primo ride from Dino of BlackCar listening to some premium strings, talking SRV, Jimi and such.
Slept in til 8, leapt fromk the sack and scurried down Beverly Drive to the Goldberg's digs at 350 S. and grabbed one of the last seats, shook hands with Alex (Mr. Auction Lot Viewing King) and settled in to eyeballing metal disks and such. On the way out the door, I noted an English gent who I knew to be the famous Mr. Stephen Fenton. He was asking directions of the Bellman for the direction to GBs; they sort of pointed uncertainly in the correct direction, whereupon I advised the gent to follow moi. So, my first of many trips back and forth was with Mr. 1933.
Not many Brits in attendance, save for Fenton, I believe Mr. Hill of Spinks, and the young lad, James, of NEN. James, of course, is a Yank, but is the principal buyer of foreign baubles for NEN.
What was to see? Gold! British Gold! Need I say more. I didn't dwell much on anything which was pre-Geo IV as these guineas and half guineas almost all run to the multiple thousands, and lo, I am but a poor church mouse. I checked out most of the Geo 4 gold, etc. onward until the end of the Brit offerings just in case one or all of the well-heeled bidders had strokes or such whereupon I might assist with a meager bid or two just so the GBs work wouldn't be for naught!!!
Much of the gold section were pieces from Terner I which had failed to meet the reserves at the time. I noted there was an unusual softness for half guineas (MS61 to 63) during this sale. Most of the uber pieces, 64 and 65, had found homes last year, so I'm guessing that these legit unc. pieces which are really quite rare are too pricey for the home markets. My guess is that most Brits are satisfied with gVF to abtEF pieces like these to fill the sets. One special treat in viewing these gold pieces was that the vast majority all had nice original skin on them. Not a bunch of overdipped and stripped junk so often seen. I bought a later Vic. 1/2 sov. for just this reason.....prototypical faint reddish, olde gold patina which is unmatched, especially when combined with blinding lustre......I'm luvin' it.
Anyway, for me the absolute screaming goldgasmic treat was the 1823 2 Pounder; ex. Mortimer Hammel ..... whoa momma! PCGS really is suffering on grading this coin. Although slabbed as only an MS64, the coin was near utter perfection. Save for 2-3 very wispy, short hairlines this coin was unbelievable....TOTALLY!!! It sold for a song at only $6325.......alas, to be only a poor church mouse! 
If this coin were some famous-schmamous US deal it would have been in an MS67 holder.......hey, beats me why only a 64. Especially contrasted to another '23 2 pd. (PCGS MS63) right behind it which was a stripped piece of poop.
Onward we go to the other small gold which was most pleasing. Most of the George IV and Sailor King stuff were nice 64 and 65 quality and very decent and pretty much accurately graded....I'll give them this....but alas, church mice shall not stray from Victoria's clutches. Well, Vic gold came a calling but most I had seen and passed on the year before. The redux were decent assortment of choice unc. material in the half sovs. but I've already fill that hole for the VYH......mice can't afford to be date collectors, don't you know? Fortunately, Bruce and the good Doc had withheld a smattering of Jubilee and VOH treats which I noted and prepared my 'cheesy assault'. For me, I'm looking for irreplacable coins and the 1887 2 pounder fit the bill perfectly. In my view, this is a coin which is totally unimprovable. It resides in a PCGS MS66 tomb from which I may free said loverly once it makes it here. I always find it most perplexing when coins such as this survive the ravages of time in such pristine condition. To the past keepers, I thank you. Also in the hunt were any other VJH which were sweet, and sweet was found in lot 1325 which again possesses blinding lustre, no marks worthy of mention, and more of that olde gold patina.......Kisses for my Victoria! 
That would have been enough, I s'pose, but several opps were there to upgrade my 1894 1/2 sov. from Terner I. Aside from an astounding MS66 VOH 1/2 sov. in Terner I, the 1894 fit the bill for condition and rarity, and was the next nicest half sov. from TI, but the 1897 in this redux was unseen before and again was layered in olde golde!! Can you tell I like original skins on coins? Lot 1335, an 1893 MS66, was better stuck than the 1897 and had just a few wee less microticks, but the spot in from of Vics chin was too bothersome in my view. Plus it rallied quickly past the $600 mark......so, I waited, and was rewarded with a nice hammer on the '97.........From my standpoint and purse-strings that would do it for Vic. gold this time around......back to the rockpile.
Oh yeah, I actually journeyed west to say "adios" to some of my lightside baubles which were in the auctions.....that's right, I'm a confirmed DARKSIDER. I'm really tired of these "grading games" and such.
In between all the auction action were some decent EATS at the GBs auctions (nicely done with the deli sandwich plates and fixins - two different sessions, and a fine bit of steak and seafood for the evening fare; lightside portion of the auction no less
OK! My stuff is Gonesville on the 31st, I've struck gold early on the 1st, so I dash back to GBs to give a last peek at the silver, copper and such, with a few mites left in my wee pouch. Many, many very special coins were extremely desired but only two will be going to MacCrimmon's Lair.........
To me, the silver tokens were a special treat, if only for viewing. Very historical, and dirt cheap, but dead in the water. No one was interested in bidding on them, and the Conders faired scarcely better. The real standout with the coppers was lot 1970, a Masonic halfpenny, which was a BEAUTY. It went for practically nothing. The most majestic regular issue copper was lot 1998......the essence of pretty.......WHOA! This loverly gave me vertigo just watching the lustre and colour spin from it's surfaces........so many more, but I'm feeling a bit sleepy at present.......TO BE CONTINUED, if I'm not boring everyone to death. If you want to know about a specific lot, and I made notes, send me a PM and I'll let you know if it was trash or treasure......Cheers, and good night.
OK! For anyone heading out in the future, check out the Crowne Plaza. They've just finished a makeover and the beds/sheets/covers (duvets) were MAH-VAH-LOUS! Nice touch! Better touch if you split a double twin for about $47 bucks each!! Got there, BTW, with a primo ride from Dino of BlackCar listening to some premium strings, talking SRV, Jimi and such.
Slept in til 8, leapt fromk the sack and scurried down Beverly Drive to the Goldberg's digs at 350 S. and grabbed one of the last seats, shook hands with Alex (Mr. Auction Lot Viewing King) and settled in to eyeballing metal disks and such. On the way out the door, I noted an English gent who I knew to be the famous Mr. Stephen Fenton. He was asking directions of the Bellman for the direction to GBs; they sort of pointed uncertainly in the correct direction, whereupon I advised the gent to follow moi. So, my first of many trips back and forth was with Mr. 1933.
Not many Brits in attendance, save for Fenton, I believe Mr. Hill of Spinks, and the young lad, James, of NEN. James, of course, is a Yank, but is the principal buyer of foreign baubles for NEN.
What was to see? Gold! British Gold! Need I say more. I didn't dwell much on anything which was pre-Geo IV as these guineas and half guineas almost all run to the multiple thousands, and lo, I am but a poor church mouse. I checked out most of the Geo 4 gold, etc. onward until the end of the Brit offerings just in case one or all of the well-heeled bidders had strokes or such whereupon I might assist with a meager bid or two just so the GBs work wouldn't be for naught!!!
Much of the gold section were pieces from Terner I which had failed to meet the reserves at the time. I noted there was an unusual softness for half guineas (MS61 to 63) during this sale. Most of the uber pieces, 64 and 65, had found homes last year, so I'm guessing that these legit unc. pieces which are really quite rare are too pricey for the home markets. My guess is that most Brits are satisfied with gVF to abtEF pieces like these to fill the sets. One special treat in viewing these gold pieces was that the vast majority all had nice original skin on them. Not a bunch of overdipped and stripped junk so often seen. I bought a later Vic. 1/2 sov. for just this reason.....prototypical faint reddish, olde gold patina which is unmatched, especially when combined with blinding lustre......I'm luvin' it.
Anyway, for me the absolute screaming goldgasmic treat was the 1823 2 Pounder; ex. Mortimer Hammel ..... whoa momma! PCGS really is suffering on grading this coin. Although slabbed as only an MS64, the coin was near utter perfection. Save for 2-3 very wispy, short hairlines this coin was unbelievable....TOTALLY!!!
It sold for a song at only $6325.......alas, to be only a poor church mouse! If this coin were some famous-schmamous US deal it would have been in an MS67 holder.......hey, beats me why only a 64. Especially contrasted to another '23 2 pd. (PCGS MS63) right behind it which was a stripped piece of poop. Onward we go to the other small gold which was most pleasing. Most of the George IV and Sailor King stuff were nice 64 and 65 quality and very decent and pretty much accurately graded....I'll give them this....but alas, church mice shall not stray from Victoria's clutches.
Well, Vic gold came a calling but most I had seen and passed on the year before. The redux were decent assortment of choice unc. material in the half sovs. but I've already fill that hole for the VYH......mice can't afford to be date collectors, don't you know? Fortunately, Bruce and the good Doc had withheld a smattering of Jubilee and VOH treats which I noted and prepared my 'cheesy assault'. For me, I'm looking for irreplacable coins and the 1887 2 pounder fit the bill perfectly. In my view, this is a coin which is totally unimprovable. It resides in a PCGS MS66 tomb from which I may free said loverly once it makes it here. I always find it most perplexing when coins such as this survive the ravages of time in such pristine condition. To the past keepers, I thank you. Also in the hunt were any other VJH which were sweet, and sweet was found in lot 1325 which again possesses blinding lustre, no marks worthy of mention, and more of that olde gold patina.......Kisses for my Victoria! That would have been enough, I s'pose, but several opps were there to upgrade my 1894 1/2 sov. from Terner I. Aside from an astounding MS66 VOH 1/2 sov. in Terner I, the 1894 fit the bill for condition and rarity, and was the next nicest half sov. from TI, but the 1897 in this redux was unseen before and again was layered in olde golde!! Can you tell I like original skins on coins? Lot 1335, an 1893 MS66, was better stuck than the 1897 and had just a few wee less microticks, but the spot in from of Vics chin was too bothersome in my view. Plus it rallied quickly past the $600 mark......so, I waited, and was rewarded with a nice hammer on the '97.........From my standpoint and purse-strings that would do it for Vic. gold this time around......back to the rockpile.
Oh yeah, I actually journeyed west to say "adios" to some of my lightside baubles which were in the auctions.....that's right, I'm a confirmed DARKSIDER. I'm really tired of these "grading games" and such.
In between all the auction action were some decent EATS at the GBs auctions (nicely done with the deli sandwich plates and fixins - two different sessions, and a fine bit of steak and seafood for the evening fare; lightside portion of the auction no less
OK! My stuff is Gonesville on the 31st, I've struck gold early on the 1st, so I dash back to GBs to give a last peek at the silver, copper and such, with a few mites left in my wee pouch. Many, many very special coins were extremely desired but only two will be going to MacCrimmon's Lair.........
To me, the silver tokens were a special treat, if only for viewing. Very historical, and dirt cheap, but dead in the water. No one was interested in bidding on them, and the Conders faired scarcely better. The real standout with the coppers was lot 1970, a Masonic halfpenny, which was a BEAUTY. It went for practically nothing. The most majestic regular issue copper was lot 1998......the essence of pretty.......WHOA! This loverly gave me vertigo just watching the lustre and colour spin from it's surfaces........so many more, but I'm feeling a bit sleepy at present.......TO BE CONTINUED, if I'm not boring everyone to death. If you want to know about a specific lot, and I made notes, send me a PM and I'll let you know if it was trash or treasure......Cheers, and good night.
0
Comments
Thanks for this report, and congratulations on the new acquisitions.
myEbay
DPOTD 3
09/07/2006
<< <i>I really wish I could have bid on both the Eddie £2s ( SP and MS in 64 ). Coins should probably be a point or 2 higher which realy would have upped the price. But like you said if these were US coins PCGS would have stuck a 65 or 66 grade on them just like they did not do on my £2 PR64 ( should be at least a 66 ). >>
The Specimen, I think, they just didn't know what to do with. It could be argued a point higher, but the MS64 example was really solidly in the 64 grade, maybe a 65 but I got "frost" in my eye looking at it.
However, the market for the Eddie golds seemed a bit soft too, but that kind of 2 pounder regardless of grade had "the look". Even if it had a few too many bagmarks to justify a technical 65 grade (it should bring a 65 market grade and price), the frost just simply dripped from it's surfaces. It was totally original - - an eye-popper for sure. Plus, it had a peripheral ring of light burgundy/rose toning which put me in mind of Pittman's Military guinea which had the same look. There I go with the olde gold comments again.
I was outbid on the halfcrown.
myEbay
DPOTD 3
I'm not sure the half crown was a Terner coin, but I didn't personally like it. I graded it down as a 64 coin. It lacked any great amount of lustre which in my mind is a real key with these shallow designs.
The shilling was a different story.....
I wrote ther term, "smok-in! & very pretty 65" next to the description. It was all there and would be tough to improve on without spending another $200 or so (if a true 66 could be found). I even noted that if I had any cash leftover to "BUY IT"....alas, I was broke by then....
As always, a good number of specialists were in attendance looking to target their favorite areas. These specialists were vying for the top-grade material, while the dealers were looking for bargains.
A certain London notable was engaged in the esoteric and sublime treats like the NGC graded run of pattern florins which will be returning en masse to the Motherland. My fav of that group was lot # 2092. Just a beautiful reverse with a stylized "VR" in the center. It was also one of the prettiest overall of this toner group. Some were a bit dark, and all would be truly captivating with silvery blast centers and rainbow peripheries......oh well, we can dream, eh? The Spinks chap was engaged in buying any and everything in the solid MS/PF63 range of regular issues, and young James of NEN was driving the higher end coins. The church mouse attempted to keep him honest on a few bits and bobs.
Most of the SOHO coins were quite nice, even when not Terner pieces. A good many consignor(s) took the opportunity this time around to salt the Terner offerings with a few other baubles of Britdom. Some were OK, others were ghastly. For the truly awful, just consult the final prices realized and you'll get a good idea of what "was" and what "wasn't".
Anyone with a pocketful of dosh could have realized many nice 'grabs' in the Geo. III & IV, and Willy silver offerings. Overall, a fairly deep offering of true quality pieces there. Then it was on to Victoria. While certainly not as 'deep' as the gold, the 'study pieces' were usually of very high grade and commensurate prices. The 1853 florin found an EBay Live buyer at over $1100; all those pattern florins mentioned earlier garnered individual bids of slightly over 1100 quid each. I found the little proof 1/3 farthing kinda cute, but not 450 quid cute!!
The gem proof 1875 patt. shilling with BP's St. Geo. on the reverse was simply a KO piece. Really pretty, and heading back over the pond. I really liked it for the combination of the obv. and rev......nice change of pace. Another day, perhaps! Almost 1900 quid it took to fly back to Merry England.......and then,
Came the proof runs of 1887 and 1893 silver. Obviously, the good Doctor had complete proof sets of these which were all parceled out separately. Not much to say here except....
Really one word sums up the look and superb quality of the 1887s and 93s...ORIGINAL.
Lot 2127, the 1893 PF66 crown was a certain 'discussion coin' just before I joined these forums....in a word, you can't really honestly judge a coin with an image. This coin was purchased in spirited bidding from $2000 and hammering at $3600 ($4140) to the floor. Very strong support to move from an open to almost double on the close. In a nutshell, a nice coin with no real distractions. This coin, led to my big dissapointment of the bidding though, in the guise of the 1893 MS66 crown to follow. INDESCRIBABLE! I hope I'll run across a finer one yet, but I begged off $1650. Unless it's going to a client specifically, you'll see it soon at a favorite dealer near you!!
One reason I begged off was that the 1893 proof florin was a perfect teaset match to my newly acquired proof crown of the same date. In fact, If it's not from the same set it was stroed in near identical conditions because the toning was almost perfectly even over the entire obv/rev. surfaces and the same colour. Now, don't tell me that Spinks pricing on these proofs is for anything more than hairlined/dipped and generally unattractive coins. The final cost on this proof florin was about 670 quid against a Spinks price of 100 quid. The crown was bid to 5x Spink; the half crown to 6.6x; even the biz strike 1893 crown was taken out at 3.5x.
In sum, these coins which are at this level are absolute condition rarities if not just outright rare. If I could someday have a date run on Old Head crowns which were anywhere near as close to perfection as this 1893 my collecting life would be complete.....ahhhhhhhhhhhhh! Well!!! The fun is over and its back to the Cheese factory tomorrow where my slavers have piled up lots of Swiss cheese for me to eat holes through. It 'twas a fun week and maybe our stars will align for a meeting at the ANA come August.
Great tastes in music....
PS: nice rambling report, too. Thanks.
"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." -Luke 11:9
"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." -Deut. 6:4-5
"For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; He will save us." -Isaiah 33:22
09/07/2006
Come on over ... to The Dark Side!