IMPORTANT FULL STEP JEFFERSON AUCTION!

Nevadaman

I want to let everyone know that my Jefferson Nickel registry set (which is ranked #4 all-time) will be auctioned by Bowers and Merena on Saturday, August 14th in Pittsburgh, a few days before the ANA show. I guarantee that there are several once-in-a-lifetime coins available here! The monsters include the UNIQUE 1960-D in FS and the finest known 1961-D (PCGS 65FS). The 60-D is the only one I have ever seen that has no weakness under the 3rd pillar and the 61-D is just flat-out awesome. This coin caused me to pay several times more than any Jefferson nickel set had ever sold for when I bought the personal collection of Jefferson Nickel Analyst author Bernard Nagengast many years ago. The 1963-D is 65 FS and a pop 2. The 1953-P (65 FS) is easily the finest known (IMO) with nice toning and sharp steps. I could mention others, but you get the point!
The majority of coins in this set came from the original Nagengast collection. Back in the 1970's when original rolls were more available, he searched about 300,000 uncirculated coins to build his collection! Since that time, I have upgraded through my own decades long search at coin shows and auctions. I strongly encourage you to check out this auction as most of these coins are rarely available. I understand there will be internet bidding to go along with the live auction. Check out the bowersandmerena.com website for more details. Incidentally, the 38-P 67FS, 38-S 65FS, and 55-D 65FS are not available and will be replaced with other coins. However, I am adding a beautiful high-end 1943/2 PCGS 66FS (5 3/4 sharp steps) to compliment the rest of the collection! I hope you find something special to enhance your collection. Good Luck!
Steve Wells (Nevadaman Collection)

leothelyon

Steve,
Send an email!
Thanks, Leon

onlyroosies

I'll be viewing coins in Irvine and bidding on line. I see the on line catalog isn't up
yet. Anyone know when it will be on line.

Nick

Nevadaman

Coins are now online at bowersandmerena.com Leo, I changed email addresses and I lost yours or would have emailed you by now. I will contact you soon.

STOCKFORD

great set Steve and I will be bidding

rcmlgm89

Steve,
Great set . . . will be watching with interest.
Ron

idocoins

Steve,
You should also note that the 39-p, d, & s are not the same in the auction then the ones you have in your set.
Mike

Monstavet

Great set and cool history.

Two comments:
1) Anyone heard from Frank COrso lately? I suspect he may have an interest in some of these.

2) About three years ago, a dealer scoffed at me for asking if he had any Jeffersons...said no dealer would waste time/energy/table space bringing worthless Jeffersons to a show. LOL! This set of worthless Jeffersons would be more than he could handle. I have never visited him again.

Monsta

Nevadaman

Actually, the 39 P,D,S are exactly the same coins that were in my set. PCGS screwed up on designating reverse of 38 and 40. Initially, they put 38 on everything. All mine are reverse of 1940.

DennisH

Say Steve...

Are the prices currently showing in the auction actual bids, are they the opening bid minimums, or are they the reserves?

I've already bid on three of them!

idocoins

<< <i>Actually, the 39 P,D,S are exactly the same coins that were in my set. PCGS screwed up on designating reverse of 38 and 40. Initially, they put 38 on everything. All mine are reverse of 1940. >>


Thanks for the up date...........did I mention that this is a beautiful set I will be an active bidder on some of these.

Ronyahski

Have you ever noticed whether your 54-S has a raised collar, more akin to a proof? The picture looks like it might. I have one in full step, have seen another, and they both have raised collars.

NIckelCollector

Monsta

Still here just doing a lot of travel out of the country. I am watching several of these coins. I wish the 38P and 55D were still available.

Frank

leothelyon

Steve
Welcome to the boards and thanks for the PM!
Through the Bowers August 2004 Rarities Sale I have studied Nevadaman's FS Jefferson collection and I must say, there's much to be desired for quality in the photography used to display those coins! Although I haven't personally seen this collection, this is perhaps one of the greatest accumulations of FS nickels ever assembled! And why not! This collection is a piece of work with over 35 years invested in it! With the core of this collection coming from Bern Nagengast, I can imagine many of the coins, added by Steve Wells over the years, came out of many other great collections from the 1950's and 1960's through the Adolf Wiess FSNC and utimately the Richard and Susan Sisti auctions, adding more years of work into this collection.
Many EDS, 6 step, beautifully toned, never seen before FS nickels exist in this collection!
Word spreads fast and I believe the sale of Nevadaman's FS nickel collection in Pittsburgh, PA will also be a time for one of the greatest gathering of FS Jefferson collectors ever since the early 1990's!

Congratulations to Steve Wells! I can only wish that I had seen his collection before it's sale!

Regards, Leo

Nevadaman

Thanks for the nice posts everyone! Dennis - Good luck on your three bids! To answer your question, the initial prices were not reserves, but opening bids set by Bowers and Merena. Since the set was first put on the internet, there have been several strong bids. However, like most auctions, I expect that most bidders will wait until the last day to act. Also, I have heard from several collectors that they will be there in person to attend the floor auction. As to the 54-S, I can't say for sure whether it has a raised collar, but I don't think so. The steps are good, but the coin lacks the super full strike that nearly all the coins in the set have. (Bern and I were real sticklers for overall strike!) Leo, I too wish the scans were better quality, but as you know, nothing takes the place of seeing coins in person. The eye appeal of some of these coins will make you weak in the knees, but you wouldn't know it from the scans! Two weeks to go and I'm chomping at the bit! Many collectors don't realize how rare certain Jeffersons are. For example, there are five times as many 1913 Liberty nickels as there are full step 1960-D's! There are 4 times as many mint state 1918/17 Buffalo Nickels as full step mint state 1953 P's, etc. Let that sink in for a minute! This may quite possibly be a landmark auction that the price guides will use to finally quote accurate prices. Even the PCGS web price guide is so far removed from reality, it's absurd. The same goes for Coin Prices, etc. The problem has been that high quality Jeffersons are so rare and offered for sale so seldom, that it becomes a real challenge to compile an accurate price guide. If nothing else, a couple weeks from now, (IMHO), Full Step Jeffs will make a splash in the coin world and finally get the respect they deserve!

cladking

Nevadaman; It is interesting how rare some of these coins are and also how little
attention many of them have recieved over the years. Prices have mostly been low
because the demand for Jeffersons has been so very scant. Sure the prices for the
best coins is set chiefly by supply and demand but the lack of a general demand for
Jeffersons has supressed the demand for the higher grades and increased the supply
by not having large numbers of coins taken off the market.

It's entirely possible that modern and older Jeffersons may never get the attention
many of the classics recieve but it's also possible that they'll get even more. They do
have many factors working in their favor besides momentum.

Nevadaman

I agree with your comments, but would add that it is highly likely demand for Jeffersons will increase greatly over the next several years for one simple reason: The other series are getting too expensive! The cost of putting together gem sets of Lincolns, Buffalos, Mercs, or even Washington quarters is prohibitive. Therefore, Jeffersons are the best alternative for somebody interested in a long-running historical series that is still challenging, but obtainable at reasonable prices based on the actual population of the coins. That was one of the reasons I got into myself years ago, but even though prices for Jeffs have increased greatly, I would guess they have a long way to go based on comparative rarity with other series!

RegistryCoin

Jeffs are very tough coins too, to find really nice. If you have ever poured over rolls and rolls, and bags and bags of Jeffs, looking for a few FS beauties, you know what I mean.

Nevadaman

You got that right!!! Ten years ago, I searched an entire mint sewn bag of 1960-P Jeffersons (4000 coins) and didn't find ANY full step coins! That was frustrating, to say the least. Nowadays it's not easy to find original rolls that haven't been searched and that's why the populations of the rare dates have not changed much over the last couple years. I really don't think there will be all that many new discoveries - just a few coins here and there.

NIckelCollector

Steve:

Turn on your PM or send me your email address. I have a couple questions. fjcorso@comcast.net

Thanks

Frank

coolkarma

<< <i>Ten years ago, I searched an entire mint sewn bag of 1960-P Jeffersons (4000 coins) and didn't find ANY full step coins! >>



Some day, when I have spare time, I may top this. I have 4000 unsearched 1965 nickels and 4000 unsearched 1966 nickels - my mom purchased them from the mint in 1965 and 1966. I've looked at about 10 rolls of the 1965's. Only a couple had any step detail at all, and they had large nicks through the steps. I'll feel very lucky if I find a single coin with full steps in either bag! Oh yes, and she bought a bag of 1965 lincolns as well.

Nevadaman

I think you have me! The chances of you finding a FS 65 or 66 in those bags are slim to impossible. Nevertheless, if they were my rolls, I'd still have to look!

Nevadaman

Frank, did you get my email?

leothelyon

Steve
I think now, with the prices exploding on your FS Jefferson nickel collection, that it would be appropriate for you to be in attendence when the hammer comes down on your last coin! I realize many of Bern Nagangast's coins were upgraded in this collection but the big ones are still there. It would make for a more interesting event if he were able to be there as well! It would be great for the hobby! Just my personal thoughts here. Heck, I just might make the trip myself!

Leo

Nevadaman

Leo, I'm not sure how Bern would like seeing his coins go for big prices after he once owned them! I'd like to be there, but it just won't work out. I'll be sweating them live on the internet. Steve

stephunter

Is there a printed catalog available for this auction?

Nevadaman

Yes, but I'm still waiting for my copy! I called up and was told the catalogs were mailed out well over a week ago.

DennisH

I got my copy already!

Two of them, in fact.

leothelyon

Hey Dennis!
Mail one of them suckers to me, if you don't mind.

Leo

stephunter

Got one coming from CarlWohlforth. I think the auction is going to set some benchmarks for all of the full step collectors.

Nevadaman

I finally got my copy today. I think they did a good job with the catalog in general, and my coins in particular. Good Luck to everyone who's bidding!

Nevadaman

Only a couple days left to get in your internet bids. If anyone needs to ask me specific questions on any of the coins, I'll be happy to give my input. My email is nevadaman777@earthlink.net Thanks and good luck, Steve

wondercoin

Strong afternoon for Jeffs. But, the collection, overall, was excellent quality. I won the 1961(d) Jeff in PCGS-MS65FS and what an incredible specimen it is. My next favorite coin in the sale was the 1955(p) Jeff in PCGS-MS65FS. Usually a $500 coin, but another upgrader must have seen what I saw in the coin (very good shot for the lofty grade of MS66FS) and I dropped out when bid reached $2,990 with the juice. I also couldn't pass up the 54(p) in MS65FS - what a super rainbow specimen, which you seldom see.

Congrats to Nevadman & Bowers for putting on a great auction!!

Wondercoin

Nevadaman

Thanks, I knew the buyer of the 61D would be thrilled. I assumed you were also getting the 60D for the top set. Is this not the case? If not, who got it? I tried to upgrade the 55 once, but was not successful. I'm certainly happy with a hammer of $2600 for it though! I am shocked and confused that the 52S did not sell. I thought it was one of the best coins in my set and have never seen a 52S even remotely close in quality. I'm also surprised the 63D didn't sell. You'd think a pop 2 coin that everybody needs would sell, but I guess not. Only 8 or 9 coins failed to meet the reserve, so overall there was solid interest. Thanks to Bowers and Merena for running an excellent auction. It was fun following the live bids on the internet. Congrats to everybody who improved their collections and good luck in the future. Regards, Steve "Nevadaman"

wondercoin

"I assumed you were also getting the 60D for the top set. Is this not the case?"

No - just the 61(d) for today.

Wondercoin

MJPHELAN

Are the final prices realized available yet?

jcping

Nevadaman, can you post significant pieces' price here?

haletj

Prices are up on the B+M website.

Nevadaman

For those who want the highlights. (Prices include buyer's fee): 1960D 64FS $32,200 (to my knowledge - new Jefferson price record) 1961D 65FS $23,000 1953P 65FS $8050 1949S 66FS $3450 1949P 65FS $3335 1953S 64FS $3105 1940S 67FS $2875

wondercoin

"For those who want the highlights. (Prices include buyer's fee): 1960D 64FS $32,200 (to my knowledge - new Jefferson price record) 1961D 65FS $23,000 1953P 65FS $8050 1949S 66FS $3450 1949P 65FS $3335 1953S 64FS $3105 1940S 67FS $2875"

I'm just relieved I was not "challenged" on the 61(d) nickel - not only might the 60(d) have been the shortest lived "record price" in history (2 lots and 1 minute), but, I would have had a great deal of explaining to do to my customer

Wondercoin

Nevadaman

I think the 61D was actually a good buy! I had hoped for more competition on that one. I think it is extremely unlikely that another exists of equal or better quality. At least this sale should finally give Jeffs the respect they deserve and all the price guides should take note! I had a blast collecting this series and am a little sad to see it basically end, although I've kept a few nice pieces to satisfy the inevitable full step Jefferson cravings!

idocoins

Steve,
Congrads on a wonderful auction. I was able to pick up 3 of your beauties for my mint sets. Just wondering what you will do with the coins that did not sell Are you planning are selling them privately? Also, any dups available on some of these? Send me a PM
Once again, congrads. I know you have put Jeffersons on the map!
Mike

Nevadaman

My PM doesn't seem to work for some reason. You can email me at nevadaman777@earthlink.net