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I just bagged a fascinating piece of Jefferson memorabilia

This is a framed presentation piece commemorating Felix Schlag as "FIRST PRIZE WINNER among 390 competing artists in the national competition for a new five cent coin April 20, 1938."

There's a beautiful photo of Schlag's original design, an actual 1938 proof Jefferson Nickel in the center. The plaque is signed by Schlag, his signature notorized. #1 of 150 plaques. Warren Mills, "The Eye" from Rare Coins of New Hampshire, bagged it for me.

This is a great addition to my Jefferson Nickel collection and I'd like to share it with you, but this old fartski still hasn't learned how to post a picture on the PCGS website. Will someone who knows, please volunteer to do it for me? I'll send you the jpg file.
Jefferson nickels, Standing Libs, and US-Philippines rock

Comments

  • sinin1sinin1 Posts: 7,500
    cool, a local deaaaaler told me he got one of those at a garage sale - when looking through a pile of pictires for frames ( for a couple bucks - turmed down $2500 for it )


    use CU servers if less than 50K





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  • Text Great Picture to add to your collections!
    Jefferson Lover & Full Step Treasure Hunter
  • Justhavingfun

    Great find on the #1 plaque. I purchased #98 many years ago.


    Frank
    (The Corso Collection) Always looking for high quality proof and full step Jeffersons - email me with details

    My Jefferson Full Step Variety Set (1938 - Current)

    My Jefferson Proof Variety Set (1938 - Current)
  • larrynjlarrynj Posts: 535
    jhf,

    the #1 plaque is an incredible find. i bought one of these (#91) from a bowers and marena auction in 9/95, paid $777. with the buyers fee. sold it a few years later through ramapaugh trading company for $2,000. i'm sure many are interested in the price you paid, if that's not being to nosey.
  • I paid eleven for it and was tickled pink.

    Warm regards,



    Just Having Fun!
    Jefferson nickels, Standing Libs, and US-Philippines rock
  • emzeeemzee Posts: 1,837 ✭✭✭
    I bought one of these (#17, I think) for $1000 at a Long Beach show in the early 1990's . It is in a wooden frame which I believe is original as I have seen several others pictured in identical frames in auction catalogues over the years. I have also seen one housed in a more contemporary metal frame. In Breen encyclopedia, frame is not depicted.

    Michael
  • leothelyonleothelyon Posts: 8,349 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>I paid eleven for it and was tickled pink.

    Warm regards,



    Just Having Fun! >>



    If I had known you were interested in this kind of stuff, I would have sold it to you myself! The #1 Felix Schlag plaque originally sold years ago in a Bowers and Merena Auction. The last owner actually lives in my hometown. I actually tried selling this plague through one of my Jefferson nickel mail list in the 1990's.
    Congratulations to you JHF!

    Leo

    The more qualities observed in a coin, the more desirable that coin becomes!

    My Jefferson Nickel Collection

  • solidsolid Posts: 2,975
    What a great score on the #1 plaque - congrats!

    Ken
  • wondercoinwondercoin Posts: 16,647 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Great to hear that you picked up that fascinating piece of history. I look forward to seeing it.

    Wondercoin
    Please visit my website at www.wondercoins.com and my ebay auctions under my user name www.wondercoin.com.
  • Dear sinin 1: Your local dealer made a great find. These were made over 70 years ago, and there were only 150. How many can survive today?


    Dear Nickel Collector: I wasn't even so excited by the #1, but I never knew these danged things existed. They're fascinating and I'm so far away from the mainstream, I didn't even realize that other Jefferson fanatics knew they existed either. Congratulations on having nailed down one for yourself, too. Again, like I hinted to Sinin 1, these have to be among the scarcest of all Jefferson memorabilia.


    Thank you, Michael B. And Larrynj ... buying for $777 and selling for $2,000 a few years later ... congratulations! That's a nice coup.


    Dear Emzee: Mine's in a wooden frame and it all looks original. The Jefferson nickel proof looked like a beaut (not a cameo) but very high grade. But my guess is that it was glued in to the frame on the reverese. I would like to display it in my office but I'm also interested in preservation. Any suggestions?


    Hi Leo the Lyon: I know I've been away for a while, and it's great to hear from you, again. And it amazes me that you once actually had this. Our paths pleasantly cross again.

    I love odd little knickknacks like this. While the Registry Set allows me to list only the date-by-date collection, my actual collection is filled with fascinating errors ... many Jeffersons minted on penny and dime planchets ... a few double-denomination nickels ... and some wild and woolly error coins. Collecting is fun to me and speaking metaphorically, goes waaay beyond filling holes in a book. Like my favorite Liberty Head Nickel is an 1886 in oh, "good" condition. When I get back to Bangkok, I'll try to display it.


    And thank you, Solid for offering to post the picture for me. Please send me your e-address and I'll send the jpg right out to you.


    Warm regards,




    Just Having Fun






    Jefferson nickels, Standing Libs, and US-Philippines rock
  • solidsolid Posts: 2,975
    Here's the photo - again, a fabulous, historical piece!

    image

    Ken
  • leothelyonleothelyon Posts: 8,349 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Other memorabilias that exist from the Felix Schlag epoch include a number of sealed Leather-bound Jefferson Nickel collections Schlag assembled himself. I don't know how many he put together other than the #1 set that sold over the last two years on ebay. And I knew who had that set before it was sold.
    Another rather interesting collectable consist of the two 1966 presentational proofs given to the sculptor's wife, Mrs Felix Schlag, in 1966 when the US Mint added Felix Schlag's initials to the Jefferson nickel. Back in the mid 1990's, I had sought out those two coins through an acquaintance of the Schlag family and the word that I received was that they didn't know the whereabouts of the two coins. I concluded that these two presentational pieces where something of a very personal nature with the family so I do not believe they well surface any time soon.
    On a personal note, there was a time when I had hoped to own all this stuff but I stopped kidding myself back when PCGS started grading Jefferson nickels...........

    Leo

    The more qualities observed in a coin, the more desirable that coin becomes!

    My Jefferson Nickel Collection

  • krankykranky Posts: 8,709 ✭✭✭
    That's a wonderful acquisition - very historical! Kudos to you, JHF.

    New collectors, please educate yourself before spending money on coins; there are people who believe that using numismatic knowledge to rip the naïve is what this hobby is all about.

  • Thank you Kranky: Actually. these days I'm having more fun collecting "marginalia" like that, than date sets.

    I had been thinking of starting to collect a new set of US coins, perhaps the Seated Liberties, which I have always admired. But I just lacked the enthusiasm needed to collect a whole series of P, D, S, and CC mint marks for a single year. Instead, I've been collecting ...

    ... Thai coins, which are unusually beautiful,

    ... some Cambodian coins which are similarly beautiful,

    ... Elephant coins, which are a sacred symbol in Thailand, where I live

    ... major nicikel, dime, and quarter error coins. Can you imagine what a thrill it is to find a Jefferson nickel on a penny planchet, graded, like a 1943-S, MS63 red, full steps? That's a complete gassssss. Or, a nickel that was struck somewhere between 98 and 107 times (all I can see with my puny loupes is 7 times, but that's enough times to set my head spinning).

    ... And the only series I'm still collecting by date are the US Philippines. That's in part because they're so incredibly scarce, which makes 'em an huge challenge and fun. And partially because -- while they've already more than doubled in value over the last two years -- they're still incredibly cheap compared with other US coins. You can get a 20 centavo coin as scarce as, say, the 1916 Liberty Standing Quarter, for the same price as a 1944 quarter. A gem 10 centavo piece as scarce as the 1942/1 Merc for a few thou. That's IF you can find them, that's the price. These coins are on the move and I'm putting them aside for my kids to sell, after I've gone to the Third Party Grading service in the sky.

    Warm regards,



    Just Having Fun
    Jefferson nickels, Standing Libs, and US-Philippines rock
  • coinguy1coinguy1 Posts: 13,485
    Congratulations to you, JHF.

    I saw that item several months ago, and, while I don't usually care much about Jefferson nickels, I thought that it was extremely cool.

    <<But my guess is that it was glued in to the frame on the reverese. I would like to display it in my office but I'm also interested in preservation. Any suggestions?>>

    I'd leave it exactly as is.image
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