“The Blake Matte Proof Lincoln Diagnostic Collection”
Grasshopper
Posts: 174
To my Numismatic Colleagues:
Well, it looks like Matte Proof Lincoln Cents are in my blood! I am planning to retire the William Blake Memorial Collection (WBMC) in the next few days, and after some serious thought, I have decided to build a new MPL collection … a new MPL collection that will have a different focus then the WBMC. Aside from an honorarium to my father, one minor goal of the WBMC was to explain to other collectors my thinking that an MPL does not necessarily have to be designated a full “red” to be considered extremely rare and be quite valuable. I hope that I was able to make strides in that direction through my father’s honorarium collection. Certainly, I surprised myself as to the potential of the series, and the passion that this particular series draws out of collectors. It was, and is, very exciting to me. Clearly, I am not ready to retire from the MPL series, and I have yet to find a series that strike me as so challenging and exciting. And on top of that, everyone involved in collecting the MPL seems to feel the same way!
So with that in mind, my goal with this new collection is somewhat different: I would like to (at a slower pace and not breakneck speed) assemble a full collection of MPLs that have outstanding Matte Proof Lincoln identification diagnostics. The set is intended to be primarily educational in nature, and will hopefully continue the intelligent discussion as to what attributes are likely to be seen in deciding whether a particular specimen is a MPL, the different dies states, elements of chemistry and color, etc. New diagnostic elements are likely to be found and discussed. Grade and/or color are not necessarily paramount in my decision as to which coins will be appropriate and properly fit with the collection, however, I do suspect, after my first collecting experience, that the high grade red coins may ‘show’ the diagnostics more readily then the other color designations (but that is just speculation, and I intend to explore that assumption). The particular diagnostic element aspects that I’m looking for will vary for each date in the series, but will include known die markers, striations, rims, and I’d like to find the most pronounced diagnostics that are available for each given date (this includes diagnostics that may or may not be recognized in the known texts at this time). Of course, I do intend to consult and share what I find or confirm with the recognized experts in the field, and I do not need to name them, as the list is extensive. Ideally, I would like to have our MPL community as a whole contribute their knowledge, as we always have. The coins I’ve chosen to start with in this collection (1-3 coins at this point in time) will display pronounced indentifying diagnostics for their respective dates, and I do plan on using enlarged photographs when possible to educate myself and others. We may actually find some new diagnostic markers!
As I see that Stewart Blay did an amazing job in lobbying PCGS through BJ Searles on the inclusion of “colorless” IHC collections on the Registry, I was hoping that we may be able to do something similar with our beloved MPL series.
In the end, I think that the numismatic community will benefit from this educational idea, and of course, the secrets that the MPL series hold will be further revealed, and most likely further exemplified in the values of the coins in the series. I think that the MPL series is the perfect candidate for this approach, because the series is limited in number to only nine, and this is the only example of copper matte proof coinage that have ever been minted in the United States, to my knowledge.
For the record, I collected the WBMC with the primary goal of honoring my father, and never really expected to make any money. But with the series prices exploding, I would like to take some of the rewards of my first collection, and place back into a series that I am passionate about, and has the potential to go from a publically unknown series, to the status of a publically-recognized bona fide rarity series that we all now know the MPLs truly are.
All public comments welcome and anticipated, and I am curious: what does the MPL community think of the idea?
Sincerely
Duane
Well, it looks like Matte Proof Lincoln Cents are in my blood! I am planning to retire the William Blake Memorial Collection (WBMC) in the next few days, and after some serious thought, I have decided to build a new MPL collection … a new MPL collection that will have a different focus then the WBMC. Aside from an honorarium to my father, one minor goal of the WBMC was to explain to other collectors my thinking that an MPL does not necessarily have to be designated a full “red” to be considered extremely rare and be quite valuable. I hope that I was able to make strides in that direction through my father’s honorarium collection. Certainly, I surprised myself as to the potential of the series, and the passion that this particular series draws out of collectors. It was, and is, very exciting to me. Clearly, I am not ready to retire from the MPL series, and I have yet to find a series that strike me as so challenging and exciting. And on top of that, everyone involved in collecting the MPL seems to feel the same way!
So with that in mind, my goal with this new collection is somewhat different: I would like to (at a slower pace and not breakneck speed) assemble a full collection of MPLs that have outstanding Matte Proof Lincoln identification diagnostics. The set is intended to be primarily educational in nature, and will hopefully continue the intelligent discussion as to what attributes are likely to be seen in deciding whether a particular specimen is a MPL, the different dies states, elements of chemistry and color, etc. New diagnostic elements are likely to be found and discussed. Grade and/or color are not necessarily paramount in my decision as to which coins will be appropriate and properly fit with the collection, however, I do suspect, after my first collecting experience, that the high grade red coins may ‘show’ the diagnostics more readily then the other color designations (but that is just speculation, and I intend to explore that assumption). The particular diagnostic element aspects that I’m looking for will vary for each date in the series, but will include known die markers, striations, rims, and I’d like to find the most pronounced diagnostics that are available for each given date (this includes diagnostics that may or may not be recognized in the known texts at this time). Of course, I do intend to consult and share what I find or confirm with the recognized experts in the field, and I do not need to name them, as the list is extensive. Ideally, I would like to have our MPL community as a whole contribute their knowledge, as we always have. The coins I’ve chosen to start with in this collection (1-3 coins at this point in time) will display pronounced indentifying diagnostics for their respective dates, and I do plan on using enlarged photographs when possible to educate myself and others. We may actually find some new diagnostic markers!
As I see that Stewart Blay did an amazing job in lobbying PCGS through BJ Searles on the inclusion of “colorless” IHC collections on the Registry, I was hoping that we may be able to do something similar with our beloved MPL series.
In the end, I think that the numismatic community will benefit from this educational idea, and of course, the secrets that the MPL series hold will be further revealed, and most likely further exemplified in the values of the coins in the series. I think that the MPL series is the perfect candidate for this approach, because the series is limited in number to only nine, and this is the only example of copper matte proof coinage that have ever been minted in the United States, to my knowledge.
For the record, I collected the WBMC with the primary goal of honoring my father, and never really expected to make any money. But with the series prices exploding, I would like to take some of the rewards of my first collection, and place back into a series that I am passionate about, and has the potential to go from a publically unknown series, to the status of a publically-recognized bona fide rarity series that we all now know the MPLs truly are.
All public comments welcome and anticipated, and I am curious: what does the MPL community think of the idea?
Sincerely
Duane
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