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A salute to Alan Weinberg of California

orevilleoreville Posts: 11,772 ✭✭✭✭✭
I brought an old Bert D. Richards & Co. Indian Trading Post of Manuelito, New Mexico - Aluminum $1.00 - In - Trade (item nm781b in the 2009 Edition of New Mexico Trade Tokens) to the Baltimore show.

I had purchased it on ebay in 1999 or 2000 and it is the only Indian trading token I own. I way overpaid for it back then at close to $800 as it was quite rare and I got into a bidding war and wanted this piece very badly at the time as I was really into anything that had to do with Manuelito.

I ended up showing it to Alan Weinberg who immediately went to work on giving me information on this piece eve though I told him it was not for sale.

Oddly enough, the old and new price guide of such piece was showing $800 because Alan found out that the author tracked down that the sale took place of almost $800. He was surprised that such piece was worth that much. He then later proceeded to make multiple offers exceeding what I paid. I reminded him that I was not quite through with enjoying it yet. He was very nice about it.

I knew it was quite rare. I was astonished to find that it was rated an R-10 rarity, meaning, 1 to 2 known.

Alan, while making multiple offers on this piece has been kind enough to supply me with more and more information about this and other trade tokens in general that I just wanted to make a public thank you to him!
A Collectors Universe poster since 1997!

Comments

  • MrEurekaMrEureka Posts: 23,892 ✭✭✭✭✭
    To check out some of Alan's treasures, go to http://www.neocollect.com/, register, and poke around the "Public Collections". Alan has some incredible things.

    BTW, you may be able to access his collections more easily here, possibly without registering.
    Andy Lustig

    Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.

    Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
  • DentuckDentuck Posts: 3,812 ✭✭✭
    A true enthusiast and a gentleman. Mr. Weinberg is always very generous with his knowledge and sharing his collections for the public good. Several of his medals, tokens, etc., are featured in Abraham Lincoln: The Image of His Greatness, the Guide Book of United States Tokens and Medals, and other Whitman Publishing books.


  • DUIGUYDUIGUY Posts: 7,252 ✭✭✭
    WOWZERS!

    Thanks for the link!image
    “A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly."



    - Marcus Tullius Cicero, 106-43 BC
  • orevilleoreville Posts: 11,772 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Andy:

    Simply stunning!
    A Collectors Universe poster since 1997!
  • jonathanbjonathanb Posts: 3,411 ✭✭✭✭✭
    The only "problem" with pointing people to Alan's site on NeoCollect is that it needs a little bit of context to fully appreciate the collection.

    Anyone can look at those medals and say, "Gee, those are neat." They're more than neat. In many cases they're jaw-dropping.

    The Ford collection may have had more breadth, but it had FAR less depth. I've been tracking auction appearances of US Mint medals and non-Mint award medals. In the last 5 years, Stack's has sold a total of 35 gold medals in those categories *including* all of the Ford sales and several resales of the same medal. Alan has at least as many already posted, and they're all spectacular, many of them one-of-a-kind. There are no "medalettes" here (although I imagine he has plenty of them stashed away).

    And don't start me on the silver pieces!

    If anyone is remotely interested in this sort of thing, be sure to take time to read this site *slowly*. It will be well worth it.
  • cladkingcladking Posts: 28,307 ✭✭✭✭✭
    He has a sterling reputation.

    Token pricing can be very ephemeral. I have the only known token from
    Eaton Rapids, Michigan and haven't gotten a realistic offer for it. There's
    a tendency for buyers to fear that a large hoard has been found and they
    don't want to be the first to pay big bucks for a common token. The market
    for these is very dynamic but very shallow. Ten of something can make it
    humdrum and a hundred; common.

    Many people don't realize that it's likely that 90% of the various tokens is-
    sued over the last 150 years have no surviving examples and many of the
    rest are fairly common (250-800). It makes prices about demand moreso
    than supply and collectors tend to be very avid.

    Tempus fugit.
  • topstuftopstuf Posts: 14,803 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I just got my copy of Heritage's Intelligent Collector and they featured Alan Weinberg.
    I never heard of him but it appears he is selling some stuff and it will be the first time the coins have been graded. :o

    He collected early and historic coins and from the article, it looks like the coins were very important ones.

    This might be exciting. :)

  • BlindedByEgoBlindedByEgo Posts: 10,754 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Sad that neocollect is no longer in operation. Thanks for the update, @topstuf

  • topstuftopstuf Posts: 14,803 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I was gonna start a thread after reading my magazine and found our forum under the Googling of his name.

    Soooo.... I just bumped the Google thread.

  • philographerphilographer Posts: 1,310 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @oreville said:
    ...I was not quite through with enjoying it yet....

    >

    Seems to me that this is what collecting is all about

    He who knows he has enough is rich.

  • RogerBRogerB Posts: 8,852 ✭✭✭✭✭

    He has been very generous with materials and information relating to several research projects. That is both unusual and very much appreciated.

  • orevilleoreville Posts: 11,772 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Almost 10 years later and the only thing I believe has changed is Alan Weinberg of Florida (if I am not mistaken) ?
    LOL

    A Collectors Universe poster since 1997!
  • ZoinsZoins Posts: 33,811 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited April 26, 2019 9:29PM

    Well, he sold this one at FUN this year. I bid but didn't win. I loved his commentary.

    https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1012181/1792-dickeson-restrike-cent-token#latest

    Alan Weinberg's Commentary: The fascinating "1792" Dickeson patterns were apparently struck in two batches at separate times in 1859 or 1860. This is one of the few Prooflike specimens known with almost "watery" fields and considerable original color. Most often this beautiful coin is found with non-reflective, satiny, dark brown surfaces. I did feel this "pattern" was so aesthetically pleasing and attractive that it belonged in a 1792 U.S. pattern collection, as did Woodin, Pollock and the three authors of the new 1792 coinage reference.

  • SSRSSR Posts: 235 ✭✭✭✭

    An important example why ebay sales should not be cited on coinfacts

    www.paradimecoins.com - Specializing in Top Pop Type PCGS CAC coins. Subscribe To Our NEWPs Mailing List

  • ZoinsZoins Posts: 33,811 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited April 27, 2019 8:10AM

    @SSR said:
    An important example why ebay sales should not be cited on coinfacts

    If you are referring to the trial piece I posted, I only see Heritage prices, not eBay prices?

  • johnny9434johnny9434 Posts: 27,412 ✭✭✭✭✭

    id like to see a pic or two of that one. cool story as well

  • orevilleoreville Posts: 11,772 ✭✭✭✭✭

    saving from archives... to join the sister thread

    not this thread began in 2009!

    A Collectors Universe poster since 1997!

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