Will You Be Donating to the Heritage Auction to Benefit the National Numismatic Collection?
Coinosaurus
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The recent edition of Coin World indicates that Heritage will be holding a benefit auction for the NNC next January.
The NNC is perhaps less known than it ought to be, with a gazillion objects in the collection and unique pieces like the 1849 $20, class II 1804 dollar, etc.
A few exhibitions have been made recently at some of the larger coin shows.
Heritage is seeking donations for auction.
The NNC is perhaps less known than it ought to be, with a gazillion objects in the collection and unique pieces like the 1849 $20, class II 1804 dollar, etc.
A few exhibitions have been made recently at some of the larger coin shows.
Heritage is seeking donations for auction.
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Comments
I give away money. I collect money.
I don’t love money . I do love the Lord God.
It was my understanding that at least part of the money that was earned from the sale of the 1996 Smithsonian commemorative coins was to have been used to upgrade and continue the display of pieces from the National Coin Collection at the Smithsonian. What we (the collectors) got after we paid the surcharges on those coins was the closure of the coin display. After that we got a statement by one of the politically correct pinheads who run the Smithsonian that a few coins would be shown now and then in connection with “culturally significant” displays, like “the struggles of oppressed peoples” or some similar rot. I don’t trust these people. Once you have given them the money they’ll do whatever the feel like with it.
Numismatic items that are available for the people to see are great. Publicly owned numismatic items that are locked in vault and available for no one to see, except for those have special connects, are nothing. It would be far better if they were in private collections. The Libby collection was taken in payment for the tax liability with idea that it would be available for the public to review. Instead it is locked up in vault.
Bob
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<< <i>NO WAY!!!
It was my understanding that at least part of the money that was earned from the sale of the 1996 Smithsonian commemorative coins was to have been used to upgrade and continue the display of pieces from the National Coin Collection at the Smithsonian. What we (the collectors) got after we paid the surcharges on those coins was the closure of the coin display. After that we got a statement by one of the politically correct pinheads who run the Smithsonian that a few coins would be shown now and then in connection with “culturally significant” displays, like “the struggles of oppressed peoples” or some similar rot. I don’t trust these people. Once you have given them the money they’ll do whatever the feel like with it.
Numismatic items that are available for the people to see are great. Publicly owned numismatic items that are locked in vault and available for no one to see, except for those have special connects, are nothing. It would be far better if they were in private collections. The Libby collection was taken in payment for the tax liability with idea that it would be available for the public to review. Instead it is locked up in vault.
20+ years ago MrEureka organized a $500 seat benefit for the ANS.
And we got to look at a few coins in a magnificent display. Oh me oh my. And I think a phone call can still get you in on a few days' notice for a research project.
Will any NNC coins be displayed for appreciation at the auction? Don't talk about cost of security and insurance. All ten Langbord 1933 $20's were at a show (ANA?). What will be done with the proceeds from the auction? Great question. Past performance seems to indicate very little trackability will be provided.
The
<< <i>They said at the reception that the money was to used to digitize the collection and post it on-line. A worthy cause, I think. >>
Damn, this actually makes some sense! (typed with one hand while trying to get my foot out of my mouth with the other)
<< <i>The NNC can help themselves .......... Just sell off the lesser duplicates and have a major auction. Imagine the bidding premium for coins with the Smithsonian pedigree!!!! >>
I'm all for supporting the NNC, but the NMAH policies and funding priorities are the problem. Realisticly speaking, the NNC material is not one of the more important collections that resides at The Smithsonian Institution.
Member ANA, SPMC, SCNA, FUN, CONECA
<< <i>NO WAY!!!
It was my understanding that at least part of the money that was earned from the sale of the 1996 Smithsonian commemorative coins was to have been used to upgrade and continue the display of pieces from the National Coin Collection at the Smithsonian. What we (the collectors) got after we paid the surcharges on those coins was the closure of the coin display. After that we got a statement by one of the politically correct pinheads who run the Smithsonian that a few coins would be shown now and then in connection with “culturally significant” displays, like “the struggles of oppressed peoples” or some similar rot. I don’t trust these people. Once you have given them the money they’ll do whatever the feel like with it.
Numismatic items that are available for the people to see are great. Publicly owned numismatic items that are locked in vault and available for no one to see, except for those have special connects, are nothing. It would be far better if they were in private collections. The Libby collection was taken in payment for the tax liability with idea that it would be available for the public to review. Instead it is locked up in vault.
Totally agree with Bill's eloquent and well thought out response.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
Amen.
I agree about difficult access. This occurs for three reasons: 1) There’re only a couple of people available to supervise visitors. Nearly all of the Curator’s time is involved in preparing displays and researching things for others; 2) relatively few people have the background and subject knowledge to gain any meaningful insights from the collection; 3) it’s too big to economically display. With minimal general interest in row after row of coins that are small and differ only by date or mint mark, there is limited public educational value in large coin displays.
Lastly, one of the most important reasons for supporting the NNC and getting more staff, is that we don’t really know what is there. The collection was accumulated from multiple donors and includes so many coins, medals, tokens, paper currency and other items that there currently exists no complete and accurate inventory. Producing an inventory is a multi-year project for multiple coin and currency specialists. (No, “volunteers” don’t work out in these situations – it’s been tried many times.) (Personal example again: Nearly every time I've examined part of the NNC, I've identified something new - not just new patterns, but regular coins that were really trial pieces, new mintmark varieties, new information on how certain coins were designed or made....the list goes on.)
No one is compelled to donate anything. No one is compelled to learn anything. No ostrich head need be pulled from the sand.
However, failure to maintain and utilize a national resource will eventually result in its loss – and that can never be recovered.
# # # #
<< <i>The NNC can help themselves .......... Just sell off the lesser duplicates and have a major auction. Imagine the bidding premium for coins with the Smithsonian pedigree!!!! >>
Correct. The collection has been poorly managed for decades. They don't need more money, they just need to decide what they really need to keep and auction the rest. (It won't happen.)
It doesn’t matter how much you study, or how much you know, or even if you have written articles for magazines, that’s not enough. You have to be among the influential to get see this kind of material. The sad part is, 100 Boston citizens raised $5,000 in 1876 to save this medal and have it available to the public. Now you hear chilling stories from the people at the library, like, “We don't know where it is. Didn’t the director take that home, with him?”
Given the state of the Massachusetts state and local governments, that is a chilling comment. And yes, here is my medal. The closest I’ll ever get the gold medal that Washington received is the photo in the book 100 Greatest American Medals and Tokens
So NO, these people do not deserve to get my money.
I will give credit to government agencies where credit is due.
I was able to take these photographs of the dies that were used to strike the John Paul Jones medal at Jones’ crypt at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.
It doesn’t take that much to make me happy. Just a little respect.
The dies
My medal ... it is a restrike from the 1840s with the pointing finger and "CUIVRE edge device.
I also remember taking my daughter to see it about five years ago.
Talk about disappointment.
Is the display better than THIS now?
<< <i>The Smithsonian has three 1927-D Double Eagles. The sale of just ONE of them could provide them with quite a bit of pocket change. >>
The Smithsonian also has two of the three known 1822 Half Eagles. The sale of one of these, plus the 1927-D double eagle, would provide about $10 million. No need for a special auction if you can get $10 million by selling two coins.
An authorized PCGS dealer, and a contributor to the Red Book.
The ANS has a reputation as an elitist organization, yet when I went to their library as a kid collector in my 20s (in the mid 1970s), they let me review the materials that I requested and even let me see a few coins. I can’t say the same for the Smithsonian or the Boston Public Library when I asked to see numismatic items. The Boston Library did help me with some research I did on Boston Civil War token, Comers College. They were very helpful with that in their rare book section.