Part 1 of New Baltimore Purchases-Many Franklins & Morgans as well as Circulated Barber & Se
TomB
Posts: 22,098 ✭✭✭✭✭
I have a small assortment of coins listed below. Some of these are new purchases directly from the Baltimore show and I believe there are a number of nice deals here, too. Shipping and insurance are paid for by me and all items may be returned within a two week (14-day) period for complete refund. Payment accepted by personal, bank or business check or money order, USPS money order and PayPal options. I prefer to avoid the use of PayPal with the fees that are associated with this option, but if it is required please let me know. Any questions may be asked within the thread or sent to me via PM or to my email address of tbush@tbnumismatics.com. Thank you for your time.
1) 1863-S Seated Liberty Half-Dime PCGS MS65 $4,650.00
Truly a delightful little coin with a light golden obverse containing hints of red and blue toning flecks throughout paired with a soft, pastel lilac reverse. The coin has a strongly clashed obverse and appears original with good luster and no singular marks of any consequence. This issue had a low mintage that has seen exceptionally low numbers of survivors over the years. It is one of the toughest coins to find in the long running Seated Liberty half-dime series and in gem grades there are estimated to be a mere dozen pieces in existence. This coin would number as one of those dozen extant gem coins. I have seen a number of the certified gem coins and this piece has significantly more eye appeal than some examples. It is sometimes difficult to believe that a coin this scarce can be this relatively affordable. This is a case where the Greysheet is of little use; I would buy this issue in this grade with this eye appeal over and over again quite happily at the published bid. $4,650.00
2) 1856-O Seated Liberty Quarter PCGS VF25 $150.00
This is just a lovely quarter. Most any no motto (NM) Seated Liberty quarter is far tougher to obtain than original mintage reports would indicate and consequently they do not change hands all that often and the reality of their price structure does not always match published guides. Nonetheless, here is a very nice coin that, even though it is priced above Greysheet, will not break the bank in spite of the difficulty in obtaining a problem-free piece. $150.00
3) 1859-S Seated Quarter PCGS VF25 $2,550.00
A pretty darn scarce coin in any grade that gets decidedly scarcer as the grade rises. Approximately 80,000 pieces were produced by the then-new San Francisco Mint and most saw heavy and immediate use in commerce. It would not be until decades later that collectors would recognize that collecting branch mint US issues could be a challenging and valid collecting goal. By that time, the great bulk of these pieces had been lost. This coin has near perfect surfaces paired with extraordinarily beautiful medium depth grey color. It is truly lovely and would be a difficult coin to surpass. Chewed up, chippy pieces can cross the auction block at near $2,000 in VF while higher graded coin skyrocket in value. $2,550.00
4) 1875-S Seated Quarter NGC MS64 $1,795.00
This coin was part of the Richmond Collection that was auctioned off in early 2005. The auction catalog at that time stated in part “A lovely high-end mint state example of this scarce date with even gold toning and blue patina on the obverse portrait. Technically, very high grade with claims to gem…” I don’t know that I would claim that the coin has any significant amount of blue toning on it, but it is truly higher end for the assigned grade and has the very cool feature of having been struck with a pair of die that seem to have been crumbling during usage. This is most evident with the die cracks around the obverse stars and nearly the entire reverse lettering. This issue is more scarce in near-gem that most realize and is offered here at just a smidge over Greysheet and well below what it might take to obtain such a coin in an auction setting. $1,795.00
5) 1895-S Barber Quarter PCGS VF30 $295.00
It seems there is a perpetual run on circulated Barber coinage that can make its way into a PCGS holder. David Feigenbaum (Lawrence) wrote, in his expert work on this series, that F-EF 1895-S Barber quarters “are gobbled up as soon as they enter the market”. This may be true, but I have never previously owned one to be able to find out. The centers of this coin are a bit lighter than the perimeter, which is ringed with a thicker, navy patina of dirt, grime and age. This coin is priced at more than two times Greysheet, but that seems to be the norm with circulated Barber coinage. $295.00
6) 1837 Reeded Edge Half Dollar PCGS AU50 ON HOLD
This is a beautiful coin. The Reeded Edge half series comes in two recognized subtypes of 1836-1837 and 1838-1839 although a strong case can be made that the 1836 and 1837 issues are different enough to be considered their own subtypes, too. The 1836 issue has a reported mintage of 1,200 pieces, but this number must be far too low given the common appearance of the coin on the bourse and in auction catalogs. However, the small reported mintage of the 1836 has meant that traditionally one would have to obtain an 1837 if one wanted an example of this subtype. Therefore, this coin has been considered a generic. Do not be fooled by that historical label. This coin is not a generic if one wants original or reasonably original surfaces on a coin in the upper circulated grades and especially if one desires an overall strongly struck piece. Given those parameters this issue is quite difficult to find, indeed. For those so inclined to know the variety, this is a JR2 when using Jules Reiver’s VIM for the series. The reverse has so many die cracks that it appears that the die is in several planes, yet the strike is absolutely wonderful over the balance of the coin. It is not unusual to find 1837 Reeded Edge half dollars with no details at all within the central portion of the stars and indeed to have the edges of these stars nearly merge with the obverse rim. This is not the case here as the stars have complete details and central radials while all the peripheral lettering on the reverse looks especially well struck. Included in this terrific strike and high grade specimen is a deeper navy hue along the rims that might just look smashing when compared to the dark auburn that graces most of the coin. About this time many folks must be wondering why I am devoting so much space to this coin and the reason for that is because the Reeded Edge half dollar series is my favorite US coinage series and one that I believe is woefully undervalued and almost ubiquitously ignored. This is a substantial coin that might be bypassed by those not well versed in the niche, but should be appreciated by those who study these fabulous pieces. ON HOLD
7) 1873 WA Seated Liberty Half Dollar PCGS MS64+/CAC $5,350.00
WHOA!?!?!?!? Does everyone here realize what they are looking at in this coin? If not, I will explain. Virtually every business strike, mint state 1873 WA Seated Liberty half dollar I have ever seen has been dipped, dipped again and then perhaps dipped a third time just for good measure. Those coins with lots of color are generally exhibiting secondary toning or even tertiary toning from all the chemical baths they have taken in the past. This coin is original as the day is long. Let me state that again: ORIGINAL. The patina is thick yet still reveals thick, swirling luster on the obverse paired with a more muted luster on the reverse that accounts for the coin not being graded a full MS65. There is some gold and red toning scattered amongst the grey patina on the obverse and a bit of deep navy nestled onto the reverse, but let me make this clear that the coin is what might be termed “grey dirt” and that is meant in every favorable manner possible. The surfaces are at least as clean as a very gem like MS64 if not as clean as required for a full blown MS65 and the coin is strictly mint state. It might be considered a shame that the patina is so thick as to cut down the luster enough to only garner an MS64+, but if the patina was a hair lighter and the coin in an MS65 holder then we would be looking at a coin pushing $20,000 instead of just over $5,000. I can’t make someone love this look and if you require your coins to have a pretty rainbow then this is definitely not for you. However, if you value original surfaces above all else, as I do, and also value eye appeal and strength within an assigned grade then this coin is a screamer. Do I love this coin? You bet. Am I hyping it? I hope not. $5,350.00
8) 1956 Franklin Half Dollar NGC PF68CAM Fatty $195.00
It is unusual for me to carry Franklin half dollars in my inventory and now I have a handful of them on my site. This coin is truly gorgeous and essentially snow white throughout the central 80% of the piece that then has a ring of medium depth blue and auburn toning. The toning might have been caused by the old, yet totally and completely pristine, NGC fatty holder that has no spacing between the paper insert and the coin. The 1956 is just about the most common Franklin with CAM or DCAM surfaces and the coin in-hand has less of a CAM contrast than my images suggest, but this was not done to deceive. I like this coin very much. This is also the more common Type 2 for the date and not the scarce Type 1. $195.00
9) 1958 Franklin Half Dollar NGC MS66 $65.00
The parade of Franklin halves continues with this mint set toned piece that has fairly nice and pure blue toning on the obverse with a decidedly less toned reverse. $65.00
10) 1958-D Franklin Half Dollar NGC MS65FBL $65.00
The last of the trio of newly listed Franklin halves, which has classic 1958-D mint set toning that is heaviest on the light auburn and contains hints of red and green throughout. This is an attractive coin and one that I would have expected to be worth more than it is. $65.00
11) 1878-S Morgan Dollar NGC MS64 $250.00
Perhaps this isn’t the key date to the Morgan dollar series, nor is it in a super-gem grade and it is not a monster toned coin. However, I simply do not find many 1878-S Morgan dollars with this kind of toning on both sides that not only covers most of the coin, but is actually colorful. The coin has the look of an MS65 save for a cut across the eagle’s breast that neatly blends in with the toning on the reverse. The obverse features a smoother transition in color while the reverse appears to be something that Jackson Pollack might have dreamt. $250.00
12) 1879-S Rev of 1878 Morgan Dollar PCGS MS63 $565.00
By now most folks likely realize that I do not specialize in white, or untoned, coinage. However, from time to time there appear nice coins that are devoid of most toning and provide not only good eye appeal, but also can be a good store of value or an option for possible increase in value. I believe that this Morgan dollar is such a coin. Pieces in MS63 tend to cluster around $500 while pieces in MS64 tend to cluster around $1,200 and this large relative jump in value does not always correspond to a coin that is significantly nicer. I am not a Morgan dollar connoisseur, but to my eye the present MS63 has many attributes of an MS64 at only less than one half the price. $565.00
13) 1887-O Morgan Dollar PCGS MS64+ $550.00
I don’t own many + designated coins and this is most likely due to the fact that the + designation is relatively new. However, of those few coins that I do own, they are all quite wonderful and high end for the grade. Here is an example of a + coin where the next grade up costs substantially more than the current grade and where there is minimal difference, if any real difference at all, between the present coin and coins graded higher. This coin has truly lovely obverse toning that is a warm gold with just a hint of navy clinging to the rim. The reverse is mostly white and very clean. The coin has its original skin. Likely all that held this piece back from a full MS65 grade and subsequent $2,000.00+ price tag is a small piece of adhered carbon or crud in the form of what might be interpreted to be a tiny polar bear facing the eagle near the C in AMERICA on the reverse. If someone has the stones to remove this tiny polar bear they might be handsomely rewarded. That person, however, will not be me and the coin is being offered as a completely original, wonderful piece with winsome polar bear mascot. $550.00
1) 1863-S Seated Liberty Half-Dime PCGS MS65 $4,650.00
Truly a delightful little coin with a light golden obverse containing hints of red and blue toning flecks throughout paired with a soft, pastel lilac reverse. The coin has a strongly clashed obverse and appears original with good luster and no singular marks of any consequence. This issue had a low mintage that has seen exceptionally low numbers of survivors over the years. It is one of the toughest coins to find in the long running Seated Liberty half-dime series and in gem grades there are estimated to be a mere dozen pieces in existence. This coin would number as one of those dozen extant gem coins. I have seen a number of the certified gem coins and this piece has significantly more eye appeal than some examples. It is sometimes difficult to believe that a coin this scarce can be this relatively affordable. This is a case where the Greysheet is of little use; I would buy this issue in this grade with this eye appeal over and over again quite happily at the published bid. $4,650.00
2) 1856-O Seated Liberty Quarter PCGS VF25 $150.00
This is just a lovely quarter. Most any no motto (NM) Seated Liberty quarter is far tougher to obtain than original mintage reports would indicate and consequently they do not change hands all that often and the reality of their price structure does not always match published guides. Nonetheless, here is a very nice coin that, even though it is priced above Greysheet, will not break the bank in spite of the difficulty in obtaining a problem-free piece. $150.00
3) 1859-S Seated Quarter PCGS VF25 $2,550.00
A pretty darn scarce coin in any grade that gets decidedly scarcer as the grade rises. Approximately 80,000 pieces were produced by the then-new San Francisco Mint and most saw heavy and immediate use in commerce. It would not be until decades later that collectors would recognize that collecting branch mint US issues could be a challenging and valid collecting goal. By that time, the great bulk of these pieces had been lost. This coin has near perfect surfaces paired with extraordinarily beautiful medium depth grey color. It is truly lovely and would be a difficult coin to surpass. Chewed up, chippy pieces can cross the auction block at near $2,000 in VF while higher graded coin skyrocket in value. $2,550.00
4) 1875-S Seated Quarter NGC MS64 $1,795.00
This coin was part of the Richmond Collection that was auctioned off in early 2005. The auction catalog at that time stated in part “A lovely high-end mint state example of this scarce date with even gold toning and blue patina on the obverse portrait. Technically, very high grade with claims to gem…” I don’t know that I would claim that the coin has any significant amount of blue toning on it, but it is truly higher end for the assigned grade and has the very cool feature of having been struck with a pair of die that seem to have been crumbling during usage. This is most evident with the die cracks around the obverse stars and nearly the entire reverse lettering. This issue is more scarce in near-gem that most realize and is offered here at just a smidge over Greysheet and well below what it might take to obtain such a coin in an auction setting. $1,795.00
5) 1895-S Barber Quarter PCGS VF30 $295.00
It seems there is a perpetual run on circulated Barber coinage that can make its way into a PCGS holder. David Feigenbaum (Lawrence) wrote, in his expert work on this series, that F-EF 1895-S Barber quarters “are gobbled up as soon as they enter the market”. This may be true, but I have never previously owned one to be able to find out. The centers of this coin are a bit lighter than the perimeter, which is ringed with a thicker, navy patina of dirt, grime and age. This coin is priced at more than two times Greysheet, but that seems to be the norm with circulated Barber coinage. $295.00
6) 1837 Reeded Edge Half Dollar PCGS AU50 ON HOLD
This is a beautiful coin. The Reeded Edge half series comes in two recognized subtypes of 1836-1837 and 1838-1839 although a strong case can be made that the 1836 and 1837 issues are different enough to be considered their own subtypes, too. The 1836 issue has a reported mintage of 1,200 pieces, but this number must be far too low given the common appearance of the coin on the bourse and in auction catalogs. However, the small reported mintage of the 1836 has meant that traditionally one would have to obtain an 1837 if one wanted an example of this subtype. Therefore, this coin has been considered a generic. Do not be fooled by that historical label. This coin is not a generic if one wants original or reasonably original surfaces on a coin in the upper circulated grades and especially if one desires an overall strongly struck piece. Given those parameters this issue is quite difficult to find, indeed. For those so inclined to know the variety, this is a JR2 when using Jules Reiver’s VIM for the series. The reverse has so many die cracks that it appears that the die is in several planes, yet the strike is absolutely wonderful over the balance of the coin. It is not unusual to find 1837 Reeded Edge half dollars with no details at all within the central portion of the stars and indeed to have the edges of these stars nearly merge with the obverse rim. This is not the case here as the stars have complete details and central radials while all the peripheral lettering on the reverse looks especially well struck. Included in this terrific strike and high grade specimen is a deeper navy hue along the rims that might just look smashing when compared to the dark auburn that graces most of the coin. About this time many folks must be wondering why I am devoting so much space to this coin and the reason for that is because the Reeded Edge half dollar series is my favorite US coinage series and one that I believe is woefully undervalued and almost ubiquitously ignored. This is a substantial coin that might be bypassed by those not well versed in the niche, but should be appreciated by those who study these fabulous pieces. ON HOLD
7) 1873 WA Seated Liberty Half Dollar PCGS MS64+/CAC $5,350.00
WHOA!?!?!?!? Does everyone here realize what they are looking at in this coin? If not, I will explain. Virtually every business strike, mint state 1873 WA Seated Liberty half dollar I have ever seen has been dipped, dipped again and then perhaps dipped a third time just for good measure. Those coins with lots of color are generally exhibiting secondary toning or even tertiary toning from all the chemical baths they have taken in the past. This coin is original as the day is long. Let me state that again: ORIGINAL. The patina is thick yet still reveals thick, swirling luster on the obverse paired with a more muted luster on the reverse that accounts for the coin not being graded a full MS65. There is some gold and red toning scattered amongst the grey patina on the obverse and a bit of deep navy nestled onto the reverse, but let me make this clear that the coin is what might be termed “grey dirt” and that is meant in every favorable manner possible. The surfaces are at least as clean as a very gem like MS64 if not as clean as required for a full blown MS65 and the coin is strictly mint state. It might be considered a shame that the patina is so thick as to cut down the luster enough to only garner an MS64+, but if the patina was a hair lighter and the coin in an MS65 holder then we would be looking at a coin pushing $20,000 instead of just over $5,000. I can’t make someone love this look and if you require your coins to have a pretty rainbow then this is definitely not for you. However, if you value original surfaces above all else, as I do, and also value eye appeal and strength within an assigned grade then this coin is a screamer. Do I love this coin? You bet. Am I hyping it? I hope not. $5,350.00
8) 1956 Franklin Half Dollar NGC PF68CAM Fatty $195.00
It is unusual for me to carry Franklin half dollars in my inventory and now I have a handful of them on my site. This coin is truly gorgeous and essentially snow white throughout the central 80% of the piece that then has a ring of medium depth blue and auburn toning. The toning might have been caused by the old, yet totally and completely pristine, NGC fatty holder that has no spacing between the paper insert and the coin. The 1956 is just about the most common Franklin with CAM or DCAM surfaces and the coin in-hand has less of a CAM contrast than my images suggest, but this was not done to deceive. I like this coin very much. This is also the more common Type 2 for the date and not the scarce Type 1. $195.00
9) 1958 Franklin Half Dollar NGC MS66 $65.00
The parade of Franklin halves continues with this mint set toned piece that has fairly nice and pure blue toning on the obverse with a decidedly less toned reverse. $65.00
10) 1958-D Franklin Half Dollar NGC MS65FBL $65.00
The last of the trio of newly listed Franklin halves, which has classic 1958-D mint set toning that is heaviest on the light auburn and contains hints of red and green throughout. This is an attractive coin and one that I would have expected to be worth more than it is. $65.00
11) 1878-S Morgan Dollar NGC MS64 $250.00
Perhaps this isn’t the key date to the Morgan dollar series, nor is it in a super-gem grade and it is not a monster toned coin. However, I simply do not find many 1878-S Morgan dollars with this kind of toning on both sides that not only covers most of the coin, but is actually colorful. The coin has the look of an MS65 save for a cut across the eagle’s breast that neatly blends in with the toning on the reverse. The obverse features a smoother transition in color while the reverse appears to be something that Jackson Pollack might have dreamt. $250.00
12) 1879-S Rev of 1878 Morgan Dollar PCGS MS63 $565.00
By now most folks likely realize that I do not specialize in white, or untoned, coinage. However, from time to time there appear nice coins that are devoid of most toning and provide not only good eye appeal, but also can be a good store of value or an option for possible increase in value. I believe that this Morgan dollar is such a coin. Pieces in MS63 tend to cluster around $500 while pieces in MS64 tend to cluster around $1,200 and this large relative jump in value does not always correspond to a coin that is significantly nicer. I am not a Morgan dollar connoisseur, but to my eye the present MS63 has many attributes of an MS64 at only less than one half the price. $565.00
13) 1887-O Morgan Dollar PCGS MS64+ $550.00
I don’t own many + designated coins and this is most likely due to the fact that the + designation is relatively new. However, of those few coins that I do own, they are all quite wonderful and high end for the grade. Here is an example of a + coin where the next grade up costs substantially more than the current grade and where there is minimal difference, if any real difference at all, between the present coin and coins graded higher. This coin has truly lovely obverse toning that is a warm gold with just a hint of navy clinging to the rim. The reverse is mostly white and very clean. The coin has its original skin. Likely all that held this piece back from a full MS65 grade and subsequent $2,000.00+ price tag is a small piece of adhered carbon or crud in the form of what might be interpreted to be a tiny polar bear facing the eagle near the C in AMERICA on the reverse. If someone has the stones to remove this tiny polar bear they might be handsomely rewarded. That person, however, will not be me and the coin is being offered as a completely original, wonderful piece with winsome polar bear mascot. $550.00
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Though your little grinning green man scares me, your coins do not!
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson