I was fortunate enough to keep it warm on several occasions, even studying it under microscope for several hours.
I named one of my children after its designer and creator.
I shipped it via USPS without insurance.
Good times, lol.
Because to Err is Human. I specialize in Errors, Minting, Counterfeit Detection & Grading. Computer-aided grading, counterfeit detection, recognition and imaging.
<< <i>I also wonder why this group chose this coin. Obviously it's a neat piece with a lot of history, but there are some more notable pieces >>
<< <i>I think the stuff that really holds it's value and keeps going up would be 18th C. high grade MS coins or pre-1834 MS gold for the mega-buck buyer >>
More notable coins? Really? I can't think of a single one.
You're thinking like set collectors, not like investors or trophy hunters. The reality is you left milllions in profit on the table when you didn't buy it for $3 million a few years back.
The Brasher is the stuff dreams are made of. Its fame and romance. Not just some top pop that some coin guru will call the nicest one he’s ever seen while another old timer will insist that he once saw an even nicer one back in 1974 or ‘75 at the Central States show or was it the ANA…. Buy a MS 65 1795 $10 and what have you got? A coin for a connoisseur that has a mark or two less or is otherwise a bit nicer than a lower grade example,. Even if it is a lot nicer than the typical example, the fact that there are typical examples means that if one knocks off a few points for handling and wear, almost “anyone” can buy one.
A short while back the featured video on the PCGS home page was an interview with Don Kagin. When the subject of investing came up his take on it was that the coins that will always be strong investments are the great and famous ones like the Brasher doubloon. Think of it this way. Is the Mona Lisa the best painting in the world? To say yes would be silly. Frankly, it’s a boring portrait and may not even be the best work of Da Vinci. But it has incomparable fame going for it. So it draws crowds to the Louvre who jostle for position to get a better look, while a wonderful Van Eyck stands lonely around the corner, missed by most visitors.
<< <i>I also wonder why this group chose this coin. Obviously it's a neat piece with a lot of history, but there are some more notable pieces >>
<< <i>I think the stuff that really holds it's value and keeps going up would be 18th C. high grade MS coins or pre-1834 MS gold for the mega-buck buyer >>
More notable coins? Really? I can't think of a single one.
You're thinking like set collectors, not like investors or trophy hunters. The reality is you left milllions in profit on the table when you didn't buy it for $3 million a few years back.
The Brasher is the stuff dreams are made of. Its fame and romance. Not just some top pop that some coin guru will call the nicest one he’s ever seen while another old timer will insist that he once saw an even nicer one back in 1974 or ‘75 at the Central States show or was it the ANA…. Buy a MS 65 1795 $10 and what have you got? A coin for a connoisseur that has a mark or two less or is otherwise a bit nicer than a lower grade example,. Even if it is a lot nicer than the typical example, the fact that there are typical examples means that if one knocks off a few points for handling and wear, almost “anyone” can buy one.
A short while back the featured video on the PCGS home page was an interview with Don Kagin. When the subject of investing came up his take on it was that the coins that will always be strong investments are the great and famous ones like the Brasher doubloon. Think of it this way. Is the Mona Lisa the best painting in the world? To say yes would be silly. Frankly, it’s a boring portrait and may not even be the best work of Da Vinci. But it has incomparable fame going for it. So it draws crowds to the Louvre who jostle for position to get a better look, while a wonderful Van Eyck stands lonely around the corner, missed by most visitors.
CG >>
This is a great post CalGold. Absolutely true!!
New England Rarities...Dealer In Colonial Coinage and Americana
<< <i>This is the coin that realized $2.99 million by Heritage in January 2005? And at that time it was in an NGC XF45 holder?
Nice upgrade! >>
And before that it was called VF by Bowers in the 1981 Garrett auction. How much higher can the grade go up yet? >>
While I know that the grade in 1981 for a raw colonial graded by Bowers doesn't say much since it appears he at times was incredibly conservative and I have seen upgrades occur legit, and I also know that leaping from xf45 to au50 is pretty realistic at times considering you can't really have a grading set in Brashers of which to compare. And lastly we all know having your tpg brand on the holder is definitely a feather in a co.'s cap. And I agree that when a coin is R8 or for that matter unique it is worth what the seller wants and considering you only need one buyer the odds are pretty good that eventually it will sell, again it all depends imho on the coolness factor which is obviously highly subjective and in this case pretty darn cool. >>
Very true Realone. The Garrett Sale was super conservative in their grading. I dont know for sure if that was the grading of the time, or just being conservative on purpose, but there are many coins in that auction that were graded XF/AU that would easily grade UNC today and that would be their true grade. In some of the Ford sales, many colonials were very conservatively graded by Mike Hodder. There was one piece as an example graded choice VF that went for UNC money, because it clearly was.
When there are great collections, often times many great coins are undergraded as the cataloger is looking at so many great coins at once, maybe they get a little "star struck" and the super great looks UNC and the really great starts looking AU when compared next to each other.
New England Rarities...Dealer In Colonial Coinage and Americana
Why didn't it qualify for FirstStrike, how many could they have made?
Although I know you're kidding, it's worth mentioning that the Punch-on-Breast coin is from an earlier die state than all of the Punch-on-Wing specimens.
Also, FWIW, I've always liked the P-O-B piece best. Not so much for it's rarity, but because I think the positioning of the punch is more aesthetically pleasing. (Would Superman ever have become famous if he wore the "S" on an armband and not on his chest? We will never know.)
Andy Lustig
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic. Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
<< <i>While I know that the grade in 1981 for a raw colonial graded by Bowers doesn't say much since it appears he at times was incredibly conservative and I have seen upgrades occur legit, and I also know that leaping from xf45 to au50 is pretty realistic at times considering you can't really have a grading set in Brashers of which to compare. And lastly we all know having your tpg brand on the holder is definitely a feather in a co.'s cap. And I agree that when a coin is R8 or for that matter unique it is worth what the seller wants and considering you only need one buyer the odds are pretty good that eventually it will sell, again it all depends imho on the coolness factor which is obviously highly subjective and in this case pretty darn cool. >>
Comments
It has amazing history and provenance.
I was fortunate enough to keep it warm on several occasions, even studying it under microscope for several hours.
I named one of my children after its designer and creator.
I shipped it via USPS without insurance.
Good times, lol.
I specialize in Errors, Minting, Counterfeit Detection & Grading.
Computer-aided grading, counterfeit detection, recognition and imaging.
<< <i>
<< <i>I also wonder why this group chose this coin. Obviously it's a neat piece with a lot of history, but
there are some more notable pieces >>
<< <i>I think the stuff that really holds it's value and keeps going up would be 18th C. high grade MS coins or pre-1834 MS gold for the mega-buck buyer >>
More notable coins? Really? I can't think of a single one.
You're thinking like set collectors, not like investors or trophy hunters. The reality is you left milllions in profit on the table when you didn't buy it for $3 million a few years back.
The Brasher is the stuff dreams are made of. Its fame and romance. Not just some top pop that some coin guru will call the nicest one he’s ever seen while another old timer will insist that he once saw an even nicer one back in 1974 or ‘75 at the Central States show or was it the ANA…. Buy a MS 65 1795 $10 and what have you got? A coin for a connoisseur that has a mark or two less or is otherwise a bit nicer than a lower grade example,. Even if it is a lot nicer than the typical example, the fact that there are typical examples means that if one knocks off a few points for handling and wear, almost “anyone” can buy one.
A short while back the featured video on the PCGS home page was an interview with Don Kagin. When the subject of investing came up his take on it was that the coins that will always be strong investments are the great and famous ones like the Brasher doubloon.
Think of it this way. Is the Mona Lisa the best painting in the world? To say yes would be silly. Frankly, it’s a boring portrait and may not even be the best work of Da Vinci. But it has incomparable fame going for it. So it draws crowds to the Louvre who jostle for position to get a better look, while a wonderful Van Eyck stands lonely around the corner, missed by most visitors.
CG >>
I could not have said it any better.
Nice upgrade!
Liberty: Parent of Science & Industry
Is Wall Street now going to honk up the Rare Coin Business by over speculation?
One of my first thoughts when reading about the auction
The second thought was "Boy, the value of the dollar sure has plummeted"
<< <i>This is the coin that realized $2.99 million by Heritage in January 2005? And at that time it was in an NGC XF45 holder?
Nice upgrade!
And before that it was called VF by Bowers in the 1981 Garrett auction. How much higher can the grade go up yet?
"To Be Esteemed Be Useful" - 1792 Birch Cent --- "I personally think we developed language because of our deep need to complain." - Lily Tomlin
<< <i>
<< <i>I also wonder why this group chose this coin. Obviously it's a neat piece with a lot of history, but
there are some more notable pieces >>
<< <i>I think the stuff that really holds it's value and keeps going up would be 18th C. high grade MS coins or pre-1834 MS gold for the mega-buck buyer >>
More notable coins? Really? I can't think of a single one.
You're thinking like set collectors, not like investors or trophy hunters. The reality is you left milllions in profit on the table when you didn't buy it for $3 million a few years back.
The Brasher is the stuff dreams are made of. Its fame and romance. Not just some top pop that some coin guru will call the nicest one he’s ever seen while another old timer will insist that he once saw an even nicer one back in 1974 or ‘75 at the Central States show or was it the ANA…. Buy a MS 65 1795 $10 and what have you got? A coin for a connoisseur that has a mark or two less or is otherwise a bit nicer than a lower grade example,. Even if it is a lot nicer than the typical example, the fact that there are typical examples means that if one knocks off a few points for handling and wear, almost “anyone” can buy one.
A short while back the featured video on the PCGS home page was an interview with Don Kagin. When the subject of investing came up his take on it was that the coins that will always be strong investments are the great and famous ones like the Brasher doubloon.
Think of it this way. Is the Mona Lisa the best painting in the world? To say yes would be silly. Frankly, it’s a boring portrait and may not even be the best work of Da Vinci. But it has incomparable fame going for it. So it draws crowds to the Louvre who jostle for position to get a better look, while a wonderful Van Eyck stands lonely around the corner, missed by most visitors.
CG >>
This is a great post CalGold. Absolutely true!!
<< <i>
<< <i>
<< <i>This is the coin that realized $2.99 million by Heritage in January 2005? And at that time it was in an NGC XF45 holder?
Nice upgrade!
And before that it was called VF by Bowers in the 1981 Garrett auction. How much higher can the grade go up yet? >>
While I know that the grade in 1981 for a raw colonial graded by Bowers doesn't say much since it appears he at times was incredibly conservative and I have seen upgrades occur legit, and I also know that leaping from xf45 to au50 is pretty realistic at times considering you can't really have a grading set in Brashers of which to compare. And lastly we all know having your tpg brand on the holder is definitely a feather in a co.'s cap. And I agree that when a coin is R8 or for that matter unique it is worth what the seller wants and considering you only need one buyer the odds are pretty good that eventually it will sell, again it all depends imho on the coolness factor which is obviously highly subjective and in this case pretty darn cool. >>
Very true Realone. The Garrett Sale was super conservative in their grading. I dont know for sure if that was the grading of the time, or just being conservative on purpose, but there are many coins in that auction that were graded XF/AU that would easily grade UNC today and that would be their true grade. In some of the Ford sales, many colonials were very conservatively graded by Mike Hodder. There was one piece as an example graded choice VF that went for UNC money, because it clearly was.
When there are great collections, often times many great coins are undergraded as the cataloger is looking at so many great coins at once, maybe they get a little "star struck" and the super great looks UNC and the really great starts looking AU when compared next to each other.
Although I know you're kidding, it's worth mentioning that the Punch-on-Breast coin is from an earlier die state than all of the Punch-on-Wing specimens.
Also, FWIW, I've always liked the P-O-B piece best. Not so much for it's rarity, but because I think the positioning of the punch is more aesthetically pleasing. (Would Superman ever have become famous if he wore the "S" on an armband and not on his chest? We will never know.)
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
<< <i>While I know that the grade in 1981 for a raw colonial graded by Bowers doesn't say much since it appears he at times was incredibly conservative and I have seen upgrades occur legit, and I also know that leaping from xf45 to au50 is pretty realistic at times considering you can't really have a grading set in Brashers of which to compare. And lastly we all know having your tpg brand on the holder is definitely a feather in a co.'s cap. And I agree that when a coin is R8 or for that matter unique it is worth what the seller wants and considering you only need one buyer the odds are pretty good that eventually it will sell, again it all depends imho on the coolness factor which is obviously highly subjective and in this case pretty darn cool. >>
Good post.