Since crypto posted his, it's only fair that I post mine. OD needs to post his to round it off, and whomever purchased that F piece on eBay a couple weeks ago needs to post his/hers as well.
EastVillageProwler: << I lost much of my numismatic library several years when my basement got water.>>
A very similar event happened to me, too. It was one of the more upsetting episodes of my life. I had a vast collection and then later water damage ruined additional items at a different residence, seriously!
Regarding the topic of this thread, Trade Dollars, can a complete set of business strikes be completed for less than $500 per coin? I researched such a strategy:
In answer to your question Analyst, I think it is impossible to put together a complete set (date and mintmark) of problem-free Trade dollars for under $500 per coin. Even with severe problems, it is difficult to find a 73-CC for under $500 and almost impossible to find a 78-CC for less than $500. QDB estimates that less than 200 circulated 78-CC Trade dollars still exist today.
Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
This is really cool! At the ANA Convention, Richard Burdick's exhibit was called "Eclectic Treasures" and included many unusual items, including unusual Trade Dollars! A video of this exhibit with an interview of Richard will be published in the near future. He has some 'box coins.'
DDR: <<This is one of my favorite threads of all time. ... In answer to your question Analyst, I think it is impossible to put together a complete set (date and mintmark) of problem-free Trade dollars for under $500 per coin. Even with severe problems, it is difficult to find a 73-CC for under $500 and almost impossible to find a 78-CC for less than $500. QDB estimates that less than 200 circulated 78-CC Trade dollars still exist today. ... Very nice article, BTW! >>
I appreciate the answer and the positive comment about my article. Even so, DDR's post gives the impression that I am suggesting that an 1878-CC could be purchased for less than $500. In this article, I said, "My research suggests that it might be almost impossible to buy an 1878-CC for less than $500, even an awful one. Warren Mills disagrees. "
Later in the article, I said, "The 1878-CC is even rarer than the 1877-CC. Someone at the PCGS CoinFacts site estimates that 350 survive. I suggest that there are fewer than 275!"
I often try to include alternate points of view in my articles. Warren has handled many CC Trade Dollars. Mills contends that a set of business strikes could be completed for less than $500 per coin. If CoinFacts is correct, and I am wrong, in that 350 survive, then could a Good-04 grade piece be found for less than $500? Have any of the readers of this thread purchased low grade or not gradable 1878-CC Trade Dollars?
There is a distinct difference in saying a set could be completed for less than $500 per coin and saying a certain coin can be obtained for less than $500. I read the former as an average while the latter is an absolute.
I can't believe all the Trade Dollar threads this weekend. It's like I've died and gone to Trade dollar heaven.
To follow-up on Analyst and TDN's comments, I believe you can put together a set that averages out to less than $500 per coin. In fact, you can probably acquire half the coins in the series in nice, circulated condition for $250 or less. That would give you room to spend what's needed for the for the 75-P and the CC's. But I don't believe you could find a 78-CC, even heavily circulated and/or cleaned, for under $500. At least not one you would want to own.
I often try to include alternate points of view in my articles. Warren has handled many CC Trade Dollars. Mills contends that a set of business strikes could be completed for less than $500 per coin. If CoinFacts is correct, and I am wrong, in that 350 survive, then could a Good-04 grade piece be found for less than $500? Have any of the readers of this thread purchased low grade or not gradable 1878-CC Trade Dollars?
I did buy an 1878-CC Trade dollar that had VF details for $400 off E-bay once, but it looked like it had been in a rock tumbler so I returned it. I'm pretty sure it was real and should have kept it for a super cool pocket piece. It might have been gradeable again in a few years.
The Judd book mentions the following July 11, 1873 letter from Mint Superintendent James Pollock to Mint Director Henry Linderman:
"I send you specimen of trade dollar in tin struck today. We will commence the regular coinage of trade $ in a few hours. The enclosed will give you a tolerably correct idea of the silver dollar."
Interestingly enough, I have four of the first five regular issue trade dollars struck those few hours later.
<< <i> TDN,whats the story of how you aquierd the 4 of the 1st 5-1873 Trade dollars? >>
Lot 4703 of B&M's ANA Sale of the Millennium:
Letter on Mint of the United States letterhead from A Loudon Snowden to Charles Broadhead of Philadelphia dated Oct 13 1873:
"Dear Sir: I enclosed herewith as requested by you and promised by me some months since four of the first five trade dollars struck at the Mint. They are not so handsome as those since struck as the diess are now in better working condition. Dr Linderman was in town on Saturday. I understood he was to leave last night for Washington. He was stopping at the Washington House. I am....very truly yours. A Loudon Snowden"
along with a receipt on Mint of the United States letterhead:
Memorandum:
4 traded dollars $4.40 silver Premium @ 8.5% .34 $4.74 Returned herewith .23 Amt rec: $5.00 currency
Four semi proof like 1873 trade dollars each with a hand scratched number (2-5) to the left of the eagle's head. Would love to find #1!
<< <i> TDN,whats the story of how you aquierd the 4 of the 1st 5-1873 Trade dollars? >>
Lot 4703 of B&M's ANA Sale of the Millennium:
Letter on Mint of the United States letterhead from A Loudon Snowden to Charles Broadhead of Philadelphia dated Oct 13 1873:
"Dear Sir: I enclosed herewith as requested by you and promised by me some months since four of the first five trade dollars struck at the Mint. They are not so handsome as those since struck as the diess are now in better working condition. Dr Linderman was in town on Saturday. I understood he was to leave last night for Washington. He was stopping at the Washington House. I am....very truly yours. A Loudon Snowden"
along with a receipt on Mint of the United States letterhead:
Memorandum:
4 traded dollars $4.40 silver Premium @ 8.5% .34 $4.74 Returned herewith .23 Amt rec: $5.00 currency
Four semi proof like 1873 trade dollars each with a hand scratched number (2-5) to the left of the eagle's head. Would love to find #1! >>
Didn't know about these, truly fascinating. Thanks for sharing.
Professional numismatist Marc Emory related the following concerning an especially nice 1875 trade dollar:
"As far as trade dollars go, there is a rather famous one I have handled (you did, too at one time), whose pedigree sounds like an old coin dealer’s tall tale: In early February 1975, I was still living in Philadelphia after graduating from college the year before. Early one morning, Bob Riethe, who had a coin shop out in Plymouth Meeting Mall, called me up to crow about the finest trade dollar he had ever seen. He said he had just bought it from Alan Woglom in Chalfont, Pennsylvania for $600—no small sum at the time. He also said it was an 1875 Philadelphia Mint coin. I said to cut out the nonsense, and to tell me what it was he really wanted to talk to me about. He swore it was no joke, so I drove out there swearing plagues upon his house if this was an early April Fool. Furthermore, he owed me $1,240 at the time.
"I arrived at his shop, wading through the snow and slush of the parking lot, and came to his counter in a mood which can politely be described as less than jovial. To boot, he kept me waiting for ten minutes to explain to someone why common silver dollars were common, and that he couldn’t pay $20 for 1922 Peace dollars in VF grade. Finally, he pulled out the coin in question. All was forgiven—provided he realized I wasn’t going to leave his shop without the coin. The 1875 trade dollar he showed me was (and remains today) one of the most exquisite U.S. silver coins I have ever seen. I finally badgered him into letting me have it in lieu of all the money he owed me. I sold it (I wasn’t too flush those days), to my great regret, to Maurice Rosen for $1,900. Maurice worked for First Coinvestors at that time. Maurice left FCI soon after that, and the coin soon appeared in one of their Pine Tree auctions. It was bought by Numismatic Associates of Ashland, Mass. for $3000+ and sold to A.H. Lamborn. His collection was sold (here’s where you come in) as the "Fairfield Collection" by your firm in 1977. The coin brought in excess of $7,000 this time.
"I lost track of it after that, as I was spending most of my time overseas by now. I did see it appear later in an ad by Jack Hertzberg, enclosed in a PCGS holder and graded a conservative MS-68. Where it is now, I don’t know, but someone should be happy with it. To this day it remains one of the two favorite silver coins I ever owned (the other was an 1855-S half dollar that went into James Pryor’s collection)."
Comments
Do you know the grade of my coin at the time of its cataloging? I lost much of my numismatic library several years when my basement got water.
EVP
How does one get a hater to stop hating?
I can be reached at evillageprowler@gmail.com
EastVillageProwler: << I lost much of my numismatic library several years when my basement got water.>>
A very similar event happened to me, too. It was one of the more upsetting episodes of my life. I had a vast collection and then later water damage ruined additional items at a different residence, seriously!
Regarding the topic of this thread, Trade Dollars, can a complete set of business strikes be completed for less than $500 per coin? I researched such a strategy:
Classic U.S. Coins for less than $500 each, Part 7: Trade Dollars
In answer to your question Analyst, I think it is impossible to put together a complete set (date and mintmark) of problem-free Trade dollars for under $500 per coin. Even with severe problems, it is difficult to find a 73-CC for under $500 and almost impossible to find a 78-CC for less than $500. QDB estimates that less than 200 circulated 78-CC Trade dollars still exist today.
Complete Set of Chopmarked Trade Dollars
Carson City Silver Dollars Complete 1870-1893http://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/showcase.aspx?sc=2722"
Complete Set of Chopmarked Trade Dollars
Carson City Silver Dollars Complete 1870-1893http://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/showcase.aspx?sc=2722"
Man that 74-CC is amazing. (If not undergraded a touch also.)
green cac with a chopped off leg!
<< <i>
How in the world did I miss such a gorgeous coin
Jim
Hoard the keys.
Latin American Collection
Don't know what variety it is but CAC grades only 4 in 65 proof 1 better.
I give away money. I collect money.
I don’t love money . I do love the Lord God.
Complete Set of Chopmarked Trade Dollars
Carson City Silver Dollars Complete 1870-1893http://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/showcase.aspx?sc=2722"
Then just a few chop marks ...
AB
Larry L.
This is really cool! At the ANA Convention, Richard Burdick's exhibit was called "Eclectic Treasures" and included many unusual items, including unusual Trade Dollars! A video of this exhibit with an interview of Richard will be published in the near future. He has some 'box coins.'
DDR: <<This is one of my favorite threads of all time. ... In answer to your question Analyst, I think it is impossible to put together a complete set (date and mintmark) of problem-free Trade dollars for under $500 per coin. Even with severe problems, it is difficult to find a 73-CC for under $500 and almost impossible to find a 78-CC for less than $500. QDB estimates that less than 200 circulated 78-CC Trade dollars still exist today. ... Very nice article, BTW! >>
I appreciate the answer and the positive comment about my article. Even so, DDR's post gives the impression that I am suggesting that an 1878-CC could be purchased for less than $500. In this article, I said, "My research suggests that it might be almost impossible to buy an 1878-CC for less than $500, even an awful one. Warren Mills disagrees. "
Later in the article, I said, "The 1878-CC is even rarer than the 1877-CC. Someone at the PCGS CoinFacts site estimates that 350 survive. I suggest that there are fewer than 275!"
I often try to include alternate points of view in my articles. Warren has handled many CC Trade Dollars. Mills contends that a set of business strikes could be completed for less than $500 per coin. If CoinFacts is correct, and I am wrong, in that 350 survive, then could a Good-04 grade piece be found for less than $500? Have any of the readers of this thread purchased low grade or not gradable 1878-CC Trade Dollars?
Classic U.S. Coins for less than $500 each, Part 7: Trade Dollars
To follow-up on Analyst and TDN's comments, I believe you can put together a set that averages out to less than $500 per coin. In fact, you can probably acquire half the coins in the series in nice, circulated condition for $250 or less. That would give you room to spend what's needed for the for the 75-P and the CC's. But I don't believe you could find a 78-CC, even heavily circulated and/or cleaned, for under $500. At least not one you would want to own.
Complete Set of Chopmarked Trade Dollars
Carson City Silver Dollars Complete 1870-1893http://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/showcase.aspx?sc=2722"
I often try to include alternate points of view in my articles. Warren has handled many CC Trade Dollars. Mills contends that a set of business strikes could be completed for less than $500 per coin. If CoinFacts is correct, and I am wrong, in that 350 survive, then could a Good-04 grade piece be found for less than $500? Have any of the readers of this thread purchased low grade or not gradable 1878-CC Trade Dollars?
I did buy an 1878-CC Trade dollar that had VF details for $400 off E-bay once, but it looked like it had been in a rock tumbler so I returned it. I'm pretty sure it was real and should have kept it for a super cool pocket piece. It might have been gradeable again in a few years.
This one is fairly common chop marked or not, but still I like it.
Complete Set of Chopmarked Trade Dollars
Carson City Silver Dollars Complete 1870-1893http://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/showcase.aspx?sc=2722"
``https://ebay.us/m/KxolR5
http://bluccphotos.com/clients/yellowkid/12-16-11/Images/3.jpg I don't know where the image is...
http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/ss120/yellowkid1/seatedhlf1025.jpg
Finally
http://uspatterns.com/tradedollars.html
Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
<< <i>Funky looking trade dollars.
Sometimes you even find them chop marked
"I send you specimen of trade dollar in tin struck today. We will commence the regular coinage of trade $ in a few hours. The enclosed will give you a tolerably correct idea of the silver dollar."
Interestingly enough, I have four of the first five regular issue trade dollars struck those few hours later.
<< <i> TDN,whats the story of how you aquierd the 4 of the 1st 5-1873 Trade dollars? >>
Lot 4703 of B&M's ANA Sale of the Millennium:
Letter on Mint of the United States letterhead from A Loudon Snowden to Charles Broadhead of Philadelphia dated Oct 13 1873:
"Dear Sir: I enclosed herewith as requested by you and promised by me some months since four of the first five trade dollars struck at the Mint. They are not so handsome as those since struck as the diess are now in better working condition. Dr Linderman was in town on Saturday. I understood he was to leave last night for Washington. He was stopping at the Washington House. I am....very truly yours. A Loudon Snowden"
along with a receipt on Mint of the United States letterhead:
Memorandum:
4 traded dollars $4.40 silver
Premium @ 8.5% .34
$4.74
Returned herewith .23
Amt rec: $5.00 currency
Four semi proof like 1873 trade dollars each with a hand scratched number (2-5) to the left of the eagle's head. Would love to find #1!
<< <i>
<< <i> TDN,whats the story of how you aquierd the 4 of the 1st 5-1873 Trade dollars? >>
Lot 4703 of B&M's ANA Sale of the Millennium:
Letter on Mint of the United States letterhead from A Loudon Snowden to Charles Broadhead of Philadelphia dated Oct 13 1873:
"Dear Sir: I enclosed herewith as requested by you and promised by me some months since four of the first five trade dollars struck at the Mint. They are not so handsome as those since struck as the diess are now in better working condition. Dr Linderman was in town on Saturday. I understood he was to leave last night for Washington. He was stopping at the Washington House. I am....very truly yours. A Loudon Snowden"
along with a receipt on Mint of the United States letterhead:
Memorandum:
4 traded dollars $4.40 silver
Premium @ 8.5% .34
$4.74
Returned herewith .23
Amt rec: $5.00 currency
Four semi proof like 1873 trade dollars each with a hand scratched number (2-5) to the left of the eagle's head. Would love to find #1! >>
Didn't know about these, truly fascinating. Thanks for sharing.
I collect Morgans, and many are "whizzed." Does smoothed mean the same thing?
Professional numismatist Marc Emory related the following concerning an especially nice 1875 trade dollar:
"As far as trade dollars go, there is a rather famous one I have handled (you did, too at one time), whose pedigree sounds like an old coin dealer’s tall tale: In early February 1975, I was still living in Philadelphia after graduating from college the year before. Early one morning, Bob Riethe, who had a coin shop out in Plymouth Meeting Mall, called me up to crow about the finest trade dollar he had ever seen. He said he had just bought it from Alan Woglom in Chalfont, Pennsylvania for $600—no small sum at the time. He also said it was an 1875 Philadelphia Mint coin. I said to cut out the nonsense, and to tell me what it was he really wanted to talk to me about. He swore it was no joke, so I drove out there swearing plagues upon his house if this was an early April Fool. Furthermore, he owed me $1,240 at the time.
"I arrived at his shop, wading through the snow and slush of the parking lot, and came to his counter in a mood which can politely be described as less than jovial. To boot, he kept me waiting for ten minutes to explain to someone why common silver dollars were common, and that he couldn’t pay $20 for 1922 Peace dollars in VF grade. Finally, he pulled out the coin in question. All was forgiven—provided he realized I wasn’t going to leave his shop without the coin. The 1875 trade dollar he showed me was (and remains today) one of the most exquisite U.S. silver coins I have ever seen. I finally badgered him into letting me have it in lieu of all the money he owed me. I sold it (I wasn’t too flush those days), to my great regret, to Maurice Rosen for $1,900. Maurice worked for First Coinvestors at that time. Maurice left FCI soon after that, and the coin soon appeared in one of their Pine Tree auctions. It was bought by Numismatic Associates of Ashland, Mass. for $3000+ and sold to A.H. Lamborn. His collection was sold (here’s where you come in) as the "Fairfield Collection" by your firm in 1977. The coin brought in excess of $7,000 this time.
"I lost track of it after that, as I was spending most of my time overseas by now. I did see it appear later in an ad by Jack Hertzberg, enclosed in a PCGS holder and graded a conservative MS-68. Where it is now, I don’t know, but someone should be happy with it. To this day it remains one of the two favorite silver coins I ever owned (the other was an 1855-S half dollar that went into James Pryor’s collection)."