Updated Box of 20 image
Weiss
Posts: 9,935 ✭✭✭✭✭
It's really, really tough to swap out pieces the deeper I go on my journey into Box of Twentiesim. I started with pieces I felt were representative, or significant. But I almost immediately veered off that cliff into pieces that strike at the heart of why I collect: A cocktail combination of history, aesthetic, desire, scarcity, importance that hits your brain like a double-barrel blast.
This latest culling got rid of one of the higher 1968 25 pesos graded by our host, as well as a really nice 1914 saint I bought raw AU/BU and that came back 63. Both were tough decisions and I'm not 100% sure I got them right. But I wanted to clear the way for both new shillings. Those who have been watching my progress might recall I got rid of a gorgeous dcarr '64 peace to make way for the 1901 Pan American Expo bronze. I also just got back the resubmitted silver Lydian piece upper right to correct a denomination mechanical error (had been designated a "stater" rather than the correct "half stater/siglos".
You should be able to click on the image for huge images...
--Severian the Lame
Comments
The next coin to go should be the 1881-S Morgan. It is way, way too common to be in the presence of the other coins and medals in the box. Following that the San Diego half would become expendable. A very nice box of 20.
Super nice box Weiss. And the contents
Within not too bad either.
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I like this. Big thumbs up.
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Very nice. The 51-C gold dollar is stunning.
Beautiful box of 20 Weiss. I agree with 291fifth about the 1881-s Morgan and the San Diego if you're looking to swap something out, while gorgeous coins they are pretty common.
Love them all!
Gonna get me a $50 Octagonal someday. Some. Day.
Really nice.
Thanks for sharing...really nice set. I love the color on the British Trade Dollar!
K
Cool stuff with plenty to think about. I agree that the 81-S Morgan and San Diego are not worthy of the company they're keeping. Even though it has a gold sticker, the San Diego is dreadfully common in that condition. A pretty Lafayette (if such a thing exists) or Isabella would be better. A nice no-motto Seated or early Bust dollar would outclass the Morgan by a long shot. The Modern German piece seems cold and blocky in comparison the the beautiful designs of the others.
But, collect what YOU like.
Love the trite and siglos!!
Dump the German piece imo
Many members on this forum that now it cannot fit in my signature. Please ask for entire list.
I love the editing and the photography of those pictures! That 21 peace dollar is awesome!
Thanks, guys. The San Diego is a placeholder for a better commem, though I don't know what yet. The morgan is in the mix because of its importance in American coinage and coin collecting. It's one of the nicest morgans I've seen in 40 years of collecting, and it's a statement about not needing to spend a fortune on a great type piece.
The German piece is there because of Bauhaus, Love & Rockets, Tones on Tail, and Pop Tone. You either get it or you don't
--Severian the Lame
Really great box of 20 Weiss. A box of 20 is a personal project, much like one's writing's or an artist's paintings. What it contains is a representation of your interests and preferences - which can evolve over time. What it contains is your 'numismatic signature' and should not be subject to the whims and inputs of others. Cheers, RickO
Beautiful! I especially love the Lydian staters. I can't get to a box of 20....maybe a box of 200 some day though.
Tom
Very
!!!
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I love the Pan American Exposition! I think the next one to boot should be the 21 Peace. Yes, it's a high grade Peace but seems to lack the wow factor.
Each coin is a Stand Alone beauty and they all work so well together. Nice set of 20!
All beautiful pieces....and a box o' twenty to be really proud of.
I think that every box of 20 should have at least one Saint, so I likely would have kept it and culled something else. JMHO.
Very nice, in any event.
I like that every genre is represented, even ancients.
I like the High Relief Peace Dollar, the Type I Buffalo and the Pine Tree Shilling A LOT. The vintage holders that house them really add to their allure, as well. IMHO.
Well done!
“I may not believe in myself but I believe in what I’m doing” ~Jimmy Page~
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It's hard at times to appreciate a coin from one picture. I could find a technical 66 or even 67 '21 Peace. But I doubt it would thrill me as much as this one.
I bought this one from one of my favorite dealers (now retired) several years back. I sent it to CAC. It's in an NGC fatty (early holders, as @Walkerfan mentioned above, are a sub theme in my box of 20). And it's got this thick, frosty skin with ski-slope dishy-ness that I adore.
--Severian the Lame
WOW well done
Insert witicism here. [ xxx ]
Someone on the dark side forum asked for info on the pieces. If anyone is interested, and
in brief (Upper left to lower right)...
The trite of Lydia is arguably the first coin ever made. I named my company after the natural alloy of gold and silver from which these are made. This is the alpha coin. There are other slightly earlier pieces that served a very similar function, but I think this one is really the first one that most people would recognize as "coin".
The Lydian siglos is just slightly later than the trite. From fabled king Croesus of Lydia, it's from the first series of coins based on a fractional relationship of gold to silver and ratio of size to size. One of two pieces in my box from Chicago dealer Harlan Berk.
This 1697 shilling is my most recent acquisition. I don't know if it will have a permanent home in my box of 20, but it is one of the most beautifully toned coins I've seen in my 43 years of collecting. The surfaces, the strike, the tone are all phenomenal--and they're all on a 320 year old coin!
Pine Tree Shilling. What numismatist didn't dream of pine tree shillings when they were kids? A dream coin from when I poured over redbooks 40 years ago. I had a great year last year with the sale of an historic property I'd worked on for 6 years. This was one of the pieces that commemorates that sale. One of four pieces in my box from John @ CRO.
1913 Type 1 Buffalo is one of my all time favorite US coins. This is in a very early NGC fatty (early slabs play a significant role in my box), and it's got a gold CAC. Another CRO purchase.
The Hermon MacNeil Pan American Exposition bronze medal of 1901. This is a big medal, issued in bronze, silver, gilt, and solid gold. Very few of these pieces survive. I think it's one of the most beautiful medals of the American era. MacNeil designed the standing liberty quarter and was a sculptor on par with St. Gaudens. Gambled on this raw on eBay, in the original box. It's a stunner in hand. Never thought I'd have one, still pinch myself that it's as beautiful as it is.
Lesher pieces are a strange corner of American numismatics. This piece represents territorial pieces, old west, frontier, cowboys & indians. They're rare, interesting, valuable, incredibly detailed. Just an all around neat piece.
The 1851 Charlotte dollar. I've beaten this dead horse on the CU forums for years now
Several years back I was flush with cash and bought gold whenever I went to my favorite B&M. On this day, he didn't have anything but this dollar which had just come in, completely raw, from an older local. I was after bullion, but my dealer, whom I'd known for 30 years, told me this was a good piece. I knew little about G$1s, and absolutely nothing about early branch gold. Nothing. Original, uncleaned examples are rare as hen's teeth--a fact I was completely oblivious to. Despite that, I sent it to NGC without so much as a cold water rinse. To this day I can't believe I did that. I had no expectations of grade. That it came back 58 wasn't surprising. The value of a 58 blew me away. Sent it to CAC, who green beaned it for me (gold would have been nice, but there's not much room to go from 58 to 60). The color, the strike, the schmutz, it's all there. A blind squirrel gets an occasional nut. This is mine.
By contrast to the Charlotte dollar, the 1881-S Morgans are plentiful. They are arguably the pinnacle of the series. It's hard to find a bad 1881-S. I'm not a big fan of Morgans, but I recognize their importance in our numismatic history. This one cost me a few hundred dollars and I think it answers the question "What is a Morgan dollar?" perfectly.
1921 Peace dollar. Another of my favorite Americans. This piece had walked into my B&M with a handful of common european gold, all slabbed in early NGC slabs, all of which had been in a SDB for decades. Fell in love with her instantly and she still sends a thrill up and down my spine when I see her. Sent her to CAC where she green beaned. I mentioned in a recent 1921 peace dollar post that technical 66 or 67 1921 peace dollars can be found if you've got the $$, but I can't imagine a more beautiful '21 peace. Easily in my top 10 favorite coins of my life.
St. Paul's cathedral Wiener in silver. This medal shouldn't exist--it's got incredible tab toning and rainbows 'round both sides. Wiener pieces are fascinating. Most are in bronze. Pieces in silver are incredibly rare. This is one of only a few known. Another from CRO, this one is in their archive.
1930 Iceland 10 Kronur. A stunning design with no verbiage (tho edgemarked). Authorized but never monetized, very low mintage. Got this raw on eBay in the original box and sent it to NGC. It's a 64 or 65 in my opinion, but this is a piece where the expert grade doesn't really matter to me. Not especially valuable and examples can be found online. But I think it's cool.
I can't explain my fascination with the 1909 Hudson-Fulton medals. They're the Faberge eggs of the coin world. Small, gold, rare, intricate, valuable. These are Elder pieces, a jeweler and dealer with a bit of PT Barnum in him. Maybe 20 examples exist, possible as few as 10 or 12, of which this is the pop top.
The 1909 Hudson Fulton HK-371. Almost as rare as the previous piece, similar in design and execution. This is the NGC pop top, I also have the PCGS pop top and another couple of examples. You can't really do that if you're a box of 20 collector, but every rule has its exceptions
San Diego commem. Got this raw from the same B&M dealer years ago. It's got gushing liquid mercury luster. It's in a rattler slab. I sent it to CAC, where it gold beaned. And it's got a multiple repunched mintmark. I like this coin a lot, but it's not rare even as a gold CAC and it may eventually go away to make room for a better US commem.
1915 Pan Pac G$1. Bought it right, sent it to CAC where it green beaned. It's got incredible brilliant orange color, which I can't capture correctly in photos. I asked CAC to consider if it had been puttied or messed with, and John Albanese was kind enough to send me a letter saying that he thinks it's fully original, that toned early commem gold is rare and very desirable, and that he'll buy it from me whenever I want to sell her. Not quite a gold bean, but maybe the next best thing? And yes, I kept the letter
This coin is a placeholder for a $50 octagon Pan Pac 
Rainbow trade dollar. A beautiful series that I've always liked. Their journey brings to mind exotic locations, spices, languages. The colors on this one work so well to make the reverse design look like a Persian rug. Blues, greens, orange, yellow, red. It's very cool. In an early NGC fatty slab, too. This is another CRO piece.
The 1935 Jubilee crown. A bold design you either like or hate. I love it. The king hated it
Neat colors, neat design, proof.
The 1932 Polish 10 Zloty proof. I think this is the most beautiful coin ever minted. These coins were made in the millions by Poland just before the war. But probably because of the war, very few mint state examples survive. NGC shows just a handful of 63 and above pieces, and a single gem example. The London Mint helped Poland strike these, and apparently took it upon themselves to strike a few proof examples, somewhat clandestinely. Two examples are known, of which this is the pop top. Of course, more could be uncovered/discovered. But sometimes you buy with your heart rather than your head.
The 2004 10 Euro. The Bauhaus face design by Oskar Schlemmer. Bauhaus was an art movement of the early 20th century. My parents were both artists who were heavily influenced by Bauhaus. The name was co-opted by the founders of Gothic Rock, one of my favorite bands. I'm fortunate to have two paintings by Bauhaus guitarist Daniel Ash, so there is a tangible tie-in with art, my parents, numismatics. This piece literally cost me a few dollars. I sent it to NGC where it PF67'd. I get that this piece doesn't make sense to most people. But unless I find a better example, this low dollar coin will likely remain in my Box of 20 forever.
--Severian the Lame
The Pan American medal is one of my faves. Is it the first medal designed by Hermon MacNeil ? If you are ever in Portland, Oregon, I recommend visiting this staute.
Pacific Northwest Numismatic Association
@Weiss Great explanation on why certain pieces are in your box of 20. Quick question:
Many members on this forum that now it cannot fit in my signature. Please ask for entire list.
This thread got 10 times better with the explanations. Thanks!
@Weiss That was a FINE write up. I read every interesting word. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, some history and personal significance regarding your set.
“I may not believe in myself but I believe in what I’m doing” ~Jimmy Page~
My Full Walker Registry Set (1916-1947)
https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/16292/
St. Paul metal is stunning that looks like something I would use to create a painting love the depth perception
Best place to buy !
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The owl pieces are awesome and important to numismatic history--first international currency. But they don't have a special meaning to me. I'll keep the CC in mind, but I'm hesitant to pursue Morgans much more than I have. Thanks re: the peace dollar
--Severian the Lame
Tremendous group! I enjoy it when you share your updated pics.
Yes, this pic is an amazing difference! It really shows the booming luster and far more hair detail than normally seen on the 21 Peace.
Just found this auction. I think this is my new box of 20.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/20-PCGS-nice-BLUE-BOXES-NO-COINS-NO-TAPE-or-LABELS-ITEM-68-/282437851102?hash=item41c29b97de:g:XhoAAOSwYlJW272m
Insert witicism here. [ xxx ]
very, very nice.
20....The virginal brides file past his tomb
Strewn with time's dead flowers
Bereft in deathly bloom
Alone in a darkened room
The count
Bela Lugosi's dead
Bela Lugosi's dead
Bela Lugosi's dead
Undead undead undead
Undead undead undead
Undead undead undead
Undead undead undead
Undead undead undead
Undead undead undead
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Undead undead undead