My Box of 20 updated

Weiss

Lord M posted his, here's my work in progress. I've just included my two new shillings, swapping out a $20 saint and a 1968 25 peso... (you can double-click to see huge images)

Zohar

Superb is an understatement! Well done!

asheland

Excellent coins and presentation!

neildrobertson

This is an interesting mix. Would you be willing to share background on why each coin made it into your set?

lordmarcovan

OK, I've been outclassed a bit!

Lydian spectrum? Pine tree shilling? Mindblowing William III shilling? Charlotte gold?

Awesome. All of it.

Weiss

@neildrobertson said:
This is an interesting mix. Would you be willing to share background on why each coin made it into your set?

A chance to talk about how great I am?! OK!

In brief (Upper left to lower right)...

1. 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".

2. 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.

3. 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!

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. 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

15. 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.

16. 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

17. 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.

18. The 1935 Jubilee crown. A bold design you either like or hate. I love it. The king hated it Neat colors, neat design, proof.

19. 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.

20. 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.

TomB

I like your write-up very much and one of the great things about the Bo20 concept is that you don't need to justify any piece that occupies any slot. Great work!

DoubleEagle59

Superb!!

I'd like to suggest a top grade Canadian piece in there somewhere, but may be tough to bump something out.

neildrobertson

Thanks for the description. It gives the set a lot more meaning to someone looking at it.

If it's any consolation I think the Pan Pac $1 design is better than the $50. They're both great, but I think the $1 is more representative of the time and shows an art style that didn't really penetrate into the US coin world any other way. It wasn't nearly traditional or neo-classical enough for any regular issue.

I like the Bauhaus piece myself, but it's always good to find a piece like that to remind you that it's your Box of 20 and you shouldn't just pick it based on value, rarity, or what everyone else thinks is important.

asheland

Great write up! That brings those coins to life!

STLNATS

Lovely coins, especially like the pine tree given its history. I like the analysis of how each piece fits for you too; always fun and informative to get into the mind of another collector. Including medals is also a great idea and seems to be often overlooked.

I pursue a few areas of "esoteria" in depth, but as I get older, each time I see a BoT I wonder if I shouldn't focus the next couple of years in pursuing own BoT. A pine tree would definitely have a place along with a capped bust half eagle, Brunswick multiple "flying horse" taler and a few other coins/medals I already own. But each time I get ready to move that way, a new shiny thing comes along and captures my attention (and money). Maybe in my next life.

Congrats and thanks again very much for sharing the excellent discussion and lovely images,

PS, I like that you included the Bauhaus piece and the morgan dollar. Your discussion pretty much validates my belief that collecting is a personal creative statement and needs to be evaluated/considered within the context of what the collector is trying to achieve vs. by value, condition, etc. It would be interesting to put together a set with a maximum price per item constraint (say $50 or 100). Perhaps a bit more challenging but possibly just as rewarding and interesting.

brg5658

Awesome selection of coins!

I fear I'd have to do quite a bit of work to pare down to even get to a box of 200...