an appreciation to the coins that became available in the Pogue sales.
privaterarecoincollector
Posts: 629 ✭✭✭✭✭
I just browsed through all the stacks catalogues, at the Newman portal:
Here is one of them that contains my 1796 quarter:
https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/auctionlots?AucCoId=3&AuctionId=516654
And I realized specifically how unique for all of us the opportunity was to see and buy coins, especially over the last three years.
In 60 years of history of auction catalogues, there were only two comparable events: when Garrett was sold 1979 - 1982 and when Eliasberg was sold in 1982 and 1996 + 1997 (and that was split over 15 years too).
So since 1997, the Pogue sale was the one and only really important big sale. Thats 20 years.
And the coins in Pogue were amazing, most of them a once in a lifetime opportunity to see and buy.
Im just realizing this now when browsing through 60 years of auction history at Stacks. There have been many auctions where one, two maybe five really great coins were sold. At Pogue there have been more than 200 really great and important coins.
Comments
....And don't forget all the great images on the Internet. One day we'll probably be able to pull off a hologram and tip or turn the coin right before our eyes!
Uhmmmm - I'd say Gardner was pretty important
Many more "Epic" though smaller or more specialized sales since then.
My 1866 Philly Mint Set
James A. Stack was pretty important too. Garrett, Norweb and Pittman weren't slackers either.
Off the top of my head important sales since 1997 besides Pogue:
LK Rudolf
Pittman
Gardner
Newman
Vermuele
Richmond
And I'm damn sure I'm forgetting some
Pogue was incredible, however it was hard to stomach how many coins did not CAC and were maxed out. To me, it takes some of the greatness away. Seeing the 1804 $1 PR68 having turned or changed or something (which was known to every major dealer) really was a bummer. Sorry, just my opinion.
Newman may not have been the dollar size of Pogue, but it was wild too!
yes Newman was great too, thats true.
If it's about the coin and not the holder, why should the grade, CAC and being maxed out matter? Coins can always be regraded at a level they can CAC without changing the coin. Of course, a coin turning is another matter.
So why do I feel like there was nothing for sale regarding great high grade type coins between 1999 and Newman started ?
Dunno. There certainly was. And I know you were buying in that time period....so does that mean you were buying nothing?
There came like one great coin up every year or so, everything else I bought during this time was ok but not great, like the 1797 half Dollar in PCGS 63 or the 1794 half Cent in PCGS 62 and so on. There were a few great coins two, but all over maybe just five between 2001 and 2008 and then maybe three more at auction between 2008 and 2013.
So there were a few great coins, just not all of them in one or two auctions, but distributed over many years. And overall much less great coins than between 2013 and 2017.
So lets see what came up for sale between 2001 and 2013:
1 USD 1794 SP 66
2.5 USD 1796 no stars PCGS 65
2.5 USD 1796 stars PCGS 65
2 Brasher Doubloons
One or two Ultra High Relief
10 USD Liberty Type I and Type II Eage each PCGS 66
two or three full sets of Stellas
and many more.
So Bruce you are right, overall its quite a lot actually, just distributed over many years and many sales.
What I missed and was looking for and never saw between 2001 and 2014 was:
Bruce, you are right, there were actually many great coins for sale the last 20 years. They were distributed over many different and spread sales and years with most of them coming up the last 5 years. The half cents of Tettenhorst were amazing too !
I would add.....
Queller
Benson
Pryor
Kaufman
Jung
Price
Duckor
And no doubt I'm missing many. A large number of monster REG sets of many series came to market in the 2004-2008 period.
Pryor-most unknown underrated sale ever! I'll never forget his 50C 1855S-which ended up "conserved" and made into an NGC MS67.