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Went to a local show today and picked some cherries (Proof and SMS Cameos, aka widgets, but nice wid
SanctionII
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Decided to leave the office for about 1.5 hours to stop by a local show and snoop.
Had a feeling that I may find a few widgets that struck my fancy.
The show did not disappoint. I paid the admission fee and went into the bourse. Said hello to a couple of familiar faces. Walked the bourse only once. From one dealer I picked up a nice, raw 1958 Cameo Franklin.
Moving on towards the end of the aisle and out the door I stopped at a dealer's table that had case with pre 1968 SMS and proof sets in OGP and aftermarket holders. The dealer let me look at sets in his cases and then he pulled out additional sets from behind his chair. He said he had recently acquired some 1950-1954 sets in OGP and he let me look through them. Surprisingly each set had survived quite well in the brittle cello sleeves for the past 60-64 years. The coins had some light haze on them but they were in amazingly good shape. No Cameos in those sets. Brilliant only.
He then gave me some yellow flat pack sets to look through and some additional sets in Capital style holders and some SMS from 1966 and 1967 in OGP.
I found some cherries in those sets. I bought a 1957 set in OGP, a 1961 set in OGP, a 1963 set in OGP, a 1964 set in OGP, a 1966 SMS set in OGP and a 1967 SMS set in OGP.
Contained in these 7 sets are:
1. a 1957 Cameo quarter;
2. a 1961 Cameo nickel;
3. a 1963 Cameo cent;
4. a 1963 Cameo nickel;
5. a 1963 Cameo half dollar;
6. a 1964 Cameo half dollar;
7. a 1966 Cameo SMS half dollar that has mirrored fields that look like the fields on a silver proof Kennedy (probably the best 1966 SMS Kennedy I have ever found);
8. a 1967 Cameo SMS nickel that could possibly warrant a DCAM; and
9. a 1967 Cameo SMS dime.
Most of the above coins I picked up are widgets (though the 1957 quarter, 1958 half, 1961 nickel, 1966 half, 1967 nickel and 1967 dime are not easy to find in the wild). However, they are very eye appealing.
While snooping and picking out sets to buy I talked shop with the dealer. He is a local dealer and in his late 50's. He told me he likes to purchase older proof sets and that he knows "a guy" that he grew up with who is the current owner (via inheritance from his father and grandfather) of a large number of proof and mint sets.
According to the dealer father and grandfather of "the guy" collected proof and mint sets and bought directly from the mint. Starting in 1936 for proof sets and starting in 1947 for mint sets. Each year the father and grandfather would purchase 50!!!!! sets from the mint. When the proof and mint sets were delivered to the father and grandfather they did not open the boxes that the mint shipped the sets in. They just set the boxes aside.
Upon the death of the grandfather and father the boxes of proof and mint sets going back to 1936 and 1947 were inherited by "the guy". He still has them and plans on passing them on to his kid(s). He has no interest in opening the boxes to look at the individual sets and coins. They guy continued the tradition by purchasing 50 proof and mint sets each year and simply setting the boxes aside with the others and not opening them.
The dealer has asked to buy the proof and mint sets. They guy says no. The dealer has asked to represent the guy in selling the sets. The guy says no. The dealer has asked the guy to open the boxes and look at the sets with the dealer participating. The guy says no.
They guy has allowed the dealer to come over to where the proof and mints sets are located and look at the shipping boxes containing the sets.
The dealer was having a ball telling me this story.
Do I believe the story?
Part of me does not, because I just can not imagine anyone being able to resist opening at least some of these shipping boxes to look at what is inside.
Part of my does, because truth is stranger than fiction.
It is a good story and I expect that tonight I will dream about being able to locate this collection of proof and mint sets and spend time opening each and every one to look (all by myself with no one else around and with no one else knowing about what I am doing) at every single coin in the collection (or at least through the sets running through the mid 1970s).
I plan to have some fun with the new pick ups tonight.
Had a feeling that I may find a few widgets that struck my fancy.
The show did not disappoint. I paid the admission fee and went into the bourse. Said hello to a couple of familiar faces. Walked the bourse only once. From one dealer I picked up a nice, raw 1958 Cameo Franklin.
Moving on towards the end of the aisle and out the door I stopped at a dealer's table that had case with pre 1968 SMS and proof sets in OGP and aftermarket holders. The dealer let me look at sets in his cases and then he pulled out additional sets from behind his chair. He said he had recently acquired some 1950-1954 sets in OGP and he let me look through them. Surprisingly each set had survived quite well in the brittle cello sleeves for the past 60-64 years. The coins had some light haze on them but they were in amazingly good shape. No Cameos in those sets. Brilliant only.
He then gave me some yellow flat pack sets to look through and some additional sets in Capital style holders and some SMS from 1966 and 1967 in OGP.
I found some cherries in those sets. I bought a 1957 set in OGP, a 1961 set in OGP, a 1963 set in OGP, a 1964 set in OGP, a 1966 SMS set in OGP and a 1967 SMS set in OGP.
Contained in these 7 sets are:
1. a 1957 Cameo quarter;
2. a 1961 Cameo nickel;
3. a 1963 Cameo cent;
4. a 1963 Cameo nickel;
5. a 1963 Cameo half dollar;
6. a 1964 Cameo half dollar;
7. a 1966 Cameo SMS half dollar that has mirrored fields that look like the fields on a silver proof Kennedy (probably the best 1966 SMS Kennedy I have ever found);
8. a 1967 Cameo SMS nickel that could possibly warrant a DCAM; and
9. a 1967 Cameo SMS dime.
Most of the above coins I picked up are widgets (though the 1957 quarter, 1958 half, 1961 nickel, 1966 half, 1967 nickel and 1967 dime are not easy to find in the wild). However, they are very eye appealing.
While snooping and picking out sets to buy I talked shop with the dealer. He is a local dealer and in his late 50's. He told me he likes to purchase older proof sets and that he knows "a guy" that he grew up with who is the current owner (via inheritance from his father and grandfather) of a large number of proof and mint sets.
According to the dealer father and grandfather of "the guy" collected proof and mint sets and bought directly from the mint. Starting in 1936 for proof sets and starting in 1947 for mint sets. Each year the father and grandfather would purchase 50!!!!! sets from the mint. When the proof and mint sets were delivered to the father and grandfather they did not open the boxes that the mint shipped the sets in. They just set the boxes aside.
Upon the death of the grandfather and father the boxes of proof and mint sets going back to 1936 and 1947 were inherited by "the guy". He still has them and plans on passing them on to his kid(s). He has no interest in opening the boxes to look at the individual sets and coins. They guy continued the tradition by purchasing 50 proof and mint sets each year and simply setting the boxes aside with the others and not opening them.
The dealer has asked to buy the proof and mint sets. They guy says no. The dealer has asked to represent the guy in selling the sets. The guy says no. The dealer has asked the guy to open the boxes and look at the sets with the dealer participating. The guy says no.
They guy has allowed the dealer to come over to where the proof and mints sets are located and look at the shipping boxes containing the sets.
The dealer was having a ball telling me this story.
Do I believe the story?
Part of me does not, because I just can not imagine anyone being able to resist opening at least some of these shipping boxes to look at what is inside.
Part of my does, because truth is stranger than fiction.
It is a good story and I expect that tonight I will dream about being able to locate this collection of proof and mint sets and spend time opening each and every one to look (all by myself with no one else around and with no one else knowing about what I am doing) at every single coin in the collection (or at least through the sets running through the mid 1970s).
I plan to have some fun with the new pick ups tonight.
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Comments
Neat story!
U.S. Type Set
Second of all, I love widgets so good to hear you did well.
The least believable part about the "story" is that the family would still be putting away 50 sets of modern sets. I don't care who you are there just doesn't seem to be very much investment potential on the modern sets where millions are made and preserved. None the less the amount of space required to keep 50 years of proof sets in the OGP.
And lastly...I'm quite offended that I wasn't invited to the party to go through them with you.
ANY coin with outstanding eye appeal is a prized coin, no matter how many were minted, not all have that eye appeal.
``https://ebay.us/m/KxolR5
WS
The 1964 half is not an Accented Hair example. If it was I would be crowing about it. The coin is simply a high grade (no hairlines, haze, toning, milk spots, etc.) Black and white two sided Cameo with thick, even, matched two sided frost and deep watery mirrored fields. It has lots of eye appeal.
<< <i>Ricko.
The 1964 half is not an Accented Hair example. If it was I would be crowing about it. The coin is simply a high grade (no hairlines, haze, toning, milk spots, etc.) Black and white two sided Cameo with thick, even, matched two sided frost and deep watery mirrored fields. It has lots of eye appeal. >>
sounds sweet already...any chance you image coins?
is that an obv die 2 with rev die 1 ?
Wish I could find some decent cameo in the wild. Seemed to have dried up around here.
“In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson
My digital cameo album 1950-64 Cameos - take a look!
Hoard the keys.