Did Stack's get this rarity estimate wrong??
keets
Posts: 25,351 ✭✭✭✭✭
I was looking at some listings at the Stack's/Bowers website and noticed a few medal descriptions which seem incorrectly listed as being R-7's, I thought I'd see if members thought the same. I have found in the past that Stack's is generally good with their estimates and I enjoy reading some of the descriptions which tend to be very informative.
Here are the two listings:
https://auctions.stacksbowers.com/lots/view/3-9HWGE
This medal is listed as an R-7. Looking at what Hibler-Kappen wrote and what NGC listed on the insert(1961, 2-1/2mm thick) it seems clear that the medal was improperly attributed by NGC as HK-853, it is actually HK-853a. With 5,000 struck it would be an R-1.
https://auctions.stacksbowers.com/lots/view/3-9HWG3
This is also listed as an R-7. Looking again at what Hibler-Kappen wrote, it appears that NGC improperly designated this medal as HK-854 when it should be HK-854a, a big difference. The latter has a struck number of 7,200 and should be an R-1. It is easily identified as such by the diagnostics --- a small die gouge above the O of Continental in the denticles and a diagonal scratch below the C in Continental. It would have helped if NGC had noted the thickness as they did on the previous Bronze example, but since it is noted as being struck in 1961 it seems safe to assume the planchets were the same thickness as the Bronze.
Here is a link to the HK listings:
https://so-calleddollars.com/Events/Continental_Dollars.html
These are just my thoughts and I could be wrong, NGC and Stack's may have everything correct. Can you help me sort it all out??
Al H.
Comments
Good catch I think your right
Best place to buy !
Bronze Associate member
Keets, thank you for bringing this to our attention. We are making the appropriate updates online and will have the coins reholdered appropriately. Much appreciated.
some of the SC$ issues are difficult to sort out just from a picture and once a medal is encapsulated no measurements can be taken. I think that when NGC and PCGS add diameters, weights and(in this case) the thickness of the medals and add it to the insert it goes a long way to figuring out with certainty what these are. please post an update when NGC makes a determination.
below is a picture of an HK-854 I used to own and wish I still did. I wrongly assumed a replacement would be easy to locate: that was almost 10 years ago and I'm still looking!!! you can see that the diagnostics are correct, no scratch/no die gouge and although the thickness isn't noted it was 3mm.
Long ago, auction companies graded and attributed the coins they sold. Now...?
Now...? I think that with the advent of TPG's that with some Exonumia and even coins it takes a cataloguer with a very wide , extensive knowledge of pretty much everything. it's been 30 years of NGC/PCGS and I think all of us, myself included, tend to assume they have it right. I know certain areas of certain areas but the overwhelming majority of Numismatics befuddles me.
Wow. It's so refreshing to see someone actually acknowledge a mistake and strive to correct it.
Good job keets & Stacks
Way to go Keets and Stack's!