Greatest US Coins - My Quest Obtain 32 - 39th Coin Added
GOAL 32 of 100 Greatest Coins – Current Total 21
A couple of years ago I returned to collecting after a 15 year absence. I enjoy looking through PCGS registry sets and I found the 100 greatest coin set based on the second edition of the popular book. This book has always been a favorite of mine and I own all 5 editions. This PCGS set is not really a competitive set since it can not be completed. I noticed that after Hansen (66) and Eliasberg ( 59) next on the list are Carter and Dunham at 31. I thought it would be great if some day I could own 32. Since I don’t have the financial assets of the top collectors this quest is not easy. I must buy judicially. Often this means buying lower grade coins that are still attractive enough to be proud to own. I currently own 21 and plan to chronical this quest on the forum. Periodically, I will post each of the coins I have acquired and discuss a little bit about them.
The first coin I will show is an 1838 $1 J-84 Restrike PR63+:
This coin is #69 on the one hundred greatest list. It is from the Simpson Sale in early 2021. I paid $44,400 – current PCGS value $52,500. This is one of the Gobrect Dollars dated 1836,1838, and 1839. All of these are considered #69 on the list. According to Ron Guth about 15-20 of the restrikes survive. The originals are very rare with only 2 known.
Comments
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Impressive quest! Good luck with the goal.
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Looking forward to seeing the others.
WS
Proud recipient of the coveted PCGS Forum "You Suck" Award Thursday July 19, 2007 11:33 PM and December 30th, 2011 at 8:50 PM.2 -
Looks like a lovely example for grade. Really terrific example of a Gobrecht dollar. Look forward to seeing more.
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Starting off with such a beautiful example with tremendous eye appeal I’m anxious to
see the rest!.CoinsAreFun Pictorials Album FOR SALE SOME will mark final ones before auction
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CoinsAreFun Toned Silver Eagle Proof Album
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Gallery Mint Museum, Ron Landis& Joe Rust, The beginnings of the Golden Dollar
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More CoinsAreFun Pictorials NGC FOR SALE2 -
Love it look forward to following along!
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Whoa... nice coin!
Like the direction you have taken!
BST: KindaNewish (3/21/21), WQuarterFreddie (3/30/21), Meltdown (4/6/21), DBSTrader2 (5/5/21) AKA- unclemonkey on Blow Out
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Very cool and challenging set! Best of luck!
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Great quest! That J-84 Restrike is pretty awesome!
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Well, that's a great start!
Can't wait to see the others.
Donato
Hobbyist & Collector (not an investor).
Donato's Complete US Type Set ---- Donato's Dansco 7070 Modified Type Set ---- Donato's Basic U.S. Coin Design Set
Successful transactions: Shrub68 (Jim), MWallace (Mike)0 -
You have excellent taste! What a great way to start off an ambitious collection. Best of luck & I can't wait to see more!
Always looking for attractive rim toned Morgan and Peace dollars in PCGS or (older) ANA/ANACS holders!
"Bongo hurtles along the rain soaked highway of life on underinflated bald retread tires."
~Wayne0 -
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What a quest! A fantastic coin shared. Will you be adding to this thread or creating separate threads? Hopefully this thread so I can bookmark it.
Seated Half Society member #38
"She comes out of the sun in a silk dress,
running like a water color in the rain...."0 -
I plan on doing all posts on this topic in this thread. I thank all for their comments and interest. I will attempt to post a new coin weekly. I am hopping to add to the 21 total soon. I did start with a high quality coin to spark interest. I will followup with a broard range of quailty which is a function of the rarity of some of the coins.
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That should be an awesome set. Looking forward to it!
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What a great coin... Thank you for showing us and I look forward to seeing more of your set. I will bookmark this so I do not miss future installments. Cheers, RickO
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What an awesome goal! I love reading about an "impossible" journey. It's all about journey and not the destination. I look forward to reading about each step forward and even missteps. Good luck !
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@gschwernk said:
GOAL 32 of 100 Greatest Coins – Current Total 21A couple of years ago I returned to collecting after a 15 year absence. I enjoy looking through PCGS registry sets and I found the 100 greatest coin set based on the second edition of the popular book. This book has always been a favorite of mine and I own all 5 editions. This PCGS set is not really a competitive set since it can not be completed. I noticed that after Hansen (66) and Eliasberg ( 59) next on the list are Carter and Dunham at 31. I thought it would be great if some day I could own 32. Since I don’t have the financial assets of the top collectors this quest is not easy. I must buy judicially. Often this means buying lower grade coins that are still attractive enough to be proud to own. I currently own 21 and plan to chronical this quest on the forum.
To get number 3 on the list ahead of Carter and Dunham would be an amazing accomplishment!
I doubt many people even contemplate beating Amon Carter or William Forrester Dunham!
Of note, Dunham is the 3rd person inducted in to the Chicago Coin Club's Hall of Fame!
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32 coins in the 100 Greatest would be a great achievement! I currently have five with another two or three possibly affordable. The 1909-S VDB Cent is one of the easier ones to obtain.1 -
GOAL 32 of 100 Greatest Coins – Current Total 21
The next coin I will show is 1848 $2.50 CAL PCGS VF 25. This is a good example of a low grade coin that I find totally acceptable for this collection. The lettering and date are clear and the CAL. overstrike is sharp.
This coin is #54 on the one hundred greatest list. It is from a 2020 Stacks rarity night. I paid $33,600 – current PCGS value $40,000.
The California gold rush began 1/24/1848. On 12/9/1848, Colonel R.B. Mason, sent 230 ounces of gold to secretary of war William L. Marcy who delivered the gold to the Philadelphia mint. To commemorate the California discovery 1389 pieces were produced and stamped CAL. Many collectors consider this the nation’s first commemorative coin.
The 3rd edition of 100 Greatest coins estimates fewer than 75 exist.44 -
@gschwernk.... Very nice and certainly a special gold coin. I like the SN of the TruView as well...Cheers, RickO
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The gold pieces are my favorite and this one does not disappoint.
She is a beauty.
Donato
Hobbyist & Collector (not an investor).
Donato's Complete US Type Set ---- Donato's Dansco 7070 Modified Type Set ---- Donato's Basic U.S. Coin Design Set
Successful transactions: Shrub68 (Jim), MWallace (Mike)0 -
@gschwernk said:
Many collectors consider this the nation’s first commemorative coin.I certainly do. Great coin!
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@divecchia said:
The gold pieces are my favorite and this one does not disappoint.She is a beauty.
Donato
Gold is also my favorite. Especially $20 Liberty. I have a few more gold coins from the top 100 that I will be posting on this thread.
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GOAL 32 of 100 Greatest Coins – Current Total 21
The next coin I will show is 1793 chain cent in grade VF35. This is an acceptable grade for me for this coin. It is a very popular coin that gets very expensive in higher grades. A gem example sold for $2,350,000 in 2015.
This coin is #15 on the 100 greatest list. I bought this coin in late 2020 directly from Heritage for $39,700. The current PCGS guide value is $47,500. More than 36,000 chain cents were produced. Approximately 500 survive the great majority in grade F15 or less.
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Nice!!
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I love the detail of the hair on your chain cent. Finding these pieces without any signs of corrosion or with enough meat on them and at an affordable grade is very challenging.
Congrats on this piece, she's a beauty.
Donato
Hobbyist & Collector (not an investor).
Donato's Complete US Type Set ---- Donato's Dansco 7070 Modified Type Set ---- Donato's Basic U.S. Coin Design Set
Successful transactions: Shrub68 (Jim), MWallace (Mike)2 -
Amazing stuff!
Just wonderful cross section of gorgeousness.
BST: KindaNewish (3/21/21), WQuarterFreddie (3/30/21), Meltdown (4/6/21), DBSTrader2 (5/5/21) AKA- unclemonkey on Blow Out
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I'm a big fan of 1848 CAL and like your example very much. Enjoying this thread
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GOAL 32 of 100 Greatest Coins – Current Total 21
The next coin I will show is a1794 silver $1 in grade VF details. This is a difficult coin for me to describe. The 1794 $1 is my favorite coin of all US coins so I would like to own a better copy. However, it is a very popular coin that gets very expensive in almost any grade. A VF35 example sold for $288,000 in 2020. I hope to find a well struck F15 to VF20 to purchase at a reasonable price in the future.
This coin is #20 on the PCGS 100 greatest list. The 1794 $1 has moved to #3 on the 5th edition of the famous book. I bought this coin in 2020 at a Heritage auction for $84,000. The PCGS guide does not value non-numerically graded examples. Only 1758 silver dollars were struck. Approximately 150 survive many of which have been repaired.
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That's a nice coin. You are playing in whale territory!
Seated Half Society member #38
"She comes out of the sun in a silk dress,
running like a water color in the rain...."2 -
i love the strike on that one. they took care of that during its many years
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Very nice coins.
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This is fast becoming an "all-time" thread . . . . .
Wonderful stuff . . . .
Drunner
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@gschwernk .... There definitely is interest, please continue. Cheers, RickO
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One of the few threads I actively look for. Keep it up!
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Your collection is a middle/high end collection which is something many of us can strive towards with time and dedication. So many of the other collections we see posted are super high end that require boatloads of money. I follow the Hansen thread closely and it is a highlight of the forum for me. But I enjoy what you have been posting also. There are many dedicated collectors at all levels and I love seeing there progress on the forum. Well put together collections are interesting at all grade levels. The recent threads on the 1804 dollar and the Forsythe Half Dollar collection are wonderful for the majority of us that have not played in that pool and met the high end players.
Willy
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We are just marine hitchhikers, or "remora", going along for the ride on you, the whale!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzDWWzDenZQ
Seated Half Society member #38
"She comes out of the sun in a silk dress,
running like a water color in the rain...."1 -
Outstanding ... please continue !!!
Top 15 Type Set 1792 to presentTop 10 Cal Fractional Type Set
successful BST with Ankurj, BigAl, Bullsitter, CommemKing, DCW(7), DesertMoon, Downtown1974, Elmerfusterpuck, Joelewis, Mach1ne, Minuteman810430, Modcrewman, Nankraut, Nederveit2, Philographer(5), Proofcollection, Realgator, Silverpop, SurfinxHI, TomB and Yorkshireman(3)
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Very nice, keep them coming. I only have 16 of them with only 3 more probable, the rest unobtainable.
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GOAL 32 of 100 Greatest Coins – Current Total 21
The next coin I will show is an 1856 1c Flying Eagle PR63.
This coin is #23 on the PCGS 100 greatest list. The 1856 1c has moved to #66 on the 5th edition of the famous book. I bought this coin in 2020 at a Heritage auction for $15600. The PCGS guide value is $18000. The coin is not rare (about 1500 survive) but it is still expensive due to its popularity. Recent sales (PR65 - $31,200 – PR66 $70,500).
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^That's a beauty!
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I try to include as many proofs as I can in my US Type set as the strikes are generally superior. This one does not disappoint.
Congrats on a really nice piece!!!
Donato
Hobbyist & Collector (not an investor).
Donato's Complete US Type Set ---- Donato's Dansco 7070 Modified Type Set ---- Donato's Basic U.S. Coin Design Set
Successful transactions: Shrub68 (Jim), MWallace (Mike)0 -
Beautiful !!!!!!!!
Drunner
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I hope to get pass 11 coins someday.
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@gschwernk said:
GOAL 32 of 100 Greatest Coins – Current Total 21A couple of years ago I returned to collecting after a 15 year absence. I enjoy looking through PCGS registry sets and I found the 100 greatest coin set based on the second edition of the popular book. This book has always been a favorite of mine and I own all 5 editions. This PCGS set is not really a competitive set since it can not be completed. I noticed that after Hansen (66) and Eliasberg ( 59) next on the list are Carter and Dunham at 31. I thought it would be great if some day I could own 32. Since I don’t have the financial assets of the top collectors this quest is not easy. I must buy judicially. Often this means buying lower grade coins that are still attractive enough to be proud to own. I currently own 21 and plan to chronical this quest on the forum. Periodically, I will post each of the coins I have acquired and discuss a little bit about them.
The first coin I will show is an 1838 $1 J-84 Restrike PR63+:
This coin is #69 on the one hundred greatest list. It is from the Simpson Sale in early 2021. I paid $44,400 – current PCGS value $52,500. This is one of the Gobrect Dollars dated 1836,1838, and 1839. All of these are considered #69 on the list. According to Ron Guth about 15-20 of the restrikes survive. The originals are very rare with only 2 known.
@gschwernk you state your goal is to get 32 of the top 100. You have studied the list much more than me. How did you arrive at 32? Do you have a larger number that may be a stretch but possible? Thanks
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32 > 31 (Carter and Dunham).
He might not stop at 32, but it's a good target for the time being, I think.1
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