Gerry's Daily Blog Archives - August 2014

Yesterday was a busy and tad exciting day. After uploaded Saturday's daily blog, my Internet Service Provider Hostway suffered some downtime and the GFRC website was unavailable. It is always a good sign when certain customers started texting and emailing that my website was down and unable to access my daily comments. Without the ability to upload new consignments, decision was made to shift to some overdue landscaping. I ventured into several rhododendrons along the right side of home that had grown freely for 25 years and began the trimming process. All was smooth until attemping to pull out a section of roots that was abutting the house's foundation. Yes, I managed to locate a hornets nest and luckily only my arms were stung. As compared to the slower flying wasps, these hornets were nasty and aggressive. Arms are swollen this morning but the fingers still work so we march on with the Daily Blog and loading more coins before a lunch barbecue with friends.

The two Top 100 seated dimes mentioned yesterday are either sold or under consideration and will not reach the price list. In the next few hours, will be attempting to load a nice selection from the new consignments, then finish up on Monday.

Yesterday's feature coin is on hold and let's move to today's offering; a shattered reverse 1847 half dime just back from PCGS and graded MS63. The older Valentine book does not mention a late die state reverse so this piece remains unattributed for the moment. This is an attractive half dime and the shattered reverse characteristics are so well detailed.

 

 

August 30, 2014

Happy Labor Day Weekend! Today is still a work day for Diane (at the paint store) and Gerry (at the online coin shop)......

I received two more consignments yesterday. The first totals twenty-two pieces including Seated 10c, 20c, 25c, 50c and $1 pieces which are all in EF-AU grade range and very nice. The highlight is a run of thirteen half dollars. Today's project is loading the consignment sheet and reaching pricing agreement with owner as all the coins were photo'ed yesterday. I am most grateful to this new consignor for helping expand the GFRC Seated half dollar inventory.

Also arriving was a six piece lot of Seated 5c and 10c varieties including the elusive 1876-S F-101 RPD and 1891 F-109 DDO required for Top 100 set. Also in the queue for evaluation is a partial Seated dime set in nice Dansco for purchase and this will bring a host of new Seated dime listings in the the coming week. I am proud of the ongoing consignments and the ability to quickly rotate inventory for customers as GRFC becomes a trading desk with fair prices and high quality photography.

Today's feature coin is another local coin shop acquisition during the past week. Now that Lane Brunner and John Frost published their Double Dimes book, I'm enjoying attributing and learning the 20 cent piece varieties. For not much money, a collector could build a set of the sixteen 1875-S die varieties. Offered is the well known BF-16 variety with the $ sign designated S mintmark due to bold repunching. This variety also has an obvious misplaced flag of 5 digit in the denticles.

 

August 29, 2014

The 1876-CC NGC MS63 Seated quarter that was Thursday's featured coin did not last long and is heading to an advanced West Coast Seated type set. The same individual is preparing a Seated type set category for the Open Registry and I hope to have online shortly.

Instead of landscaping work yesterday, I visited two central Maine coin shops and mowed the lawn at our Androscoggin Lake camp. The aggressive actions by our neighbor are so obvious due to 6x6 pressure treated posts being place on the property line which runs through a portion of the driveway and building access path. An attempt to settle the matter via face to face conversation and a hand shake a few weeks back did not bring progress and I've lost faith that a hand shake meant something between two men. After notification of pending lawsuit in the past week, the post were still in place yesterday so a formal lawsuit will be filed early next week. The Maine courts are under funded and the last thing a judge probably wishes to hear is a property line dispute of this nature.

I worked late yesterday and loaded all the coin shop purchases and the large Draped and Bust half dollar lot. GFRC is committed to servicing all types of collectors, novice through advanced, with Investment Grade coins and committed to continue expanding early Bust offerings in conjunction with Seated inventories.

Third Party Grading discussions will have to wait until next week as I'm not in the mood for writing a carefully worded blog on this topic. Today's featured coin is....drum roll please.....an 1838 reeded edge bust half dollar purchased during Thursday's coin shop visits. This is not a scarce date but the surfaces are perfectly original with even gray patina. Those seeking a reeded edge half dollar at fair price might consider this offering.

 

August 28, 2014

Can't believe it is already Thursday and Labor Day weekend is here. Maine is enjoying a perfect late August day and will try to balance GFRC activities with some landscaping tasks. The September E-Gobrecht publishing date is approaching and that means writing several last minutes articles in the next 48 hours.

I spent Wednesday evening discussing the start-up of a Gerry Fortin Rare Coins subsidiary on eBay with my Denver Coin Expo partner, Jim Poston. Jim is well known on eBay as Doc J and handles mostly Collector Grade coins and bulk modern items but is rapidly learning the Liberty Seated series with my help. Jim was table assistant at the March Denver Coin Expo and the subsequent relationship evolved to the point that we've decided there is strong synergy by closely working together. Providing Gerry Fortin Rare Coins customers with an outlet for their Collector Grade coins and introducing Doc J customers to Investment Grade coins are obvious benefits from a partnership. More will be shared on this topic in the coming 10 days as we fine tune cooperation parameters and develop a united marketing approach between the www.seateddimevarieties.com website and upcoming eBay store.

Yesterday's 1849-O PCGS F12 CAC feature coin was sold within a few hours of being posted. The buyer is a new Liberty Seated dime collector and the piece will serve as a great reference for the appearance of Investment Grade coins in my favorite series......

Today's 1876-CC NGC MS63 featured coin was posted to the Seated Quarter price list yesterday. I bought this piece on Tuesday from a Maine dealer who has been active in numismatics for 50 years. Eddie was a key person in the local Maine coin club scene when I returned to the hobby in 1988 and provided guidance during my transition from collecting Morgan dollars to Seated dimes. Eddie, Bob Levi and Maurice Storck were the major area dealer/numismatists during that time period. This 1876 Carson City quarter has been in Eddie's bank box for years and he explained how difficult it was to buy Seated material at this quality level in Maine area and the hours it took to convince the owner to sell. I'm in no hurry to sell this piece as perfect for the grade and then some. Visiting with Eddie was a heart warming experience and we plan to schedule more sessions to catch up on our numismatic careers and finer purchases.

 

August 27, 2014

Yesterday's blog brought about considerable email feedback with most being positive and several individuals commenting that the blog was still at too high a level for novice collectors. Feedback is always appreciated as I'm a strong believer in continuous learning. So today's blog attempts to better define the terms "Investment Grade" and "Collector Grade" coins. There will probably be some readers who disagree with the terms/definition but since I'm writing the blog and trying to provide basic education, then please hold that feedback and work with me.

All comments pertain to early type and 20th century coins and not to post 1964 clad coinage or modern U.S. Mint products.

Investment Grade

- coins that are original and without any problems including all forms of cleaning, major scratches, obvious rim bumps, light porosity or artifically coloring. On the latter problem, serious collectors can discern AT when coins have unnatural colors or have toning that is just too good to be natural.

- original and problem free coins are typically certified by NGC/PCGS and some will have CAC approval

- these coins are easily marketable and sold to fellow collectors at full retail (and higher) or to niche or speciality dealers at a reasonable discount to retail guide prices.

- these coins are an alternate form of monetary value and have been proven to be a solid long term financial investment. Long term is typically minimum five to ten years. Key date and semi-key date coins will appreciate more than common date coins due to demand.

Collector Grade

- coins that are not original and with problems as listed above.

- are typical found in off brand grading service holders and in Details or Genuine NGC/PCGS holders. Also some collector grade coins can be housed in normal NGC/PCGS holders due to loose grading.

- these coins are difficult to market and typically sold at a deep discount to retail guides. eBay is a good example of where Collector coins trade.

- these coins ARE NOT solid financial investments but rather should be considered as monies spent for a hobby where expectations for recovering monetary value are low.

Learning to properly evaluate silver and copper coins is paramount to separating the Investment Grade coins from the Collector Grade coins. Buying only NGC/PCGS graded coins with CAC approval is recommended as both a safe approach to entering the hobby and also to refine one's eyes in how Investment Grade coins should look. Please note that I did not say that NGC/PCGS coins that do not have CAC stickers are not Investment Grade. There are solid coins in Third Party Grading service holders that may not sticker but still meet the Investment Grade definitions.

Tomorrow, I will attempt to discuss Third Party Grading. This is a significant topic and will most likely bring out some emotions as everyone has their own opinions about TPGs. I believe my vantage point will be different as I plan to discuss the variability of third party grading process and not the expectation that every coin be properly graded the first time through the services.

Today's featured coin was selected to illustrate a coin that meets my definition of Investment Grade and may surprise readers. It is an 1849-O dime graded PCGS F12 and CAC approved. The New Orleans 1849 dime in Fine grade is not scarce. But the dime's originality and eye appeal is clearly superior to nearly all seen at this grade level. Coin World value guide is $50 in F12 but I paid $100 for the coin and asking a retail price of $120. Coin World Very Fine value guide is $175 as a reference for next grade pricing.

 

 

August 26, 2014

I'd like to focus today's blog and maybe the next few on the challenges facing novice to intermediate collectors. Learning the complexities of the hobby can be daunting for inexperienced collectors. Individuals are spending their disposable income to buy coins with limited knowledge. No one wishes to buy inferior coins and take losses but the big lesson is that all collectors will take losses on some coins due to the inherent learning curve required to master the hobby. Following are some of the major hobby variables; a) Investment Grade coins vs. Collector coins, b) Third Party Grading, c) CAC reviews and approval, d) Multiple Pricing Guides for Value Reference and finally, e) Methods for Sales of Duplicate Coins.

Today, let's start with the basic topic of Investment Grade coins as compared to Collector coins. So what is an "Investment Grade" coin as compared to a "Collector" coin? I ran into a old time dealer at a recent Maine coin show and he had the best explanation since he stocked only Collector coins. Investment Grade are those coins that are strictly original and typically found certified by NGC and PCGS while Collector Grade are those with some type of historical problem including old cleaning, marks, environmental damage etc. This dealer sold only Collector coins to those who were not particular about a coin's long term financial value and saw coin collecting as a casual past time.

Coin collectors typical follow similar learning curves. They first focus on a 20th century denomination or type set, seek value and typically buy Collector coins. The first reality appears during the sale of duplicates and realizing that Collector coins have a deep discount when being sold. At this point, some collectors leave the hobby while others decide that Investment Grade coins are a better alternative for preserving value during the sales process. These latter individuals gain knowledge and become more sophisticated collectors.

Acquiring early type coins (Bust and Seated) is financially challenging due to historical price inflation, low surviving populations and ongoing demand increases. My recommendation is that collectors avoid the Collector coin learning curve for early type coins and immediately concentrate on Investment Grade coins. Investment Grade coins are bought and sold within a tight wholesale/retail price range since NGC and PCGS provide grade and condition certification and the multiple pricing guides provide reasonable value estimates. Even with all the available online information, there are still potential challenges and pitfalls when collecting Investment Grade coins. Those include strike characteristics, eye appeal and originality. Working with an experienced numismatist/dealer who will also mentor collectors can lower financial risks and help ensure a rewarding numismatic journey.

In the above discussion, I did not address Investment Grade coins that are uncertified. Seeking out original coins without TPG certifications requires well honed grading skills. Those skills are developed by looking at hundreds if not thousands of coins to determine the appearance of natural patina on silver pieces. If a collector does not have the opportunity to attend many major shows to acquire these skills, then working with a trusted dealer is paramount for buying Investment Grade raw coins and accelerating the learning process. I hope you might consider GFRC given my long term experience with Seated coins.

The featured coin of the day falls into the Investment Grade category. How often does an 1856-S Seated dime come to market at the certification Extra Fine grade level with original surfaces and strong strike? Please email or call me if there is potential interest.

 

 

August 25, 2014

Welcome to that last week of summer in Maine. Labor Day weekend arrives next weekend and the summer tourist season officially ends. Though tourism is an imperative for the Maine economy, I look forward to less congested roadways shortly. September is my favorite month of the year as the days are still warm while evening temperatures drop into the 40s and sweaters are required towards the end of month. Landscape colors are already starting to warm; my burning bushes are turning red green while birches are showing some yellow hues.

Last week, a surprise seated dime consignment arrived and while just a few pieces, they are significant. Included are 1846 PCGS F15 CAC, 1859-S PCGS F12, 1861-S PCGS VF30 and 1871-S PCGS VF35; all difficult dates in nice original circulated condition. The three S mints were recently graded and are in the reverse hologram holders while the 1846 is in older blue label holder. Please send email if interested as these may sell quickly.

Today's task include packaging and shipping orders from last week. Thank you to customers for your patience with shipments due to last week's Florida trip. I'm also trying to catch up on Open Registry submissions and there is some progress.

The featured coin of the day is from recent Seated dime consignment. This 1871 Proof F-101 with repunched date is an entry in the Top 100 Varieties set. The dime resides in NGC PF64+ holder and is all there for the assigned grade. I find this variety to be of keen interest due to the striking characteristics that are unlike other proofs from that era. All 1871 repunched date proof have varying amounts of strike doubling at Liberty's head. On some, the doubling is acute resulting in poor head details while on others, the doubling is visible but with strong head details. Today's 1871 falls in the latter group. It has mirror fields under the blue and gray toning along with gold at the rims under bright light.

 

August 24, 2014

I'm glad to be home after another two day drive. Renee's idea that I should use the I-81/I-77 route via western VA and PA to Florida was well taken. Doubtful that I will ever drive via the problematic NJ Turnpike and I-95 corridor through DE, MD and VA again. Today is Westford show and will not be attending. Jumping back into a car for another four hours of driving would be irrational and would rather take Diane to the Maine coast for a late seafood lunch today.

Customer NGC and PCGS submissions are back and will be shipping those coins this week. I'm impressed with the NGC grading and consistency at the economy level and plan to submit more dimes from personal collection in the future. My observations are that NGC and PCGS are currently matched in grading performance and both services should be bring comparable prices for newly graded coins.

Prices are settled for the Seated dime consignment and posted. Already the 1858-S is sold and I expect others to be marked On Hold in the next 48 hours. Remaining is the pricing of Draped and Bust halves from same consignor and then posting those.

I'm thrilled with the number of new customers during the past two weeks. There is a direct correlation between inventory expansion in denominations other than Seated dimes and new customers. CAC coins receive quick attention and in general don't last long. John Albanese's vision for marking the above average graded coins is a resounding success at GFRC.

Today feature coin is a nice toned 1868 3 cent silver piece that has been in inventory for awhile. It is a consigned piece and the owner would love to sell to raise monies towards the new group of seated dimes. On the price list, the coin is described as, "Classic proof appearance with sky blue obverse center surrounded by light gold legend. Reverse is just the opposite with rose/gold center that transitions to sky blue at the rim; reflective proof surfaces." I hope this piece can find a good home and offers are invited so that we can convert into a nice seated dime for the owner.

 

August 21, 2014

Just back from early morning walk. Venice is a sleepy town during the summer months as I counted less than a handful of walkers this morning. During the winter months, one would see 50-75 daily walkers enjoying their early morning strolls. My Florida stay is coming to an end and will start the long drive north tomorrow. Though I don't mind driving long distances, another 1600 miles journey in less than a week is a bit much. I did manage to visit several local coin shops yesterday and acquired a few decent seated pieces. These will be posted by end of day followed by a visit to NGC in Sarasota to retrieve an ANA show submission.

The response to the seated dime consignment has been very strong but unfortunately the owner is traveling on business and unable to finalize recommended pricing. I'm asking GFRC customers for patience and recording the sequence of first right of refusal requests. Once prices are approved, each customer will be contacted with asking prices and a decision. My target is to have this situation resolved by Sunday now that I'm traveling on Friday and Saturday if not hearing back from consignor today.

Today's feature coin is a pretty Morgan dollar acquired from a discriminating collector at the ANA show. This 1885-O resides in an NGC MS66 holder with CAC approval. The colors are stunning. My strategy is to stock Morgan dollars but only those with superb double sided toning or semi key dates, again with obvious original patina.

 

August 20, 2014

It is already Wednesday morning and just completed daily two mile walk before Florida temperatures become excessive. Living in Florida has merits and definitely exercising more here due to numerous walking path opportunities. Spooky Tooth is on the stereo as I write today's blog; does anyone remember The Last Puff released during 1970 in England? The 1970 Spooky Tooth line up with Mike Harrison on vocals offers a haunting version of John Lennon's "I Am The Walrus"

Wednesday's focus is loading the balance of the 35 piece Seated dime consignment on price lists and finalizing asking prices. Several pieces were added last evening and already the email inquiries have started. This consignment represents the duplicates of an advanced collector who is taking steps towards building one of the finer Seated dime collections on record. His eye for choice original coins is strong and believe GFRC customers will note this fact once all pieces are loaded. Right behind the Seated dime consignment is a 12 piece Drapped and Capped bust half dollar consignment that needs to be photographed as a first step. Finally, I will be examining an 80% complete Seated dime set for purchase once returning to Maine. So lots of fresh new material for GFRC customers.

Today's feature coin is one of the consigned Seated dimes that I really like; remember that I'm a variety nerd! If I were still actively building my reference set, this is a piece that would disappear into the bank vault and not be for sale; it is that nice. The 1875-S In Wreath F-101 variety graded NGC MS64 features a badly shattered reverse with cobweb die cracks throughout the entire wreath and ribbon bow. The dime's bold luster well highlights all of the die cracks.

 

August 19, 2014

Greetings from Florida! Monday was an incredibly busy day and unable to write blog but expect to be on schedule for the balance of the week until returning to Maine this weekend.

I will be loading the balance of bust and seated half dimes from the ANA lot today. Immediate next focus is to finished attributing and pricing the massive seated dime consignment that I continue to receive inquiries about. Unfortunately, this is just not enough time in a day to handle GFRC coin backlog and open registry submissions but trying to catch up by end of week.

Today's feature is special and touches upon an important subject; how does one price gem circulated seated coins with superior eye appeal? For most novice and intermediate collectors, the natural default is auction pricing guides via CoinFacts or various numismatic industry guides. Advanced collectors may have a different perspective and view these guides as the price basis for average to above average coins (for the grade) while gem coins should command strong premiums. Why is this? Fundamentally, collectors who own gem coins are in no hurry to sell as they appreciate their purchases and recognize the nearly impossible replacement task. Once gem coins enter into "strong hands", it takes a large premium to convince the collector to sell. On the other hand, average to above average pieces are available with some searching and should not command large premiums. They can be purchased at auction or on fixed price lists.

Here is an example of a gem seated quarter which is only graded PCGS VF35 with CAC green bean approval. At the VF35 grade level, this is the prettiest Seated quarter I've seen. Both the obverse and reverse are toned with reflective sky blue fields and deeper rose in the centers. The eye appeal is consistent with moderate toned proofs of that era. From wear perspective, grading is accurate and the strike is typical for 1838 coinage with partially struck head and right stars. The asking price is probably seen as unrealistic to most collectors but then again the advanced collectors are willing to spend well over the guides for unique eye appeal on a circulated quarter.

 

August 16-17, 2014

Greetings from Virginia Tech! Saturday was spent driving from Maine to Virginia and arrived in time to treat my daughter Renee to dinner in downtown Blacksburg. We quickly toured the Virginia Tech campus and it is enormous and surrounded by beautiful rolling heads. Getting here was exciting as the aggressive Virginia State Police were out in full force stopping motorist for speeding violations on I-81. I believe that Virginia highways are the most heavily patrolled on the East Coast. My travels are related to a special numismatic project and more details will be disclosed at a future date.

Before leaving Raymond, I finished processing the Bust half dime lot images and those will be posted on the price list by end of day Monday (hopefully). This lot features numerous pieces with late die state cracks or cuds and already two individuals are standing in line for potential purchases. Following is a sample from the lot; an 1832 LM 10.4 with substantial reverse die break before the terminal reverse die state with retained cud. Consider to be an R6 rarity by specialists, especially at this high grade level.

The massive Seated dime consignment is traveling with me and I hope to have attributions and retail pricing set by Weds or Thursday of this week. This consignment is loaded with difficult San Francisco and New Orleans dates in higher grades. Again my apologies for not being able to post sooner.

 

August 15, 2014

Photographing coins and capturing a coin's toning, luster and anomalies can be a challenge. After imaging thousands of coins building the Seated dime web-book, I've mastered the smaller silver denominations and proud of current image quality. But photographing larger coins in PCGS and NGC holders proved to be difficult with same equipment and techniques used for half dimes through quarters. My equipment is an old Nikon CoolPix995 with a screw on photo dome that provides light diffusion (eliminates shadows) and proper focal distance. I place the Nikon in macro mode and photograph coins in bright sunlight to ensure the best possible devices vs. field contrast, and realistic color capture. Seated dollars were a problem and up until yesterday I was frustrated with poor image quality. The issue is a light reflection problem with TPG holdered coins and PCGS being the worst with its clear and angled plastic.

Yesterday, I experimented with a new technique and secured high quality images for two attractive Seated dollars in NGC holders. The new technique is a secret for the time being until more dollars are imaged and the technique proves to be reliable. On display is an 1860 New Orleans seated dollar housed in NGC MS62 holder and approved by CAC. This piece has crusty original brown/gray toning on the obverse and even light gray patina on the reverse. Many seated dimes and quarters are seen with crusty original toning but not seated dollars so this new GFRC item is probably a good feature coin for today.

Please note that I will be traveling on Saturday and there will be no Daily Blog. Thank you to those who visit this blog on a frequent basis.

 

August 14, 2014

Maine experienced heavy downpours last night from the same storm system that flooded portions of New York and Massachusetts earlier in the day. I was pricing out the bust half dime lot and cellphone rang out the flash flood warning about 9:00pm. But today is a perfect Maine day with bright blue skies and will be perfect to photograph Steve Crain's half dime artifacts.

Please note that the 1860-O PCGS40 dime is posted along with an image for the 1846 PCGS50 dime. The 1840-O ANACS53, from same consignor, already sold before reaching the price list. Today's challenge is to attribute the seated dimes in that massive consignment along retail price setting. Yes, I still need to process the bust half dime images as there are several inquiries on these pieces.

For today's feature coin, I've selected a pretty 1847-O WB-21 seated half dollar. This piece is graded PCGS EF45 CAC and offers a light multiple colored obverse and more evenly toned reverse. It is a consigned coin and the owner is an astute advanced collector with a critical eye. I really enjoy securing consignments from this individual. His 1846 Medium Date PCGS AU50 CAC lasted only hours on the price list.

 

August 13, 2014

Spent Tuesday processing ANA show images, loading Newps on price lists and corresponding with customers. Many newly acquired coins are sold and I'm pleased with initial GFRC response. The massive seated dime consignment and the late die state bust half dime lot is next on the agenda for today and Thursday. Also on Thursday, I will meet with LSCC Club Historian, Steve Crain, to photograh his collection of seated half dimes encased in lead plugs. No one can explain the basis for these items so Steve will write a detailed Gobrecht Journal article in the hope that leads about their historical significance might appear.

My focus when acquiring GFRC inventory is originality and eye appeal along with rarity. Collectors enjoy owning eye appealing coins that have historical significance. Today's feature coins is an 1890 seated quarter graded MS64 by PCGS with a meager mintage of 80,000 pieces. This quarter was struck in the second to last year of the seated quarter series. A "vest pocket" dealer was shopping coins around the ANA floor and I could not resist upon viewing the light multi color ring toning.

 

August 12, 2014

Monday was a beautiful sunny day with the predictable late afternoon shower. I was able to photograph all coins acquired at the ANA show and posted seated quarters before calling it a day. Today's goals are to post all GFRC owned coins while establishing pricing sheets with consignors for the balance of coins. Once retail pricings is settled, then a second wave of coins will hit the price lists. In the meantime, don't be bashful to inquire about items listed on the August 11 blog. Several sold yesterday and I expect a few more to be committed today.

Today's feature coin is a snap shot of where I hope to take GFRC in the future. My passion for variety study is never ending and the bust series bring an incredible challenge. At ANA, I bought a bust half dime lot (mostly late die states) to accelerate the understanding of varieties in that series and to expand customer base towards JRCS members. Today's 1805 draped bust quarter is gem for the assigned grade due to eye appeal, pristine surfaces and a consistent strike and strong device details and is the B-2 variety with the 5 digit touching Liberty.

 

August 11, 2014

Diane and I visited our 6 month old grand daughter, Natsumi, in Boston yesterday. We spent day with son Matt and his wife Chikae walking through the North End and Marina sections on a perfect sunny day. To say that the last week was busy would be under statement!

Following are new items either purchased or taken in as consignment at the ANA show. The amount of Liberty Seated dimes is massive and clearly allows GFRC to be the leading dealer in this market segment. I bought a Bust half dime late die state lot that will be of interest to those building a Bust Half Dime ultimate set. Select Seated quarter additions will also be found and finally, I will be adding a significant amount of bust halves.

Photography will start today but price list updates will take several days to accomplish given the volume. Please email me or call for descriptions if there is interest. Please understand that for many coins, prices have not been set with consignors and this process will take a few days.

Offers on older inventory is welcomed as consignors and I need to turn inventory into cash for incremental purchases.

Bust Half Dimes: 1831 LM 1.3 EF45 Cud Reverse, 1831 LM 2, 1832 LM 13 AU50 Incomplete Planchet, 1832 LM 10.4 EF45 R6, 1833 LM 1 V7 Cracked Reverse, 1833 LM 9, 1834 LM 2 AU50, 1835 LM 1 R5 VF30, 1835 PCGS AU55, 1836 LM 1.2 V5b R4 EF40, 1836 LM 2 AU50, 1836 LM-3 AU55, 1836 LM 3

Seated Half Dimes: 1839-O PCGS AU58 CAC shattered obverse and reverse, 1843 PCGS MS63 OGH shattered reverse, 1849/6 AU 55 shattered reverse LDS, 1850 PCGS MS64 CAC, 1858-O strike through obverse, 1862 PCGS MS64 heavy die clashing,

Seated Dimes: 1837 LD PCGS AU58 and so PQ!, 1838 PCGS EF40 Partial Drap T100, 1839 PCGS EF40, 1840-O ANACS AU53 Old White Holder F-109a, 1842 PCGS MS63 CAC F-105, 1842-O ANACS VF30 Old White Holder Small O, 1843-O NGC EF Details, 1843-O NGC VG10, 1845-O PCGS VF25 CAC, 1845-O NGC F15, 1846 PCGS AU50 OGH, 1849 PCGS EF40 F-102, 1852 PCGS MS62 F-106, 1852-O PCGS VF30 F-101, 1853WA NGC EF45 F-107 RPD Top100, 1855WA PCGS AU58 CAC, 1856-S PCGS EF45, 1857-O PCGS EF45 F-101a, 1857-O ANACS EF45 F-107a Medium O, 1858 NGC MS63, 1858-S PCGS45 F-102 So Choice, 1858-S NGC AU Details F-102 and nice, 1859-S NGC AG-3, 1860-O PCGS EF40, 1863 NGC G4, 1865 NGC PF63 OGH, 1865-S PCGS VF35 F-103, 1866-S PCGS EF45 F-101, 1866-S PCGS EF40 F-101, 1868 NGC PF64 CAC F-105 Blundered Date T100, 1869-S PCGS EF45 F-102, 1870-S NGC VF20, 1871 NGC PF64+ F-101 RPD T100, 1871 PCGS PR62 F-102, 1872 NGC AU58 F-107 RPD, 1872-S PCGS EF45 CAC, 1872-S PCGS EF40, 1875-S IW NGC MS64 F-101 shattered reverse, 1876-CC PCGS MS62 F-111 MPD T100, 1879 NGC PF64 F-101, 1886-S PCGS AU55 F-102 rare date placement, 1887-S PCGS MS65 shattered reverse, 1887-S PCGS EF45 CAC F-107 T100, 1888 NGC PF62 F-101, 1888-S NGC AU58 CAC F-102, 1891 PCGS MS64 Heavy Clash, 1891-O PCGS MS64, 1891-O PCGS MS63 CAC

Bust Quarters: 1805 PCGS VG10 CAC....incredibly original for grade!

Seated Quarters: 1838 PCGS VF35 CAC, 1840-O WD PCGS AU58, 1841 PCGS AU50, 1847 ANACS AU53 DDR, 1847-O PCGS VF30 CAC, 1855-O PCGS VF20 CAC, 1890 PCGS MS64

Bust Halves: 1805 O-109a VG10, 1806 O-109 VG8, 1806 O-115 ANACS VF30 Details Old White Holder, 1806 ANACS VF20 Old White Holder, 1807 O-106 ANACS F12 Details Old White Holder, 1810 O-109 VG10, 1811 O-109 NGC Fine Details, 1827 O-112 ANACS EF45 Old White Holder, 1829 O-111 ANACS VF20, 1829 O-112 ANACS VF25, 1830 O-102 NGC EF45, 1834 O-118 ANACS VF20,

Seated Halves: 1846 PCGS AU50 CAC Medium Date, 1847-O PCGS EF45 CAC, 1868-S PCGS EF45 CAC

Seated Dollars: 1843 NGC MS61 CAC, 1860-O NGC MS62 CAC

Morgan Dollars: 1885-O NGC MS66 CAC two sided toning and so pretty.

 

August 10, 2014 Morning Update

The ANA show is in the history books. It was an exciting non stop four days of numismatic thrills.

Postives

The LSCC annual meeting was a historical event with Gene Gardner being inducted in the LSCC Hall of Fame and John McCloskey's farewell speech as president and Gobrecht Journal editor.

Friday's LSCC educational session went very well as the club experts provided a brief but in depth view into each Liberty Seated denominations.

Gerry Fortin Rare Coins had a great show with sales to expectations. The great part was from the purchase and consignment aspect. I took in three consignments including a monstor 45 piece Seated dime and Bust half dollar lot. The Seated dime group is full of semi key date San Francisco and New Orleans mint dates in high grades; all are PCGS and NGC holders. GFRC was also active on the buy side and many dealers walk up to the table. More on Newps later today.

I got to hang with my dear friends Bill Bugert and W. David Perkins.

I met many GFRC customers and enjoyed their numismatic conversations.

Negatives

The US Mint Kennedy sale was a disaster for the show and looked like a circus. There were paid individuals who spent nights in line to purchase the Kennedy golds and then wandered the bourse floor with their chairs and tents. These people DID NOT belong on the bourse floor and were a security risk. Greed by some large bullion dealers and the off the street Chicago people was out in the open and tarnished the ANA show image.

A dealer was mugged in one of the bathrooms.

The ANA made mistake with my booth signage and GFRC customers could not find me due to incorrect business name in the Dealer Directory and on the booth.

I learned that long time dealer David Weygant died recently. David had an incredible eye for nice seated dimes as I purchased several from him over the years.

Daily blog part II will be written later today with some Newps details. Right now, I must attend a family event and will leave the blog as is.....please check back this evening.

 

August 5, 2014

This will be the last Daily Blog until August 10. There is simply too much to carry on United's small regional jets so the laptop is staying behind. I will have email access during the ANA show if you desire to reserve a coin or two on price list. Please note the pricing reductions for remaining Strong Hands Collection seated dimes. Consignor wants these sold and I will be dealing at the show. GFRC will be sharing Table 835 with W. David Perkins. Please stop by and say hello!

A quick reminder that the LSCC annual meeting is on Thursday morning at 9:00am with HOF Award and John McCloskey retirement highlights. This is a must attend meeting for those members who gravitated to the show.

Today's coin of the day is not a seated item but rather a nice bust dime. GFRC will be adding more bust coinage inventory in the next six months to service a broader range of early type collectors. This 1835 JR-2 dime is listed as R4 and is a late die state example with heavy die crack through A(MERIC)A. The reverse is well struck. Please email me to discuss this piece and how you might acquire it!

 

August 4, 2014

Took a break from the blog yesterday and worked on Friday's LSCC educational seminar presentations and solving the fence issue at our Androscoggin Lake house. I happy to report progress on both items.

On the docket today is preparation of customer NGC and PCGS submissions at ANA. Recently, I made a decision to start migrating my seated dime reference collection slabbing away from PCGS and to NGC. Many customers and readers may be surprised with the mid course change. There were several factors driving the NGC usage decision including grading consistency and the scratch protection holder. I am seeing too much variance with PCGS grading as of late and believe NGC has tightened their standards. I am also very grateful to Mark Salzberg and his team for recognizing the Top 100 Seated Dime Varieties and hope more GFRC customers will use the NGC Top 100 attribution and labeling service.

Today's feature coin is a lustrous 1856-O WB-9 repunched date seated half graded NGC MS64. Surfaces are a medium golden-brown that transition to jade-green at the peripheries. This piece and many other quality seated coins will be available for viewing at table 835 starting Wednesday morning. Hope to see you there!

 

August 2, 2014

I'm really looking forward to heading to the ANA show next week and meeting up with LSCC friends and hanging with W. David Perkins for a few days. Preparations start today and definitely plan to take Sunday off to relax and work on some landscaping project.

Recent GFRC sales have been strong and I will be a serious buyer at the ANA show. Consignments are always required to maintain a steady flow of new inventory and please consider converting those early type duplicates into cash or nice upgrades.

Late yesterday, several new seated dime were posted to price list. I particularly like this 1890-S F-111 PCGS AU50 dime. If still an active collector, this is the type of coin that would be acquired as so original and well struck (yes the head is a tad weak but typical for variety). The 1889-s and 1890-S dates still do not command enough respect for their scarcity in better grades.

 

August 1, 2014

The LSCC August E-Gobrecht issue was released yesterday evening and is posted on this website and LSCCweb.org.

I hoped to finish the Open Registry Type Set module yesterday but post attorney visit actions consumed most of day. Being tired, I spent final hours watching the Grateful Dead concert at 1978 Winterland Closing to relax and forget the Androscoggin Lake headache. Watching Jerry Garcia play is medicine for the mind and soul.

Today's goals including shipping orders and completing the Type Set module, then preparing NGC and PCGS submissions at ANA for customers and my own reference collection.

It seems that Daily featured coins are always seated dimes so time to share the spot light with a beautiful seated quarter. This 1875-S resides in an NGC MS61 holder and presents proof like appearance due to heavily polished dies. The TPG grade is only MS61 due to some roller lines on the reverse but frankly, the toning and proof like fields dominate on this piece. It will be available at the ANA show along with other nice selections from GFRC inventory.

 

 

 

 

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