October 20, 2015

Standalone New Orleans Coinage: Gold Coins

October 20, 2015/ Doug Winter

A “standalone” coin is one that, literally, stands alone; be it as a first-year issue, a one year type, or for other factors. In the United States gold coin market, there are a number of standalone issues from New Orleans and this article will identify and analyze them.

October 16, 2015

What do Auction Prices Represent?

October 16, 2015/ Doug Winter

For better or worse, the current market has come to heavily rely on auction prices to determine the value of a wide range of coins. I am often asked: do auction prices represent wholesale or retail? A one word answer: both. The coin market is quite possibly the most transparent market there is in any hobby or collectible. PCGS, NGC, and Heritage provide comprehensive databases for nearly any major issue of United States coin, in a variety of grades. In theory, even an unknowledgeable collector now has access to records which only the most sophisticated dealers and collectors could access as recently as a decade ago.

September 23, 2015

No Motto New Orleans Eagles: A Study of Condition Rarity

September 23, 2015/ Doug Winter

The No Motto type of Liberty Head eagle was produced at the New Orleans mint from 1841 through 1860. By using CAC population figures, we can get an idea of which dates display condition or appearance rarity. CAC is a service which is rewards good eye appeal, unlike the grading services which are grading more from a technical standpoint.

September 11, 2015

Guest Blog - A Dahlonega Odyssey: Completion of the Auraria Collection

September 11, 2015/ Sarah Moon

Today on the blog, we hand the reigns over to collector Joe Gaines, who shares his story and collecting lessons with us.

September 08, 2015

Cool Coins from the 2015 ANA: Part Three

September 08, 2015/ Doug Winter

The 1914 eagle has a mintage of just 50 which is the lowest in the series. It seems that a higher percentage of Proofs of this date were saved than in other years, and as many as 30 to 40 are known. Nearly all have been mishandled in some shape or fashion, and my best estimate is that no more than six to eight Matte Proofs of this year are known with original color and surfaces.

September 01, 2015

High-Grade No Motto New Orleans Eagles: An Analysis

September 01, 2015/ Doug Winter

All No Motto eagles are very rare in MS64 and higher grades. Even the common Philadelphia issues which exist by the thousands in circulated and low-end Uncirculated grades are all but unknown in high grades. This is due to a combination of factors: mishandling, use in commerce, melting(s), and lack of collector interest until well into the 20th century.

August 31, 2015

Cool Coins from the 2015 ANA: Part Two

August 31, 2015/ Doug Winter

As a date, the 1840-C half eagle is a scarce and numismatically significant issue. It is the first year in which half eagles were made at this mint with the new, modified head, and the first year in which the mintmark was placed on the reverse. In the third edition of my book “Gold Coins of the Charlotte Mint, 1838-1861,” I rank it as the fourth rarest of 24 Charlotte half eagles, and believe it is the third rarest in high grades. My estimate is that there are around 150 known in all grades with most in the Very Fine to Extremely Fine range. In Uncirculated, the 1840-C half eagles is very rare with five or six known.