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COIN MARKET INSIDER's REPORT takes the pulse of the numismatic marketplace and talks about the buys, the sells, and the trades that all collectors and investors are interested in.
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COIN MARKET INSIDER'S REPORT is the award-winning column that has run in COINage Magazine monthly since 1974. Its author is David L. Ganz, a New York City lawyer, who for more than 35 years has covered the numismatic marketplace. Besides practicing law, he is a past present of The American Numismatic Association, and served for a dozen years as general counsel to the Professional Numismatists Guild. Appointed by President Nixon to the 1974 Annual Assay Commission, he served (1993-1996) as a Clinton appointee on the Citizens Commemorative Coin Advisory Committee. His latest book, "The Official Guide to America's State Quarters" is a Random House mass market paperback, due out this fall.
The column began with a premise that it could report, telegraph style, about what was going on in the numismatic marketplace and talk about the buys, the sells, and the trades that investors and collectors are interested in. It now includes the internet, and http:// addresses you can hyperlink to, easily. This is an expanded version of the column as it appears in COINage Magazine. The author can be reached at: davidlganz@ganzhollinger.com.
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Insider's Report
December 2001
by David L. Ganz
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Prices realized from Stack's December 4 sale of the Thos. Law collection and other properties... Inexpensive ancient coins in gold: a Stater of Macedon (Philip II, circa 359 B.C.) In very fine for $891.25... A solidus of Leo I of Rome, 468 A.D. in v.f. at $356.50... a Byzantine solidus of Anastastus I (circa 491 B.C.) Also v.f. at $368... Fun and relatively inexpensive...
Cornelius Vermule III"s collection, originally slated for September 12, but postponed because of the World Trade Center tragedy, was sold by Stack's two months later in November... Some highlights: a 1794 silver dollar, fine condition, sold for $17,250... A gem b.u. 1893-s silver dollar (which the seller's grandfather evidently got directly from the Mint) went for $414,000... A high relief $20 from 1907, St. Gaudens' personal gift, in b.u. went for $10,350....
Littleton's web site has a neat puzzler game to play to test numismatic trivia... U.S. Mint's silver proof sets are now being sold (for 2001)...
ANA has released the schedule for its summer seminar (2002)... Ten new classes and eight new mini-seminars are included in the just-completed course catalog for the ANA 34th Annual Summer Seminar, June 29 to July 12, 2002.... Scheduled: 32 classes and 11 evening mini-seminars, plus evening bull sessions and tours... .The 2002 mini-seminars include: "Ancient Greek Coins" with David Vagi, "Basic Photography," "Intermediate Photography" and "Digital Photography" with Tom Mulvaney ..."Grading Buffalo Nickels, Mercury Dimes, Walking Liberty Half Dollars and Morgan Dollars" with Bill Fivaz....
The David Brown Book Company, the United States office of Oxbow Books in Great Britain, is the exclusive distributor of the American Numismatic Society's publications. ... ANS members receive a 30% discount off the list price from web sales....The American Numismatic Society and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York have decided to postpone the October 18 opening of "Drachmas, Doubloons and Dollars: The History of Money" until access to the downtown area is fully reestablished... An early 2002 date is planned....
Euro coinage will be in full issuance... already complaints about rising prices in the process of exchanging marks, francs, and other currencies for the new Euro.... Bowers & Merena sold the 1804 silver dollar (type III) for $760,000as proof-58 (PCGS).... The coin's pedigree is Phil Flanagan, Amon Carter... and others.... The coin earlier had a PCGS grade of XF-45...
The U.S. Mint has announced that it will be placing about 350 employees on furlough because of lower coin demand... Coin Star, meanwhile, the supermarket coin counting giant, put more coins into circulation last year than the U.S. Mint did....
Rescheduled show: New York International, former venue at the World Trade Center in New York... New locale: Waldorf-Astoria, with the show open to the public from Friday, Jan. 18, to Sun. Jan. 20, 2002... a week after the FUN show in Orlando Jan. 10-13....
Baltimore Show report: good activity, modest attendance.... New auction rules: Heritage has a neat idea for their online auctions to combat sniping. When the closing time passes, anybody who has not yet bid is shut out.... Anybody who has bid has up to ten minutes to beat the high bid. If a new bid is posted within the ten minutes, the bidding remains open for another ten minutes so other previous bidders can bid again.... Only after ten minutes has passed without another bid does the bidding close....
The U.S. Treasury Department is redesigning its official website... They invite the public to "take a moment to share your ideas, comments, suggestions and anything else you would like to tell us to help us improve this site." Feedback is important ..
The Bureau of Engraving and Printing is offering a new product - The $1 Prosperity Note.... This is a $1 Note, with a serial number beginning with four number 8s in a row (8888xxxx).... This note is considered a "Lucky Note" for many Chinese because the number 8 means, "wealth, prosperity".... The $1 note costs $5.95... Due to heightened security conditions, the BEP's public tour and Visitor's Center Gift Shop in Washington is closed until further notice...
Franklin Mint has been rumored to have sold its coining presses...coins are virtually off its web site...Congress moves ahead toward either gold coins, and other commemoratives, or medals for the victims of the September 11 tragedy...
Sports agent Dwight Manley acquired a $5 national bank note from pre-statehood Wyoming (charter 3556) for $50,000... It will be displayed at the FUN show in Orlando... U.S. Mint has begun Salt Lake City Olympic coin sales of $1 and $5 commemoratives....
Mintage figures for platinum eagles: 2,300 one ounce pieces, 1,700 half ouncers... Vermont state quarter mintage: P is 423 million, D 459 million pieces... Neat book: Tokens of the Industrial Revolution: foreign silver coins, countermarked for use in Great Britain over a period of about 40 years (1787-1828) has been published by the British Numismatic Society and Spink.. Authored by H.E. Manville, its 308pp, 55 plates and talks about the severe shortage of silver coin... Price is £40 pounds....
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David L. Ganz
