The Award Winning
Monthly Newsletter of the Anchorage Coin Club
Volume 13, Number 12 December, 2000
December Membership Meeting:
Thursday December 7th , 2000 Central Lutheran Church 6:00 PM Start
"Crowns As a Collecting Theme....Why Not"
FROM YOUR EDITORS
The November membership meeting started as usual - we gave out coins. YN Krystal Stubblefield won the door prize, a 1985 Proof Set. And an avid Alaska token collector, Doug Williams, ended up with the rare Alaska Mint pattern struck in silver.
Then our attentions turned to the premier event of the season… the Christmas potluck dinner and coin auction. The event will start about 6pm down stairs at the Central Lutheran on December 7th (Pearl Harbor Day). We expect to start eating about 6:30, then give out awards for the club’s numismatists of the year, then door prizes, then start the auction about 7:30. We will also be drawing the name of the winner of the club’s raffle prize, a complete set of Buffalo nickels (which includes the 3 legged Buffalo in VF condition). You will have one more opportunity to get last minute raffle tickets for this great prize.
Roy or Ann Brown will be calling to find out what everybody is bringing. We need salads, desserts, and maybe a main dish or two. The club is providing plates, silverware, napkins, sodas, chips, dips, cups, and coffee. The club’s board of officers has chosen 2 outstanding members to be recognized as numismatists of the year. They will be given a trophy and a chance to make a speech (if they want to).
This year’s coin auction will have 149 lots including gold, ancients, proof sets, a large group of early commemorative halves, several Canadian coins, and 25 lots sent up by Bill Fivaz. We will be accepting coins for the auction right up to the start and members are reminded to bring the coins they are auctioning off. For those people who cannot make the event, mail bids will be allowed. We ask that you notify Larry Nakata (phone number listed in this newsletter in the Board of Officers) who will have your bid read from the book.
To arm the YNs with YN Bucks for the December 7th Christmas Auction, the November meeting had a ‘Jeopardy’ game with YN Bucks as prizes. Three teams were chosen by lottery. Corey (call me Alex Trebek) Rennell did an excellent job presiding over the game, calling out the questions, and verifying the answers. Krystal Stubblefield’s team came out the biggest winners although every player won YN Bucks that evening….including the team of two Samorajaski brothers who were dealing with a bit of sibling rivalry. A total of 126 YN Bucks was awarded that evening.
The Anchorage Coin Club’s annual Christmas party/ meeting/ coin auction
has been a tradition since the beginning of our club 12 years ago. This
is the biggest event of the winter and we hope to see everyone and their
families there….Your Editors.
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MEMBERSHIP NEWS
Schedule of Events for the Month of December
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Minutes of the November 15th Board Meeting
The Board meeting was called to order at 7:15 PM.
First order of business was the club’s gaming account. A check for $341.02 was cut from the gaming account to the Anchorage Coin Club’s YN Education Program. The $341.02 represented moneys made from our club’s raffle prizes. The Board wishes to thank all members for their support of the club’s raffle prize program over the years.
The next agenda item was the selection of the club’s Numismatist of the Year. The presentation of the award will be made at our club’s December 7th Christmas Party/ Membership Meeting/ YN Meeting. Also selected was our club’s Young Numismatist of the Year. The presentation for the YN award will be made at our club’s Christmas Party.
The Board then approved a contribution of $100 to the ANA Library’s Book Conservation and Restoration Program. The July 2000 edition of ANA’s magazine, The Numismatist, announced establishment of this fund and made requests to it’s membership for contributions. Club member Kurtis Hawk subsequently contributed $100 to this program and challenged our club to match his donation. This contribution will have our club’s name entered in the ANA’s Executive Director’s Circle.
The remainder of the Board meeting went over final details for the December 7th Christmas Party. John Larson will be wrapping up a number of numismatic coins and items as prizes for the Christmas Party. Lots of prizes are expected to be given out that evening. Loren Lucason and Larry Nakata will be picking up the items for the Christmas Party (dips, chips, utensils, soda pop, ice, etc.). Roy Brown will be calling our members on potluck items to bring for the party. According to Larry Nakata, it is expected that we will have 149 numismatic lots auctioned off at the December 7th party. This should make it the biggest Christmas coin auction to date. Our club’s raffle prize, a complete set of Buffalo nickels (which includes the three legged Buffalo in very fine condition), will be raffled off at our club’s Christmas Party. People are asked to show up at 6 PM. Location: Central Lutheran Church/ downstairs area. It should be a great event.
As there was no further business, the meeting adjourned at 8 PM.
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As of the release of this newsletter, $163 in YN Bucks have been earned by an number of Young Numismatists (YNs). I will shortly be writing letters to each of the YNs who have earned these bucks that can be used to bid on coins at our December 7th Christmas Coin Auction. The lots have been posted in this month’s newsletter for all of you YNs to review.
We saw a number or displays shown at the club meeting on November 1st and also at the YN Meeting on November 10th. Featured were displays on Small Cents, Paper Currency, Toned Coins, Lincoln Cents, and the Statehood Quarter Program. Congratulations go out to those YNs who did displays at both meetings.
The YN Jeopardy Contest, held at our club meeting on November 1st, earned lots of YN Bucks for those YNs who participated in that contest. A fine time was enjoyed by all that evening.
There is still time to earn final YN Bucks. I have yet to see articles written by YNs on the subject of coins, paper currency, or any subject on numismatics. YNs still have time to write articles and submit them to me prior to our December 7th Christmas Party/ Coin Auction. I will give YNs until the end of this month to submit articles for the newsletter. YNs can submit articles by mailing them to our club’s post office box, whose address is listed in this newsletter. YNs can also submit articles to any of the coin dealers who have advertisements in our newsletter. They will contact me accordingly.
The November 10th YN Meeting covered the subject of “Coin Grading for the YN- Part II”. As usual, we had a very good turnout of YNs and parents to this meeting. Part II concentrated on grading uncirculated coins. Thanks go to Greg Samorajski for helping me with the presentation for that evening. Discussed were the key factors used in grading uncirculated coins: contact marks, strike, luster, and eye appeal. A number of such coins ranging from MS60 to MS67 were shown to the YNs. Great emphasis was placed on use of the ANA Grading Guide ( a book given to every YN) for grading coins. At the conclusion of the presentation, we had a little contest in which the YNs were broken into three teams and asked to grade a series of AU and uncirculated Washington Quarters. One team scored perfectly in the grades of the coins. All of the YNs were then given an uncirculated or proof coin to take home for their collections. The teams that scored best got the first pick of the coins: a number of these coins were wartime (World War II) silver Jefferson nickels in uncirculated condition.
Our next YN meeting will be at our club’s Christmas Party scheduled for Thursday/ December 7th, starting at 6 PM over at the Central Lutheran Church. As in previous years, we hold the Christmas Party in the downstairs meeting area of the church…where the kitchen and meeting room are located. There will also be a Christmas Coin Auction that evening. Lots of door prizes will be given out that evening….with lots of good food to eat.
Hope to see a lot of our YNs and families at the club meeting.
Should be a great event……Larry Nakata.
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“CROWNS AS A COLLECTING THEME… WHY NOT?”by Mike Orr (Member # 91)
Those of you who know me know I like to collect coins and currency from as many different countries as I can find. I like maximum variety and type collecting allows this. One facet of type collecting which is arguably the most popular is collecting one of each type of crown struck for a particular country. Some great collections have been put together over the years with this theme in mind.
To start with…I would like to define what I believe a crown should be. This may leave room for argument among some but to me a crown should be of the largest variety of precious or base metal coin a country makes. The coins should also be at least 32 mm or larger and not only the largest coin struck for a particular year as some would have. Generally collectors stay away from gold because of the high cost involved but there are no iron clad rules. Also, copper can be collected but not usually. I say the more the merrier so I collect them all. That is one advantage of being a collector by type. You define what you want to collect according to your goals based on one’s resources.
Over the years I have researched many countries to see how many type
coins there are available to collect and for the sake of brevity I will
confine this article to White Metal Crowns. The best type book I found
for U.S. coins is Norman Stack’s work on “U. S. Type Coins, An Illustrated
History of the Federal Coinage”. The book, however, does not go into
much detail on the colonial period but does list some coins as a footnote
in the back of the book. This is where I would like to start. I believe
a good place to start is with the Continental dollar. There are two types
of these. Once spelling has it as “Curency” the other “Currency”.
I would feel lucky enough to find one example of this expensive coin struck
in pewter rather than in silver which is extremely rare. The Redbook lists
the pewter piece at $1300 in good and goes to $19,000 in uncirculated.
Needless to say most people will have to stretch a lot to add even a circulated
piece to their collection if one could be found. Be careful about this
piece and get it authenticated. Many forgeries exist for this type.
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The next type is the 1st silver dollar struck at the new Philadelphia Mint. Stacks Type I dollar is the “Flowing Hair” struck in 1794 and 95. The ’94 is rare in any grade but the ’95 is doable. Mintage levels put these pieces at 203,033 struck of which 2 and 3 leaf varieties are included. Current prices range from $800 in good to $40,000 in uncirculated. Needless to say a well circulated piece provides plenty of challenge for the average collector. Next is the draped bust piece of 1795-98 type 2. Mintage levels are higher for this coin than the 1st silver dollar. This coin starts at $600 in good and goes for around $22,000 uncirculated. That is somewhat better than the last type but still challenging especially in better grades. Following comes the Type 3 Heraldic Eagle of 1798-1804. Everyone should know about the famous restrike 1804 dollar. It is a true American rarity. We will leave this one for the Bowers and Merena crowd. However, the rest of the series leaves a lot of alternatives for the type collector. Coins start at the $350 level in good and go to $15,000 uncirculated.
The Gobrecht pieces form two types. First is the obverse type 4 without stars and next the obverse type 5 with stars. Both patterns are rare and expensive. These are both dream coins and not practical for the average collector. They do look nice though in museum displays or in books that list rarities. It makes for good press much the same as copper 1943 cents or 1913 “V” nickels. The next is type 6 and 7 Seated Liberty dollars. Type 6 is without motto and type 7 with motto. They start at $100 in good to approximately $1000- $15,000 in uncirculated. A high grade circulated piece is probably a good choice for us average collectors on these pieces.
The rest of the large silver U.S. dollars present no problem for the type collector. Type 8 Morgan dollars are abundantly available in all grades and price ranges. Struck from 1878-1921 there are plenty of choices. Peace dollars make up the type 9 and 10. The 1921 is a tougher coin because it was struck in high relief and lower mintages. Prices start at $29 in good and go to $145 in uncirculated or more for a higher uncirculated grade. Nine to ten dollars will buy the lower relief coins from 1922 to 1935 and run to $17-$20 for more common coins in uncirculated. The collector has a lot of leverage in this series as well. Eisenhower dollars present the collector with four types. Type 11 are clad Ikes struck from 1971-78. Type 12 are 40% silver Ikes struck from 1971-74. Type 13 are clad struck in 1975 and 76 for the bicentennial. Type 14 are 40% silver struck for the bicentennial. None of these present a problem and are readily available. The challenge is to find Ikes in high circulated grades. Most of these coins were handled roughly… even the mint set coins. Lately I’ve seen the better coins being sold at good prices by our local dealers. I feel that high grade Ikes will do well in the future and now is the time to buy while prices are reasonable.
Lastly, the Stack’s book list the Trade dollar as a type. These coins
were struck from 1873-85 for trade in the Orient. They were not intended
for general circulation. Price ranges from around $60 in good to $2100
in uncirculated. This is a short list for U.S. silver dollars. I did not
list the commemoratives but they sure could be added to a collection. That’s
what I like about type collecting. Each person sets their goals by designing
a personal acquisition plan. This list does present some good challenges
and would make a nice set for any collector. It also takes us back to our
nation’s infancy and brings us to modern times. The choice is up to us
what to collect. Until the next time “happy hunting”……..Mike Orr.
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December 7th Christmas Auction Lots
Mail bids will be accepted for the December 7th Christmas Auction. MB=
Minimum Bid
LOT#
1. 1888 Morgan Dollar AU
2. 1991-S Kennedy Half Dollar Proof
3. Set of three (3) proof coins: 1963 Proof Washington Quarter/ 1992-S
Proof Roosevelt Dime/ 1993-S Proof Jefferson Nickel.
4. Complete set of ten (10) D mint Statehood Quarters (1999-2000).
5. Complete set of ten (10) P mint Statehood Quarters (1999-2000).
6. 1887 Morgan Dollar PCGS MS63.
7. Set of five (5) Indian Head Cents in Good/Very Good condition: 1903/1904/1905/1906/1907.
8. 1998 1/10 oz. Gold Eagle.
9. 1942 Walking Liberty Half Dollar AU.
10. 1890 Morgan Dollar AU.
11. 1921 Alabama Commemorative 2x2, XF-AU.
12. 1936 Cleveland Commemorative, Ch BU.
13. 1935 Connecticut Commemorative, Ch BU.
14. 1928 Hawaii Commemorative, XF.
15. 1924 Huguenot Commemorative, BU.
16. 1893 Isabella Commemorative Quarter, XF.
17. 1900 Lafayette Commemorative Dollar, AU
18. 1925 Lexington Commemorative, MS63+
19. 1918 Lincoln Commemorative, AU.
20. 1936 Long Island Commemorative, Ch BU.
21. 1921 Missouri Commemorative, XF.
22. 1923 Monroe Commemorative, AU.
23. 1936 Norfolk Commemorative, Ch BU.
24. 1915 Pan Pacific Commemorative, AU.
25. 1920 Pilgrim Commemorative, BU.
26. Six (6) BU Lincoln Cent Rolls: 1966P/ 2 rolls 1968D/ 2 rolls
1975D/ 1975P.
27. Thirteen (13) mixed BU Lincoln cents.
28. 1976-D No Reverse Lincoln Error Cent.
29. 1846 U.S. Large Cent Good condition.
30. 1851 U.S. Large Cent XF40.
31. Set of five (5) Morgan Dollars: 1878-S VF/ 1878-CC F/ 1901-O
VF/ 1921 XF/ 1921-D XF.
32. 1864 Indian Cent Good condition.
33. 1989 Marshall Islands $5/ First Man on the Moon.
34. 1988 Marshall Island $5/ Space Shuttle Discovery.
35. 1880-S U.S. $10 Gold XF40.
36. U.S. 1984 Proof Set.
37. U.S. 1985 Proof Set.
38. Type Set of four (4) Nickel Error Coins.
39. 1964 Half Dollar with 2 tails.
40. 2000 Proof U.S. Sacagawea Dollar.
41. 1971 Proof Bahamas Half Dollar.
42. 1992 English Pound.
43. Photo Mosaic Poster of the U.S. One Dollar.
44. Seven (7) each R.M. Smythe Auction Catalogs (2 with prices realized).
45. Five (5) Ponterio and Associates Auction Catalogs (3 with prices
realized).
46. Twelve (12) Stacks Auction Catalogs (4 with prices realized).
47. Assortment of Catalogs: Seven (7) issues of Celator/ Five (5) issues
of Tom Cederlind catalogs/ Two (2) issues of IBNS 2000 Journal/ Two (2)
Coin Galleries (Stacks) catalogs.
48. 1963 U.S Coins (Blue Book).
49. One (1) each Camera (Projector Lens). Used as a magnifying lens
for coins. Approximately 10x magnification.
50. 1894 Canadian Large Cent AU. MB 25.
51. 1905 Canadian Large Cent AU. MB 18.
52. 1913 Canadian Large Cent AU+. MB 10.
53. 1925 Canadian Small Cent F. MB 9.
54. 1880H Canadian 5 Cent F. MB 8.
55. 1922 Canadian 5 Cent XF. MB 4.
56. 1923 Canadian 5 Cent VF+. MB 4.
57. 1901 Canadian 10 Cent F. MB 8.
58. 1883H Canadian 25 Cent VG+. MB 13.
59. 1931 Canadian 25 Cent VF+. MB 40.
60. 1997 Canadian Specimen 25Cent Coin. MB 3.
61. 1967 Canadian Proof like 50 Cent. MB 3.
62. 1949 Canadian Dollar AU+. MB 30.
63. 1958 Canadian Dollar BU. MB 6.
64. 1883-CC Morgan Dollar VG. MB 28.
65. 1886 Morgan Dollar BU. MB 12.
66. 1889 Morgan Dollar AU. MB 12.
67. 1890 Morgan Dollar AU. MB 12.
68. 1892-S Morgan Dollar VF. MB 22.
69. 1890-S Morgan Dollar BU. MB 30.
70. 1995-D US Commemorative Gymnastics Silver Dollar ICG MS69.
71. 1995-S US Commemorative Proof Basketball Clad Half Dollar ICG PR69
Deep Cameo.
72. 1904-O Morgan Dollar PCGS MS63.
73. 1936 Lincoln Cent NGC MS66 Red.
74. 1954 Washington Quarter NGC MS65.
75. 1956 Washington Quarter PCGS MS66.
76. 1836 Capped Bust Half Dollar VG.
77. 1858 Type II Three Cent Silver VG.
78. 1976 New Zealand Dollar UNC.
79. 1941-D Lincoln Cent NGC MS67 Red.
80. 1941-S Lincoln Cent NGC MS67 Red.
81. 1940-S Lincoln Cent NGC MS67 Red.
82. 1970-S Lincoln Cent Small Date SEGS MS64 Red.
83. 1954-S Washington Quarter NGC MS66.
84. 1970-D Kennedy Half PCGS MS65.
85. 1995-D US Commemorative Gymnastics Silver Dollar in Olympic Games
Holder.
86. 1801 Large Cent (Clip) AG. MB 10
87. 1903 Indian Cent RPD (S-2) AU50. MB 7.50
88. 1864 Two Cent Large Motto RPD and clip XF. MB 19.50
89. 1942-P Mercury Dime Uncirculated/ FSB
90. 1944-S Washington Quarter MS63. MB 12.50
91. 1950-S Washington Quarter Ch BU P/L Obverse. MB 18
92. 1832 Bust Half Dollar AU. MB 140
93. 1958-D Franklin Half Dollar Uncirculated/ FBL. MB 8
94. 1880-S Morgan Dollar MS64 DMPL. MB 69
95. 1881-O Morgan Dollar MS63 DMPL. MB 87
96. 1883-CC Morgan Dollar MS64 DMPL. MB 150
97. 1887-P Morgan Dollar MS63DMPL. MB 32
98. 1921-P Morgan Dollar MS63 P/L. MB 28
99. 1999-P Lincoln Cent Deep Die Cap PCGS MS65 Red. MB
310
100. 1999-P 1c/10c Double Denomination PCGS MS66.
MB 475
101. Love Token. Mercury 10c on a Walking Liberty Half shaped
in the form of a heart. MB 25
102. Scenic Gold Love Token Locket. MB 37.50
103. Middlesex 1795 Conder Token Ch Uncirculated. MB 75
104. Middlesex Conder Token Ch Uncirculated. MB 75
105. CambridgeshireToken Ch Uncirculated. MB 75
106. Middlesex 1795 Conder Token Ch Uncirculated. MB 95
107. 1797 Great Britain 1 Pence Cutout coin. MB 23
108. One (1) BU Roll of 1999-P Delaware State Quarters. MB 35
109. 1796 Half Cent (Copy) Double Struck coin Gem BU. MB 25
110. 1796 $1 (Copy) Cracked die/CUD/ die clashes on coin Gem BU.
MB 125
111. Punic, Carthage, AE20, Obv: Pegasos/ Rev: Palm Tree/ From the
time of Hannibal, VF MB 25
112. Sicily, Syracuse, AE18, 345-317 BC, Obv: Apollo/ Rev: Pegasos/
VF/ SG1199 MB 90
113. Ionia, Ephesos, AE16, 280-258 BC, Obv: Bee/ Rev: Stag/ VF/ SG4406
MB 30
114. Macedon, Autonomous, AE18, 186-165 BC, Obv: Head of River god
Stryman/ Rev: Trident/ F MB 10
115. Egypt, Ptolemy VI, AE29, 180-145 BC, Obv: Zeus Ammon/ Rev: 2 Eagles
on thunderbolt/ VF/ SG7900 MB 40
116. Judea, Alexander Jannaeus, AE Prutah, 103-76 BC, Obv: Anchor/
Rev: Wheel with 8 spokes/ XF/ Example of the “Widow’s Mite” MB 35
117. Rome, Brutus, AR Denarius, 43-42 BC, Obv: Brutus/ Rev: Liberty
Cap 2 daggers/ “Eid Mar” (Ides of March)/ Quality Reproduction
MB 25
118. Rome, Caligula, AE As, 47-41 AD, Obv: Caligula/ Rev: Vesta
seated/ XF MB 200
119. Rome, Nero, AE As, 54-68 AD, Obv: Nero/ Rev: Temple of Janus
with the doors closed/ XF MB 300
120. Rome, Septimius Severus, AR Denarius, Obv: Septimius Denarius/
Rev: Charging Lion/ VF MB 45
121. Celtic, Barbarous Radiate, VF, Celtic copy of Roman coinage
done after the Romans left Britain MB 10
122. India, AR Karshapana, Mauryan, 320-270 BC, F, a punch marked
coin from the ruler Chandragupta MB 6
123. India, AE unit, Indo-Parthian, 20-55 AD, Gondophares, VF
MB 7
124. India, Malabar, Gold Fanam/ 9 mm, 1600-1834 AD/ F
Changalva Rajas MB 15
125. India, AR Damma/ 5 mm , Vijaynagar, 1600 AD/ VF MB
5
126. Parthia, AR Drachm, Volagasses IV, 147-191 AD/ VF
MB 35
127. India, Mysore, Gold Fanam, 1782- 1799 AD, Sultan Tipu, Kalikut
Mint/ XF MB 15
128. India, Kushan, AE Tetradrachm, 55- 105 AD, Soter Megas/
VG MB 5
129. India, Kushan, AE ¼ unit, 143-180 AD, Huvishka/ VG
MB 5
130. India, Malabar, Gold Fanam, 1600- 1834 AD/ XF Changalva
Rajas MB 15
131. Crusades, Richard I (The Lion-Hearted), AR Penny, 1189-1199
AD/ Canterbury Mint/ VF MB 30
132. Crusades, Raymond of Poitiers, Billon Denier, Antioch, 1136-1149
AD/ VF MB 25
133. Crusades, Edward I, AR Penny, Canterbury Mint, 1277-1307
AD/ VF MB 20
134. Foes of the Crusades, Mamluk, Shaban I, ½ Dirham,
1345- 1346 AD/ F MB 5
135. Foes of the Crusades, Ayyubid, al Kamil Muhammed, AE Fals,
1218-1238 AD, Cairo Mint/ VF MB 5
136. Russia, Peter the Great, AR Denga (Wire Money), 1709 AD/ VF
MB 20
137. One roll assorted Jefferson nickels, 1939-59, Good to XF
138. Partial roll of 35 dimes, 22 Mercury, 13 Roosevelt, Fine
to Unc MB 25
139. One roll of assorted Wheat Cents, 1913- 43, VG to XF
140. Lincoln cent collection, 1941-74, complete, VF to Unc
141. Partial collection of Lincoln cents, 1941- 71, Good to AU
142. New Whitman Holder for Jefferson nickels (Starting 1962)
143. Partial collection of Buffalo nickels, 1913-38, Good to
AU
144. 1913-D Variety I Buffalo nickel in XF40 condition
MB 10
145. 1985-P Quarter, ANACS MS-62 Broadstruck
146. 1916 Japanese 10 sen PCGS MS-67
147. Proof 1989-S Kennedy Half
148. Proof 1898-S Washington Quarter
149. 2000 Concept Dollar by Gallery Mint, Piedfort type, Flowing
Hair Liberty Variety MB 25
Members wishing to submit coins or numismatic items for the Christmas Coin Auction should contact either Larry Nakata (eves: 563-1729) or Loren Lucason (eves: 272-3700).
Club Archivist/ Photographer
Robin Sisler
DUES
The Anchorage Coin Club is a non-profit organization formed to provide information, education, and a meeting place for individuals having an interest in numismatics.
Correspondence Address: Anchorage Coin Club, P.O. Box 230169, Anchorage,
Alaska 99523
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