COINage Collector's Yearbook 2015

72 Pages·11.809 MB·English

by  Ed Reiter (sen. ed.)

2015 COIN MARKET FORECAST
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FEATURING:
THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF COIN COLLECTING
AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL QUARTERS
50TH ANNIVERSARY OF A 50-CENT PIECE
DOLLAR COINS IN BASE METALS AND BULLION
www.coinagemag.com
Issue code: 2015-46 Yearbook 2014: THE YEAR IN REVIEW
Display until 04/21/15
$5.99 U S
46 WORLD COINS
NUMISMATIC BOOKS
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COIINNaaggee
On the Cover: Experts predict
coin market trends for 2015
(p. 22).The Kennedy half
dollar turned 50 in 2014
(p. 44). The signifi cant
numismatic events of 2014
are reviewed (p. 8). (Photos
COLLECTOR’S courtesy the U.S. Mint)
YEARBOOK
2015
88
The Coin Year in Review .........................................8
A look back at the signifi cant events of 2014
by Mike Thorne, Ph.D.
The Wonderful World of Coin Collecting ..............16
16
2015 hails some landmark coin anniversaries
by Joshua McMorrow-Hernandez
Market Summary ...................................................22
Experts forecast a strong year for silver and gold
by Ed Reiter
25-Cent Tributes to America the Beautiful ...........28
Five national parks were honored in 2014
by Ron Meyer 28
Exploiting Kennedy ...............................................44
A tarnished tribute to a golden anniversary
by Ed Reiter
Base Metal and Bullion Dollar Coins .....................48
2014 releases honor presidents, spouses and Native Americans
by Ron Meyer
Numismatic Books ................................................54 6622
Recommendations for your coin-collecting library
by Mike Thorne, Ph.D.
The World of World Coins .....................................62
Interest focuses on non-circulating legal tender
by David T. Alexander
EDITORIAL
ED REITER Senior Editor
SUBSCRIPTION Q UESTIONS?
LYNN VARON Managing Editor
CALL [phone]
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Ogrna prhairce eorcrcoarssi ooncsc, uinr aidnv ecroteinn t ptryipceos- DAVID T. ALEXANDER, TOM DELOREY,
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KATHY’S SPECIAL SET SELECTIONS
CH/GEM BU FRANKLIN GOOD & BETTER
CH/GEM BU
HALF DOLLAR SET WALKING LIBERTY
MERCURY DIME SETS
1948-1963 P D S set grading a HALF DOLLAR SET
1934-1940 P D S set grading a
minimum of MS-63. Lustrous, 1916-1947 P D S complete set
minimum of MS-63. Lustrous,
brilliant 35-coin set housed in a grading Good to AU. Well-
brilliant 20-coin set housed in
custom Dansco album. matched 65-coin set housed
a Dansco album from 1916.
$715.00 $409.00 in a custom Dansco album.
$1420.00
1941-1945 P D S short set grading
CH/GEM BU
a minimum of MS-63. Lus trous, CHOICE AU-BU
WASHINGTON brilliant 15-coin set housed in a
FRANKLIN HALF DOLLAR SET
QUARTER SET custom Capital Plastic holder.
1941-1964 P D S short set grading $136.00 1948-1963 P D S set grading
a minimum of MS-63. Lustrous, AU-BU. Brilliant, lustrous
brilliant 61-coin set housed in a 35-coin set housed in a
CH BU WALKING LIBERTY
Dansco album from 1932. custom Dansco album.
HALF DOLLAR SETS
$815.00 $495.00
1934-1940 P D S set grading
MS-63. Lustrous, brilliant
CH/GEM BU
19-coin set housed in a Dans-
ROOSEVELT DIME SET CHOICE AU/BU
co album from 1916.
1946-1964 P D S set grading a $2,770.00 WALKING LIBERTY
minimum of MS-63. Lustrous, HALF DOLLAR SET
brilliant 48-coin set housed in 1941-1947 P D S short set 1941-1947 P D S set grading
a Dansco album. grading MS-63. Lustrous, AU/BU. Brilliant, lustrous
$230.00 brilliant 20-coin set housed in a 20-coin set housed in a
custom Dansco album. custom Dansco album.
$760.00 $425.00

CH/GEM BU JEFFERSON
1941-1947 P D S set grad-
NICKEL SET ing MS-64. Lustrous, nicely CHOICE EF & AU MERCURY
1938-1964 P D S set grading struck, brilliant 20-coin set DIME SETS
a minimum of MS-63. housed in a custom Dansco
Well-matched 71-coin set album. $1025.00 Choice original problem-free
housed in a Dansco album. uncleaned EF; lustrous brilliant
$420.00 AU. Housed in a Dansco album
CH/GEM BU & PR SUSAN B.
from 1916 Nice!
ANTHONY DOLLAR SET
1979-1999 P D S set
CH/GEM BU LINCOLN CENT SET grading a minimum of MS/ 1934 - 1945 PDS Set EF $151.75
1934-1964 P D S set grading PR-63. Brilliant 18-coin set 1934 - 1945 PDS Set AU $254.00
a minimum of MS-63. Well- housedin a custom Dansco
matched, no heavy spot set album. Includes both Type 2
housed in a Dansco album from and 1979-P Near Date. CHOICE EF WALKING LIBERTY
1909. $286.00 HALF DOLLAR SET
$285.00
1934-1947 P D S set grading CH EF.
CH/GEM BU & PR Well-matched high-end circ 39-coin set housed in
EISENHOWER DOLLAR SET a Dansco album from 1916.
CH BU BUFFALO NICKELS SETS 1971-1978 P D S set grading $835.50
a minimum of MS/PR-63. 1941-1947 P D S short set
1934-1938 P D S set grading Brilliant 32-coin set housed in grading CH EF. Well-matched
MS-63. Brilliant, well-matched a custom Dansco album. high-end circ 20-coin set housed
12-coin set housed in a custom
$222.00 in a custom Dansco album.
Capital Plastic holder.
$304.00
$489.00
TERMS OF SALE: 1) Payment terms: U.S. Post Office and American Express money orders shipped quickest. ALL OTHER CHECKS MUST
CLEAR THREE WEEKS. 2) We accept MasterCard, VISA and Discover. We need the issuing bank, bank’s city and state, card number,
expiration date. No credit cards on $20 gold pcs. 3) No PA sales tax on coins & bullion. 4) Postage and Handling Fees: $5.00 on orders
1934-1938 P D S set grad - less than $500.00; orders over $500 shipped Postage Paid. Bullion items are/or boxed items may be charged an additional fee. Actual
ing MS-64. Lustrous, nice- postage fees non-refundable. 5) Guarantee: All items guaranteed genuine. All returns must be by mail. All returns must be postmarked
ly struck 12-coin set housed within fifteen (15) days of receipt. Any attempted alterations or exemptions of above policy are null and void. Most items can be returned
for any reason including grading. No return on bullion-related items. Grading 41 years experience. No warranty expressed or implied is
in a custom Capital Plastic
made with respect to descriptions which can and do vary among grading experts. Please do compare our quality with coins you purchase
holder. elsewhere. Let us know if you can find comparable quality for less. 6) All returns must be in original holders, unopened and undamaged.
$649.00 All exchanges or returns are processed within 15 days. Coins removed from original holder, by you or another party, are not returnable
for any reason. 7) Complete terms of sale upon written request.
JoJhohnn P Paauull SSaarroossii,, IInncc..
PEACE SILVER DOLLAR SET
1921-1935 P D S set 106 M 10A6R MKAERTK ESTT SRTEREEETT J OJHOHNNSSTTOOWWNN PPAA 1 519509101
grading VF to BU with
the 1928-P CH AU! FFreReE Eis sIsuseu eo fo fl aLtaetests tc Caattaalloogg ue KAKTAHTYH YS ASRAORSOISI HOURHSO:U ORpSe: n1 09 aamm t ot oa apppproroxx. .9 9p mp m
2cu4s-ctoomin Dseat nhsocuos aedlb iunm a. witwhi tehv Eevreyr yow rOdredwre.r. w.s aJOJOHrHNNo P PAsAUULi LS cASARRoOOSISiIns.cMoMonon-mF.-rFi;r i. , SSaatt . 1100a mam
www.sarosicoins.com
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GUARANTEE.
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authenticity of every coin it certifies.
IMPARTIALITY.
NGC graders do not buy or sell coins.
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VALUE.
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THE
COIN
YEAR
The National Baseball Hall of Fame commemorative set
IN REVIEW
A Look Back at the
Signifi cant Events of
2014
by Mike Thorne, Ph.D. decline took gold to a low of $1,243
on June 3. Another period of ascent
I
ssllaammiicc SSttaattee CCoonnqquueerrss VVaasstt TTeerrrriittoorryy iinn IIrraaqq..”” took it to a peak of $1,340 on July
10, which was followed by a gradual
“Ebola Kills Thousands in West Africa.”
decline to its present value.
“Ebola Comes to Texas.”
Silver began 2014 at $19.94, achieved
“School Shootings in Washington State.” a peak of $21.85 on Feb. 26 and then
fell to $18.76 on June 4. Another rise in
So screamed news headlines in late 2014.
values took the price to $21.50 on July
But what about the news from the world of coins? 10, but it has been falling ever since,
It’s time for another look back. with today’s value at $16.39. Relative to
the year’s opening price, silver’s value
Although it has little relevance for As I’m writing this in late 2014, has fallen nearly 18 percent.
many of the coins we collect, activity the price is about $1,196—for a At its current value of $1,202 per
in the bullion market has a great infl u- loss of a little more than 2 percent ounce, platinum is nearly on par with
ence on the coin market as a whole. in value. gold. Platinum began the year at
Unfortunately, the news for 2014 was A graph of the year’s activity shows $1,388, so it has fallen slightly more
not particularly good. that the price of gold rose gradually than 15 percent.
Using London closing prices, gold early in the year, hitting a peak of Although bullion values fl uctuated NT
MI
began the year at $1,225 per ounce. $1,385 on March 14. A period of throughout the year, basically they US
8 www.coinagemag.com COINage
Year in Review.indd 8 1/8/15 2:12 PM
Another incredibly popular Mint than $1 million ($1.41 million) was
product was the three-quarter-ounce a unique 1882 $500 Gold Certifi cate,
gold Kennedy half dollar, which com- graded VF-35 by the Professional
memorated the 50th anniversary of Coin Grading Service (PCGS).
the Kennedy half dollar. I’ll say more The good vibe in the market contin-
about this in the next section. ued into the ANA’s National Money
A Mint product that didn’t fare Show in Atlanta in late February and
well at auction—in fact didn’t make early March. Free admission, free
it to auction—was a 1974-D alumi- appraisals and the fi rst public exhibi-
num cent that was slated to cross the tion of a recently discovered hoard of
auction block at the Central States gold coins (the Saddle Ridge Hoard)
Numismatic Society convention in led to the highest attendance at the
April. This coin was expected to bring event in four years.
“a quarter-million dollars or more,” In March, the Chicago Paper Money
according to Tod Imhof, executive vice Expo was equally well attended, with
president of Heritage Auctions. positive results reported by dealers at
Unfortunately for Heritage and the the show. According to convention
coin’s owners, the Mint decided it chairman Scott Tappa: “To a person,
wanted the coin back, despite the fact every dealer we talked with had a
that it had no record the piece was ever good show buying, selling or both.
minted. The owners fi led suit to retain Friday’s attendance was as good as
their ownership, and the cent was with- it’s ever been, and there was a strong
drawn from the sale pending litigation. crowd from beginning to end.”
Collector coins and better-date mate-
did so in a narrow range. In other *** rial sold well at the Central States
words, the proper conclusion might Numismatic Society convention held
be that the values of gold, silver and The coin market opened 2014 on in late April in Schaumburg, Illinois.
platinum treaded water in 2014. Any a high note, with Heritage Auctions However, a common complaint at the
changes in collector buying and sell- reporting sales of more than $100 mil- show was the attendance. “A few more
ing probably had little to do with lion worth of coins and currency in bodies would have been nice,” said
activity in the bullion market. the week from Jan. 5-12 in Orlando, Mike Schiller of Allouez, Wisconsin, a
Florida and New York City. Said Greg sentiment echoed by Gus Tiso of Salis-
*** Rohan, president of Heritage Auctions: bury, Maryland: “My business was fi ne,
“The number of records broken during but the show was not well attended.”
The U.S. Mint offered a variety the fi rst full week of 2014 is unprec- Attendance records were “shat-
of interesting products during 2014. edented in the history of numismatics. tered” at the May 2-4 Pacifi c North-
One of its most successful issues These results show numismatics is a west Numismatic Association show,
honored one of America’s favorite vibrant and thriving hobby.” according to the show’s general
pastimes: baseball. The National Two coins alone went for a total of chairman, Kevin Charboneau. The
Baseball Hall of Fame commemo- nearly $8 million. These were a Brasher 85-table bourse was sold out and the
rative set, honoring the 75th anni- doubloon ($4.58 million) and a 1913 show was “hot, hot, hot,” said Bourse
versary of the Cooperstown shrine, Liberty Head nickel ($3.29 million). A Chairman Scott Loos, adding: “Deal-
consisted of a $5 gold piece, a silver rare Saint-Gaudens double eagle, the ers on the whole were upbeat and well
dollar and a clad half dollar, with all 1927-D, graded MS-66 by the Numis- pleased with the buying public.”
three issued in both uncirculated and matic Guaranty Corporation of Amer- Decent attendance was reported at
proof versions. ica (NGC), sold for $1,997,500. the ANA’s World’s Fair of Money
With maximum mintages of 50,000 Currency winners included an 1890 convention held in Rosemont, Illi-
for the gold coin, 400,000 for the silver $1,000 Treasury note known as the nois in early August. Part of this
dollar and 750,000 for the clad half dol- “Grand Watermelon note” because of was attributable to the opportunity
lar, the precious metals pieces quickly the shape of the large zeroes on its to purchase some of the early-release
NT sold out, with only the clad half dollars reverse. This famous rarity brought Kennedy commemorative gold half
MI
US still listed on the Mint’s website. $3.29 million. Also selling for more dollars I mentioned previously. The
Yearbook 2015 9
Year in Review.indd 9 1/8/15 2:13 PM
1974-D aluminum cent Brasher doubloon
Mint intended to sell its 2,500-coin *** Heritage’s Eric P. Newman Col-
allotment at the show to 2,500 differ- lection IV sale in May saw a 1776
ent buyers, but this didn’t happen. After the summer ANA conven- Continental dollar graded MS-63 by
Instead, some dealers hired proxies to tion, the coin market softened in the NGC and a 1792 silver-center cent
stand in line for hours for tickets allow- wake of stagnant bullion prices. Inter- graded MS-63+ Brown by NGC sell
ing them to buy the Kennedy coins. viewed for a newspaper article at the for $1.41 million apiece. There were
Also, several dealers offered to pay times, Jack Beymer of Santa Rosa, no million-dollar sellers in the New-
amounts well beyond what the Mint California, said: “It seems to me that man Collection V sale, held in early
was charging in order to purchase the the coin market is in an ebb. My guess November, but the $10.4-million take
early Kennedy coins. The effect of all is that it’s at a low.” brought the total for the fi rst fi ve sales
this was that other dealers at the show By the time of the New York PNG to nearly $55 million.
were less than thrilled with their sales. (Professional Numismatists Guild)
Said Col. Steve Ellsworth of Clifton, show in early October, the situa- ***
Virginia: “The half dollar was a huge tion had not improved. According
distraction. Not only did it discour- to Harry Miller, of Miller’s Mint in In news from the American Numis-
age the true collector, it sucked all the Maryville, Tennessee: “Reports from matic Association (ANA), the budget
cash off the fl oor.” the recent New York PNG show were for the fi scal year 2013-14 was passed
“This ANA was an absolute disas- unsatisfactory. I was told dealers were during a teleconference meeting of
ter,” according to Gus Tiso, who cited sitting around mostly talking to each the Board of Governors in Decem-
security concerns, among others. The other and trying to trade off items ber 2013. The $6.36-million budget
security problems eventually caused that were unsold for something fresh.” requires the use of nearly $750,000
the Mint to suspend sales of the coins, Famous rarities sold at auction during from board-designated reserves.
which led Brad Karoleff of Cincin- the year often stimulated strong bid- Said Executive Director Kimberly
nati, Ohio to say: “At least we didn’t ding. In addition to Heritage’s million- Kiick: “We are investing in a new, state-
have to trip over the gold half dollar dollar sellers mentioned previously, two of-the-art website and database that
buyers for the last couple of days.”  half cents that were part of the Mis- will help us grow our membership and
What some dealers viewed as a souri Cabinet Collection sold for more fulfi ll our educational mission. The goal
disaster proved to be a boon for oth- than $1 million apiece in a late January is to reduce the reliance on … reserves
ers, as holders of the ANA-purchased Ira and Larry Goldberg auction held in over the next three to fi ve years.” To
Kennedy gold halves found their Los Angeles. One was a 1794 Liberty help the website project, Adam Crum
convention-certifi ed coins worth far Cap half cent graded MS-67 RB by of Monaco Rare Coins in Newport
more than they paid for them—ini- PCGS ($1,150,000) and the other was Beach, California donated $50,000 at
tially, at least. According to Dave an 1811 graded PCGS MS-66 RB with the summer ANA convention.
Hendrickson, owner of SilverTowne a CAC sticker ($1,121,250). Heirs of George O. Walton, onetime
in Winchester, Indiana: “We sold the At the Stack’s Bowers Galleries auc- owner of a 1913 Liberty Head nick-
fi rst coin purchased at the Chicago tion held on Aug. 8 at the World’s Fair el, donated $100,000 to the ANA to
ANA show for $100,000.” The second of Money, an 1804 Class III silver establish the George Walton Grant to
through sixth ones purchased also dollar graded PR-55 by NGC realized support ANA’s Diploma Program. The
GS
brought big bucks, he said. $1.88 million. Diploma Program consists of six corre- C
P
10 www.coinagemag.com COINage
Year in Review.indd 10 1/8/15 2:13 PM