E-Gobrecht, vol.7, no. 11

2011·2.9 MB·English

Liberty Seated
The E-Gobrecht Collectors Club
2011 Volume7,Issue11
TheElectronicNewsletteroftheLIBERTYSEATEDCOLLECTORSCLUB
November2011(Whole#82)
AuctionNews 2
SeatedFest 2011 this month! byJimGray
LSCCPresidentJohn 2
McCloskeysched-
Fans of Liberty Seated coinage will not want to miss the November ulessurgery;
GobrechtJournal
Whitman Baltimore show,November 17-19 at the Baltimore Con-
delayed!
vention Center. The LSCC will be holding forth with a massive ex-
Designconcepts 3,4
hibition of Liberty Seated coinage featuring highlights from the fol- wantedfor40thAnni-
versarymedal
lowing collections:
byDennisFortier
SeatedPonderings&
Half Dimes: The “Mr. Half Dime” Collection
More 3
Dimes: The Gerry Fortin Collection byPaulKluth
Double Dimes: The John Frost Collection
UpcomingLSCC 4
Quarters: Selections from Classic Silver and Chicago Collections events
Half Dollars: The Bill Bugert Collection RegionalNews 5
byGerryFortin
Seated Dollars: The MnS Joint Venture
Trade Dollars: The Crypto79 Collection TheBudgetCollec- 6
tor:Nineteenthina
Series
We are planning for a fifteen case display, and no matter what you byLenAugsburger
collect there should be something of interest to you. Apart from the
QuarteroftheMonth 7,6
coins, this is great opportunity to meet and network with other set byGregJohnson
builders. In our recollection, there has never been a similar exhibit ChangingDemand: 8-
TheCaseforLiberty 10
of Liberty Seated coinage, with the exception of auction lot viewings
SeatedCoinage
such as Eliasberg, Richmond, etc. byDennisFortier
Advertisements 11
As usual, the LSCC will also meet at a regional meeting on Friday,
Clubinformation 12
November 18th, at 9A.M. in Room 329. See the full show schedule
at:
http://www.whitmanexpo.com/contentPages/Schedule_Baltimore.as
px
TheE-GobrechtisatwiceawardwinninginformalelectronicpublicationoftheLibertySeatedCollectorsClub(LSCC).
TheLSCCisanon-profitorganizationdedicatedtotheattributionsoftheLibertySeatedCoinseries. TheLSCCpro-
videstheinformationcontainedinthisemailnewsletterfromvarioussourcesfreeofchargeasageneralserviceto
themembershipandotherswiththisnumismaticinterest. YoudonothavetobeaLSCCmembertobenefitfromthis
newsletter;subscriptiontotheE-Gobrechtisavailabletoanyone. Alldisclaimersareineffectasthecompleteness
and/oraccuracyoftheinformationcontainedhereincannotbecompletelyverified. Contactinformationisincludedat
onthelastpage.
Page2 The E-Gobrecht
Auction News
by Jim Gray, LSCC #664
TheHeritage Pittsburgh sale halves inXF40 andAU50respectivelyrealized
was theonlyauctionin Octo- $2,185and$4,169. Anevengray1870-CC inVF35
ber. soaredto$8,924. An1873Open3inVF35hit
$6,325. Arelativelylargenumberofthis datehas
An1860-OdimeinF15 and beensoldat auctionintherecent past. 1873-CC no
choiceforthe gradewent for arrows halves inVF30 andAU55went for$2,499
$2,300whilean1862-S inVF35soldfor$1,150. and$8,625. An1873-CC witharrows inAU55and
anicecoinhit $4,313. An1878-S inAG3soldfor
Asplendid1853noarrowquarterinMS67 anamazing$28,750. Most oftheperimeter was
soaredto$21,850. Anatural gray1858-S quarter in wornflat but thediagnostictinewas visible. No
XF40soldfor$2,990whileasolid1859-S inVF30 otherSeatedcoinhas eversoldforthat muchinthis
soldfor$2,530. AG3grade.
An1842-Osmall datehalfinVF20soldfor An1872-CC dollarinVF35hit $4,888.00.
$2,760whilean1844-O doubledateinAU50ham-
meredfor$4,600. An1847/6inXF45went forthe
sum of$9,488. AU50andAU581856-S halves
went for$1,955and$5,606respectfully. An1857-S
inAU53soldfor$2,530. Two1866-S nomotto
LSCC President John McCloskey
schedules surgery;
Gobrecht Journal delayed!
Perhis request,JohnMcCloskeyrequests the years, Johntakes great prideintheJournal andhis
LSCC membershipbeinformedofhis immediate efforts reflect his careandconcern. His surgeryand
healthconcernandits impact onthepublicationof arecent computer crash that causedhim torewrite a
theNovember2011issue oftheGobrecht Journal. fewarticles impact thenormal scheduleoftheNo-
vemberissue. Johnexpects tofinalizetheedition
Johnwas recentlydiagnosedwithprostrate duringhis recoverybut its distribution/mailingwill
cancer. Heis scheduledtohaveit surgicallyre- bedelayeduntil at least thefirst week ofDecember.
movedduringthe weekofNovember14thwithan This is adelayofafew weeks from what themem-
immediaterecoveryperiodexpectedthrutheend of bershipusuallyexpects.
November. His conditionis not lifethreateningand
his outlookforarecoveryis good. PleasekeepJohnin your thoughts and
prayers andwell wishers maycontact him viahis
As manyof youknow,Johnis solelyrespon- postal address at: JohnMcCloskey
sibleforthelayout,editing,publishing, anddistribu- 5718KingArthurDrive
tionoftheGobrecht Journal. As inall theprevious Kettering,OH45429.
2011 Volume 7,Issue 11(November 2011) Page3
Seated Ponderings & More
By Paul Kluth, LSCC #1994
Anysubscriber cansubmitquestionsor commentsrelated toany numismatic topic re-
garding LibertySeated Collecting. Send in your thoughtsdirectly to theEditor at
[email protected]
This Month’s Question:
WhatisthemostunusualorsurpriseLibertySeatedcointhatyouhave
found? Isitsomethingyoudidn'texpectorsomethingdifferentfromwhat
younormallycollect?
Any ideas out there??
Design concepts wanted for 40th Anniversary medal
by Dennis Fortier, LSCC #2016
At theannual LSCC meetinginChicagoasurveyof Thedesignsymbols shoulddelineatewhowe
members present indicatedahighinterest indoinga are,what themilestoneis that wearecommemorat-
medal tocommemoratethe40thAnniversaryofthe ing,and anyoneor anything(suchas the Gobrecht
LSCC. Acommitteeofclubleaders (Bill Bugert, Journalforan example)wewish tohonor.
Len Augsburger,GerryFortin,andDennis Fortier) is
preparedtoseethis worthwhileproject through. At thePhiladelphiaRegional LSCC meeting
last month, Isuggested a somewhat different rendi-
Thefirst andmost important stepinthis proc- tionofthe LibertySeated designtomembers at the
ess is todecideonthedesignwe wish tohaveon our meetingandit was, Ibelieve,well received. This
medal. This is where youcomein. Withoverfive does not meananythinghas beensettledinthis re-
hundredmembers thereshouldbenoshortageof gard,but it does giveus astartingpoint fordiscus-
ideas. Iwas recentlyinvolvedinasimilareffort sion. The LibertySeated designhas beendonemany
withmylocal club. Several ideas from different times; therefore Iproposeweoffset Libertytothe
peopleculminatedinawell thought out medal that left eliminatingtherock shesits onandbringthe
symbolizedourclub,its goals and aspirations, and basedowntothebottom ofthemedal. Daniel Carr
thelocalityweserve. Thegreatertheparticipation ofMoonlight Mint believes inthis wayhecanmag-
ofthemembers, the greaterourchances fora well nifyorincrease Liberty's sizebyas muchas 20%.
designedmedal. Ontheright edgefrom 11or12o'clocktoabout 4
(Continuedonpage4)
Page4 The E-Gobrecht
logo(dimewreath) wouldnot servethis purposeif
(Continuedfrompage3)
weusetheoffset Liberty. Dansuggestedthe eagle
o'clockwe couldhave LibertySeatedCollectors ontheHalfDollaroffset. Idonot thinkthis would
Cluborstars ifweprefer. Ifwekeepit simple,and beastaticallypleasing. Sowewouldneedsomein-
without anydates, wecanreusetheobversedie for put onthis at theveryleast. Perhaps wecouldhonor
the50thanniversaryand/orunifacepresentation theGobrecht Journal withabooklikeform saying
pieces. Gobrecht Journal,andoppositehavetheotherbusi-
ness ofthemedal (40th anniversary1973-2013, club
president names(?),missionstatement,oranything
elseappropriate). These ideas aresuggestions toget
thediscussionstarted. If youlikethem tell us, ifnot
tell us that as well. If youhaveothersuggestions
pleasemakethem.
There aremanyotheraspects ofthis project
that needtobeexplored suchas satinfinish and/or
proofs, gold,silver,copper,metals, costs andfinanc-
ingamongothers. Theywill bedealt withat alater
time. First wemust decideonadesignforour
medal,todothat weneed yourinput. If youdon’t
takethetroubletojoininthediscussion,evenjust to
tell us what youlikeordislike,theprocess becomes
Draftconceptualization moreleadershipdrivenandless memberdriven. We
want andneed yourideas tomakethis thebest medal
wecanmake. Please contact myself(Dennis Fortier
It wouldbebest tousea designonthe re- email [email protected])oroneofthe Anniver-
versethat has its highpoints oppositeoftheobverse sarymedal committeemembers with yourideas.
forstrikingquality. Myoriginal thought ofthe club
Upcoming LSCC Events
Semi-Annual BayStateCoin Show, Boston,MA,regional meeting,November 12,3P.M.,
Carver Ball room (Note: this is atimechangefrom that previouslyannounced). Pleasecontact Dennis For-
tierformoreinformation at [email protected].
Whitman Coin and Collectibles Expo,Baltimore,MD,regional meetingandSeatedFest 2011,
November 18,9A.M.,Room 329. Pleasecontact LenAugsburgerformoreinformationat
[email protected]. TheSeatedFest 2011will befrom November 17-19 seedetails on
page1.
November2011Gobrecht Journal. Tobemailedafew weeks lateinearlyDecember2011; see
details onpage2.
2011 Volume 7,Issue 11(November 2011) Page5
Regional News
by Gerry Fortin, LSCC #1054
Dear fellow LSCC members, hopetodiscuss afewstatistics concerningthe grow-
ingregional meetings trendduring2010-2011 and
It is amazinghowquickly2011 theimpact toclubmembershiprates.
has passedinfront ofour eyes
with2012appearingquicklyon Novemberbrings tworegional meeting
thehorizon. Buildingupona events toclubmembers; November12- Boston Bay
successful 2011regional meetingprogram is achal- StateShowandNovember18- WhitmanBaltimore
lengefacingourregional directorteam and LSCC CoinExpo. Clearlythereis substantial publicity
executiveleadership. It is mypleasuretoinform concerningSeatedFest at theWhitmanBaltimore
clubmembers that 2012regional meetingplanningis showandlittlecanbeaddedtothis topicotherthan
underwayandafirst draft oftargetedmajorshows statingmyintentions tobeat Baltimorefrom the
canbefound ontheclub website 16ththroughendofday19th. Aftersix weeks of
(www.lsccweb.org). The regional directors aredi- business travel,afewdays at Baltimorewith LSCC
gestinginputs onthebest majorshows foravailabil- friends will beawelcomedtreat.
ityof LibertySeatedmaterial andattendancebyse-
ries specialist as variables forsettingthe2012sched- Forthe BostonBayStateShow,Dennis For-
ule. At least one2011venuemaybeclosingso tieris onceagainteamingwithJohnFrost andthe
shiftingmeetings toothershows withinaregionis BCCS forjoint displaytables andacombined re-
beingdiscussed. Westrivetobalanceclubmember gional meeting. Clearlythecloseassociationbe-
attendanceat regional meetings alongwithawell tweenthe LSCC andBCCS expands ourtargeted
plannedandeducational program; thesearethe right audience at regional meetings andensures anin
ingredients formemorable LSCC regional sessions. depthnumismaticevent. Dennis writes: “At Boston,
the LSCC regional meetingwill beat 3P.M. onSat-
Anotherpositiveresult ofthe2011regional urdayNovember12thintheCarver Ballroom. Iwill
directoreffort lies withnewmember recruiting. begivingapresentationonBuildingaShort Set of
Thoughthe clubstill experiences aturnoverofclub Carson CityHalf Dollars onaBudget. Themeeting
members, webelievethat 2011recruitingresults are andtablewill beinconjunctionwiththeBarberCoin
astepintheright directorforbalancingthat turn- Collectors Society.”
over. IntheDecemberRegional News edition, I
(ChangingDemand:TheCaseofLSCoinageContinuedfrompage10) always berare”still holds, but don’t confusedemand
withrarity. If youdoit couldbecostly. Collectors
Thefutureofotherlater series it canbe arguedis anddealers interestedinlearningmore about theex-
less sure. The anticipatedreductioninthefuture col- citingfutureof LibertySeatedcoinagecanfindthe
lectorbase canreasonablybelookeduponas athreat LibertySeatedCollectors Clubonthewebat
tothepricestabilityof certaindemandsensitiveis- http://www.lsccweb.org/.
sues andseries. Dealers might taketherecent loses
invalueofmanyissues as atemporarymarket set
backbut Iargueit could bejust theopeningsalvoin
alongerwarofattrition. Theoldsawthat “Rare will
Page6 The E-Gobrecht
The Budget Collector:
Seated Deals & Steals
Under a Hundred Dollars
NineteenthinaSeries
by Len Augsburger, LSCC #1271
[Editor:Nocolumnthismonth-withallthegreatworkonhislatestbookandtheco-
ordinationfortheSeatedFest,Lenneedssometimeoff!He’llbebacknextmonth.]
(QuarteroftheMonthContinuedfrompage7)
Themost reliablediagnosticis adielumponadenticle
neartheoliveleaves. Thelumpis veryprominent and
is evident evenonverylow-gradecoins (Figure5 at
left). Anotherinterestingvarietyofthis reverseis the
latediestate(makingup about 10%oftheknown ex-
amples)that has significant damagetotheshield
(Figure6below).
Takecareinbuyingraw examples of
this variety. It is best to obtainthem from a
knowledgeable andreliabledealer; but if you
areprospectingthelocal shows takeacopyof
Briggs1 with you,oran1842-O LargeDate
coinforcomparison, or maybeeven acopyof
this column.
References:
Briggs, Larry. TheComprehensiveEn-
cyclopediaof UnitedStates LibertySeated
Quarters. Lima OH: 1991.
Images courtesyofHeritageArchives.
2011 Volume 7,Issue 11(November 2011) Page7
Quarter of the Month
by Greg Johnson, LSCC #1460
The1842-OSmall Date(PCGS canbenoted eitherbycountingthenumberofdenti-
Coin#5403)was recognizedas a cles belowthedateorbynotingwherethedate
majorvarietyas earlyas 1881, “begins”and “ends” withrespect tothefigureof
whenit was cataloguedinJohn Liberty.
Haseltine’s TypeTable. During
2007-2008the LSCC member- Aquickerand equallyreliableattribution
shipvotedit number6onthelist ofgreatest New point is theflagofthe1, showninFigure3forthe
Orleans LibertySeatedcoins. Thoughthereisn’t too LargeDate(belowleft) andFigure4forthesmall
muchtosayabout the1842-OSmall Datethat hasn’t date(below right). Note thedifferences inthe flag
alreadybeensaid at least once, Ithought it might be
useful tolookindetail at howtoattributetheissue.
It seems, particularlyat local shows, that 1842-O
LargeDatequarters areregularlylabeled as Small
Dates andpricedaccordingly.
Obverse
Onewaytoidentifytheobversedieis the
sizeofthedate,just as onewouldexpect from the
name. This is, however, farmoredifficult thanit
might seem without a LargeDateinhandfordirect
comparison. Figure1(below)shows thedateofan
ofthe1. The LargeDate has alongerflagthat
comes toapoint; whereas, theSmall Datehas a
shorter,stubbierflag.
Reverse
Fiveofthesix reverses knownforthe1842-
O Large Datehavemint markpositions that arequite
different from the1842-OSmall Date. One Large
Datereversediehas asimilarmintmarkposition,
1842-O LargeDateand Figure2(below)shows the makingaquickcheckof mintmarkpositioninade-
quateforidentifyingthe Small Datediepair.
[Continuedonpage6]
dateofan1842-OSmall Date. Thesizedifference (Continuedonpage6)
Page8 The E-Gobrecht
Changing Demand:
The Case for Liberty Seated Coinage
by Dennis Fortier, LSCC #2016
Northeast Regional Director
Liberty Seated Collectors Club
[Editor’s note: Dennis recentlysubmittedthis inter- EverySeatedseries has its challenges and are
estingandinformativearticlefor theconsideration not forthefaint ofheart. LibertySeatedHalfDimes
of theCoinDealers Newsletter. Headditionallyof- andDimes have extremelylowmintages of14,000
feredit totheE-Gobrecht readers whodon’t sub- orless out ofPhiladelphiaaftertheCivil War. The
scribetotheCDN achancetoview it. Nicejob, TwentyCent piecelasted onlyfour years but ofthe
Dennis!] sevenissues onlyonehas amintageaboveonemil-
lion,threeissues areunderfortythousand, andfi-
HistoricallyLibertySeatedcoinagehas been a nallytherearetwoProof onlyissues totalingless
largelyforgottenseries inAmerican coincollecting. thanonethousandpieces. LibertySeatedQuarters
Heavilycollectedseries likeMorganDollars, Stand- werethe workhorseoftheirdayand are considered
ingQuarters, Mercurydimes, andWalkingHalf Dol- themost difficult ofall the LibertySeatedseries.
lars tendtoseehigherprices forissues that areno- Duetotheheavyusageandanunbelievable forty-
wherenear as rareas several LibertySeatedissues. threeissues withamintageofless thanonehundred
Otherseries like Bust coinagehaveseen a great deal thousandit’s not hardtounderstandtheirstatus as
ofstudy,but priortothe formationofthe Liberty themost difficult series. LibertySeatedHalfDollars
SeatedCollectors Club(1973)almost noresearch areperhaps themost popularofall the Liberty
hadbeendoneinanyofthedenominations of Lib- Seatedseries. There are manyrareandpopularva-
ertySeatedcoinage. Littlecollectorinterest hadcul- rieties withinthehalfdollarseries that makeit afun
minatedinlittledealerinterest. Anexampleofthis andrewardingseries. The1878-S LibertySeated
lackofinterest is astoryIoncereadof an1879 Lib- HalfDollarstarts at about $30,000inG4,withonly
ertySeatedHalfDollar (oneoftheultralowmintage anestimated50to60examples extent,it makes for
years)beinggivenawayas adoorprizeat a coin quiteachallenge. LibertySeatedDollars areexpen-
clubmeetinginthe1950’s. However,that is all sivewithmanylowmintages. TradeDollars are also
changing. expensivewithseveral Proofonlyissues at theend
oftheseries that are a great challenge. Liberty
Interest inSeated coinagehas been rising SeatedDollars andTrade Dollars areheavilycoun-
steadilyoverthelast few decades. Therisehas be- terfeited andthebuyershoulduseextremecaution
comemoredramaticoverthelast fiveorten years beforepurchasing.
andwithit prices have followed. Qualityexamples
aredifficult tocomeby. Were youto ask anyseri- Overthelast fortyyears extensiveresearch
ous LibertySeatedcollectoriftheypaidmorethan has goneinto almost everyoneofthesevendenomi-
list fora LibertySeated coin,theywill most likely nations that populatetheLibertySeatedseries; this
tell youofat least oneinstancewheretheyhavepaid availableknowledgehas helpedchangecollectorin-
multiples oflist prices forqualityLibertySeated terest. Thecontinuingpriceincreases forquality
coins. Amintageofone millionormoreforanyis- LibertySeatedmaterial inadepressedcoinmarket
sueof LibertySeatedcoinageis generallyconsidered demonstrates that increasedinterest. Elevenofthe
commonbyLibertySeatedcollectorstandards. How topthirteengainers onthePCGS priceguideforthe
manyotherseries cansayas much?
(Continuedonpage9)
2011 Volume 7,Issue 11(November 2011) Page9
(ChangingDemand:TheCaseofLSCoinagecontinuedfrompage8)
Thecurrent economycannot beoverlooked
last three years are LibertySeatedcoins, gaining as amajorfactorinthedeclines seenintheoverall
260%to350%. Betterdates that largelygounher- hobbymarket,and yet despitethis economythe Lib-
aldedarewayup; the1865-S LibertySeatedHalf ertySeatedsegment is strongandvibrant. When
Dollar(mintage675,000) inMS65is up350%from consideringfutureinvestment purchases weneed to
$20,000to$90,000! The 1847-O LibertySeated lookat morethanthecurrent market,wemust look
Quarter (mintage368,000)is up260%inAU50from ahead as well. Thebaby-boomers haveturnedsixty;
$1,250to$4,500. The1843-O LibertySeated Dime soon demands forhealthcareorretirement funds
inAU55is up335%from $4,250to$18,500.The will bringa goodamount ofmaterial ontothemar-
1859-S LibertySeatedQuarterinVF20is up214% ket. Almost everyinvestment vehiclehas seenits
from $700to$2,200,and the1891-O LibertySeated bubbles andwatchedhelplesslyas theyburst. The
QuarterinVF25is up270%from $500to$1,850. A current housingmarket is aperfect example. How-
quickglanceoftheRed Bookfrom 2009to2012 everwithhousingthereis always populationin-
shows the1870-CC LibertySeatedHalf Dollarhas creasethat will eventuallybringit back. Thecoin
increased42%inG4,50%inF12,and23%inAU- market does not enjoythat anticipatedcollectorin-
50. Whateverpricingsource youchoosetocompare crease. More andmore electronictransactions bring
by, LibertySeatedcoinagehas madeincredible ad- thenext generationclosertoadisconnect withcoin-
vances inthelast threeto four years whileotherse- age,makingit evenless likelythe collectorbasewill
ries havefallen. increaseorevenmaintainits current numbers. In
fact it is widelyacknowledgedthat thenext genera-
Accordingtowww.us-coin-values- tionofcollectors will be muchsmallerthanthepre-
advisor.com overthelast twotothree years just sent. Withasmallercollectorbasetherejust won’t
about everytwentiethcenturyseries is eitherdown beenoughbuyers forall ofmaterial baby-boomers
orflat. Therearea few anomalies but forthemost will bringtothemarket. Here also LibertySeated
part thetrendis prettysolid.Someexamples include coinageis well positionedtoremainstrong.
thefollowing. The1918-D8over7 BuffaloNickel,
is flat incirculated grades but down$10,000inMS- Whenthis material floods themarket some
63! The1917-D (MM onrev)WalkingLibertyHalf sacred cows couldfall from alackofcollectorde-
Dollarhas lost 50%ofits valueinMS63,goingfrom mand. Manyconfusedemandwithrarity. Aquick
$7,000downto$3,500. The1916-DMercuryDime lookat thePCGS Population(Pop)Reports shows
is downinalmost everygrade. Carson CityMorgan thefallacyofdemandbeingmisconstrued forrarity.
Dollars ofall dates have eitherlost valueorre-
mainedflat at best overthis period. Commondate ISSUE PCGS POPULATION TOTALS
MorganandPeaceDollars haveseensomesupport 1909-S VDB LincolnCent 12,436
duetotheriseinthepriceofsilver. Modernissues 1916-DMercuryDime 5,429
inPR70DCAM populatethelosers list out ofPCGS. 1893-S MorganDollar 4,475
The1996-W $5FlagDC,is down81%from $4,500
tojust $850.The1916StandingLibertyQuarter, LIBERTY SEATED SERIES PCGS POPTOTALS
consideredbymanytobeonethebest rarities of LibertySeatedDimes (1837-1891) 22,256
twentiethcenturycoinage,has lost valueacross the LibertySeatedQuarters (1838-1891) 21,371
boardaccordingtoUS CoinValues Advisor.com. LibertySeatedHalfDollars (1839-1891) 25,862
WiththeexceptionoftheVGgrade(-11.5%)every LibertySeatedDollars (1840-1873) 15,087
othercategoryforthe1916StandingLibertyQuarter
has lost at least 20%or moreofits value,infact mint BearinmindthesePCGS figures for Liberty
statehas lost themost valuefrom 25%to31.5%. Is Seatedcoinagearefortheentiredenominations (34
this abuyingopportunityoratrend?
(Continuedonpage10)
Page 10 The E-Gobrecht
(ChangingDemand:TheCaseofLSCoinageContinuedfrompage9) $110.39andlists inTrends for$75. Thenext was an
1875-S LibertySeatedHalfDollarWB-19Micro
to55 years and fourmints)not just anindividual is- “S”that is R-5inAG3,it lists inTrends for$35in
sueas intheupperlistingofnon LibertySeated G4andit soldfor$386.00. Neithervarietywas
coins. Oneexample Ialways liketodraw acompari- listedas such bythesellers. It takes twotomake an
son to,is betweenthe1916-DMercuryDime; akey auctionso obviouslyIwas not theonlyknowledge-
dateintheMercuryDimeseries havingamintage of ablecollectortospot them. Dealers whospecialize
264,000comparedtothe 1868-S LibertySeated in LibertySeatedvarieties seeenormous profits
Dimewithamintageof 260,000. The1916-DMer- whentheyspot anR-5or R-6varietyandpurchaseit
curyDimehas aPCGS PopulationReport of5,429 fortheirloyal collectorbase.
examples andthe1868-S LibertySeatedDimehas a
PCGS PopulationReport ofjust 27examples graded The LibertySeatedCollectors Clubis prepar-
byPCGS.The1916-D MercuryDimeinAUlists for ingtocelebrateits 40thanniversaryin2013.Club
over$9,000intheRedBook,whilethe1868-S Lib- leadershiphas neverbeenstronger. Well knownnu-
ertySeatedDimelists for just $225inAU! mismatistJohnMcCloskeycontinues as clubPresi-
dent andEditoroftheawardwinningGobrecht Jour-
At therecent WhitmanPhiladelphiaExpo nal. The112thissueofthe Gobrecht Journalis due
manydealers were grumblingabout thelight floor out inNovember. Thebackissues ofthe Gobrecht
traffic andweaksales. Onedealerwithalargein- Journalare availableincollectivevolumes one
ventoryof LibertySeatedmaterial that Ispoketo throughsix withall thegroundbreakingresearch of
reported averygoodshow. Collectors oftwentieth manynotednumismatists. Bill Bugert is Vice-
centurycoinagehavenot thesenseofurgencythat President andEditoroftheawardwinningE-
Seatedcollectors have. Collectors ofSeatedcoinage Gobrecht,theon-linemonthlynewsletterofthe Lib-
knowhowinfrequentlytheright coincomes along. ertySeatedCollectors Club.Anynewfinds, diemar-
Wecan’t affordtowait forabetter economyorsec- riages, orclubhappenings arealways postedinthe
ondchancethat maynot comeforsometime. At the E-Gobrechtfirst. Backissues ofthe E-Gobrechtcan
recent DickOsburn auctiontherewereseveral coins befoundontheclubwebsite. Len Augsburgeris
that exceededthepre-auctionestimatebyasubstan- clubSecretary-Treasurer, Len works hardkeeping
tial amount; thesaletotaled$1.45Million. theclubfinanciallysoundandthedues low. Gerry
Fortin IT/MarketingDirectorkeeps the LSCC just a
Fortyyears ofresearchbynumismatists clickawayforanyonelookingforinformationon
withinthe LibertySeated Collectors Clubhas LibertySeatedcoinage. AdditionallyGerryleads the
brought fortha great deal ofknowledgethat was un- team ofRegional Directors.
knownornot widelypublishedheretofore.Almost
everydenominationhas seenits shareofresearch Toall thecollectorinformationnowavailable
done. Most notableamongtheseis theWebbook on weaddan aggressivecampaignofthe LibertySeated
LibertySeatedDimes byGerryFortin,which can be Collectors Clubwiththeirnewmarketingstrategy
foundathttp://www.seateddimevarieties.com/ and andRegional program. This campaignis designedto
theseries ofbooks beingproducedbyBill Bugert on increaseawareness of LibertySeatedcoinageand the
LibertySeatedHalfDollars detailingeveryknown LSCC,addtothenumberor LSCC members, and
diemarriageofthe LibertySeatedhalfdollarseries. finallytoallowmoremembers therewardingexperi-
Bust Halves are collected bydiemarriagebecause of enceof an LSCC meeting. The culminationofall
Overton’s work,howlongbefore LibertySeated thesefactors, truescarcity, increasedavailableseries
HalfDollars are as well? I’ll tell you; it’s already knowledge,and aggressivemarketing,leads oneto
started. Irecentlylost twobids oneBay. Onewas an believethefutureof LibertySeatedcollectingand
1877-CC LibertySeated HalfDollarWB-8,anR-6 themarket for LibertySeatedcoinageis verybright.
diemarriageinF12with scratches that soldfor
(Continuedonpage5)