Just got back from my first EAC convention, quick weekend trip with the family so I spent one day at the show and one day at the falls. Got into the Bourse around 10:00 AM with the goal of meet people I only know on the internet as well as add to my 96 liberty cap set. Speaking of 96 liberty caps, there was a sweet 12+ S84 in the auction later that night. First up was checking out Tom Reynold's table, he has an early date collection on consignment. He had some really nice vg 94s which a couple months ago I would have bought, but I was focused on the 96 caps. Next up was CVM's table who had a nice S81 although a little porous on the reverse, and a pretty sweet vg S89 which caught my eye. Finally made my way over to Bob LaForme's table and introduced myself where I also meet two other internet friends Gary and Eric. For those who don't know, Bob is pretty much the go to guy for late date die states and I had a couple coins I wanted to show him. After some lunch I headed over to lot viewing for the auction later that night. Checked out the S84 and was disappointed, the description mentioned 'light red patina' but it was a little too red for me. On the bright side, this freed up most of my budget for other coins, of which there were a ton of really nice late dates. There were also some really nice 1802 and 1803s but I figured they would go out of my price range. Needless to say, I was quite happy with my auction results. 1847 N12 die c with cud at *9-*10, 35/30 which puts it middle of around 40 known: 1852 N11 die b, graded 40/40 'nearly choice' by Grellman:
1852 N11 die e with reverse cud over 'TES O', 25/15 which puts it bottom of around 20 known: Last up from the Auction was a 54 N19 with a lovely crack through the top half of the coin, graded 60 and Tied for CC 5: That was it for my Auction wins. The S84 I did not like I would have ended up getting blown out of the water at anyway, so I was pretty happy.
Spent the rest of the night at the bar meeting other people and checking out some sweet coins. The large cent happenings included the 1846 N15 variety which has a huge crack/cud at United. Got to check out 4-5 really late die states including the ex-Naftzager coin. Sunday morning hit up the show for a couple last minute buys. Went back to CVM and worked out a price for the S89, very happy with it: 1796 S89, 7/6 ex Kopald: Stopped by Bob LaForme's table to say goodbuy and this ended up jumping in my pocket: 1856 N20d with small cud at *12, CC 6 of 6 known, ex Brunhofer:
Finally, said goodbye to the people I meet and ended up picking an 1849 N11 die g, with reverse cuds along the bottom of the reverse, from Gary Hahn. I think he felt bad for me because I had lost one at the auction, this one is 30/20 and pretty low out of around 30 known, it's ex. Reiver: All in all I had a blast. I would recommend anyone who enjoys copper to try to get to a convention. The people were very friendly, and there was more nice copper then I have every seen in my life!!!
Very, very nice purchases, Beef. The late dates are not my forte, but I can see those are special. That S-89 you got from CVM is very appealing for the grade. I check his stock on-line quite often. Nice coins, but those prices.... I have to make it to EAC one day. Must try to combine it with our annual visit to the U.S.
Thanks for the comments on the coins. Eduard, I agree that Chris's prices online can be a bit high, but he tends to negotiate pretty fairly on coins at shows. I also get the impression that he prices some of his coins at a 'make me sell' price if you know what I mean. Plus, that S84 in F12+, and like I said the red toning was pretty un-attractive, hammered for 2,600 before the buyers fee!!!
Beef, it looks like somebody valued that S-84 at VF20 rather than F12. Steep price, no doubt, and quite a bit over CQR. You just never know. I have not been that lucky with Chris. I once found a nice 1796 draped that I wanted in his inventory, but he was reluctant to ship overseas (which I understand in a way). I have since found a few 1796 Drapeds elsewhere, so its OK. I have but one 1796 Cap - this S-82. Uneven/spotty toning, some planchet roughness in spots, and a few hits on the bust, but hey, it's an S-82.
