Lord Marcovan's "Eclectic Box" collection as of November 25, 2019

Discussion in 'Coin Chat' started by lordmarcovan, Nov 25, 2019.

  1. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic & Eccentric Moderator

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    November 25, 2019

    In 2013, I did a major purge of all my coin collections and decided to simplify to just one small box of "nicer" coins, focusing more on quality than quantity. However, pursuing quality remains an ongoing challenge on my budget. I have tried to develop a discerning eye for nice coins that are still obtainable on a working-class salary.

    I also abandoned the idea of structured "sets", and have gone completely "freestyle", liberating myself to collect whatever catches my fancy, though you'll likely still notice some subtle themes which reflect my personal tastes.

    Aesthetic eye appeal is my first goal and historical, artistic, or cultural appeal a very close second. In keeping with the "eclectic" attribute, I'm also trying to add as wide a variety as possible of time periods, cultures, and geographic regions here.

    Until mid-2016, I stuck to the "Box of 20" principle, where the collection was always 20 coins (in other words, if I wanted to add one, I had to sell one). I have since abandoned the 20-coin limit and let the collection grow.

    In early 2019, I sold off many of my "trophy" coins and decided to stick to a $500/coin price limit (and usually well below that). That puts a lot of things like larger gold pieces out of reach, but there are still a lot of beautiful and historic coins which can be had within this somewhat intermediate budget.

    Coin photos below are not shown to scale.

    Galleries on the CollectiveCoin site:
    (links may take a moment or two to load)

    Eclectic Box gallery (the current lineup)

    Eclectic Box "all-time" gallery (including sold coins)

    Last update: September 7, 2019
    Number of coins as of last update: 53
    Number of coins as of this update: 45

    As always, thanks for looking.

    ~Robertson ("Rob") Shinnick (aka "LordM")
    St. Simons Island, Georgia, November 25, 2019
     
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  3. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic & Eccentric Moderator

  4. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic & Eccentric Moderator

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    Great Britain (England): silver groat of Henry VI, first reign, Calais mint, ca. 1422-1461, from the Reigate Hoard found in Surrey

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    PCGS XF45; population 5 with 6 higher as of 11/25/2019.

    Lithuania: silver half-groschen of Sigismund II Augustus of Poland, 1550; Vilnius mint

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    PCGS MS63; population 5 with 8 higher as of 11/25/2019.

    England: silver sixpence of Elizabeth I, 1575, Tower mint, eglantine mintmark

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    PCGS VF35; population 2 with 1 higher as of 11/25/2019.



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    German States (Teutonic Order): silver 1/4-thaler of Grand Master Maximilian of Austria, ca. 1615

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    PCGS XF45; population 1 with 2 higher as of 11/25/2019.

    Great Britain (England): silver crown of Charles II, 1679; mint error

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    PCGS F12; labeled "broadstruck" (sic) by PCGS, but more likely just slightly off-center.

    Mexico: silver 8-reales "cob" of Charles II, ca. 1665-1682, from the 1682 "Johanna" shipwreck off South Africa

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    PCGS Genuine, Fine Details (environmental damage).

    Austria: silver 3-kreuzer of Leopold I ("The Hogmouth"), 1700-IA, minor clipped planchet error
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    PCGS certification pending, November 2019

    Great Britain: silver South Sea Company sixpence of George I, 1723; double-struck mint error (2nd strike 25% off-center)

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    PCGS F12; no population data since errors are unique, but a rare error for the type.

    Germany (Nuremberg): silver medal by Daniel Dockler the Younger, 1730; bicentennial of the Augsburg Confession

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    PCGS AU50; population 1 with none higher as of 11/25/2019.

    Switzerland (Zurich): silver "city view" 1/2-thaler (1 gulden of 36 schillings), 1739

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    PCGS AU58; population 1 with none higher as of 11/25/2019.


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  5. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic & Eccentric Moderator

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    Spain: gold half-escudo of Ferdinand VI, 1759-JB, Madrid mint
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    PCGS XF40- population 1 with none higher as of 11/25/2019 - also the key date for the type.

    India (Mysore): gold fanam of Tipu Sultan, AH 1200 (1786), Patan mint
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    PCGS MS62; population 1 with none higher as of 11/25/2019.

    Iran (Persia): gold toman of Fath Ali Shah, AH 1233 (1817), Yazd mint
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    PCGS MS62; population 5 with none higher as of 11/25/2019.

    United States: Capped Bust quarter, large size, 1818

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    PCGS F12, CAC verified; population 88 with 744 higher as of 11/25/2019.

    United States: silver half dime, Capped Bust type, 1834
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    PCGS F12; population 14 with 896 higher as of 11/25/2019.

    France: gilt bronze Napoleon Bonaparte medal by Antoine Bovy; special specimen striking for Napoleon's 1840 Paris funeral

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    PCGS SP64; population 1 with none higher as of 11/25/2019.

    United States: copper-nickel 3-cent piece, Liberty Head type, 1866
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    PCGS MS62+; population 1 with 666 higher as of 11/25/2019.

    France: silver jeton (insurance token) engraved by Ernest-Paulin Tasset, 1869
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    PCGS MS63; population 2 with none higher as of 11/25/2019.

    United States: silver 20-cent piece, 1875, Philadelphia mint
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    PCGS F12; population 35 with 986 higher as of 11/25/2019.

    Channel Islands (Guernsey): copper 2-doubles, 1889-H; Heaton mint, Birmingham
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    PCGS MS65 RB; population 1 with none higher as of 11/25/2019.


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    Last edited: Nov 25, 2019
    Curtisimo, tibor, furryfrog02 and 5 others like this.
  6. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic & Eccentric Moderator

  7. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic & Eccentric Moderator

  8. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic & Eccentric Moderator

    Summary of the 11/25/19 update:

    There were 12 departures and 4 arrivals since last time. We have a net loss of eight coins, bringing the collection to 45 coins in total. (But there are a couple of new additions not yet shown as of this update.)

    So it is a modest downsizing this time around, but that had nothing to do with how much I liked the coins which went away. It was more about raising some needed funds to pay some debts, and also acquiring that gold Niobe shipwreck medal, which was not inexpensive. (I had always wanted one of the silver ones but only recently learned of the existence of the gold ones when I saw Northeast Numismatics - @nencoin - had this one. So I traded some of the coins below to get it.)

    Here's what went away since last time:

    United States: copper large cent, Draped Bust type, 1803, stemless wreath variety
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    PCGS F15.

    Great Britain: silver shilling of George IV, ca. 1826-1829, mint error (struck 20% off-center)
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    PCGS XF40.

    United States: copper large cent, Braided Hair type, 1848
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    Uncertified.


    United States: silver half dime, Seated Liberty type, 1853, arrows at date
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    PCGS VF35.

    United States: silver quarter, Seated Liberty, "Arrows & Rays" subtype, 1853
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    PCGS VF35.


    United States: bronze patriotic Civil War token, undated (ca. 1862-1865); battle implements and Union shield
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    PCGS MS64 RB.

    Japan: silver yen of the Emperor Meiji, Year 27 (1894)
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    PCGS AU58.

    Great Britain (Island of Lundy): bronze 1-puffin token issued by Martin Coles Harman, 1929
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    PCGS MS65 RD.

    Canada: silver dollar of George V, 1935; "Voyageur" type
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    PCGS MS64.

    Uruguay: steel and brass bimetallic 10-pesos, 2011
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    PCGS MS66.

    Australia: silver 1-ounce bullion dollar; Australian Kangaroo, 2016-P, Perth Mint
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    PCGS MS70.

    United States: silver proof National Parks quarter; Cumberland Island National Seashore, 2018-S
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    PCGS PR70 DCAM.


    And here's what came in:

    Austria: silver 3-kreuzer of Leopold I ("The Hogmouth"), 1700-IA, minor clipped planchet error
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    PCGS certification pending, November 2019


    India (British): silver 2-annas of Queen Victoria, 1901, Calcutta mint
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    PCGS AU58; population 2 with 4 higher as of 11/25/2019.

    Germany (Westphalia): gilt bronze 10,000-mark notgeld token, 1923
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    PCGS certification pending, November, 2019.

    Germany (Weimar Republic): specimen gold medal memorializing the victims of the schooner "Niobe" shipwreck, 1932
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    PCGS SP66; population 1 with 1 higher as of 11/25/2019.




     
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  9. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic & Eccentric Moderator

    What else is new for this update?

    Well, some of you will have noticed that my background templates are different. I've switched from my old "shadowbox/spotlight" style templates to a simpler "grey gradient" background.

    This is not because I disliked the old templates- in fact, for many coins they looked better. But they were labor-intensive, and I always had to hire out that labor since I could not create them myself with my limited software and skills. And that was always a headache.

    These new ones I can do myself. I like the grey gradient because some coins look better against a dark background while others look better against a lighter one. The gradient lets me have it both ways. These were the most popular in a poll I posted a while back. I do also save solid black and solid white backgrounds, too, so...

    Now each coin in the collection has multiple images.

    "Shadowbox" background (old version):
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    I liked these, but they were just too much hassle, so instead, all the coins will now have...

    Gradient background (new):
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    Black background:
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    White background:
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    Gradient background with slab label:
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    Now that everything is reimaged, I can resume working on individual writeups for all the coins. During this "maintenance" period, I sold some stuff, figuring I'd let the collection contract a little bit (giving me less to work on and gaining some funds).

    So the collection has now shrunken a bit more, to 45 pieces as of this most recent update. I think I'll hold at a "Box of 50" limit for a while until I get the writeups done and maybe do a little upgrading.
     
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  10. ToughCOINS

    ToughCOINS Dealer Member Moderator

    Outstanding LM . . .
     
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  11. Chris B

    Chris B Supporter! Supporter

    I wish that I had your self-control. Would love to someday have a collection of this size and quality.
     
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  12. furryfrog02

    furryfrog02 Well-Known Member

    Amazing as always. Glad to see that some of my favorites are still in the mix.
     
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  13. Devyn5150

    Devyn5150 Well-Known Member

    A stunning collection and marvellous photos! It is certainly one thing to take individual photos well but, your very first one with all of them so detailed in the box... remarkable! Tell me, is it Photoshop trickery? Did you take individual pics and layer them there or are you a magician with a camera?
     
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  14. PlanoSteve

    PlanoSteve Well-Known Member

    Rob, over time, my response has evolved from "Wow, spectacular & amazing!" to "Wow, SPECTACULAR and AMAZING!...eh, but I expect it from you!" :D

    Glad to see you are maintaining the standard. :happy::singing:

    Btw, I'm really surprised that the 3 cent is "only" 62+. That is a really nice specimen! ;)
     
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  15. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic & Eccentric Moderator

    Alas, I am the farthest thing there is from "a magician with a camera" (unless you can call making beautiful coins look nasty via crap photography "magic").

    My own photography runs the gamut from wretched to barely adequate. This is why I insist upon buying from sellers who have professional quality photography, or I have other pros shoot my stuff.

    A lot of these images are based on PCGS TrueView photos. So no, I do not do the photography. I do the editing, however (i.e., the backgrounds).

    Thanks, Steve. You've always been one of my favorite commenters on these updates. :)
     
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  16. PlanoSteve

    PlanoSteve Well-Known Member

    Well, you do have one of the most fantastic, evolving collections I've ever seen! I (& many others) have coins I haven't looked at in years, while you seem to have virtually daily contact with these magnificent specimens. Kudos! It's like frozen concentrated OJ - all the goodness squeezed into one fantastic package, with none of the riff-raff! :D;) (I like FCOJ!)

    Btw, I like the gradient pic background!
     
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  17. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic & Eccentric Moderator

    Glad to hear that. It's something I'm able to do myself, with remove.bg and lunapic.com. So much less hassle than the old templates.
     
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  18. Mountain Man

    Mountain Man Supporter! Supporter

    I'm not impressed . . . I'm floored by your beautiful collection and the way you presented it. Well done my man.
     
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  19. ja59

    ja59 Missing the Beach just not as much as ...

    As said..... WOW!
    Outstanding collecting habit discipline
     
    Last edited: Nov 25, 2019
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  20. Cheech9712

    Cheech9712 Every thing is a guess

  21. Kasia

    Kasia Got my learning hat on

    Excellent!
     
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