I arrived at 7AM straight up, after a 1 hour 15 minute drive that included a stop at a Turkey Hill for a cold Starbucks and a 3-pack of TastyKake chocolate cupcakes (Eastern PA soul food for white guys). Most of the drive was along the shores of the Susquehanna River and was shrouded in deep fog the whole way. About half the trip along the river was eastern shore before the bridge on US22 takes you over to the western shore, and then take the US11/15 route up the west side. After about 40 miles total, I took PA104 in a more northwesterly direction into a sleepy town called Middleburg. As in, "of nowhere". Absolutely ZERO cellphone signal. Even the XM Satellite service got spotty in those hills, and along the river cliffs earlier. The auction was in the reception hall of a very conservative evangelical congregation's building campus. Lots of parking. Four coin show type cases enclosed the better stuff, and the lesser material was on open tables. There were at least 30 gold pieces, which I wasn't going to stay for, but their quality was STOUT - really nice quality, especially the $10 Indians and the 3 or so St. Gaudens $20's. There were lot after lot of sets of 2 to 5 ASE's, routine to slightly better date Morgans and Peace dollars, and many well worn Barber halves. The total number of lots was 509. My first targets to examine were the large cents to see what I might upgrade in my set. I marked a few sets of 3 where I needed 2 dates and one where just ones good sized quality upgrade. That was it for me in lots 1-70. At 71-75 was a short run of classic commemorative halves, but I easily saw they were dogs condition-wise. Lot 91 was my first hard target - an 1827 capped bust dime in F condition (peak 1, not flat). Other than that, I would be waiting until lot 115 for some really sweet older nickels. I have a thing for V nickels with PL surfaces. Down page 3 from there was a SUWEEEET 1863 Indian Cent also with PL surfaces, 3 or 4 NGC slabbed early Jefferson proofs (a 1939 with a cameo obverse was getting my attention), and a 7070 album worthy 1930 Mint State Standing Liberty Quarter. On the next page a 1940 proof Lincoln cent (raw) was a honey, as well as a sweetie of an NGC MS65 1931-S nickel. Many more large cents, and a ton more classic commems beckoned. This was a "hammer price" auction. ZERO buyer's premium. After reading out about 10 typos on the list, we got underway. Junk was going for junk prices. Lots of worn Morgans going for $15 or less, some nice ASE's going for about $18. The first mini-run of commems went for low prices as I expected. Only the Maine went above my estimate for it. The first time I introduced myself to the auctioneer was lot 91 - the 1827 dime. He got down to $10 when I shot my hand up. In about 20 seconds I was looking at $70 and I bailed out. The other guy got it for $65. After a run of very nice Washington Quarters I don't need, some slabbed Buffnicks went for very reasonable prices. Hmm, not nickel fans, eh? Lot 115 was an 1883 no cents nickel raw graded MS66, and it was all of that, but the Lot 116 fields were more PL, and that one had my eye. The MS66 went for $27.50, and my mouth started to water. The auctioneer started it at $20 and climbed down. Somebody beat my hand at $5, so I was in at $6. $7, $8 (me), $9, $10 (me) ... silence. SOLD! Hello, now we're here. It has magnificent surfaces and it also was "woody" coloring. Yes, it's the epitome of a common date. Who cares? (more to follow)
I did a few "lazy" bids on pieces I'd take if I could "steal them", but my next hard target was going to be Lot 137 - the 1863 Indian cent. I had one in my 7070, but this one was so much nicer! I got in and out of SO many lots yesterday. I didn't buy as much as I pushed up for other buyers. Finally Lot 137 came up. The 1863 cent opened at $15 and went in $2.50 increments. Again I was second in and started at $17.50, and this auctioneer (there were two that switched every hour or so) liked pace. The speed started to lull when I bid $52.50, and I might have picked up a late third bidder in there (I was in the front row.), but I wanted that cent and got it for $67.50. It's clearly an MS coin, maybe not quite the quality equal of the nickel. It's in my 7070 album and makes my bronze Indian cent look like a crud party. The next object of my salivation (Slurp!) was a 1939 (Rev. of 38) NGC-PF64 Jeffnick. The obverse was cameo, but not the reverse. Where is the star? It was a recent NGC slab too, with the finger prongs. Numismedia FMV is $91.25. I opened it at $40, and I had two competitors. When it went past $80, I got out. It ended up going for an even Franklin. The next lot was 1938 NGC-PF67 (I already own one) that went for well under its Numismedia FMV ($250 vs $312.50). Quality was being rewarded but not fully. After a short run of Peace dollars, came my 1930 Standing Lib Quarter for my 7070 album at Lot 150. They had graded it MS62, and I agreed. The 2019 Red Book has it at MS60-$120 and MS63-$175, with Numismedia FMV at MS62-$156. I opened the bidding at $60 and ended up taking it for an even $100. 3 lots won, spent $177.50. Time to see what else I can snag here. (More to follow.)
This auctioneer has a hard and fast rule - first timers must pay cash. But they did have an ATM in town. But I am a very disciplined bidder. I ALWAYS pay cash, and I leave my cards at home. My budget was the green I had in my wallet. So I did the math. I knew I brought between $300 and $400, but did not know the exact number. So I did the math and decided I was ready to spend myself to $0.00 if I caught the right lot. That number turned out to be $157.50. The following went for much more than my budget, but I had bid on them: 1931S NGC-MS65 BuffNick 1941 NGC-PF66 JeffNick 1924 Raw-MS64 Huguenot Half 1926 Raw-MS63 Oregon Trail 1935 Raw-MS63 Boone 1917 Var.1 MS60 Standing Lib Three other higher quality Capped Bust Dimes. And there were few lesser pieces that just went too high for what they were, including the 1940 proof Lincoln. So I looked down the sheet, shrugged, and decided to hit the grocery store, and I did. I wasn't liking the trend. Bargains were getting fewer and farther between.
The sum total was the three pieces - the 1883 no date prooflike nickel, the 1863 semi-PL Indian, and the 1930 Standing Lib quarter, and a trunk full of groceries.
This auctioneer has another sale at the same place on August 25, and in a nearby town on October 13 and November 17. I need to focus on a 20 cent piece and a Barber quarter for my 7070.
My choices are a cellphone whose camera is ill-suited, or a high end Sony that takes pics too big for XenForo's software, even when dialed down to its lowest resolution.
That's too bad, I was really liking the descriptions of your picks and looking forward to drooling over my keyboard...
Quite agree. Nothing like this ever happens around these parts..........country folk are far more appreciative, Metro Mogul Minions lack substance........Sustenance.......
Clearly, would rather be driving down US 15 rather than lurking in Long Island,,,,,,,,,,nothing present.
To all in the Mason-Dixon line area: there's an auction by one of my favorite auctioneers on July 14 in York, PA, right where I-83 and US30 cross. The Four Point Sheraton at that exit.
Here’s a cellphone pic I grabbed just as the older auctioneer, the slower cadence one of the two, took the podium. All the gold coins were in that case at the right.
