Maurice Storck Collection - 1915 Barber Half

Discussion in 'US Coins Forum' started by Dima, Oct 25, 2020.

  1. Dima

    Dima Member

    Couple weeks ago, while randomly browsing Heritage Auctions, I came upon a few rather marvelous coins. I tend to check there at least once a week to see what neat 20th century items are being auctioned. There are always at least a few "ooo"s and "ahh"s along the way, but this particular collection really caught my eye. Essentially every imaginable US coin was available from a single collection; no doubt a collection which was passionately assembled by a committed collector over many years. I've drooled over many previous auctions (recently, the Simpson Collection for example) where coins are going for five, six figures plus -- bit out of my budget (for now). But this collection was "reasonably" priced. Yes; some coins certainly reached a few thousand, but these were understandable sums for such pristine, CAC'd gems.

    Previously, I'd heard of a few famous collections (many from browsing such auctions in the past with no intention of buying), but never of this particular collector: Maurice Storck. A quick Google search led me to an obituary of a WWII Veteran who passed away in November, 2019. (A search of CoinTalk yielded no results) I became rather intrigued and felt compelled to dig a bit further. Aside from Mr. Storck's heroic military endeavors (guess who just happened to be stationed at Pearl Harbor on a rather infamous day back in '41...), turns out that Mr. Storck was more than just an avid numismatist. He was known for being the last living US collector to attend the 1954 King Farouk auction! In 1960, Mr. Storck opened a coin shop in Portland, Maine, and around the same time, is noted as contributing to both the Red Book and the Blue Book. And so just like that, it was quite evident how such an immense collection could've been assembled.

    Long story short (too late), I snagged three coins to carry on Mr. Storck's legacy. Most impressive and jaw dropping (in my opinion), is this 1915-D MS65 Barber Half:

    39425222_trueview_193313381_large.jpg

    HA described it as "A bold strike and frosty luster grant this gem 1915-D Barber half dollar strong visual appeal. Ivory-white surfaces reveal daubs and freckles of russet, olive, and amber peripheral toning. There are no major abrasions. Finer examples of this Denver issue are rarely seen. Population: 75 in 65 (3 in 65+), 29 finer (9/20)."

    ---

    PCGS's cert verification doesn't note where this coin came from; nor does it allude to Mr. Storck's years of dedication and contribution to the hobby, but once added to my registry, I'll be sure to add a comment, noting "From The Maurice Storck Collection."
     
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  3. Mainebill

    Mainebill Bethany Danielle

    He was a well known dealer here in Maine years ago. His coin and jewelry store is still in business
     
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  4. Dima

    Dima Member

    Here are the other two coins I picked up from same collection/auction. Just couldn't pass up these additions to my Classic Commemoratives set --

    50C 1924 obv.jpg
    50C 1924 rev.jpg
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    50C 1946 obv.jpg
    50C 1946 rev.jpg
     
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  5. Dima

    Dima Member

    I worked with PCGS customer service to get Mr.Storck's pedigree added to these coins -
    20210708_144847.jpg
     
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  6. ksparrow

    ksparrow Coin Hoarder Supporter

    That's a really nice Barber Half, and I'm glad you had his name added to the inserts (and that PCGS would work with you on that).
     
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  7. Dima

    Dima Member

    This '15 Barber half is one of my absolute favorites at the moment - definitely top 3 coins in my collection right now. And it's the first coin I've owned (along with the two commemoratives above) where I can trace back the roots/ownership, so I thought it'd be neat to append the pedigree.

    It definitely took a little convincing for PCGS. I called ahead and confirmed they'd theoretically be able to help; sent an email to get the same in writing; printed the email thread and the Heritage Auction listings to include in package to PCGS, per their instructions. Naturally, the coins came back without the pedigree :D Another call; another email thread. But at this point, I have to greatly compliment their customer service. They apologized for the mishap and provided free insured shipping to/from PCGS and a free "mechanical error" fix.
     
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