Thanks for the responses... I'm also most fond of the Eliasberg and Walton nickels, based off of the photos, but like has already been said... I'd gladly own any of them. Some of you have mentioned the histories behind certain of the coins, I'll have to dig deeper and do a little more research.
They've only been proofs for about the past 30 years. Before that they were business strikes. Back when the Walton specimen resurfaced Don Pearlmann got some pictures of it out of the holder before they slabbed it. His images show it as being severely hairlined. Of course that is never mentioned in discussions of the coin or by the TPG. Or when it was sold. It seem like when it comes to the "supercoins" defects no longer matter. (The Dexter 1804 dollar is COUNTERSTAMPED!, and when I first saw it I felt it was an ugly gray, lightly worn, and severely hairlined. Today it is slabbed by PCGS as PF-65!)
You might find this [slab] stored with my complete set of PF64 Liberty nickels in a SDB. It could cause the headline "Coin collector's heirs all die of shock after finding 1913 nickel in safe deposit box" The fake is clearly stamped "copy" on the reverse. For awhile, it was sandwiched with a real 1910 proof Liberty nickel obscuring the reverse copy stamp on the fake. The Whitman slab won't fool the first numismatist to view the coin. FYI- I understand that the Bebee specimen 1913 nickel is circulated because the previous owner McDermott mixed it with his pocket change to impress folks. Eventually McDermott was convinced to keep it in a plastic holder which he continued to carry in his pocket (so he could continue to impress folks without further damaging the specimen).
Your understanding about the McDermott coin is correct. He loved to show off that coin and pass it around among non-collectors. He would loan it out for exhibit purposes to just about anyone, and not just for coin shows. He probably did more for publicizing the 1913 V Nickel than anybody except B Max Mehl.
None of the above. Although I do own a few contemporary counterfeit bust halves I certainly didn't spend 7 figures on them--and have no desire (even if I did have the money) to spend it on one of these counterfeits.
I have seen three of them in person (Eliasberg, Olsen, and Walton). The Walton has a cool story, but in terms of eye appeal, condition, and desirability the Eliasberg wins hands down.
Which was why Eric Newman keep it when he sold off the other four. It was the best of the five coins.
I love numismatics. But, I can assure you that if I were to acquire any of these I would sell them in a heartbeat. So, if I do somehow, someway, someday come to own it I'll make sure to contact you
