Pretty slow week on the local bid boards for me. Maybe I was just more picky this week or maybe there just hasn't been as much quality material lately. I know the silver price is a substantial factor. It still wasn't that long ago when silver was over $40/oz. and common junk silver melted for around 30x face value. The consignors who put material up on the local bid boards don't seem to be as willing to sell lower grade silver coins that traditionally traded for "junk" prices. Instead, many such coins are still being hung up on the boards, but with reserve prices of 30x face value or more. There are still a few coins here and there with no reserve, but that isn't nearly as common as a few weeks ago when silver was $10-$12/oz higher. Last Tuesday, I did manage to find a few silver coins that were posted with no reserve and was able to win a few of them at decent prices. Somehow, I even got a worn out Barber Dime for only $1.25! Also got a worn out Walking Liberty Half Dollar for $11. I was winning that one for only $6 with less than a minute to go, but another bidder was eyeing that one too and he and I bid against each other a couple of times in the last 30 seconds or so until it was up to $11. One of the most interesting pieces I won wasn't even a coin. For less than $5, I bought my first piece of U.S. Fractional Currency. It's really beat up Second Issue 5c Note, but I can't remember ever seeing a piece of fractional currency for less than $5 so I bought it: At the other bid board on Saturday, it was more of the same. Lots of halfway decent coins posted, but with reserve prices that were just too high. I did manage to find an 1899-O Barber Dime in good condition on the board that I needed for my Dansco album, so it wasn't a complete loss. Also spotted another CoinTalk forum member at the board bidding and I think he had a bit more success in bidding. Even though I didn't win much at Saturday's bid board, it was well worth going because I ended up winning the door prize! The local bid boards give out prizes each week at the end of the auction to help motivate bidders to show up. One prize is a cash prize which increases each week that it isn't won. To win that one, a letter and a number is randomly selected and if you are the winning bidder on the coin hung in that corresponding spot on the bid board, you win the cash prize. If there was no high bidder for that coin and the coin went unsold, the prize rolls over until the next week. I didn't win that prize, but I did bid on the coin that won... unfortunately another bidder outbid my $1.00 bid and ended up winning a cash prize of $40.00 with his bid of $1.25!!!! Additionally, bidders who show up for the end of the auction receive tickets for the door prizes which are given out. After bidding, if your ticket gets selected, you win the door prize. This week, I got lucky and won the door prize which turned out to be a American Bank Note Company Souvenier Card of a $5000 Note from the Canal Bank of New Orleans which was reprinted for the 1981 ANA Show. Not too bad! :thumb:
i have coin of .....Austria, Joseph I, Ducat, 1915 (Restrike) Can anybody help me to know the value of this coin.. Austria, Joseph I, Ducat, 1915 (Restrike) FRANC . IOS . I . D . G . AVSTRIAE IMPERATOR Laureate head of Joseph I right LOD . ILL . REX A . A . 1915-HVNGAR . BOHEM . GAL . Crowned double-headed imperial eagle facing Reeded edge
