Have a look: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1917-Standi...-Type-1-L-E-Eliasberg-Jr-Estate-/290771789849 How much of the hammer price is the result of the coin coming from Eliasberg? Judging from it's condition, it might have come from a change dish on his nightstand and not from his collection. But $225 ???
I don't think that's the real deal Eliasberg. I think it's from one of his sons estates. Might still be worth it for that. I don't know.
It is in fact his son. In addition, even though it does not say it on the label, that is a FH coin if I ever saw one. It also has full rivets. I would say very little to none of the price was paying for the pedigree. That is a nice AU Slider
His son?? That sounds like kind of a scam to me, his son presumably could go out and buy anything, slab it, then resell it as one of his dad's coins. Or are we all supposed to be savvy enough to realize the famed collector has a different middle initial than his son? What a rip-off. I can't believe NGC would go along with it if that were the case.
I wouldnt pay a premium on it. I know about eliasberg but he's dead. Its all about the coin IMO. Same with ancients. There is many ancients from John Quincy Adams, the president. Many are in horrid condition and for that are affordable even to a newb. But have I bought one? Nope...I also read many of his ancestors collected but yet they still attach his name to it Some sampling... http://www.forumancientcoins.com/catalog/roman-and-greek-coins.asp?vpar=1847
Nice coins, but pedigrees can be cool because they are part of the history of the coin. "Real Eliasberg" coins would be cool to own. All else equal, I would like a true Eliasberg over a no name coin.
A scam? A rip off? Utter nonsense. It clearly states "JR" right on the label, not to mention the man is dead. There is no being "savvy" about it, but simple due diligence any buyer or collector should have. It is not NGC or any other TPG's responsibility to protect buyers from themselves. If one is does not know better or is too lazy to do a simple google search before placing their money on the table, it is their own mistake. After all, we know what they say about assumptions.
I dont HATE pedigrees perse' but to pay extra $ cause someone else owned them is silly. Lily Tomlin collects ancients, would I pay extra cause a hollywood celebrity owned it once? No, but knowing she did does make it cool.
Sorry, have to disagree with you. Some people become so famous within their own realm that whether or not the name includes Jr. does not make any difference. Martin Luther King JUNIOR for instance. With or without the junior designation, everyone thinks of the same great civil rights leader when they see the name. In the case of Eliasberg's son, the guy is a nobody within the hobby community, so why would a special slab be used that leads to nothing but confusion?
I don't understand the big hoopla. It seems the coin would grade in the AU53-AU58 range and has FH. I would probably have offered $190 on the coin, so $225 doesn't seem THAT much of a reach. It's not like we're talking about a $125 coin that sold for $100 more due to the slab.
I also said I'd pay $190. I really don't need a 1917 Type I for my collection. If someone needed it for their set, I could see them paying $225. The PCGS price is $210 & NGC price is $204. I don't think a 7-10% premium for the grading and FH is THAT much of a stretch. Keep in mind, a 100% premium on a penny is 2-cents. Percentages are sometimes just what you make of it. Anyway, I don't fault NGC for labeling the coin as they did.
I don't know how often a coin like this would come up, but if it is not very often - every 5 to 10 years, I could see it go for double or even set a record price.
This is a pretty reasonable approach here - in my opinion - and something worth keeping in mind is this was an auction, where people will get caught up in winning and forget that they're overpaying...I know I've done that once or twice.