This was tough to narrow down, but here are my top 10 favorite acquisitions from 2018: Hungary/Transylvania 1848E AU Ducat KM-2262 (1848) Austrian Imperial Type NGC MS60 (Previously PCGS MS61) This is one of three ducat types from the first year of my type set. This is one of those rare coins that has excellent eye appeal at a low MS grade; in this case due to the prooflike surfaces and frosted devices. I declined to upgrade this to an MS64 later in the year because I thought this coin had superior eye appeal. USA 1851 (est.) Kossuth Lajos US Visitation Medal White Metal This medal commemorates Kossuth Lajos' (The George Washington of Hungary) escape from Austrian authorities after the failed War of Independence (1848-1849). The reverse displays the emblems of Hungary, Turkey, France, Great Britain, and the United States: the countries that gave him aid in his escape and to which he visited in 1851 during his early exile. This medal is likely one produced to coincide with one of his major city visits in the United States in late 1851, as he was a popular hero of freedom in the US at that time. Though undated, I have found it referenced in medal catalogs at least as early as 1862. Hungary 1867A 1 3/4 Ducat Franz Joseph I. Hungarian Coronation An extremely rare and valuable coronation issue of Franz Joseph that I lucked into at just over melt. I did not expect to own one of these any time soon. Hungary 1869KB AR 20 Krajczár KM-446 (1868-1869) NGC MS64+ PL 2018 was a great year for my Austro-Hungarian prooflike set, as I about doubled the number of examples in my set. This early Austro-Hungarian Compromise issue was my favorite of them though. Thank you to my friend Derek who spotted this at auction and brought it to my attention. Hungary 1896 AR Denár (Matyas I Type) Hungarian Millennium Commemorative (1896) X-5 It took a couple years of searching to find an example of this millennium commemorative denár that had a strike this good. With a planchet that is wafer thin, most examples have significant weakness on the central devices, but here the weakness was confined to a section near the rim. Hungary 1896 Dukát (Karoly Robert Type) Hungarian Millennium Commemorative (1896) X-9 Obverse Trial in Lead I was excited to be able to acquire a possibly unique trial in lead of this millennium dukát. This coin had a mintage of 100 and original examples go for around $10k. Being able to study a strike from an original die is the next best thing to owning one. Hungary 1913KB AR Korona KM-492 (1912-1916) NGC MS63 After the 1 and 5 korona issues of 1906, the 1913KB korona is the big key date in Franz Joseph coinage, with a mintage of only 5,214. I would say this coin is my favorite purchase of 2018 as it culminated a multi-year search for an uncirculated example with great eye appeal, including another example unfortunately lost by US Customs. Austria 1914 Copper Krone Pattern KM-PN74 (1914) NGC MS63 RB A lovely example of the Karl Goetz pattern for the Austrian corona. Despite a planchet flaw on the obverse, the color is excellent and the eye appeal is better than most examples I've seen. Unfortunately these are pics I shot with my cell phone so the color is a bit washed out, but it is quite spectacular in hand. Hungary ND Iron 2 Fillér KM-497 (1916-1918) Double (possibly triple) Struck Off-Center A beautiful and dramatic error on a WWI iron issue, and one of the few coins issued under Karoly IV (1916-1918). What's not to like? Hungary 1941BP Aluminum Pengő KM-521 (1941-1944) NGC MS65 I snatched up this coin raw on eBay for $1, and I knew it was going to be something special from the seller photos. This is a common coin, but I've found the WWII aluminum issues to be extremely difficult to find above MS62. Due to the simplicity of the design, these issues had fields largely unprotected by the devices, and they were rendered all but worthless several years after striking due to hyperinflation and were generally not preserved. Collectors on the whole have not historically cared about the aluminum issues either. I find these early modern aluminum issues to be strikingly beautiful in high grades, however, and they are currently underappreciated and undervalued.
Thanks. The toning on that coin is really bright and colorful in any light. It's the purchase I'm most happy with in 2018 for good reason. That was a raw find on eBay too, for which I paid less than half of what it would have gone for in a European auction house.
Wow, what a great, and wonderfully diverse, year for your collections! Best wishes for the new year. -jack
Those are some really nice coins. My favorite is the 1869 AR 20 Krajczar. The crown of Hungary on the reverse is wonderful.
Really nice pick ups. I've never seen the visitation medal and that is only the second striking error I've seen for a Hungarian coin.
Same. I had never seen even a photo of that visitation medal before. It's a gorgeous medal in hand, with a much more interesting subject matter than the other US visitation medals I've seen. I've only seen a photo of one other classic Hungarian striking error. What was the other one you've seen? This is the first one I'd seen available for purchase.
I saw an off center 2 Forint in 1984 in an antique/coin shop in Veszpre'm. I don't remember the exact date, but it was from the 1960's. My offer of $50 U.S. cash was turned down.
