Lord Marcovan's "Eclectic Box" collection as of February 26, 2020

February 26, 2020

So what is an "eclectic box"? It is a completely freestyle collection, abandoning the traditional structure of "sets" and allowing one to collect whatever catches one's fancy.

In my case, the coins are all third-party certified by PCGS or NGC (or eventually going to be), but beyond that, there aren't many rules. You'll likely still notice some subtle themes which reflect my personal tastes. The makeup of this collection does evolve and change periodically, as coins come and go.

The overall idea here is to build the nicest assortment of coins, tokens, and medals from all around the world, ancient to modern, that I can acquire on an intermediate, working-class budget. Eye appeal is paramount, but I'm also trying to add as wide a variety as possible of time periods, cultures, and geographic regions here.

Coin photos below are not shown to scale.

Galleries on the CollectiveCoin site:
(links may take a moment or two to load)

Eclectic Box gallery (the current lineup)

Eclectic Box "all-time" gallery (including sold coins)

Last update: November 25, 2019
Number of coins as of last update: 45
Number of coins as of this update: 47

As always, thanks for looking.

~Robertson ("Rob") Shinnick (aka "LordM")
St. Simons Island, Georgia, February 26, 2020

 

Greece (Ionia, Phokaia): electrum hekte, ca. 478-387 BC

NGC VF; Strike 5/5, Surface 3/5.

Greece (Thrace, Pantakapaion): bronze Æ21, ca. 310-303 BC

Presently uncertified.

Greece (Spartan colony in Taras, Calabria, Italy): silver drachm, ca. 302-281 BC

NGC XF; Strike 5/5, Surface 5/5.

Roman Republic: silver denarius of moneyer L. Furius Brocchus, ca. 63 BC

NGC Ch VF; Strike 5/5, Surface 4/5.

Roman Empire: silver denarius of Vespasian, struck by Titus ca. 80-81 AD

NGC AU; Strike 5/5, Surface 4/5.

Roman Empire: bronze sestertius of Antoninus Pius, struck ca. 159 AD

Presently uncertified.

Byzantine Empire: gold tremissis of Justinian I, ca. 527-565 AD

NGC MS; Strike 5/5, Surface 4/5, "wrinkled".




Italy (Sicily, Messina; Norman Kingdom): gold tari of Guglielmo I ("William the Bad"), ca. 1154-1166

PCGS VF35; population 1 with none higher as of 2/26/2020.

Great Britain (England): silver penny of King John, ca. 1213-1215, from the Gisors hoard found in Normandy

PCGS XF45; population 3 with none higher as of 2/26/2020.

Great Britain (England): silver groat of Henry VI, first reign, Calais mint, ca. 1422-1461, from the Reigate Hoard found in Surrey

PCGS XF45; population 5 with 6 higher as of 2/26/2020.
.

 

Lithuania: silver half-groschen of Sigismund II Augustus of Poland, 1550; Vilnius mint

PCGS MS63; population 5 with 8 higher as of 2/26/2020.

Great Britain (England): silver sixpence of Elizabeth I, 1575, Tower mint, eglantine mintmark

PCGS VF35; population 2 with 1 higher as of 2/26/2020.




German States (Teutonic Order): silver 1/4-thaler of Grand Master Maximilian of Austria, ca. 1615

PCGS XF45; population 1 with 2 higher as of 2/26/2020.

Great Britain (England): silver crown of Charles II, 1679; mint error

PCGS F12; labeled "broadstruck" (sic) by PCGS, but more likely just slightly off-center.

Austria: silver 3-kreuzer of Leopold I ("The Hogmouth"), 1700-IA, minor clipped planchet error

PCGS MS64; population 1 with none higher as of 2/26/2020.

Great Britain: silver South Sea Company sixpence of George I, 1723; double-struck mint error (2nd strike 25% off-center)

PCGS F12; no population data since errors are unique, but a rare error for the type.

Germany (Nuremberg): silver medal by Daniel Dockler the Younger, 1730; bicentennial of the Augsburg Confession

PCGS AU50; population 1 with none higher as of 2/26/2020.

Switzerland (Zurich): silver "city view" 1/2-thaler (1 gulden of 36 schillings), 1739

PCGS AU58; population 1 with none higher as of 2/26/2020.

Spain: gold half-escudo of Ferdinand VI, 1759-JB, Madrid mint

PCGS XF40- population 1 with none higher as of 2/26/2020 - also the key date for the type.

Iran (Persia): gold toman of Fath Ali Shah, AH 1233 (1817), Yazd mint

PCGS MS62; population 6 with none higher as of 2/26/2020.

 

United States: Capped Bust quarter, large size, 1818

PCGS F12, CAC verified; population 92 with 750 higher as of 2/26/2020.

United States (New York): German silver token (private pattern cent proposal), Feuchtwanger's Composition, 1837

PCGS AU53; population 46 with 390 higher as of 2/26/2020.

France: gilt bronze Napoleon Bonaparte medal by Antoine Bovy; special specimen striking for Napoleon's 1840 Paris funeral

PCGS SP64; population 1 with none higher as of 2/26/2020.

United States: copper-nickel 3-cent piece, Liberty Head type, 1866

PCGS MS62+; population 1 with 669 higher as of 2/26/2020.

France: silver jeton (insurance token) engraved by Ernest-Paulin Tasset, 1869

PCGS MS63; population 2 with none higher as of 2/26/2020.

United States: silver 20-cent piece, 1875, Philadelphia mint

PCGS F12; population 35 with 988 higher as of 2/26/2020.

Channel Islands (Guernsey): copper 2-doubles, 1889-H; Heaton mint, Birmingham

PCGS MS65 RB; population 1 with none higher as of 2/26/2020.

Peru: silver half-dinero, 1897-JF

PCGS MS67; population 77 with 7 higher as of 2/26/2020.

Great Britain: gold half-sovereign of Queen Victoria, 1901, from the Dr. Jacob Terner collection

PCGS MS64; population 16 with 6 higher as of 2/26/2020.

India (British): silver 2-annas of Queen Victoria, 1901, Calcutta mint

PCGS AU58; population 2 with 4 higher as of 2/26/2020.

 

United States: copper "Hard Times" token; C.D. Peacock Jeweler, Chicago, "1837" (struck ca. 1902)

PCGS MS63 BN; population 1 with none higher as of 2/26/2020.

United States: gold quarter-eagle ($2.50), Liberty Head type, 1907

PCGS MS64; population 2,576 with 2,039 higher as of 2/26/2020.

United States: bronze Lincoln cent, 1909-VDB; from an original roll saved by Marion, Ohio banker Leroy D. Zachman in 1909

PCGS MS65 RD; population 6,751 with 3,237 higher as of 2/26/2020.

United States: copper-nickel 5-cents, Buffalo type, 1913, Type 1 ("raised mound" reverse)

PCGS MS65; population 4,053 with 3,211 higher as of 2/26/2020.

Philippine Islands (US Insular government): silver 50-centavos, 1921

PCGS MS62; population 26 with 82 higher as of 2/26/2020.

Germany (Westphalia): gilt bronze 10,000-mark notgeld token, 1923

PCGS MS64; population 51 with 89 higher as of 2/26/2020.

Russia (Soviet Union): silver rouble, 1924- ПЛ, Leningrad mint

PCGS MS62; population 82 with 282 higher as of 2/26/2020.

Greenland: copper-nickel 25-øre, 1926 (h) HCN GJ; Copenhagen mint

PCGS MS65; population 24 with 30 higher as of 2/26/2020.

Germany (Weimar Republic): specimen gold medal memorializing the victims of the schooner "Niobe" shipwreck, 1932

PCGS SP66; population 1 with 1 higher as of 2/26/2020.

Egypt: silver 2 piastres of King Farouk, AH 1356 (1937)

PCGS MS62; population 6 with 14 higher as of 2/26/2020.

 

Belgian Congo: brass 2 francs, 1947

PCGS MS65; population 12 with 4 higher as of 2/26/2020.

Ireland: copper-nickel halfcrown (2 shillings 6 pence), 1951

PCGS MS65; population 14 with 3 higher as of 2/26/2020.

Esperanto (Universal League): copper-nickel 10-steloj fantasy, 1959; struck in 1960 at the Royal Dutch Mint in Utrecht

PCGS MS66; population 1 with none higher as of 2/26/2020.

Greece: silver 30-drachmai of Paul I; "Five Greek Kings" commemorative, 1963

PCGS MS65; population 232 with 95 higher as of 2/26/2020.

Tanzania: copper-nickel 5-shilingi, F.A.O. issue, 1972

PCGS MS63; population 1 with none higher as of 2/26/2020.

Austria: silver proof 10-euro, 2008, Klosterneuburg Abbey commemorative

PCGS PR70 DCAM; population 1 with none higher as of 2/26/2020.

China (People's Republic): gilt-enamel proof silver 10-yuan commemorative; "Auspicious Culture (Longevity)", 2016

PCGS PR70 DCAM; population 89 with none higher as of 2/26/2020.

 

Summary of the 2/26/2020 update:

There were 4 departures and 6 arrivals since last time. We have a net gain of two coins, bringing the collection to 47 coins in total.

Here's what went away since last time:

England (Anglo-Saxon): silver sceat, struck in Essex or East Anglia, ca. 685-700 AD


Mexico: silver 8-reales "cob" of Charles II, ca. 1665-1682, from the 1682 "Johanna" shipwreck off South Africa


India (Mysore): gold fanam of Tipu Sultan, AH 1200 (1786), Patan mint


United States: silver half dime, Capped Bust type, 1834



And here's what came in:

United States (New York): German silver token (private pattern cent proposal), Feuchtwanger's Composition, 1837
Been wanting a Feuchtwanger for a while. Got this one from DLRC.

United States: gold quarter-eagle ($2.50), Liberty Head type, 1907

I was again without a piece of US gold as of the last posting, but was happy to acquire this little beauty from WNC Coins (@Aethelred), who gave me a good price on it (and a line of credit).

United States: bronze Lincoln cent, 1909-VDB; from an original roll saved by Marion, Ohio banker Leroy D. Zachman in 1909

This was a kind gift from Josh Zachman (@kazuma78), Leroy's great-grandson. The pedigree is discussed in his interesting thread here.

United States: copper-nickel 5 cents, Buffalo type, 1913, Type 1 ("raised mound" reverse)

If that Buffalo nickel looks familiar, it's because it has been an Eclectic Box coin before! I sold it in March of 2019 but recently saw it for sale and bought it back. I affectionately call it the "Jolly Green Giant".

Belgian Congo: brass 2 francs, 1947

I reckon I needed an elephant in here, right? Got this coin in a swap with @spirityoda. Cracked it out of an NGC MS63 holder. Nice 2-point upgrade at PCGS, eh? Maybe one day I'll replace this with an ancient elephant coin (or an early 20th century Thai baht), but for now, this one will do nicely.

China (People's Republic): gilt-enamel proof silver 10-yuan commemorative; "Auspicious Culture (Longevity)", 2016

This modern Chinese piece was the topic of a recent thread here.

These weren't new additions but just got grades at PCGS:

(Both went MS64!)

Austria: silver 3-kreuzer of Leopold I ("The Hogmouth"), 1700-IA, minor clipped planchet error


Germany (Westphalia): gilt bronze 10,000-mark notgeld token, 1923

 

Thanks. It's a frosty one. First time I've ever gotten a 70 on something I submitted myself.

As with some of the other moderns, I spent more on the slab fees than the coin itself cost.