GoldFinger1969

The Red Book pre-1972 are very interesting to look through. Remember, prices on most collectible coins and then the precious metals silver/gold coins went up HUGE in the 1960's and 1970's. Lots of mid-grade coins went up 10- or 20-fold. Premium-graded or condition coins went up 30- to 100-fold. It was a once-in-a-lifetime move that many people try to extrapolate to this day.

That seems too low....probably 25 cents an hour. Nobody was working for less than 1 cent an hour !

So about 1/50th of a millimeter...today, probably 1/100,000 of a millimeter. Nanometers and angstroms !

I saw the same dichotomy and irrational, emotional decision-making in the financial world. People would think nothing of moving tens or thousands of dollars into and out of various investments, often super-risky, without doing ANY due dilligence. But when it came to buying a $400 TV or microwave, they'd research it for weeks.

I saw a really interesting cover piece on Ikes in the Dec 2009 CDN Newsletter Supplement. Still relevant, I bet....should be newer stuff if you scour this website or the Internet.

How on Earth did you get all that information ? Even if it was recorded on some obscure papers.....who bothered to write all that technical data down....who saved it....who preserved it.....how'd you find it ? Wow....impressive....most impressive, as noted coin collector Darth Vader would say.

I'm sure The Man Himself will be around soon to answer your questions.

Do you believe this coin was the 1st one struck ?

As an example.....can you IMAGINE the increase in the common price of a 1928 Saint if we had been able to find the stolen bag of 1928 Saints (250 of them) ? Wow.... As it is, the fact that most Saints (and Liberty's) surviving today came from oveseas hoards in Europe or South/Central America is facinating. I didn't know that until I came to the Internet. I just assumed people had saved them and not turned them in during the 1930's.

I think if you are just interested in the act of coin collecting, then books and authors and stories don't mean much. For me, the fun thing about coins -- especially the classics like Morgans and Saint-Gaudens -- is the story that goes with each type...each year....each mint mark. That's what made Roger's book so fascinating....the stories that went along with specific strikings of Saints. A book that just updated the totals and mint state numbers year after year is BORING. You have to tell a story -- that book does. When I show off my favorite coins it's the STORY behind them that is fun to talk about, not what it is made of, how much it cost, or where I bought it.

That boggles my mind. Lots of the attendees at a coin show like FUN probably have many coin books...to have a panel discussion with 1 or 2 or multiple authors from whom we have purchased and read.....seeing them discuss their books and then having the opportunity to ask them questions is a great opportunity. I don't know why the show operators wouldn't do it, except that it might not make anybody much money. But I bet an interesting panel discussion with authors on the same coin type (i.e., Double Eagles) or even on different coin types (maybe talking about multi-decade trends) would attract attendance and spur interest. I know it would be "must viewing" for me !

The Winner's Curse, I believe they call it.

Do we have any other authors here ? I think some of the other veteran collectors here have stated they wrote books years ago, even if very narrowly-focused. They should create threads for their books, we might not be aware of them. Some of us might buy the books...or have already bought them.....either way, we can comment on the thread if it's a topic of interest. I personally have great respect for any author who spends time and effort researching a detailed concept like aspects of coins or coin collecting, even if it is a topic I am not really interested in. It's a big undertaking, as anybody can easily see with RWB's Saints book and other books that he wrote that have threads here (i.e., Girl On The Silver Dollar).

Ditto....but it takes a toll on the binding (softcover book) even though I am gentle with it. That's why I reached out to HA about an online/PDF/Kindle option but nothing so far. Something to ask/pester them about at FUN 2023.

Nice.....any decent local coin shows on Long Island that you attend ?

Prices At The Superb Gem Level: Was thinking a bit about a post I noted on another thread here in the forums. MS-67's Saints are selling for $12,500 give-or-take for 1924's and about 10% higher, ~$14,000 for 1928's. Both are considered commons and plentiful in MS-65 and not that rare in MS-67, too. 1923-D's, another "common" coin, also in the mid-teens or thereabouts for an MS-67. However...there's a big dropoff for a coin that has lots more in the Superb Gem category and plenty (but not as many as the 1924 or 1927) in the Gem category, the 1908 No Motto. It sells for about half the price of the 1923-D, 1924, 1927, and 1928. Roger's Estimates for the coins are listed first and then I have both the latest PCGS and NGC Population Census for the year. I have no idea really how to account for double-counting and crackouts by just adding PCGS and NGC totals to one another. Feel free to chime in. 1908 No Motto: MS-67/68 @ 2,001 (both rays) and MS65/66 @ 19,400. PCGS @ 1,027 and 40,745.....NGC @ 1,360 and 21,094. 1923-D: MS-67/68 @ 90 and MS-65/66 @ 5,500. PCGS @ 90 and 4,753........NGC @ 57 and 2,679. 1924: MS-67/68 @ 225....and MS-65/66 @ 79,500. PCGS @ 135 and 64,350....NGC @ 220 and 4,2841. 1927: MS-67/68 @ 60 and 48,000 for 65-66. PCGS @ 36 and 39,601.....NGC @ 62 and 24,830. 1928 MS-67/68 @ 140.......MS-65/66 @ 16,200. PCGS @ 117 and 15,112.....NGC @ 103 and 8,483. You can clearly see the huge dropoff at the Super Gem (MS67 and up) in the 4 other commons (1923-D, 1924, 1927, and 1928) compared to the 1908. Hundreds available there in total for all 4 but a few thousand of the 1908 NM's. Ironically, the 1924 and 1927 dwarf the 1908 NM at the Gem level (MS65-66) by a huge factor, the Wells Fargo Hoard really skewed the totals at that 67 level in favor of the 1908 NM.

The good thing is...you can skip around in Roger's Saints DE book and not lose anything. Tougher to do in FMTM and other books. But if you want, you can skip years or even read the non-Saint chapters between the annual reviews of the Double Eagles. Lots of good stuff on gold, gold flows, the Gold Standard, etc. Roger really did a good job with this and it brough back memories of the early-1980's when I was in college and reading about gold and monetary systems in The WSJ.

Battle Of The 67's: Didn't realize to what extent the population numbers for the 1908 NM have depressed the price of a Superb Gem. Without the BPs, a few 1924 MS-67's have recently gone for $12,500.....the 1928 is scarcer and went for about $14,000....but the 1908 No Motto went for under $6,000 !! All graded MS-67. Even accounting for any differences in grading, that's a big difference considering they are all considered "common" Saints.

Those multiple variations for the 2021 American Silver Eagle (I think there are 3 types ?) -- what do they retail for ? Add in "Gem Proof" and the engravers signature. Trying to figure out how much they marked up this stuff that my father was buying.

We were in the same office, didn't really know him. But he was a scam artist and a con guy, yeah. They embellish in the movies but the general thrust of the movie -- from the small parts I have seen -- are pretty accurate. The wild partying and other stuff I am sure they played up to make the movie a hit.

I actually worked with Jordan Belfort ("The Wolf Of Wall Street") for a short period of time ! Yes, the Mercanti Label is worth something...so is reverse proof...so is the 70 grade for a big 10 ounce coin. I just question HOW MUCH.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/125060917300?mkevt=1&mkpid=0&emsid=e11304.m43.l3160&mkcid=7&ch=osgood&euid=be7c8c31957246c7b7a8dd5d965ba5fe&bu=43018120066&osub=-1~1&crd=20220123085658&segname=11304&sojTags=ch%3Dch%2Cbu%3Dbu%2Cosub%3Dosub%2Ccrd%3Dcrd%2Csegname%3Dsegname%2Cchnl%3Dmkcid A "1933 Saint"....made out of silver....10 ounces....but has the PF70 grade. Seller offered me $200 off the list price. So only paying $300 an ounce for silver. Look, I have no problem paying premiums for special items or something I really like but this is ridiculous unless you have a high-7 figure net worth. I saw a BEAUTIFUL 10-ounce gold commemorative of Pope John Paul II which almost certainly had limited production and I doubt they make more of a deceased pontiff...I think it went for about a 40-50% premium to melt. This is over 1,000% premium and a few thousand dollars too.

MCMVII Flat Rims @ GC: Two Flat Rim High Reliefs on sale including a very pricey MS-66+ CAC from the "Half Dome Collection" (whatever that is/was). Tons of bidding activity there, at $125,000 right now with 21 days left. https://www.greatcollections.com/Coin/1094005/1907-Saint-Gaudens-Gold-Double-Eagle-MCMVII-High-Relief-Flat-Edge-PCGS-MS-66-CAC-Half-Dome-Collection-Label Another flat rim is MS-62 CAC @ $11,500 with a few bids only. 2 weeks to go: https://www.greatcollections.com/Coin/1109090/1907-Saint-Gaudens-Gold-Double-Eagle-MCMVII-High-Relief-Flat-Edge-NGC-MS-62-CAC And an MS-64 Wire Rim is at $15,500 with a week to go: https://www.greatcollections.com/Coin/1084035/1907-Saint-Gaudens-Gold-Double-Eagle-MCMVII-High-Relief-Wire-Edge-NGC-MS-64

Even if you don't collect, the book would be interesting. You'll learn alot also about the history of gold and the gold standard from the U.S. perspective. A shorter less taxing alternative is to read the Bower's GUIDE BOOK covering Liberty's and Saints, but it is 18 years behind without a sequel since the 1st Edition. Bowers is a great asset to our community but he's getting up there in age and I get not having the time or energy to do even a slimmed-down 2nd Edition. Hopefully, Whitman finds someone to do it before 2024 and the 20th anniversary.

I didn't think of that. Good preemptive thinking, RJ ! I want to get the key COMMENTARY sections for each non-proof Saint typed into a Word/PDF document so I can look at it and read it on my smartphone like I have done for other key Saints/coin commentaries. There is no online book option for this book unless Heritage changes course going forward. I may just hire a high school, college kid, or housewife with plenty of free time to just type it up for me in the future.