GoldFinger1969

Did you ever meet Bauman over the years ? I think he died a few years ago.

Roger, any thoughts on Akers comments that MTB's Bauman knew of another hoard of 40-50 1931-D's ? You referenced it but no follow-up.

If you paid what for you is alot of $$$, then return it. If the amount is not prohibitive and you are open to getting a better/higher-graded coin some time in the future, that's another option.....and you can always sell this one in the future. Me....when I lay out Big $$$ for a dream coin, I want it perfect. For my others...I'm a bit more forgiving.

The Indian Head coin just sold on GC for about $240 with lots of bidders; the Winged Liberty for about $145. Both prices are about 40-100% above what they were selling about 18-22 months ago. Both were PF70 I believe.

Maybe....OTOH, they have so much unused capital that they could write this off 100% and it barely makes a dent in their bottom line. I think the purchase of CU/PCGS by the 2 parties (including NY Mets owner Steve Cohen) shows more skin in the game, FWIW. As we saw in another thread, General Mills got into coins and numismatics with Bowers/Ruddy and that was a nothingburger even with the spectaular growth of the 1970's at their back. Grading and certifying -- not necesarily of coins -- could be a secular growth story for Gen Z and Millenials plus aging Baby Boomers. As a publicly-traded company, BX will make disclosures on this going forward. Remember, even if only 1% more of the adult population gets into coins that's hundreds of thousands of serious collectors.

That's rarely the case. I wish NGC well and I think with their people staying the company won't be the worse for it. Maybe BX has some domestic or global contacts that can open up new business lines for CCG affiliates. I wonder how much of this was a need for a more liquid currency (BX stock) for CCG higher-ups and BX's wide moat globally helps expand their business lines (though I'm not sure how). I know lots of foreign countries could use standardized certifications and authentication services, but it's not their most pressing needs (financial stability, property rights, etc. all higher-up for most countries).

I don't see how this moves the needle for BX. FWIW, I'd be a buyer of the stock but at a lower price.

The National Park Foundation released silver and gold copies (not 100% but close enough) of the Liberty Head DE.

The 1849 was a regularly-issued coin I believe, but J-1776 (the Liberty Head $20 DE) is a true pattern.

600 tables and you couldn't find ANY interesting coins, particularly those you've written about ? Uggh.... If you had a special Admittance Pass around your neck saying FEATURED AUTHOR or something like that, I bet they would have talked. Unless they were busy doing business, which I hear is usually the case early in the show. I'd love to have you and other authors talk about your books that you have written and update developments on the coins mentioned in the current market. I can't believe they wouldn't be well-attended. A panel discussion on Saints or Double Eagles with some high-end dealers, you, and maybe 1 or 2 others ? The Morgan Dollar Symposium with Randy Campbell of ICG had probably 75-100 people in attendance as I recall at FUN 2020. I believe most/all of the FUN 2020 talks/break-outs were well-attended, even those beginning at 8 AM !!

And even though those coins had less baggage-wear than their European counterparts, they still were dropped, bagged, and moved thousands of miles a few times. I'll bet once in the bag or right before most were MS-67 or higher.

1913 Saint: An interesting read, Roger and HA note the following: "In the second edition of the Handbook of 20th Century United States Gold Coins 1907-1933, Jeff Ambio writes: 'Beginning in MS-65 ... the 1913 develops into one of the leading condition rarities in the entire Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle series. In fact, it is easier to locate a high-grade 1929, 1931, or 1932 than it is to find a similarly graded 1913. There has never even been a rumor of a 1913 Double Eagle that would grade MS-67 by today's standards.' The typical poor production of 1913 double eagles will explain the lack of high-grade examples surviving today. It is entirely possible that few would have graded MS65 when they were struck. If a grading service could travel back in time to 1913 and set up a grading room in the Mint, there would likely still be only a small number of MS65 or finer coins certified." Apparently, it wasn't bagwear and circulation wear that afflicts most of the surviving 1913 Saints....the comment about a time machine and a TPG being in position to grade the coins hot-off-the-presses indicates that MS65's and higher were lacking as they were struck....which strikes me as odd if not a bit hyperbolic. Unless the Mint was using horrible dies for the 1913, coins right off the press should be plentiful in MS68 and MS67, if not higher.

ANA convention in the 1970's would draw 20,000.

Gold was held on behalf of investors and in the private bank/wealth departments. But a small % has always been held by banks and central banks as per BIS regulations.

What bums me out is that Heritage won't release a PDF or digital copy of Roger's Saints book. I think I am going to have to manually type the key COMMENTARY section out if I want it on my PC/smartphone, which amounts to about 150-160 pages or so (estimate). Gonna take me a few weeks or more to do that. I might even hire someone to do it. At least then I can read it leisurely on my smartphone and I'll always be able to access it.

You telling me that PCs and laptops don't have USB drives ? CD's and DVDs I understand although I think most PCs (desktop or laptop) still have a Blu-Ray option. I know streaming mitigates the need for a disk player and my last 2 cars did not have a CD player (had to put my favorite music on my smartphone) but I don't think that they are going away entirely and I don't think that impacts digital information for coin enthusiasts. I continue to put key information on my PC in Word and PDFs......then I can read them on my smartphone. Easy to backup, too.

Well, this didn't age well: "...General Mills in 1973 acquired Boston-based H.E. Harris & Co., the world's leading mail-order stamp dealer. Why did General Mills, with $2 billion a year in sales, decide to play around with stamps? According to Fletcher C. Waller, Jr., director of business development and market planning, "This is a business of inherent stability coupled with appeal to conditions on the rise in the future: extended time to pursue hobbies thru early retirement, a shorter work week, rising discretionary income, and smaller families which offer more capability of indulging individual interests. Stamps have good long term growth potential…even faster growth than our traditional businesses." In 1974 General Mills also acquired Bowers & Ruddy, one of the largest coin auctioneers and mail-order firms. Waller wouldn't disclose earnings for the stamp and coin divisions, but he conceded that "both are profitable…and in fact more profitable on return than the average of General Mills."

I couldn't believe that when I read it -- I know all about conglomerates, but a food processor/cereal maker buying a COIN business ? That's like an oil company buying pet stores. I wonder if someone at GM knew either Bowers or Ruddy and was able to make the deal or convince the board to do it. I wonder what The WSJ or other publications at the time said about it. The deal makes no sense. Conglomerates existed because the diversification of business lines supposedly smoothed out earnings (it didn't)....and you could grow (or "bootstrap") earnings if you had a high P/E stock currency and used it to buy cheaper P/E businesses. But B&R had to have such small revenues relative to GM that they couldn't possibly move the needle. Would love to ask QDB about it.

You can't beat January for FUN. Best time for most of the country.

Could also be the source of the hoards we got from Central and South America in the decades after WW II.

Also.....the U.S. dominated the global financial system from the late-1800's through the end of the Gold Standard. And U.S. Double Eagles -- Liberty's and Saints -- were the workhorses of the global gold financial system. As we have learned from these Forums and Roger's book (among others)....99.9% of every year's production was used to settle trade and commerce dealings. So you would expect there to be a greater familiarity with American gold coins among some foreigners (at least the propertied and wealthy or upper classes) than even among Americans -- with their bankruptcies and financial panics and currency debasements, they were more likely to hold U.S. gold coins than Americans themselves.

Cheerios has other competition. If General Mills wants to charge $10 for a box of Cheerios, more people will buy Total or Wheaties or Fruit Loops.

But there are lots of other silver substitutes for ASEs....the ASEs are NOT the only way to get an ounce of silver or even to buy a silver coin.

It's also got a great backstory which adds to the allure, IMO. These other coins, you have to be a numismatist or close follower to understand the appeal, rarity, etc......with the 1933 Saint, everybody kind of knows the story about how most were melted and the "theft" and subsequent legalizing of the 1 coin.

I'll probably concentrate on the January FUN, but I wonder if proof of vaccination would KO the need for masks and social distancing.