World Colonial

I prefer most collectors to collect like you describe. Otherwise, I'd never be able to afford to collect what I do now.

I did not see that post but it reflects my sentiments. Most collectors do not care (it's evident in what they collect) but if they do, get around this limitation by applying arbitrary and narrow criteria to make it more difficult. This is done by expanding the series to a specialization (such as die states or die varieties), an arbitrary TPG number (for registry sets) or "eye appeal". I'm not knocking this practice but since you asked, that's my opinion and it's especially evident in US collecting, both in how collectors see it and definitely in how the industry promotes collecting Read Coin Week, auction descriptions and TPG commentary. They have successfully created the perception of "scarcity" in their marketing. It would also be true of the more "recent" series in many other countries too (such as in Britain and Canada) except that the price level makes it a lot more difficult to buy the coins without looking somewhat or a lot harder. If you can't find it on eBay, it's going to take some looking because it isn't likely to be listed on some dealer website even if they have it. Too much work for too little money or the dealers doesn't attempt to market to collectors outside their country. By definition, everyone cannot collect actually scarce or rare coins. So it's only expected that most would and will not.

The coins this forum member and I collect are unlike practically any US coin, even though those I buy are moderate to low priced by US coin standards. To have any realistic chance of completing my series, I will either need to find a dealer to locate some of the coins for me (possibly a noticeable proportion) or hope what I do not own isn't sold predominantly or exclusively through private transactions. I might also literally have to wait for the owner to die off. So far, every coin I have bought in my primary series has been where anyone else could have directly competed against me, but I am "running out" of coins to buy in this manner. By "running out", I am referring to the date/denomination combinations available in the TPG data, since I have literally almost never seen one outside of a holder where one (or a few) aren't otherwise graded. The coins I do not own which are in the collections I am referring to, I have never seen these come up for sale in almost 20 years of trying to buy it, to my knowledge. A few might have ended up in the TPG pops but if so, it's not any I don't have already. Sellschopp sold in 1988, Ortiz in 1991 and Patterson in 1996. Those are the only three collections I know which have the coins I am describing in any number. Any others I know have a coin here or there or were sold even earlier. As an example, Ortiz owned a 1768 Peru 1/2R described as a choice MS under current grading standards. I own the NGC XF "Details" and it's easily the best I have seen in almost 20 years, by far. It's one of the few and much better than the plate coin in my two reference books. With a mintage of 612, 000, it presumably isn't absolutely rare but if you want to get an idea of the scarcity, take a look at the PCGS Coin Facts estimates for Liberty Seated half dimes along with the mintages. Some may be scarcer absolutely where the mintage is much lower, but other than the unique 1870-S, I don't believe a single one is even close in any quality any advanced collector would want to buy. So, what I am telling you is that you are thinking in the context of collecting a US series where practically any can be completed from anywhere between one day to a few months in "high quality" or at least a quality most collectors will accept. Some of the higher availability is due to the much higher price level but mostly, it's because US coins US collectors consider "scarce" or "rare" are common and where it isn't, still not remotely hard to buy. As an example, outside of the 1913 LHN, 1933 Indian Head Eagle, and few Saints, I can reasonably expect that every single other 20th century US circulation strike and proof is either available right now or can be acquired in "high quality" in at most a few months (usually less). Every one of these series except for Indian Head eagles and Saints can be completed in "high quality" in one day. What I am describing to you, this is a primary reason the type of coins I buy are of limited interest to hardly anyone. It's too difficult to buy, even if the collector is otherwise interested.

I was referring to the series of articles he wrote about the history of his firm which I found really interesting. It was a throwback to the past, back to when the firm started and long before I was born. He wasn't clear in the articles and while I doubt they ever catered to collectors filling holes in Whitman folders, my inference is that it used to be more of a retail coin shop many years ago. Now, I doubt whatever inventory they carry is often below four figures.

Aside from potential security issues, I infer it's also a screening method to keep window shoppers away who aren't going to spend any money anyway. They have a limited retail inventory for sale on their website but I do not know if this is only a small fraction, most, or all of it. If you ever read Harvey Stacks articles on Coin Week, I don't think they are the same type of firm they were a long time ago. I might be wrong about that but I infer they would have dealt with a lower budget buyer in the past.

I look at Heritage regularly. I am always on the lookout for coins in my series that I did not know existed before. I have a noticeable proportion of the better ones in the NGC census and a few from PCGS where far fewer have been graded. There are still a noticeable number illustrated in catalogs or as plate coins I have never seen offered for sale. The Ortiz sale occurred in 1991 when I wasn't aware of it and would not have the money to buy much of anything anyway. The collection didn't have many in my series but does have six I had not seen before. Now, I just have to wait for one to come up for sale and hope it is at auction where I can compete for it. One PCGS forum member collects a related series but he has the resources to have a dealer find coins for him. I don't have the budget to do that.

I went for lot viewing, in December 2006. The impression I have is that they do not function as a retail outlet for the general public but I do not know if this is accurate.

No. "He" as in Ortiz. The catalogue includes Latin America colonial only. No US coins at all. I also have the Sellshopp catalogue (same firm from 1988). Norweb collected both US and world coinage. The firm was the coin division of the Swiss Bank Corporation later known as Sincona.

This is purely a guess but I assume it was done as a marketing tool by Stacks. The coin may be eligible for a numerical grade but maybe the incremental grading fee was more than the incremental value add. In other words, they made the same or more money marketing the coin without the grade through a bulk submission.

I just bought the catalogue for the Swiss Bank Corporation Sale #20, Ortiz Latin America collection. Some really premium coins in there, including those he bought from Norweb and Sellshopp.

I went to the W 57th Street office once. Thought it had a good atmosphere for a coin shop though I don't think of them as a retail outlet.

Sounds like it is from a hoard Stacks Bowers bought several years ago. West 57th street is the old address of their shop in NYC.

Auctions and actual prices. Krause prices are just "made up". Possibly some coins listed in it which do not even exist and never did (1752 Peru 4R, 1933 South Africa circulation strike farthing), any number of coins with no publicly known sale at all (many Spanish colonial especially in the listed grades), and even more listings where the prices either have not changed in years (all South Africa Union and ZAR since 1998) or where it likely has not. It is useful for attribution. It is also somewhat useful for determining relative value but not otherwise.

Krause is of limited use in determining market value. I can't say it's never reflective of current prices but if it is, it's entirely by accident and only because it's used as a reference point where the ask price matches it and someone pays it.

Good to hear it.

I knew 5 out of 10. I forgot about Perth as a mint but knew the others.

Unless I missed something, I know three answers here. I have no clue for #4 and #3 is 50-50.

I only know the answer to two of the questions and with one, it's partly due to multiple choice. Of the collections you listed, I only know of one and that's because I looked at the catalog before it was sold. My suspicion is that most reading your poll have never heard of any of them.

Reading posts on US coin forums, the uninitiated novice might have a good reason to think that much of the trivial numismatic minutia is equally important.

My error. I did not read the commentary completely. I don't consider it a real coin either, similar to several China NCLT.

Might be it but I did not know it had a mintage of four. I did not look it up, only that I saw it was a 2019 and a 5 Sovereign. Most overpriced coin ever (not even close) is the South Africa 2008 Mandela 90th BD 5R NGC MS-69 purportedly sold by the South African Coin Company for the equivalent of $338,000.

Most of the coins are distinctive though a few quite overpriced as far as I am concerned, except compared to the closest comparable US coinage. The one coin which is most overpriced is the 2019 5S. The price is absurd and I presume due to the COA #1. I'd rate it as one of the most overpriced and worst numismatic values in the world, literally.

If the buyer had a lot money, it doesn't seem to me that buying any US coin was much more difficult in the past than now, unless it's for specialization or specific quality. For the actually rarer more expensive coins, I suspect most of these could have been tracked down through dealer contacts. The Hansen mega thread on the PCGS forum has certainly once again showed that buying practically any US regular issue coin (MS or proof) isn't difficult at all. In less than five years, he is only missing a very low proportion. With non-US coinage, it's more difficult for the scarcity but this is substantially due to the lower price level. If the coins were worth more, few would be hard to buy either assuming the coin exists to be bought.

Being a metal advocate is the equivalent of financial religion to some. I was that way for a short time in the 80's in my early 20's. Eventually, I figured out I wasn't going to get rich with the limited amount of silver I could buy and then later concluded the hyperinflation scenario many of them expect is a lower probability event too. I don't believe it is particularly expensive now but don't believe it is cheap either. If anyone has evidence to show it, I am all ears to hear it. I have never seen such evidence, only that it's cheap compared to gold (which is significantly overpriced historically) and supposedly artificially suppressed going on 30+ years. If it falls as far as I believe in the future, I will look to buy it in quantity then, as I expect it to be the last opportunity to buy it cheap for some time. However, if I am sorry I didn't buy anything recently, it's CVX in the high 50's or low 60's last year. The yield is still above average but don't think it is cheap anymore.

Two different stockpiles. Those held by the commodity exchange are one and those held by private individuals are another.