New Purchases - Buffalos!

[jom]

Well, I kind of went nuts today at the Superior auction and bought a heard of Buffalos. Actually, with the exception of a couple of the coins the prices weren't too bad at all. There were a couple of 1913 issues I wanted but they went for big-time money (relative to the grade given) but other than that it was fairly reasonable.

 

Here are my "wins" for the day:

 

 

 

 

 

The 18-S is the one I REALLY wanted but I knew that if I got the 1913 dated coins that came up a bit earlier in the auction I probably couldn't afford this one. But, alas, I was able to adjust my thinking on the fly and got the main coin.

 

Unfortunately, this pretty much closes the book for me this week at Long Beach. I'll just be window shopping this time.

 

jom

[Hoot]

A HUGE congratulations to you, jom. Those are very pretty pieces and all look to be excellent quality! Very much a buffalo collectors dream!

 

Hoot

[jom]

Well, there are some strike problems on the 1916 pieces and the reverse of the 16-S looks crappy but it's no where near as bad as it looks in the picture. The 18-S is a terrific coin for the grade and a great strike. 29-S was just icing on the cake.

 

I finally had a good day at an auction...for once.

 

jom

[Elcontador]

Jom,

 

I know; it's shocking when you don't have to sell your mother to get an auction coin these days! Question - is it the image, or is that orange toning common on Buffalo nickels? I've never seen it before (though most nickels I've seen are Liberty, not Buffalo nickels).

[Wihlborg]

Congratulations to you Jom! You added four GREAT looking coins to your herd.

 

By far the one I like best is the '18s, it looks like a wonderful coin.

 

John

[CarlWohlforth]

Wow! I like those Buffalo nickels. Congratulations on winning them at auction.

[jom]

Thanks all. And, no, I didn't have to sell my mother.

 

As to the color. Orange? Maybe these were constructed in someone's oven, I don't know. But when I "think" of nickels sitting in a Wayte Raymond holder for a long time under certain conditions this is what I invision. The tight toning lines, IMO, is what gives it away. Certainly, if some of the long time veterans have a different idea as to the originality of these please let me know.

 

jom

[nOoBiEeE-migration]

Very nice rainbow toning on those and congratulations on a fine purchase.

[EVillageProwler]

Congrats, and I also think the toning is most likely n/t.

 

EVP

[Wihlborg]

The toning is natural IMO also. As for the orange color, in my experience it is a relatively common color to be found on nicely toned buffalos. Other common colors that can be found on some toned buffs are ice blue, blue, purple, and rose.

 

I also agree about the tight rings of tone being another sign that the tone is natural. These tight rings of color seem to be very difficult to reproduce in artificial toning IMO. This does not mean that any coin with tight rings of color has to be naturally toned, just that when taken into account with other attributes of the tone, such as the colors commonly found on the particular series, and how the colors blend into the other colors found on the coin, an educated opinion can be made as to whether the toning is natural or not.

 

John

[airplanenut]

WOW! Those are purchases to be proud of!!!

[goose3]

Fantastic herd you acquired!

thanks for sharing.

[jom]

Thanks all.

 

Next step: Taking my own pictures. I've got a few new aquisitions to photograph other than these so I got some work to do...I've fallen behind....as usual.

 

jom

[Bruceswar]

Well since you are broke now.. you can sell me that 18 S...... nice nice coins... and what does the 16 D grade? F 12? nice coins

[TomB]

Superb coins!

 

They appear to be completely naturally toned. I have seen those tight, colorful bands on nickel coinage most frequently on the older Dansco albums.

[jom]

I have seen those tight, colorful bands on nickel coinage most frequently on the older Dansco albums.

 

I have a couple of questions about this statement:

 

1) When you say "older" Dansco holders what exactly do you mean? How long has Dansco been around exactly? I only know of the brown covered "books" with the light tan inserts and clear plastic shield strips that slide in.

 

2) The toning on these coins looks absolutely NOTHING like I usually see on with Dansco toning. Is this the implication of "older" Dansco holders were somehow different form the newer ones? I was absolutely convinced the toning from these coins was from Raymond or Whitman albums.

 

jom

[Hoot]

I was also thinking Wayte Raymond or the blue premium Whitman albums (with slides). Most of the nickels I've seen from Dansco albums have been golden toned.

 

Hoot

[Strat-migration]

JOM,

 

It was my understanding that Superior had an old time collection that was preserved in Wayte Raymond albums for this auction, and had many of the coins graded. I know the catalog featured several partial sets still in the WR albums. So, your nickels may indeed have toned in one of these albums. However, as you are well aware, I was not able to attend the pre Long Beach auctions, so I can't confirm this. Show them to me on Saturday if you're able.

 

TTYL!

[jom]

Thanks guys. That's what I thought. Tom probably just misspoke as those coins really don't look like they are Dansco toned. I was curious about the "older" Dansco holders. Do those exist? If so, what do they look like?

 

I was impressed with the Superior sale. I had been avoiding them for a number of years and had been attending Goldberg's auctions instead. With the recent news of uncustomer-like actions on the part of Goldberg's and this nice auction that Superior gave I might be attending more often. Plus, Glenn and William are still there so it kind feels like old times I guess.

 

On an off-topic note: Does anyone know how those Raw Commems did, the ones in the WR holders? There were a lot of nicely toned ones but I was told that many had slide marks etc. I didn't get too much of a chance to look at those closely....

 

jom

[TomB]

I don't know how long Dansco has been around, however, when I wrote "older" Dansco albums what I more precisely meant was for Buffalo nickel sets residing in Dansco albums for a long time. I also agree that typically Dansco tones nickels in various shades of gold and/or hazy blue. This is quite common. So, why the apparent discrepancy? Well, I have seen three complete Buffalo sets, all of which were stored in Dansco albums as they were being built and were built from essentially tone-free coins, and each had the tight rings of color similar to your coins.

[Hoot]

Thanks Tom! GREAT information!

 

Hoot

[jom]

Well, I have seen three complete Buffalo sets, all of which were stored in Dansco albums as they were being built and were built from essentially tone-free coins, and each had the tight rings of color similar to your coins.

 

That is good news and it also gives me an idea....

 

 

jom

[MrDan-migration]

Kinda cool Buffs

[jom]

Heh...I put in my own photos of the coins. A bit more "real" I'd say.

 

jom

[Strat-migration]

Having seen these nickels on Saturday, I can now say that they are truly beautiful coins. They have fantastic eye appeal, and quality additions to a quality set.