Baltimore Part 2 posted by Electric Peak Collection

[CSJournals-migration]

Two Unexpected Acquisitions

 

On Thursday morning, after taking my wife to work, I went back home to do a few things before the show opened to the public at noon. I did want to look at some more auction lots, and arrived at the convention center around 11:30. I had forgotten that lot pickup was from 9 to 11, so I was late for that. Getting the 1840-O half dime would have to wait.

 

None of the lots I examined (some gold dollars of particular dates of personal interest) appealed to me. By the time I was done with that, the show was open, and I started my scan of dealers' offerings, from high table number to low (since the B-M lot viewing area was at the high end).

 

Having been inside prior to the public opening, I did not see how long the line was to get in. But the place did seem pretty active. I was frequently having to avoid other people as I moved along.

 

As for the coins: I was struck by how few high grade half dimes were available. The best that I found were at the table of a dealer duo who usually have several high grade ones. Unfortunately, their coins usually are not as well struck as I like and/or are priced a bit higher than I am willing to pay. This time they only had four 1862s, obviously all from the same dies and die state, one in a 66 slab, three in 67. Except for one of the 67s that had some tiny scratches, these were nice. If the price was right, I would consider upgrading my 66. It was not to be.

 

In addition to the half dimes, I do look for large cent upgrades and items for my type set. For some reason, this day I was stopping to look at Morgan dollars. I'd like to get one of the early S mint examples in 68, but that will set me back from the half dime pursuit, so 67 is my more realistic target. Besides, I haven't yet seen a 68 that impresses me more than a nice 67.

 

In general, I am not a fan of the toning that seems to be quite popular with Morgans. But I bought an 81-S 67 that has an untoned obverse and subtle bag toning on the reverse. The colors gently change from yellow to green to blue to violet to red, with some variation due to the cloth. It is really quite pretty. Unfortunately, I do not yet have a picture to share.

 

Moving along, I eventually arrived at the table of one of my copper dealer/EAC friends. I mentioned to him that I'm still looking for an 1823 to upgrade my VG, and that VF would be about right. I can never seem to find any in the VF-XF range at acceptable prices. But this time, in addition to one in an XF45 slab, he had two in VF35. The XF price was too high for me, having spent a lot already. The VFs each had strengths and weaknesses, buy I liked one better, and the price was right, so I bought it.

 

Moving along... through the final two aisles, I found three more 1823 cents in VF-XF slabs. Yikes! Did I make a mistake by buying too soon? Not really. Those coins didn't really speak to me, and were priced higher. Nevertheless, this did impress on me why I usually try to look at everything before making a purchase decision.

 

That's enough for now. Happy hunting...

 

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[Yankeejose]

That has to be one of the toughest decisions at the bigger coin shows- when to pull the trigger and buy and when to keep looking and hope the coin is still there. I go to shows with a set budget and I spend half the time deciding to how spend that budget. Glad it worked out that you got the better coins! That is a nice feeling!