dave wnuck's newsletter for october on what collecting is all about-- i agree!

[michael]

Making The Grade #13: The New Hampshire Coin Expo; What Collecting is All About

 

 

Dave Wnuck

 

 

Welcome to lucky number 13 – the thirteenth issue of this e-newsletter. And they said it wouldn't last.

 

OK – so “they” didn't say anything of the sort. In fact, few people even noticed this newsletter when I started it, so no one bothered to prognosticate on its staying power.

 

But here we are anyway, and in keeping with the spooky nature of the number 13, I have included a brief Hallowe'en feature, as well as a brief discussion of a spurtle. Yes – a spurtle. To find out more, see below.

 

If you dare. Bhwaa ha ha!

 

Results of the New Hampshire Coin Expo

 

This is a great medium sized show, held once per year in coin-hungry New England. The venue is nice, the accommodations are reasonably priced, and the show is put on by folks who really know how to put on a coin show. Most important of all, both the public and the dealers come to do serious business there.

 

Personally, my show was excellent. I was able to buy some really nice collector coins at all price points (see my 'Newps' below). In addition, I sold a fair amount more than expected, both to collectors and to dealers. I also had some great conversations with attendees, including some who had theories on the “why” of the engraved 1793 wreath cent that I have in stock, and someone who has a relative in Germany who just dug up some ancient Roman coins in their back yard. I simply can’t wait for next year’s show!

 

A Reminder of What Collecting is All About

 

Earlier this month I had the pleasure of being one of the “experts” in an Antiques Appraisal Day here in Connecticut. While I did not uncover any numismatic treasures – the best item by far was a 1926 $20 Saint – I did get a reminder of what the collecting of objects is really all about, at least for me.

 

I sat next to John Burda, a generalist in antiques and an expert in Militaria. While I was appraising coins shown to me, he was appraising all sorts of antiques and “stuff”. But he did more than just provide a value. Much more, in fact.

 

Every object brought to him would speak to him, and he told the owner a story about it. Where it was made, when it was made, what it was used for, and so on. He asked about where the owner obtained the object. Often it was passed down in the family, so he asked about the prior owners too.

 

Honestly, there were no high value items shown to John that night. None at all. But you would never know it from listening to him.

 

For instance, someone brought in a gold pocket watch that his father received as a retirement gift. Pretty straightforward, I thought.

 

But John didn't see it that way. He asked what his dad did for a living and what company he worked for, and how long he was employed there. The owner's dad had worked for a company that sold stationary to businesses, and then inks, and then made items for the war effort in the early 1940's. So John spoke of what it was probably like for his dad selling stationary during the booming, “Roaring '20s”. And then he spoke of how difficult it must have been to sell stationary and inks to businesses during the 1930's to feed his family, when most businesses were struggling to keep their own doors open, and that many of his customers likely failed.

 

But his dad obviously hung in there and saw the switch over to wartime production in the 1940's, and then the switch back to civilian business customers after World War 2. He spoke of how his dad kept the watch in the original box, and how he likely only used the watch on special occasions, as it was in nearly perfect condition. Only then did he tell the owner the value of that watch, which was about $400.

 

By the time he was done, not only did the owner now treasure that object, but he likely wouldn't sell it for ten times its market value. And honestly, at the end of that presentation, I kinda wanted that watch as well.

[Conder101]

Great story, and a reminder that the real value behind a coin or other collectible item is not the dollars and cents price, but the stories and history of the item.

[wdrob]

Excellent and thanks for posting that.

 

Reminded me of the Antique Roadshow and why that television series appeals to me. They, too, spend the time asking the questions, providing often unknown background information on a piece, and essentially educate all on various items of a wide range of values.

 

If you had not mentioned the venue I would have assumed it to be the show I spoke of (maybe it was just referred to differently).

 

 

[michael]

ttt

[shirohniichan]

"By the time he was done, not only did the owner now treasure that object, but he likely wouldn't sell it for ten times its market value. And honestly, at the end of that presentation, I kinda wanted that watch as well."

 

Yea, verily.

 

If the story is good enough, almost anything can become interesting.

[michael]

shiro, you're a bad little boy