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This auction of Inco & Gould private pattern pieces might be of interest.
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Started by RWB,

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RWB

RWB

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Forthcoming Heritage auction of International Nickel Corp. (INCO) and Gould, Inc. private pattern pieces. These were the subject of a detailed research book I wrote a couple of years ago:

Private Pattern and Related Pieces: International Nickel & Gould Incorporated. Seneca Mill Press LLC. 2019.

https://www.ngccoin.com/news/article/9555/ngc-certified-inco-and-gould-patterns-in-auction/

Edited by RWB
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RWB

RWB

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Hard to say, really. The book was the first meaningful description and organization of the pieces, especially in identification of "odd" metals such as niobium, powdered and sintered titanium, molybdenum, private 'coins' with embedded magnetic strip, etc. There are several pieces in grades 65 through 69 (!) and which would be called "proof" if one merely looked at the pieces. (No real "proof" pieces were made and none made for collectors, but the PL pieces are excellent.)

Also, there are quite a few planchets and blanks used in testing by a vending machine manufacturer in Arkansas, and these have rarely - some never - appeared in any auction.

Suggest you check past auctions to get an idea of prices.

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RWB

RWB

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If member Zoins or anyone else wants to see photos of specific coins, they can check the Heritage auction site, or ask and I can pull them from my personal files. (The auction photos are from Heritage or NGC, but I also have my original research photos.)

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DWLange

DWLange

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Rick Mears, four time Indy 500 winner! The car was made from undistributed trial coins after melting. ☺

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VKurtB

VKurtB

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On 10/24/2021 at 6:32 PM, DWLange said:

Rick Mears, four time Indy 500 winner! The car was made from undistributed trial coins after melting. ☺

…or carbon fiber, even.

I briefly dated Mears’ second wife. She was from Wyomissing, PA, where I lived, and where Taylor Swift was born and raised. And while I did not take this photo, I was photographing from the same press area as this one at the same time.

I sold Nikon cameras to both Mears and Al Unser, Sr.

Edited by VKurtB
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RWB

RWB

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Here's a sample:

Holder #5934600-2 LOT #46128. (1977-78) Gould $1. MS68 NGC. RB-1360. 8.46 g. Nickel. Rich, nearly perfect surfaces. Strongly magnetic.

257939127_Holder5934600-2LOT46128.thumb.jpg.84c7dac1af8ef69ffb3c60da4a7e2aeb.jpg

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RWB

RWB

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When I buy items for research, it is temporary....I can't afford to hold the coins or medals for long once the research project is complete. In this instance, Julian Leidman was willing to split the cost with me, and then wait while I completed research and published the book. (The research coins and the book are separate items - one does not fund the other.) Now that the project is complete, the coins are being sold by Heritage. Julian and I will split the proceeds equally. (He has been very patient with my slow research and analysis process - that's something very special and unusual for a major coin dealer.)

The reason for buying certain research coins/medals is that knowledge from research is incremental - it builds in small pieces over time. By holding a research piece, I can easily refer to it at any time in order to compare with others that I can only examine briefly, or compare to newly discovered written materials. Obviously, I have to be careful in what I buy -- there is no unlimited, or buy-and-hold budget here. In this case, I was able to leverage over 100 pieces, most with identification envelopes from the testing company or INCO.

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VKurtB

VKurtB

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On 10/25/2021 at 1:20 PM, zadok said:

...thats because Julian is a very special n unusually humble n forthright person in addition to being a major coin dealer...have known him for 40+ years....AAA+ in all regards....

Julian is a great guy, but boy, did he miss the signs of the 2011 metals bubble! He was predicting no end in sight on the up side when it all went bad in August of 2011. I called him out on it at my 2011 Numismatic Theater talk at Rosemont that year. Numismatic Theater is the old name for Money Talks. But then NOBODY whose living is made in this field EVER sees a top coming.

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gmarguli

gmarguli

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On 10/25/2021 at 11:20 AM, zadok said:

...thats because Julian is a very special n unusually humble n forthright person in addition to being a major coin dealer...have known him for 40+ years....AAA+ in all regards....

I second that. One of the nicest people in coins.

MANY years ago at a show I was looking at some coins in his case. I believe it was a set of the 1892/1893 Columbian & Isabella commemoratives in proof. He asked if I wanted to see them and I said they were way out of my price range. He replied something like "That's ok, you can still see them" and he took them out for me to look at. When I was done he asked if I wanted to see anything else in his case and showed me a few other well out of my range coins. Super nice all the while knowing he wasn't going to get a sale. 

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RWB

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I was asked the source of the photo of "Holder #5934600-2 LOT #46128" shown above. This is one of the initial record photos I made several years ago. Photos are part of the basic documentation I do before moving forward with research. This includes photos, measurement of diameter along two axis, thickness (2 axis), weight, density, alloy if known, and description. This allows me to separate items by design, composition, weight and other physical characteristics. In turn, I can then begin comparison of known items with descriptions and pieces from other accumulations.

For Inco, the Whitman blue folders with typed labels (Smithsonian and private collection) helped a lot.

Album-3.thumb.JPG.32c64d5d633fdaecca7b9b974a0b7a84.JPG

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RWB

RWB

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PS: "Columbium" is the obsolete name for "niobium." It has been this way since 1947; no idea why Inco and others used columbium.

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VKurtB

VKurtB

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On 10/28/2021 at 2:51 PM, RWB said:

PS: "Columbium" is the obsolete name for "niobium." It has been this way since 1947; no idea why Inco and others used columbium.

What? You never heard of Christopher Niobus?

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zadok

zadok

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On 10/28/2021 at 6:05 PM, VKurtB said:

What? You never heard of Christopher Niobus?

...yea he played defensive end for the old Frankford Yellow Jackets not far from ur old stomping grounds.....

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RWB

RWB

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If anyone wants to save a PDF of the catalog, they should do it today. when the sale ends tonight, the catalog will (I think) go off-line.

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Just Bob

Just Bob

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All nine of my bids have been surpassed. :frown:

I will follow the live auction, and maybe try to bid on a few items, but I am not hopeful. Most of these are bidding higher than I had expected. Even the blank planchets are going for $60 plus, and will probably go  higher when live bidding starts.

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Henri Charriere

Henri Charriere

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On 10/25/2021 at 2:50 PM, VKurtB said:

But then NOBODY whose living is made in this field EVER sees a top coming.

Really?  I am still trying to make sense of what motivated you to say you hoped precious metals would take a precipitous drop in response to two separate posts -- one for silver, one for gold -- during your on-site reporting from Rosemont. :whatthe:

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Henri Charriere

Henri Charriere

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On 10/25/2021 at 2:54 PM, gmarguli said:

One of the nicest people in coins.  Super nice all the while knowing he wasn't going to get a sale. 

Re: Julian Leidman...  not knowing the gentleman or his selling style, I would say the inclusion of his name in a column with great networking potential amongst coin aficionados, may very well lead to further inquiries and future sales.  That's what I call tried and true old-fashioned salesmanship.

Kudos to the OP for accommodating members the luxury of sharing their first-hand experiences and references.  (thumbsu

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RWB

RWB

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On 11/1/2021 at 5:08 PM, Quintus Arrius said:

Kudos to the OP for accommodating members the luxury of sharing their first-hand experiences and references

Isn't that what a hobby like this is supposed to be about - sharing information and experiences.....

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RWB

RWB

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On 11/3/2021 at 11:44 AM, gmarguli said:

Absolutely. Now are you going to buy something or not? :taptaptap:

Nope. Nothing needed for current research. I bought two of the 2021 Peace imitations from the Mint. That's the budget for this year.

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