1948 D Booker T Washington MS67+ CAC cert TopPop 1 1

[NunyaNumis]

Good morning!

 I have seen a few people with quite an extensive collection of 50c pieces and I was wondering if anyone has any recommendations on selling this coin. I know there’s not anything in a higher grade and it doesn’t look like it has ever been to auction, would love any suggestions or if someone is looking for it to add to their collection I’d be open to reasonable offers. 

[Coinbuf]

Welcome to the forum, that is a very tough coin in that grade.   NGC shows 4 none higher PCGS 8 none higher, while there are no auction results listed from the auction houses that both NGC and PCGS report in their respective guides, there have been 3 sales of PCGS MS67+ CAC examples at Great Collections.   Two of the three are blast white and the third while toned I would not say it is on the positive eye appeal side, to my eye anyway.

I did not check but I am assuming that Ian (the founder of GC) and his team will be at the ANA show in Phx in March.   I would consign it and personally hand it off to them at the show to avoid any potential shipping loss issues.   Due to the value I'm sure that Heritage or Stacks (likely also have representatives at the show) would love to chat with you about consigning this to one of their auctions also.  I have both bought and sold coins with GC, and my experiences have been positive both ways.

I have bought from both Heritage and Stacks but never consigned any coins with either so I cannot comment on how either firm are to work with when selling.  The biggest gripe I hear about GC is some are not impressed with the photos, I also hear the same about Stacks but less often with Heritage.

Good luck with what ever course of action you pursue.

Edited February 7, 2023 by Coinbuf

[NunyaNumis]

Thank you so much for that information, I really appreciate it and am quite happy that I decided to go ahead and post here! I don’t think I will be considering HA or SB or giving them my future business due to the response I got from them and the fact that I now feel as though they are both pretty sheisty. That said, I have yet to hear anything negative about GC and will definitely be reaching out to them for consideration before I put this back in my personal collection. 
 

If I decide to go another route though, you will be the first to know! Thank you again, I truly appreciate your help and the wonderfully detailed and knowledgeable response you provided! I’ll definitely be in touch, have a great day!

[Coinbuf]

On 2/8/2023 at 4:11 PM, NunyaBidness said:

Thank you so much for that information, I really appreciate it and am quite happy that I decided to go ahead and post here! I don’t think I will be considering HA or SB or giving them my future business due to the response I got from them and the fact that I now feel as though they are both pretty sheisty. That said, I have yet to hear anything negative about GC and will definitely be reaching out to them for consideration before I put this back in my personal collection. 
 

If I decide to go another route though, you will be the first to know! Thank you again, I truly appreciate your help and the wonderfully detailed and knowledgeable response you provided! I’ll definitely be in touch, have a great day!

Happy to have been of help, feel free to reach out anytime, I live in Phx.

[NunyaNumis]

Nice! We’re in Marana just outside of Tucson! I actually have a second Booker T, this one isn’t toned though. I quite think it is under graded myself. Curious, do you have a shop in Phoenix? I ask because it seems to be very difficult to find people who are knowledgeable and not trying to rip me off! We go to the valley somewhat regularly so I’d be happy to swing in with any coin related purchases/sales/questions etc. I’d rather give my business to a trustworthy source than somewhere I settled for because it was the best option at the time. 

[Coinbuf]

On 2/12/2023 at 12:17 AM, NunyaNumis said:

Nice! We’re in Marana just outside of Tucson! I actually have a second Booker T, this one isn’t toned though. I quite think it is under graded myself. Curious, do you have a shop in Phoenix? I ask because it seems to be very difficult to find people who are knowledgeable and not trying to rip me off! We go to the valley somewhat regularly so I’d be happy to swing in with any coin related purchases/sales/questions etc. I’d rather give my business to a trustworthy source than somewhere I settled for because it was the best option at the time. 

 

Very nice I have been through the Marana area on many trips to Tucson, and my brother in law and I occasionally fly into the Marana airport in his Cessna for breakfast.  That is a real blast blazer there, another super nice coin!   This coin has that nice rich blasty look and looks very much like two of the PCGS coins that GC auctioned.   I am always cautious and a bit critical when talking about grading from photos (btw congrats on your photos, they are excellent) especially when a condition census level grade is involved.  It is no easy task to break through a grade celling and have the first new top pop for pre 1964 collector coins.   While I think the coin has plenty of luster to support an MS68 grade, from the photos there appear to be some leftover planchet marks on the bust which did not fully strike out.   While those are as struck I think that they might give pause and could prevent a higher grade.   But I also know that photos can accentuate and make very minor flaws appear to be more significant than in hand.   And luster is a very big part of the grading quotient in todays grading room, so I would never say never when it comes to great coins getting great grades.

I am not a coin dealer just a long time collector so no brick and mortar shop for me.   I enjoy helping out collectors and providing whatever assistance I can to give back to this great hobby, and this forum provides the opportunity for me to do that now and again.

[NunyaNumis]

Oh my goodness, I did not even see that you had responded, I am so sorry! That’s awesome that you are so willing to help other collectors, myself included, with your knowledge and expertise! I know I can only speak for myself but I can definitely very much appreciated! I do try to keep myself informed and definitely don’t speak to anything unless I know for a fact what I am saying in factual, obviously wouldn’t want to give anyone false or misleading information, and try to help others as well. Unfortunately, outside of having a pretty darn good eye for picking coins, I don’t get to help as much as I would like to someday! 
 

It’s a difficult hobby, to say the least, just in the sense that the amount of information out there is massive, just getting the basics down is a lot! That being said, and I’m sure you would agree, once you get bit by the numismatic bug it’s definitely a very addictive hobby! 
 

I definitely appreciate your thoughts and feedback and will hopefully get the opportunity to pick your brain again at some point. You are very knowledgeable and it’s not always easy to find an unbiased, reliable and honest opinion it seems. 
 

Thank you again for your time and insight, it really is appreciated! Also my apologies once more for the delay in responding! Take care and have a wonderful day!

[Just Bob]

You own two 48-D Booker Ts in MS67+ ?!

Well done! 

 

[NunyaNumis]

On 3/13/2023 at 11:17 PM, Just Bob said:

You own two 48-D Booker Ts in MS67+ ?!

Well done! 

 

Yes sir, I do! I am however, willing to part with one if you happen to know of anyone who is interested or would like to acquire it for their collection!