An Afternoon of Coins in Connecticut

[TomB]

Two weekends ago I had the pleasure of meeting CTcollector (Ken) and his family at his home in, where else, Connecticut. Although Ken and I both live in Southern Connecticut, we live about as far apart as people can within this small state. My roundtrip for the afternoon was approximately 210 miles, but it was well worth the travel time.

 

Upon reaching his home, I met Ken, his wife and his daughters all for the first time. Some of the similarities in our families were striking and included our ages (my wife and I are two or three years older than Ken and his wife) and our daughters' ages (35-months and seven months for Ken's vs 29-months and seven months for mine).

 

We quickly settled in at a table that would also work as a coin showcase, lunch counter and toddler play area. There, Ken produced a number of wonderful coins from his collection. The pieces shared with me were concentrated within the scarce and generally underappreciated Seated Liberty series. I will not detail the inventory of Ken's coins, as it is not my place to do so, but I will mention two individual coins and also give an impression of the shared portion of the collection.

 

The first coin is the one that Ken uses as his icon at NGC, his proof 1859 IHC. This coin was spectacular and is easily the nicest early proof IHC I have ever seen. My first instinct was to wonder why the coin lacked the cameo designation, and I mentioned this, whereupon Ken recalled his earlier thread about this particular gem cent. If you read the thread, you will note that the consensus opinion on this IHC is that if it had a dip, or was "conserved", that it would likely garner the cameo designation. This is an accurate and disturbing reflection on the TPG impact within our hobby in that there is an implicit suggestion to dip the original skin off coins with toning in order to capture the cameo designation. In my opinion, the decision to leave the coin as is was the correct course, even if that might not maximize potential value.

The second coin is my favorite piece in the collection. Obviously, Ken must also like the coin, but I do not know if it resides in the same place of honor in his eyes as it does in mine. This was an 1889 Seated Liberty quarter with a perfect, untouched aura. There are at least two types of "clean" when it comes to a coin's surface and these are a clean coin that is completely devoid of marks and a clean coin that looks as though no one has ever touched it. This Seated Liberty quarter appeared to have been serendipitously lost or secreted immediately after manufacture, only to resurface in the hands of someone wise enough not to ruin it. The coin may have some marks on it, but it bears no evidence of handling or even of contact with humans. It exudes a thick, steely grey undertone with luminous, medium depth navy toning booming from the surfaces. A quick rotation of the coin under a light revealed that the cartwheel continued in an unbroken, unperturbed manner. This coin is not monster toned, but it is a true monster.

 

Overall, the depth and quality of coins was a pleasant surprise and was something that I do not typically see when I view someone's holdings; in other words, the coins were astounding. They obviously reflected the care and attention that went into the building of the collection, and it was something to make one pause and reevaluate their own goals.

 

I think Ken's wife was waiting to eat for about an hour because it seemed that she put lunch on the table directly next to us yet we continued to look at coins and ignored her suggestions to eat. Finally, we broke for lunch in order to be ready for the second half of the afternoon.

 

The coins that I brought for display were fewer and, although they were nice, they seemed to pale in comparison to what had been shown earlier in the day. In anticipation of Ken's Seated Liberty hoard, I intentionally brought coins from other series and only brought one Seated Liberty piece. The small cache was broken into two segments, those that were mid-grade, circulated early type and those that were more modern and generally toned in the extreme.

 

My impression of Ken's collection, before viewing it, was that it focused on high-end mint state and proof pieces and that circulated coinage did not form a major portion of the coinage. Therefore, I wanted to share the joy that VF and EF coinage could provide, and I think that the few coins I brought with me might have nudged forward the desire to form a more extensive type set, though this is purely speculation.

 

The toned coinage was chosen because I wanted to see what reaction would accompany the viewing of some dramatically toned Washington quarters. These pieces generally provide some excitement either because they arouse strong feelings of contempt or desire or because they shake one's ideas as to what is original toning. Apparently, Ken’s wife is the arbiter of eye appeal and her reaction of “Wow!” when seeing some of the toned coins meant she either liked them very much or that she hated them and the exclamation was pre-arranged code that meant “Get that butt ugly dog out of my face!” The coin that elicited the strongest response was a 1947-D Washington that I believe might have a new home should I ever decide to part with it.

Overall, I had a really nice afternoon and would suggest to others to share their collection with those who might appreciate it. This not only allows one to educate, but allows the collection owner to be educated when a knowledgeable and willing pair of eyes inspects your pieces.

[WinstonWare]

Enjoyable read Tom. And, as always, sound advice.

[Wihlborg]

Tom,

 

Sounds like you guy’s had a great time. As to CTcollector’s IHC, why that coin would need to be dipped or conserved to garner a cameo designation beats the heck out of me. Going by the images the cameo is more than obvious.

 

Oh, and by the way. Having seen quite a few of your coins in person, I’m sure they held their own during the show and tell.

 

John

[IGWT]

Maine really isn't that far from Connecticut. It sounds like you guys had an awesome time.

[HaydenTubbs]

Sounds like you all had a great time and some sweet coins!

[Bruceswar]

very cool story. Thanks for sharing!

[Brotherman]

Ha- ha - sounds like you had a great time!

 

Hays

[MikeInFL]

Great story. Thank you for sharing it. That 1859 is truly a remarkable coin.

 

Your remarks about Ken's wife being the ultimate arbiter of eye-appeal rings true with me too. I show my toned coins to my mother, and if she's impressed chances are it is a monster. I've found the uneducated often to be the best eyes for appeal...Mike

[Hoot]

Excellent story Tom! Sounds like the mutual company of collectors with heart was the best part of the day.

 

Dip the '59.

 

Hoot

[leeg]

Sounds like a good time had by all. Sharing ones collections with others is what this hobby is all about. Both coins pictured are amazing!!! I would have loved to see more.

[chinook]

Excellent story Tom! Sounds like the mutual company of collectors with heart was the best part of the day.

 

Dip the '59.

 

Hoot

 

Nah!! Dip the 47-D. HEHEHHEHEHE

[CTcollector]

I must say it was a real pleasure having Tom come visit. I have an even greater respect for him now that we have met in person. He is certainly not the nutty professor I envisioned he might be (although he speaks the part very well). I definitely ended that day alot smarter about numismatics than when I started. Tom is a great resource of knowledge and can articulate the finer points of the hobby very well. When he posts on these boards you can have confidence that you are getting the real deal from a straight shooter who knows what they are talking about. I love the Washington Quarter he posted. It has very vibrant plum/blue album toning with splashes of emerald. The likes of which I have never seen before. It is certainly a treasure and defines the term "original eye appeal". Its absolutely gorgeous in hand. Well, one thing for sure I am looking forward to the return trip to Tom's place to check out the rest of his goodies.....and I promise to brush up on my 18th century and early 19th century type before hand.

[MikeKing]

great story, sounds like a great visit for both of you, and I enjoyed reading about it!

[collectingfamily]

Sounds like it was a great visit! That is so wonderful when people can get together and share something they love!

 

Thanks for sharing your story!