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WHAT PEDIGREES WILL YOU ALWAYS BUY?

I was thinking about this subject the other day.

To me, there are a few pedigrees that really mean something. I would buy these named coins sightUNSEEN:

Simpson (I have an advantage)
Bender
Blay
Brahin (Saints)
Lord St Oswald (1794 Type)
Half Dome
Naftzger (copper)
Morelan
Jung (any coins from is "the Type set" I would have bought sighUNSEEN)


I'm sure there are others, if I remember, I'll post later

Hit or miss but overall superior (I'll always consider any coin w/these names):
Pogue
Norweb
Eliasberg
Bass-earlier sales not the current one
Duckor


Are there any other pedigrees you would buy sightUNSEEN? I'm curious if there are any pedigrees I did not name and you think you'd buy a coin from them sightUNSEEN.
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Comments

  • If you're talking about a single particular coin with at least a photo or some knowledge about its history, then yes plenty, Wondercoin, Cascio, Ronyahski, Rall, Sego etc (my knowledge is all mid-later 20th century). If you're talking about all coins in the sets these people put together then no. Even Blay had a few lousy for the grade late date wheats. And of course price matters. Some of Blay's coins were well worth the premiums they brought but some, although still nice coins, were no way (imo). Seeing them in hand was the only way to tell. (Though note most of the time I have to buy sight unseen anyway and have to consider it a gamble).
  • For the things I collect, none of them. Not because there were no great collectors, but because the coins are rare enough that all of the great collectors have made occasional compromises on quantity. (For example, even Simpson bought some off quality patterns.) But if I collected proof Barbers or just about anything in 20th century US, I’d be naming names.
  • The coin hound-ok, name those names. Who am I missing on Barbers?

    Yes, not every collection will be 100% great. But the ones I named are as good as you will ever see. I bought Blays 14-D 1C totally sightunseen knowing he searched he world for the very best.

    Remember, its not fully about the name. It is about the quality of the coins overall. Do not throw names out if you have not seen the coins!
  • I won’t buy a coin only because of the pedigree. If I find a coin which I like from a famous pedigree I may be more likely to buy it.
  • Basically 100% great is exactly the goal for my collection. But like I said, price matters. I saw the 14-d and loved it but it's way beyond my budget, and think you got quite a good deal! But what if you had to bid $150k? $200k? Then you might want to see it and be pretty sure it's at least an "easy 66+". (But I guess considering what the 09-s vdb and 19-p brought maybe even that's still cheap). Didn't Blay have a second 14-d? Wonder if that will be for sale.

  • I think your missing the point MTBS. Guys like Blay searched every where and a bought only the very best. Even Bruce, if a coin was a fraction better-he had to have it. Stuff like that makes it easy to buy coins under those names. Price has nothing do with it. I tried hard to buy the cheaper coins in Bender (he had many below $5G)-some of which I never saw and got whupped.

    BTW, I would have paid much more for the 14D if I had too. I badly wanted his 55 DD, but I whimped.
  • Legend said:

    The coin hound-ok, name those names. Who am I missing on Barbers?

    I didn't say you missed anyone on proof Barbers, and I have no doubt that you can come up with a good list for those. (Not my area of the market, although I did see Simpson's and they were better than OK. ;) ) But my point was that sight unseen doesn't work on the really rare stuff, because even the best collectors will sometimes compromise on quality if the coin is rare enough. I know that I do, and I rarely regret it.

  • I agree with you. I do the same. The collectors/dealers I listed did the same for their sets. Just one has to draw the line somewhere when deciding what to bid. I guess you're basically saying on these coins your line would be the same seen or unseen. Fair enough. I would do the same for some particular coins too, but of no pedigree across the board. Sometimes it's also a matter of taste. I can't even choose which coin I like better among my own coins/duplicates sometimes.
  • St. Oswald, Newcomb-Starr, Naftzger, Clapp-Eliasberg, Garrett.
  • edited February 2023
    Most of the Merc Madness (MADHATTER) collection, assuming I had the money of course. Lol

    J-1776, I don't know the name of the person that owns it but if I did and if I had the money. It's my understanding that coin is never coming to market.
  • For Large Cents, some older pedigrees--Helfenstein(Merkin, 1964), John Mills(Chapman, 1904), Beckwith(Chapman, 1923), Leonard Holland(Pennypacker Sale, 1959).
  • For liberty half eagles (what I am collecting now) Milas might be the best pedigree.  To be fair, that sale was before my time, so I am just going on the ones I own or have seen. 
    When I collected seated halves, Gardner was the big collection/auction.  He had many outstanding pieces but also a number that were not as great. You put full sets together like he did, there’s bound to be some dogs. I’d put him in your second category. 
    I’m surprised no one has mentioned Jack Lee. I don’t collect Morgan’s and before my time, but certainly a prominent pedigree. I owned some of his Walkers which were nice. 
  • Haha I was thinking Jack Lee too for Morgans or Peace Dollars. I don't collect either series (yet) though. I have 2 Jack Lee Lincoln Cents, and I still laugh when I think of Stewart Blay's quote... "A Jack Lee Lincoln Cent is like a hockey puck signed by Babe Ruth".
  • edited February 2023
    “Always”? None, as a coin can be exceptional, but there can still be something about it (such as it’s color, a liberal grade, a spot or mark in the wrong place) that causes a buyer not to want it.
  • I would buy Omaha Bank Hoard coins if they were attractive but ONLY with a CAC sticker as they are generally overgraded, as I like the idea that they are from original rolls
  • Stevie said:

    I would buy Omaha Bank Hoard coins if they were attractive but ONLY with a CAC sticker as they are generally overgraded, as I like the idea that they are from original rolls

    It sure sounds like that provenance isn't one you'd always buy.
  • Shepard commems...
  • Oliver Jung. Tom Mershon and Joshua and Ally Walsh for copper if the color is still there. Bruce Schwer commems, if memory isn't failing.
  • Walter Breen ...????? :D
  • I am not a dealer, so for me there is no pedigree that I would no questions asked buy just because of the pedigree. Now many of the collections that have been mentioned are world class collections and I'm sure there are coin in all of them that I would enjoy owning.

    The only collection that I have ever actively pursued was the recent Blay sale, as a longtime Lincoln cent collector I did want to have one of his coins in my collection. Overpaid mightily for the one I did get, but I knew I would likely have to going into the auction. But that is the only time I have ever bought just because of the name of the collector that previously owned the coin.
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