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HomeCollecting StrategiesCoin Board News - Number 37

Coin Board News – Number 37

By David W. Lange – www.coincollectingboards.com …..
 

For Collectors of Antique Coin Boards

Number 37 — Winter 2016

COIN BOARDS FOR SALE

There’s nothing much new this time out, as the few purchases I made were of items for my own collection. It’s been some time since I’ve been offered any significant groups or even singles of coin boards. It’s starting to look like we’ve hit the end of the line on any old hoards, so it may be time for everyone to reconsider their strategy of holding out for Near Mint boards on those tougher items. I’ve said repeatedly that only the most common boards are known in such condition or even close to it. Toward that end, I’m including a new list consisting mostly of items that have been listed previously. These are nice boards, and if you don’t already have them, this may be the time to pull that trigger. Since I haven’t found better ones in nearly 10 years of offering boards for sale, it’s simply not going to happen.

MARKET ACTIVITY

Whitman First Edition Liberty Head Quarter Premium coin album. Courtesy David W. Lange</i>
Whitman First Edition Liberty Head Quarter Premium coin album. Courtesy David W. Lange.

After a previously quiet year, there were several notable items sold during the past quarter. One eBay seller had a nice, six-piece lot of Whitman Second Edition boards for sale. Though all were common titles, they bore the slightly scarce 1937 copyright and were in exceptionally nice condition, bringing a respectable $84.93 plus shipping. Another nice six-piece eBay lot featured a mix of brands and was highlighted by Whitman First Edition boards for Lincoln Cents and Buffalo Nickels, both with scarce black backings. Amazingly, this group brought $256, which is more than I would have sold them for on my lists! The same seller offered another five-piece lot that was much more desirable, as it included the two Oberwise boards for Barber Quarters in very early printings with deeply marbled face paper. O25¢Ac was previously unknown, and O25¢Bc is quite rare.

The lot likewise brought $256, but in this instance the figure is more justified. I bid quite strongly for my own collection, not expecting the price to go that high. Another strong seller was a pair of Oberwise boards for Buffalo Nickels and Standing Liberty Quarters. The latter is quite scarce in any variety, and this lot brought $96. The usual listings of partial sets in common boards either failed to sell or brought prices in line with the value of the coins.

Whitman First Edition Buffalo Nickel Premium coin album. Courtesy David W. Lange
Whitman First Edition Buffalo Nickel Premium coin album. Courtesy David W. Lange.

The remaining sales that occurred in recent months were unremarkable.

BOOK UPDATES

The best new board to surface is a Lincoln Printing board for Buffalo Nickels that has the title misspelled as NICKLES. I took this recently in trade, only to find out that reader Chris Buck also had an example and had not yet reported it to me. It has been cataloged as L5¢BC.2, while the variety previously listed with that number is now L5¢Bc.3, as it clearly followed the misspelled variety. Two new Oberwise varieties surfaced over the past few months: O5¢Bq and O25¢Ac. The latter is particularly significant, as it features the deeply marbled face printing so prized by collectors. It also has a correct date span pasted over incorrect dates.

Rather than damage the board by removing these additions, it may be presumed that the underlying dates are those intended for the concluding board for the Barber Quarter series. The seller’s photos for two of these new boards are included with this newsletter.

The annual updates to both my coin board and coin album books are also included with this newsletter. There are relatively few changes to the former, but there has been some upward price movement.

HOMEFRONT ACTIVITIES

My next book covers the Library of Coins and Treasury of Coins album lines and is now in the layout process. I expect it to be in print by the spring. My website is still down, awaiting the time to put together an entirely new version. As soon as the new book is off to the printer I can begin working on this.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

After staying close to home this past quarter, I’ll be attending two major shows in upcoming months. See me at the NGC booth during the annual FUN Show, which this year is at the Tampa Convention Center January 7-10, 2016. The following month I’ll be out west February 4-6 at the Long Beach Expo.

–Dave

David Lange
David Lange
The author of several books on United States numismatics, David W. Lange received numerous awards and accolades from both the ANA and the NLG. David was the former President of the Pacific Coast Numismatic Society, the California State Numismatic Association, and the New Jersey Numismatic Society. He also had memberships in the ANA, the NLG, the ANS, the LSCC, the EAC, the BCCS, and the Rittenhouse Society. Career highlights included the launching of NGC's Photo Proof and writing historical copy for the United States Mint's website and H.I.P. Pocket Change program for kids. His specialties have included Seated Liberty silver, Philippine coinage under U.S. administration, and British coinage from 1816-1970. In 2007, David published the first comprehensive reference to Coin Collecting Boards of the 1930s and '40s, and for over a decade published Coin Board News four times a year. David Lange died on January 16, 2023. He is missed.

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