HomeCollecting StrategiesCoin Board News - Number 42

Coin Board News – Number 42

Coin Board News, David W. Lange

By David W. Langewww.coincollectingboards.com …..
 

For Collectors of Antique Coin Boards

Number 42 — Spring 2017

LOTS OF HAPPENINGS

This issue has been delayed a few weeks for the simple reason that so much has happened just recently in the world of coin boards. Every time I thought I was ready to publish, some startling new development occurred that just couldn’t wait for the summer issue. The first quarter of 2017 was the most active period for coin board offerings in the past five years, and it came as a welcome relief from the recent holding pattern. Read on to learn more…

MARKET ACTIVITY

Wow! Where do I begin? There were more desirable boards for sale online than I’ve seen in a very long time. First, my own acquisitions:

I had to interrupt a lunch date with my fiancée (not generally recommended) and scramble to buy a pair of Kent Company Lincoln Penny boards (both K1¢B1b) that were posted as Buy-it-Now at a favorable price. The same seller had a few more coin board lots as BIN listings, and I also bought a nice assortment of Whitman Fourth Edition boards. While common overall, these are rarely found higher than VF grade, but I scored some VF-NM and NM examples.

Another purchase from a different seller was a pair of Oberwise boards for Indian Head and Lincoln Cents, respectively, both in fairly high grades, and one of them is a new variety.

I also acquired Whitman Third Edition boards for Indian Head Cents and Buffalo Nickels, but the latter fell far short of its description, and I should have passed.

An email inquiring whether I still buy coin boards resulted in my purchasing a nice group of Whitman Second Edition boards having the very scarce 1936 copyright date, and they were in nice condition, which is even more rare. At the Whitman Baltimore Show I purchased a very rare Colonial Coin & Stamp Company album titled “The Coin Collector” and containing nine different Colonial boards, all hole-punched in their left margins as issued. Most had numerous red Xs next to the openings (why, oh why?), but the rare board for Commemorative Half Dollars is very clean.

All of the above items were purchased for resale, and several have already been placed. I’ve put together a new list of boards for sale, and it’s included with this mailing.

Among the items that eluded me were some pretty amazing group lots that appeared on eBay.

One was a selection of five boards all advertised as Oberwise, though three were actually from Lincoln Printing Company. The condition of the boards was an issue to me so I didn’t bid on them, yet the lot still realized a noteworthy $120.

Another great assortment included five Colonial boards and nine Whitmans. Again, the condition of the boards was not ideal, but it’s still great to see so many boards listed, and there was one vendor sticker I’d hoped to acquire. This was not to be, as the lot went for $256 after 18 bids from seven different bidders.

The one that really hurt me to lose was a wonderful group of six Colonial boards, all in nice shape, that included a very rare First Edition Indian Head Penny board, C1¢A1b. This is the variety with distinctive yellow face paper, and I wanted it for my own collection. Evidently, my “nuclear” bid didn’t pack enough megatons, as there were three bids significantly higher. The lot went for $574 to a reader of this publication, and so the boards will, at least, stay within our little family. There were numerous listings for single boards of no great importance, but this still speaks to the overall level of activity this past quarter. Prices for rare boards are soaring, while common pieces are showing little upward movement.

I did pick up a couple items for my own collection – a very rare occurrence these days.

A coin dealer’s online newsletter offered two framed Colonial First Edition boards in successive issues, the first for Indian Cents and the second for Lincolns. I was at the Long Beach Show when I received a heads-up about the first board from a friend, but in viewing it on my phone I couldn’t tell that it was a First Edition (C1¢A1a), so I ignored it until getting home, by which time it was sold. I signed up for future newsletters and, lo and behold, his next issue had the framed Lincoln Cent board, nearly filled, which I bought within minutes. Grading VF-NM, this beauty went into my own collection as C1¢B1b. The coins it had contained were quite nice and were quickly sold to a friend, allowing me to recoup most of my cost. Also added to my collection is the first of two new varieties reported below.

BOOK UPDATES

The only new varieties this quarter are from Joseph Oberwise and Company. O10¢Bw.1 has mintages through “3 months” of 1941, and O10¢Bw.2 has them through “2 months” of 1942. This specific information had been lacking for the discovery specimen of O10¢Bw seen and reported five years ago.

AFTER MANY DELAYS…

Joshua McMorrow-Hernandez’s article about collecting coin storage products finally ran in the March issue of COINage. You’ll recall that I was interviewed extensively on this subject during last year’s winter FUN Show, but the finished product kept getting bumped until now. It was worth the wait, since the first page features a large image of my coin board book’s cover, as well as a Library of Coins album from my most recent volume. The four-page article also touches on coin cabinets and even slab collecting, but there are colorful images of Whitman and Colonial brand coin boards that will surely spread the gospel of board collecting.

CLOSE TO HOME

I’m not scheduled to work any coin shows this spring, but I’ll be attending one on my own. Following a teaching stint during Session I of the ANA’s Summer Seminar, I plan to wander the Colorado Springs Coin Show at the Expo Center on its opening day, June 22, so perhaps I’ll see some of you there.

–Dave

Photo of the author's desktop and computer wallpaper. Courtesy David W. Lange - Coin Board News

The author’s desktop, featuring Gramercy coin boards as his computer wallpaper. Photo courtesy David W. Lange

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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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