August 31, 2010: CRO's 'August by the Numbers'

Good news everyone - it’s time once again for our annual 'August by the Numbers' commentary in which we summarize our business in the 8th month numerically. So let’s get started:

None: Coin business related flights we took this month.

2: Coins shows we attended (the Pre-ANA and the ANA).

$390: Total cost for parking at the above (though to be fair it was very, very nice parking).

3: Number of + grades we received on coins submitted there (though they were all on items we were absolutely positive would actually come back in at least the next higher numerical grade).

Not even one: CAC gold stickered coins we saw at the Pre-ANA and ANA combined, of all types, anywhere in the room.

6: Coins CRO sold in August with gold CAC stickers on them.

3 Collectors and 1 Dealer:  People who tried to cajole a special edition, custom made CRO ANA hat out of us without buying anything at the show.

26 months:  Duration that we owned one of the coins we sold at the ANA, making it the oldest single item in our inventory at the time.

16: Total number of coins that we bought while at the show(s) and then sold before we left (which in our view is preferable to keeping them for 26 months, but disappointing that we didn’t get to put them on an Early Bird list).

23: New registrants who clicked the black Early Bird button on our home page and added themselves to our EB list during August.

2: EB’s we sent out.

66.7%: The percentage of coins already ordered off the 8/31 list (as of this writing).

3(!): Orders we received for that PCGS Rattler Box.

9:  New customers who bought a coin from us this month for the very first time.

88%:  Customers who paid for their purchases in August with a personal check (as opposed to cash, PayPal, or a credit card).

3:  Purchases on which the buyer requested a lay-a-way plan.

$21.29:  Least expensive coin we sold this month (on Ebay).

$105,000: Most expensive coin we sold this month (not on Ebay).

5: Population of known examples (in all grades, slabbed or raw) of the rarest coin we handled this month (and, no, it was not the one above).

1/6: Fraction of a coin we purchased (part of a convoluted deal in which we bought something really cool with 5 other dealers. As an aside, we really don’t like doing this sort of thing, but if the coin is interesting enough, we figure what the heck).

One: Straight trades we consummated for coins in our inventory (which is a fairly rare occurrence, though we are always willing to consider any serious offer anyone wishes to make).

A Half Dozen: People who emailed us this month believing they owned a genuine Massachusetts Pine Tree Penny (which is actually unique, and impounded in the collection of the Massachusetts Historical Society). And while all of these people unfortunately turned out to have non-deceptive cast copies with no numismatic value, Dave holds out hope that the next email we receive on this topic will be the ‘Big One’!

308 Yards: Longest drive my 14 year-old son hit this month (which was without any doubt the most thrilling athletic feat I have ever personally witnessed).

201 miles: Longest drive (using a car, not a golf club) we made to purchase a coin this month.

Maybe 10 minutes: Amount of time it took to finalize the deal above once we got there, write the check and get back in the car to go home.

One: Number of people who have never bought a coin from us, or sold us one, and have told us that they really never intend to do either in the future, but who have continued to email us for 3 years (including the last time just a few weeks ago) complaining that we do not update our Coin Commentary frequently enough.  So here you go! (and you can cool it with the emails now, OK?).

Finito!
 

June 11, 2010: The Find

Another Original Work of Numismatic Non-Fiction by Dave Wnuck So I’m sitting in the CRO offices one day a couple of weeks ago when the phone rings...

March 15, 2010: Corrections to the Whitman Encyclopedia

As our readers may remember, it was almost exactly one year ago when we wrote a Coin Commentary containing a review of Whitman's then-new Encyclopedia of Colonial and Early American Coins...

December 31, 2009: The Year in Review

In the most vivid illustration yet that ‘Time Flies’, we have now reached the end of 2009, our 4th full year together as CRO and, by any objective (or subjective) measure, the best one yet...

November 25, 2009: So you want to be a cataloger, eh?

Well, so did we, which may explain why team CRO is listed in this year’s C4 (Colonial Coin Collectors Club) catalog under the “Cataloging by ...

November 9, 2009: CRO Goes Hollywood!

Well, sort of. I was selected once again to be the official Coin & Currency appraiser for CPTV's Connecticut Treasure Hunt Appraisal Fair, an annual event held this year on November 8th...

September 27th, 2009: We Have a Winner(s)!

We say 'winner(s)' because there are two.  In the first annual CRO "What Does the 'L' Counterstamp Stand for on the 1825 Quarter?" contest, that is...

August 31, 2009: CRO's 'August by the Numbers'

Just 1:  Coin shows we attended. 44:  CRO checks written there. 4 Big Boxes:  Quantity of NEWPs sent out for photography from the show...

July 11, 2009: The Mentor-ist

More Numismatic Non-Fiction By Dave Wnuck Have you ever heard someone described as a ‘natural’ in numismatics?  I have – usually referring to a person who seems to have an intuitive gift for grading, or for coming up with great coins, or for finding ready buyers, etc...

May 21, 2009: Book Review, Part II

In our last Coin Commentary (gee, time sure does fly around here) we reprinted a review of the new Whitman Encyclopedia of Colonial and Early American Coins by Wayne Homren...

March 25, 2009: Book Review

Recently Wayne Homren, Editor of the fantastic and highly recommended E-sylum (which, in their own words, is described as "a weekly electronic newsletter published by the Numismatic Bibliomania Society for numismatic bibliophiles, researchers, and just plain numismatists around the world"), wrote a review of the new Whitman Encyclopedia of Colonial and Early American Coins...

March 5, 2009: So you're going to a coin show, eh?

Some time ago a client of ours recommended that we write a Coin Commentary for collectors attending a first show...

February 18, 2009: Notable Numismatic Quotables, Part I

Over the years we've heard and read a number of interesting and thought provoking numismatic quotes from a variety of sources (actually, we've come up with a few on our own, too)...

December 27, 2008: The Year in Review

It's time once again for Dave and me to reflect back on another year of traveling to coin shows and auctions, meeting a lot of nice people, buying and selling cool coins, visiting new cities, using just under 2 miles of packing tape, waiting for hours at various airport baggage carousels, filling out grading forms, etc...

Thanksgiving, 2008: Thank you

Thank you. Thank you to our loyal customers who make it possible for Dave and me to travel around the country going to coin shows and auctions instead of commuting to work at some company that makes widgets and serves as the inspiration for the comic strip 'Dilbert'...

October 1, 2008: Coin Collecting in an Uncertain World

As usual, we're going to tell it like it is in our Coin Commentary. You see, we actually have a number of incredibly clever new topics lined up and ready to go for this section of the site (based on lots of good suggestions by many of our regular visitors), but frankly it seemed odd to post some of them at this point...

July 23, 2008: On CAC

As some of you have already noticed, a number of federal coins in our current inventory are now identified as having CAC stickers...

July 14, 2008: What are Your Choices for the 100 Greatest US Coins?

That was the question posed to me recently by the good folks at Whitman Publishing. It seems they are hard at work on the shiny new 3rd Edition of their extremely popular coffee table book, The 100 Greatest US Coins, and so they have asked me and a group of other (and I quote) "dealers, collectors, researchers, historians and others connected to the field" to vote on the list...

May 19, 2008: My Love Affair with a Fat, Old Woman

An Original Work of Numismatic Non-Fiction by Dave Wnuck. Shhhhh. Don't tell my wife, but I'm in love with another woman...

March 31, 2008: An Ode to . . . John Agre(?) by Dave Wnuck

This Coin Commentary may sound nakedly self-promotional, but I'd like to tell the folks out there a little about my business partner and the half owner of Coin Rarities Online, John Agre...

February 9, 2008: Colonial Coin Collecting Q & A, Part 2

Waaaaaay back in August of 2006 we wrote part 1 of this Q & A with every intention of adding Part 2 eventually...

December 26, 2007: The Year in Review

As another exciting numismatic year winds to a close, it is appropriate that we look back and reflect on the new friends we made, the coins we bought and sold, the fun we had, the memorable meals we enjoyed, the wonderful grades we received, the bad bus rides we took and the myriad other events which, in total, conspired to make this the finest and most enjoyable year ever in the history of CRO, ever...

November 15, 2007: How Come the Coins Went so Cheap?

I got an email from a customer the other day who had been watching the Stack's 'Amherst & Waccubuc' catalog colonial session online and seeing (with a handful of notable exceptions) very low prices or coins not meeting reserve...

November 2, 2007: Ten Coins we Could Buy and Sell Ten Times

This idea for a Coin Commentary was submitted by one of our customers, and I liked the idea so much that I just started flailing away on the keyboard immediately...

September 10, 2007: So How's the Coin Market? (Parts 1 & 2)

That's a question dealers (including us) hear all of the time from customers. And while responses to this question may vary wildly depending on who you ask, this is our Coin Commentary and here you will get the 'CRO View' (which happens to be pretty well researched)...

July 31, 2007: How Can You Avoid Buying Doctored Coins?

We recently received an email from a collector who was dismayed by the number of doctored, conserved and enhanced coins in TPG holders in the marketplace...

July 4, 2007: Life is Too Short to Buy Ugly Coins

At the recent Baltimore show, I spent a fair amount of time walking the floor perusing the gazillion dealer tables looking for nice coins to buy...

May 27, 2007: The Right Stuff

Is what I saw during a recent visit to view a customer's collection. He graciously invited me to travel to meet him and view his coins, and, of course, I enthusiastically accepted...

April 14, 2007: What should you do with a sub-par coin?

Let's say you have a coin in your collection that really isn't up to snuff. And I don't mean one that is too low grade, or not expensive enough...

March 16, 2007: Why are we talking about trains?

That's an excellent question - thank you for asking. Actually, the answer is quite simple. One of the most informative and important articles I've ever read about coin collecting actually wasn't about coins at all...

Michael Kent Ringo: 05/28/54 - 01/28/07

We lost a good friend and numismatic colleague this week with the passing of Mike Ringo. Most coin collectors and dealers may have never heard of Mike...

January 18, 2007: Should Coins be Purchased as an Investment?

You're in for a treat today, especially since Dave and I totally disagree on this topic. Which means this will be our first Point-Counterpoint Coin Commentary, almost certain to be filled with polite disagreement possibly culminating in pure, unbridled acrimony with computer YELLING in all caps...

December 1, 2006: How NOT to Buy Coins at Auction

We felt compelled to write this week’s Coin Commentary as a sort of numismatic public service announcement after watching all kinds of people buy all kinds of coins at auction over the last couple of decades...

October 10, 2006: Dave Speaks About the Market

  Interesting times in the coin market. After an almost unprecedented multi-year run-up in demand, prices and euphoria, we are seeing some changes...

August 30, 2006: Colonial Coin Collecting Q & A, Part 1

An increasing portion of our business is in colonial coins, and so we thought it was about time for us to speak up...

July 18, 2006: One Vote for the 'Box-of-20' Concept

We have been around coins for a long, long time, and we've seen people collect coins of all different kinds in all different ways, from type sets to die varieties to date and mint runs in all series to the odd...

June 9, 2006: Once sold, what item(s) in your inventory will be hardest to replace?

Someone asked us this on the phone today and we thought it was an interesting, thought provoking question...

May 26, 2006: So how much of a premium above sheet levels would you pay for a choice original coin?

Lots of people say they want them. That they value originality. That they hate to see original coins stripped and dipped and ruined...

May 6, 2005: What makes a good client?

Someone asked us this at a recent show and, as is our want, we like to answer particularly interesting or provacative questions right here on the ol' website...

April 16, 2006: Top 10 things we would change about coin slabbing

In no particular order: All slabbed coins would be photographed by the services and would thus be traceable, and it would therefore be impossible to crack out and resubmit a coin and receive a higher grade than the one originally conferred...

April 4, 2006: Do you guys BUY coins for these prices?????

A gentleman came to our table at the Baltimore show a couple of weeks ago, looked in the case for a while, admired a couple of coins, asked a few prices and then with a slightly pained and sarcastic scowl asked me what was apparently intended to be a stinging question: Do you guys buy coins for these prices? The implication of this question was, of course, that our prices are high...

March 19, 2006: Will the last original coin to leave please turn out the lights?

Heres an experiment for you: Go to view lots at a typical major auction. Look through every box of every series and jot down how many original, uncorrupted coins you find...

March 5, 2006: Thoughts on Coin Grading, Part 1

We thought we'd tackle a not-controversial, simple and easy topic like 'coin grading' this week. We’ll start with how we, as dealers, grade and assess a coin: Whether it is in an auction, in another dealer’s case, raw or slabbed, we evaluate a coin by studying it carefully and determining, regardless of the level of wear in evidence, whether we like it or not...

January 15, 2006: Why should I buy from a dealer?

In our experience, this question is typically followed by a statement that goes something like this: "I can just buy from auctions myself, so I really don't need to pay a dealer...

December 26, 2005: The Big Picture

As we’ve had a few days to relax, enjoy the holidays and spend some time with our families, we’ve had a little time to step back and reflect on the year...