Our most recent Early Bird went out on Tuesday, November 19th, at our usual noon east coast time

Updated: November 21st 6:55AM ET
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Coin Commentary

Our Opinions on All Things Numismatic

July 1, 2024: CRO’s ‘June by the Numbers’

bythenumbers

We are delighted to present yet another installment of CRO’s ‘June by the Numbers’ in which we highlight the month numerically starting right now:

Two: Shows we attended, one local and one national.

1 of the 4: Wheels ripped off my luggage while flying to the national event, I guess by an overly aggressive baggage handler.

5 Days: Surprisingly short time it took to get that bag fixed at the local luggage store.

$495: Cost of the totally unnecessary new carry-on bag I bought while I was there since I felt guilty just hitting them up for a repair done under warranty.

Just 1: Early Birds sent out this month.

51, of course: Items listed on it, just like every other one we send out.

59%: Coins on it we’ve sold so far.

3545: Incorrect (and nonexistent) street address given to us by a customer to ship an EB coin.

3521: Address it should have been.

Shockingly, 0: Days this package was delayed actually getting to the customer. Hey, sometimes the USPS can surprise you.

1688: Date of the oldest coin we acquired this month.

MS67+: Highest graded coin we acquired.

8: Coins we split with other dealers this month. Sometimes initiated by us, sometimes by the other party, sometimes before the coins were acquired, sometimes after the fact, but only when it made sense and the 2nd dealer could add value in some way.

2-C: Variety attribution of the cool Fugio we acquired this month.

6+: Rarity rating of same.

3,401 Miles: Distance from our office to the Arctic archipelago location of the furthest CRO hat photo received this month.

Less than 4 Miles: Distance we drove to meet a local collector and deliver the closest EB coin.

One big one: Changes in the works for the CRO site  – so you might want to keep an eye out for that.

Coin Commentary Archive

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January 21, 2011: Stream of Coin-sciousness

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January 25-27, 2010: Stack’s Americana Auction in New York, Part II

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January 22, 2010: Stack’s Americana Auction in New York, Part I

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

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November 9, 2009: CRO Goes Hollywood!

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

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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. 17:  The number of...

July 11, 2009: The Mentor-ist

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May 21, 2009: Review of the Whitman Encyclopedia, Part II

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March 25, 2009: Review of the Whitman Encyclopedia of Colonial and Early American Coins

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...

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

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February 18, 2009: Notable Numismatic Quotables, Part I

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January 14-15, 2009: Stack’s Americana Auction

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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...

Thanksgiving, 2008: Thank you

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October 21-22, 2008: Stack’s 73rd Anniversary Auction

Good news everyone, we have for you here a TWO (2) Day auction recap! Day 1: While most of the rest of the numismatic world was still sleeping,...

October 1, 2008: Coin Collecting in an Uncertain World

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August 19, 2008: The Coin Collection at Colonial Williamsburg

I am pleased to present this recap from my vacation side-trip to view the extensive colonial and early American coin holdings (including pieces on public display, as well...

July 23, 2008: On CAC

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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...

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. Fact is, I’ve been infatuated with her...

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...

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. Well, as it turns out,...

January 15-16, 2008: Stack’s Americana Auction

Because we hadn’t quite had our fill of coins at the FUN show, we were delighted that Stack’s had scheduled their annual Americana auction (plus some cool world...

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...

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...

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...

October 16, 2007: Stack’s Ford XX and XXI and 72nd Anniversary Auction

Part I: (Silence). That was the sound of us trying unsuccessfully to hoist our bidding paddle in the air at what was, apparently, the last and final evening...

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...

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. Despite his...

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. And after...

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...

May 22, 2007: Stack’s Ford XVIII and Henry Leon Auctions

We planned to bring home a lot of loot, and that’s exactly what we did. From the 3 PM kick-off of the Ford session through some early Americana,...

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...

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...

February 22, 2007: Trip to the Bennington Museum

You’re in for an unexpected treat today as I recap my trip to the Bennington Museum (in Bennington, Vermont, of course) to view the collection of Vermont colonial...

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. He...

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...

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...

October 17-18, 2006: Stack’s Auctions

I packed up my lot-viewing psyche, my loupe and halogen lamp, my ‘What would PCGS grade this thing?’ prognostication hat and trucked on down to New York for...

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. Some areas of softening. Some areas...

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. So, where do we start?...

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...

July 1-7, 2006: ANA Summer Seminar

What could be better than a week of intensive numismatic activity surrounded by other numismatists in an idyllic mountain setting? Well, actually, a lot of things, but for...

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. Not easy to answer though. Lets see, there is one...

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. And we agree. So how...

May 23-25, 2006: Stack’s May Auctions including Ford XIV

We like coin auctions as much as anyone, but this week at Stack’s was pushing it. We had 4 separate catalogs to be offered in three separate sessions...

May 6, 2006: 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...

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...

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...

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...

January 28, 2006: Heritage’s Jules Reiver Sale

We just returned from one absolute endurance test of an auction – the $8.5 million Jules Reiver Collection auction conducted by Heritage and held at their Dallas headquarters....

January 16, 2006: Stack’s Ford XIII Auction

The latest installment of the John J. Ford collection – the French Colonial Coins and Tokens and Betts Medals Part I – came to auction at Stack’s on...

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...

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...

October 19, 2005: Stack’s Ford XII Auction

Wasn’t it just yesterday I was sitting in a cramped room breathlessly waiting for Ford I to begin? Actually that was 2 years ago. And so there we...