1876-CC 20-cent Piece CC Coin of the Week - 11-20-2011

Rusty,

Your description of the personalities, socio-economic and political events, together with incredibly detailed time lines, has produced the most comprehensive history of the 1876-CC twenty cent coin this CC enthusiast has ever read. There was so much to absorb and learn. I spent the better part of an hour reading the article slowly, while doubling back several times to secure certain facts and dates along the way.

You make an interesting point about the opponents of the 20 cent coin's production accusing those in favor of doing so strictly to benefit the silver industry. As you say, their accusations flew in the face of the facts, such as the volume of silver actually required to make a net-positive impression in favor of the silver mine owners. I would reply to this point by asking you when in our history have facts ever gotten in the way of political demagoguery?

My favorite part of any of your articles always centers upon the provenance of the important coins being described and their journey through the centuries. Your Coin of the Week essay on the 1876-CC 20c piece provides an especially detailed accounting of the wide-flung collectors who have bought and sold the few existing examples of this Carson City rarity. Equally interesting was the slowly building understanding through the decades of this coin's true rarity, beginning with near total naivety and ending in pure reverence.

The best of the stories about individual examples of the '76-CC 20c coin, in my view, is that of the lone circulated piece, graded AU-58, and its minutely detailed history of ownership. One of the things that makes this coin so uniquely interesting is the fact that it was never owned, and perhaps never even handled, by any of the famous numismatic names such as Eliasberg, Green, Norweb, Harold Budd or even Norman Biltz..until ending up in your appreciative hands, a few dozen miles from its place of creation and 133 years later! This is not unlike the story of the king who dressed up as a commoner and lived-out his royal life unknown, among the villagers.

I know you have talked about writing a book about the 1876-CC 20c piece. I sincerely hope that you are able to find the time to do so. The numismatic world will benefit hugely from your unique, hands-on experience and your deep, historical knowledge about this important rarity.

Happy Thanksgiving!...Belay Off

PS: A million thanks for affording me the incredible opportunity to hold and carefully examine MS-66, MS-64 and AU-58 examples of the 1876-CC 20c piece all at the same time, while visiting the "wizard's cave" in Reno back in 2009. I venture very few coin auctioneers, professional numismatists, graders at PCGS or NGC, collectors whether famous or unknown...nor even those preferring a nom de guerre...have rarely, if ever, had such an honor.

Carsonite, I too learned much from your posting of the interesting piece in the realm of numismatics. My favorite part also was regarding the Peck provenance, unlike the others ( as Belay said ) were not in collections of the major players on the times but rested in a families collection in which it was passed to the next generation in what seems of less fanfare than the other specimens. IF you chose to write a book on this particular date you can count me in on purchasing a copy. Belay that must have been one awesome sight in viewing up close the Mega Trio!!!

Best wishes and HAPPY THANKSGIVING to everyone!!

Loosechange

Great article, as usual, Rusty, Happy Thanksgiving !

Congratulations Carsonite on a fantastic COW post on the heralded 1876-CC twenty-cent piece.

I actually read and re-read this amazing "post" several times before even attempting a reply.
In all fairness this is not just a mere "post", it's more like a book on the subject. The complexity of coverage on all subjects relating to this "Duke of Carson City Coins" within this article are simply mind-boggling.

Within the pages of my personal "CC" scrapbook reside several articles on the vaunted 1876-CC twenty-center and not one of them comes remotely close to covering all the bases as this article here. The sad part is that only 50 to a 100 devoted C4OA blog-site readers will see it. This article needs to be (and deserves to be) in print within a major publication where hundreds of thousands, even millions can read it.

As in the case of the last COW post on this site, Rusty's fab article on the 1870-CC $20, this "post" has been printed out by me for inclusion in my "CC" scrapbook and will serve as my reference point of material for the 1876-CC twenty-cent piece.

In your article you mention one of the primary goals of the U.S. Treasury back in those times: "The guarantee that the metal in the coins was worth the value of the denomination."
If only our government would've stayed with philosophy perhaps we would not be suffering the economic collapses we endure today.

Your article astutely points out the discrepancies within our small denominational coinage in the early history of our country which eventually led to the manufacture of the twenty-center. Any one who reads your article will receive an instant understanding of why there were no quarter dollars produced at the Carson mint in the year 1875.

You also remind us about an historic and numismatically important 1893 pamphlet A Treatise on the Coinage of the United States Branch Mints which launched the "mintmark collecting craze" and helped to define the history of value pricing for this and other historical US coin rarities.

Your article also contains beautiful, clear and detailed images of the two finest-known examples of this date including important pedigree information. You also mention several iconic "CC" coin collectors and their relations to your subject piece. Images pointing out coin diagnostics in great detail are also included in your fantastic article.

In closing, let me say that my reply is merely a nutshell of all that I could gush on about in your article. My sincere "hat's off to you" Carsonite, in fact better yet, I offer a huge DRUM ROLL***********and CYMBAL CRASH xxxxxxxxxx!
You know that one of my dreams is the acquisition of a nice 1870-CC $20 and I hope to someday get that.....I also hope you get your dream picture of Norm Biltz and Harold M. Budd together! :woohoo:


the drummer

Hi Belay Off

Thank you for providing your thoughtful reply to Carsonite's astonishing COW post on the 1876-CC twenty-cent piece.

I love your picture of the "Mega Trio" you provided...those three coins together at the same time, in the same room....priceless!

In all likelihood, those three historic rarities will never be together like that again.

the drummer