1882-CC $5 Gold CC Coin of the Week - 02-14-10

Hi Belay

I'm glad you like my 1882-CC fiver. I do believe it has a possible shot at "58". As you know, right now, all the 3rd party graders are in an extreme "conservative" mode. So I may hold off for a spell, but I will keep your good idea on the back-burner.

The very subtle copper-red/golden toning is one of the reasons that this coin is so appealing to me. It sounds like you might feel the same. I'll make sure and bring this baby with me to our Carson City meeting this coming August.

Michael the drummer

Nice coin, good description. Would be interesting to know a little about your "hunt" for this coin. Where did you find it? Coin show, auction, Internet, etc. Was it "love at first sight" or you selected from among a number of similar coins.

Most of us have the same references and can find how many coins were minted and so on. What is missing is the personal touch. Why this coin?
Where it came from? Why some members collect $5 gold and not $10 gold.
I do not mean you personally, in general it would add more interest to the story if a few steps of the "hunt" were revealed.

Let us know what you think about this notion.

John Armonas

Hi John

I got my 1882-CC half eagle from Rusty Goe in 2004 as part of a "package deal" that included 11 of the 19 "CC" half eagles needed to complete the set. There was some sweet coins in that deal including this 1882-CC $5 posted here. It is without a doubt one of the nicest looking coins in my set.

At the time of "the deal",I already owned 6 of the 19 in my collection. I upgraded a few of those later and purchased the final 2 remaining coins (1881 and 1884) in 2005 needed to complete my set (again from Rusty and Marie at Southgate coins).

My goal is to complete the entire 57 piece set of "CC" gold. The $5 denomination was the easiest to start out with because of price and availability.....Rusty had them, I saw them and made a deal for them. It's as simple as that.

There are still several half eagles in my complete set that I eventually want to upgrade but my 1882-CC is not among them....unless a spectacular "tied for the finest known" example or some such should happen to come along.

Happy collecting!

Michael the drummer

John,

I sure hope you can make it to the August C4OA meeting in Carson City and if you do, you'll meet The Drummer and, perhaps get a chance to view this week's COW selection in person.

You may not know that our very own Drummer has one of the finest Carson City $5 gold coin collections in the country. He is also one of the most knowledgeable, senior members of our fine club and has taught me a lot.

The Drummer is also modest which is why I am taking the liberty to tell you something "personal" about this particular coin, and the rest of his $5-CC set. I stated above that his is one of the finest $5 CC sets in the country...here's why.

There are two primary methods of judging the "quality" of a certified coin. The first, is by its grade. Obviously, an MS-63 coin is supposed to be a better coin than an AU-53 example of the same coin. The second method is a technique for measuring quality between coins of the same grade. This second process is considerably more difficult, but it will yield the highest rewards, both financially and in personal satisfaction, for those coin collectors willing to employ it. I am referring to "knowledge based" coin selection.

In George Orwell's book, "The Animal Farm", one might recall the famous line..."All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others!". This statement is also true for coin collecting, except that in numismatics, the determination of which coin is "more equal" is based upon a careful study of each of the various characteristics found on coins, as they compare to other coins of the same date, denomination and grade. The goal is to select only the finest example of coin from within the targeted grade and population extant. Simply stated... "All 1882-CC $5 gold coins graded AU-55's are equal, but some are more equal than others", as is clearly the case with the Drummer's example as displayed in his Carson City Coin of the Week posting.

This takes patience, experience and a higher level of knowledge than buying coins over the internet or through auctions without first having them sent to you for personal examination. The idea is to acquire only the best coins within a population, represented by the top 20% or less extant of the targeted coin within the grade range established by one's budget. Yes, a person will usually pay a premium for the best, but such PQ selections always prove to be the best investments over time.

The Drummer's collection of Carson City $5 gold coins is an outstanding example of knowledge based coin collecting and is the result of a sustained, and patient effort by the Drummer and Rusty Goe to select only the finest examples of each date within the initially targeted grade range. In my first posted comment on this coin yesterday, I mentioned that this coin looks more like an AU 58 than an AU 55. I can assure you, that is no accident.

Belay Off

I would like to see Mike's coins also. Someday I hope to make it to a meeting.

Thank you Belay!

I just don't possess the "way with words" that you do. You wrote what I could not...and in a most eloquent way!

We'll see you in Carson City (C4OA annual meeting) this coming August. I can hardly wait for it....one of the funnest events of the year!

Michael the drummer