Weekly Market Report: Finest Graded Peace Dollar and Carson City Dollar Sets Trade as Market Hums Along

By Bruce Amspacher - August 28, 2001

1879 Washlady Quarter J-1590 PCGS PR66 (Silver) featured in Bowers auction

The demand for the best continues to be a dominant factor in today's market. In recent weeks two outstanding silver dollar sets have traded hands, and each one has taken over the top rung of the PCGS Set Registry. "The finest Peace dollar set has just been sold," reports William E. Spears of Carson City, Nevada, "and the new owner upgraded it immediately. Believe it or not, the coin he added was a 1928-S in PCGS MS66. The set is now indisputably the finest of all time."

Also making news is the trade of the finest Carson City silver dollar set. "This is the current finest set," Spears said, "and it includes dollars from the PCGS Tour collection, coins from the Jack Lee collection, and newly-added coins, such as an 1884-CC in MS68 that was just graded."

Spears went on to say that he is one of many dealers currently inundated with calls from collectors who are looking for "finest graded" coins for their sets. "There is also a great deal of demand for Prooflike and DMPL [deep mirror Prooflike] dollars, both from Carson City and the other Mints."

"Tree Many Feathers" Collection offered by Bowers & Merena

Tree Many Feathers is the Indian name of western collector Richard Mataisz. On September 14-15, 2001, Bowers and Merena Galleries is offering a significant part of his collection and other important consignments at public auction in New York City. Included in this sale is a spectacular offering of United States Pattern coins. Here are some of the highlights:

1850 Pattern Cent Judd-152A PCGS PR66 (Bass Collection)
1869 Shield Nickel Judd-689 PCGS PR61 (Struck in steel!)
1879 Washlady Quarter J-1590 PCGS PR66 (Silver)
1879 Washlady Half Dollar J-1598 PCGS PR66RB (Copper)
1878 Morgan Dollar Judd-1550a PCGS PR65 (Eliasberg)
1879 Coiled Hair Dollar Judd-1605 PCGS PR66 (Bass)
1879 Metric Dollar Judd-1623 PCGS PR67RB (Bass)
1872 Commercial Dollar J-1219 PCGS PR66 (Finest graded)
1866 $3 Pattern Judd-543 PCGS PR65 (Nickel)
1879 Flowing Hair Stella $4 Gold PCGS PR66

The "Tree Many Feathers" sale also features an exceptional offering of early silver dollars, copper coins, $20 St. Gaudens and other numismatic treasures. To view the lots and/or bid online, click here.

Superior Galleries "Pre-Long Beach" Sale on October Docket

It's time to start thinking about Long Beach shows again, and that includes the pre-Long Beach auction to be held by Superior Galleries of Beverly Hills, California, on October 1-2, 2001. Steve Deeds, Director of Numismatics for the firm, took time to share these upcoming highlights:

1792 Half Disme PCGS Fine-12
1723 Hibernia Farthing PCGS MS65RB
(1785) Bar Cent PCGS MS64BN
Massachusetts Half Cent PCGS MS66BN
Confederate Cent Restrike PCGS PR64BN
1856 Flying Eagle Cent PCGS PR65
1873 Double Liberty Cent PCGS MS64RB
1922 "Plain" Lincoln Cent PCGS MS65RB (!)
1858 Flying Eagle Cent (30% OC) PCGS MS63
1843-O Liberty Seated Quarter PCGS MS64
1871 $3 Gold PCGS MS65
1932 $20 Gold PCGS MS65

Bruce Amspacher has been a professional writer since the 1950s and a professional numismatist since the 1960s. He won the OIPA sportswriting award in 1958 and again in 1959, then spent eight years in college studying American Literature. This background somehow led him to become a professional numismatist in 1968. Since then he has published hundreds of articles on rare coins in dozens of publications as well as publishing his own newsletter, the “Bruce Amspacher Investment Report,” for more than a decade. His areas of expertise include Liberty Seated dollars, Morgan and Peace dollars, United States gold coins, sports trivia, Western history, modern literature and the poetry of Emily Dickinson. In 1986 he was a co-founder of the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS).