From the Desk of Q. David Bowers: Thinking of Baltimore

By Q. David Bowers, Chairman Emeritus

Get ready! Get set! Go! Or, almost go. In the past month or so I have enjoyed immensely working with the experts on the staff to help catalog what will truly be a memorable auction with the Whitman Coins & Collectibles Baltimore Expo. Majestic rarities abound, highlighted by a nearly perfect MCMVII Ultra High Relief Saint-Gaudens double eagle, estimated to sell comfortably into seven figures. Certainly this is one of the most beautiful, most classic rarities of all time.

Others rarities abound, but equally important, there is a broad panorama of very affordable coins. Take Morgan silver dollars. Our selection is complete, has scarcities and rarities, as expected (the Proof 1895 comes to mind), but there are also many historical and popularly priced Carson City dollars and others. Did you know that of the nearly 100 different dates, mints, and major varieties of Morgan dollars from 1878 to 1921, more than 60 of them can be acquired in Mint State for prices in the hundreds of dollars, many well below that.

I invite you to check our listing on the Internet and, if you are a subscriber, in our printed catalogs. Actually, the Internet images are so excellent that catalogs are hardly necessary. And, I guess it is not necessary for you to come to the Expo to bid, as our automated auction process enables you to sit in an overstuffed chair, laptop computer in hand, and bid just as if you were sitting in the front row. Of course, there is something nice about attending a coin show, and the Whitman Coins & Collectibles Expo events, held three times a year in Baltimore, are among the top five best shows. A bourse will include hundreds of dealers, nearby hotels and restaurants beckon, and there are many other attractions.

It is not a bit too early to start by contemplating the offerings, reading the descriptions (which in some instances takes time to do) and then perhaps considering a new specialty. Change is always interesting, and perhaps if you collect gold coins by types now, you might want to think of expanding or diversifying and starting on a set of Dahlonega or Charlotte quarter eagles or half eagles. Or, small cents never go out of style and there is something fascinating about having a collection starting with the 1856 Flying Eagle and going onward. Commemoratives, very reasonably priced on today’s market, beckon as well with many simply gorgeous examples, including low mintage issues.

Here’s wishing you all the best until we meet in this space next week.

Sincerely,

Dave Bowers