Do Previous Owners Effect Value?

I had to look up Eliasberg. But you can't tell me that if you know your coin was once owned by John Q. Adams it would not raise the vale to some extent.

Arthur Conan-Doyle and a founding father?! Wow, either one of those would somewhat raise value to me, especially JQA. I think I would avoid something like an Eliasberg coin though; for some reason I have a problem with a collection that complete being broken up and sold in pieces like a junkyard Caddy, even though it is a perfectly reasonable thing to do. Not sure why, unless it is simply avoinding the bad karma of completely undoing something that somebody spent so many years lovingly piecing together. Just seems wrong to me. Thanks for the input all. I think I will stick with my skepticism and label the coin I saw as 'overpriced.'

I hope in the distant future everyone bids high for the coins of Sir Ancient Noob.

I don't own any coins that were owned by famous people but were owned by numismatists.

I have a few ALexandrian Tets. of Probus that I bought from Keith Emmett, Author of "Alexandrian Coins", who in turn bought them from Col. James W. Curtis, Author of "The Tetradrachms of Roman Egypt.". They were provided with the tags and flip used by Emmett and the 2x2s that had been previously used by Curtis.

All this adds very little to their financial value but does provide some provenance.

Martin

Whether the previous owners were "famous" people, "famous" collectors, or just "ordinary" run-of-the-mill collectors, you should always keep any proof of provenance that may have come with the coins or you may otherwise come across. Especially if you plan on travelling overseas and taking your coins with you; having something that proves your coins are not freshly-looted antiquities is becoming more and more necessary these days.

Maybe only "famous" people add value, but any provenance at all adds character to your collection, and helps you realize you are but one in what will hopefully be a long line of custodians.

Pedegree can and will give any coin a boost...you just have to provide/prove the paper trail.

Over my dead body. Actually I can think of a couple coins I would trade that stater for but nobody in their right mind would consider that!

I have a 1904 Afghan Paisa that used to be part of the William Spengler Collection. Spengler was a former State Department employee who amassed a good portion of his collection while being stationed in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Most of the coins that he bought were from scrap dealers who were melting the coins to make jewelry. He actually wrote several books on ancient coins based on his acquisitions. The coin didn't cost any extra, but the story behind its former owner is intriguing.