PCGS - A valued member of the PCGS Set Registry, Walt Husak is an avid early copper and large cent collector/specialist, who has showcased his stunning array of Large Cents (1793-1814) at numerous coin shows over the years. The public has marveled at his collection which was on display at the September 2021 Long Beach Expo, and at the time this video is released will be represented in the PCGS Set Registry Copper Faceoff at the Central States Numismatic Society Convention in Schaumburg, IL April 27-30.
There are 58 different collectable Sheldon (number) varieties for 1794 Large Cents alone. Hear which years make up Walt's top three, and see the fan favorite - 1794 1C S-48 Starred Reverse, whose reverse has 94 stars and is unique amongst the large cent series.
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Walt Husak certainly has a knack for knowing when to buy and sell coins. He has a great sense of timing and intuitive sense for the coin market. Some of the best coin advice we've received on Slab Lab is right in this episode - "Take your time, but buy it when it's available." Upon identifying what the right coin is, time is of the essence once it surfaces in the market. A collector for over 65 years, Walt is known for building one of the most complete collections of early American large cents before selling it in 2008 for $10.7 million.
Walt was recently crowned the winner of the Copper Face Off, PCGS Set Registry Showdown at the Central States Numismatic Show. See his winning collection here: http://goccf.com/WaltHusakRegistrySet
Three of Walt's most prized coins can be seen up close in this episode. The 1793 Chain Cent AMERI S-1 PCGS AU58 - the rarest major variety of the Large Cents, the 1794 1C S-18b Head of 93, and the 1794 1C S-49 Head of 94. Learn the history of the Lord St. Oswald coins - an Englishman by the name of William Strickland who carried 35 coins home to Britain from America; many of which now represent the finest examples of their type to exist.
Walt just recently passed away on December 15, 2022 sadly, R.I.P. to a giant in our hobby, Walt was one of the nicest guys you could ever have the pleasure to meet. When I got a chance to introduce myself to him at the first EAC convention I attended in 2015, he was most gracious and included me in a small group of fellow friends and collectors having a discussion before dinner.
My friend Mark Borckardt did the cataloging of his collection when it came up for sale through Heritage in February, 2008 at Long Beach, here is a link to his catalog...
The catalog is one of several parts (sessions) all put together in this massive Heritage multi part sale. To this day it is still my absolute favorite auction catalog and even rivals some books in my opinion as to it's greatness and completeness. The only criticism I have is the photos turned out a bit darker than I'd like. Other than that small nitpicking it's about as perfect of a catalog as one could ask for. A quick read through any single lot will prove that. This catalog needs to be in any serious Early Copper collectors library. it's even better than many of the books others say to have, I rate it that highly.
The catalog was released by Heritage Auctions as a standalone book in both hard and softbound the later having regular book and spiral bindings (I have all 3 in my collection). One copy I got Walter, Mark and Steve Ivy to autograph inside for me. Some highlights of the auction are also available to re-watch and parts are pretty interesting in a short video of that night, many large cent price records were shattered:
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Great to see that SlabLab had a chance to interview Walter before he passed.
"Buy the Book Before You Buy the Coin" - Aaron R. Feldman - "And read it" - Me 2013! ANA Life Member #3288 in good standing since 1981, ANS, Early American Coppers Member (EAC), Colonial Coin Collectors Club member (C4), Conder Token Collector Club member (CTCC), Civil War Token Society (CWTS) member, Liberty Seated Collectors Club (LSCC) & Numismatic Bibliomania Society member (NBS), USMex, Member in good standing, 2¢ variety collector.
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Posted 03/08/2023 12:22 pm
