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 Replies: 12 / Views: 1,373 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3229 Posts |
What is the best source for finding the rarity rating of Connecticut colonial coppers? The Whitman book by Bowers uses a URS scale: 1(one known), 2(two known), 3(3-4 known), 4(5-8 known), 5(9-16 known), 6(17-32 known, 7(33-64 known)... 16 (16,000-31,999 known. Another source I have found is coinfacts: http://www.coinfacts.com/colonial_c...tCoppers.htmI have a Miller 33.31-gg.2; Whitman 3825 that I am trying to find out more about. Rarity, value, etc. See my recent thread here: https://goccf.com/t/163960 In the Whitman book the coin is listed as URS-7 (33-64) and in Coinfacts as R-6 (cross referencing with Sheldon's Penny Whimsy gives a known # of 13-30). Are these two reverences equal of value? Is there a better rarity reference? Should I just say that the rarity is 13-64 known and call it a day? |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4416 Posts |
Personally, I'd note it as a URS-6/7. These guesstimates can easily be off. Also, as more collectors study these and gain attribution skills, the population has to increase. Regardless, these puppies are ever so scarce when compared to the big dollar, key coins.
As a longtime collector of Civil War tokens, I learned that many of the rarity ratings were way off. I expect that such is the case with other genres, and time will tell.
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Moderator
 United States
23522 Posts |
We've a couple of other resident specialists in Colonials - vermontensium and philadelphian come to mind - who may have an experienced opinion on the subject. I'll try to make sure they see this thread.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4897 Posts |
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Valued Member
United States
179 Posts |
Some of the most accurate "Rarity Impressions" are given by the Catalogers when working a major sale. Your best guide for rarity is how expensive the coins are.
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Moderator
United States
16679 Posts |
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I learned that many of the rarity ratings were way off. I expect that such is the case with other genres, and time will tell. Very true. URS-6/7 sounds right. As far as gauging an approximate value on Colonials, auction archives are the best method. The nice part about Colonial Numismatics is the extreme scarcity of some of the issues as compared to other Federal Issues. It's definitely a specialized area of coin collecting that requires in most instances much more research than their Federal counterparts. swcoin.ecrater.com
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1211 Posts |
FWIW, I put the R1-R8 rating on my flips.
I don't personally care what the rating is supposed to equate to. It just helps me remember how relatively "rare" each coin is. If it is an R1, then I know it can be easily replaced. It it is an R6, then I might want to think twice before I part with it.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3253 Posts |
Getting hung up on rarity numbers is really like chasing rainbows. In a real sense, they are guesstimates at best, but even beyond that, they're a fallacy. Spend some time on the Token forum and you'll see some Civil War Tokens that are astonishingly rare, but they can be had for a fraction of what US Mint coins of the same rarity go for. Alternatively, Barber halves are quite common, but try getting one in XF or better! |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4416 Posts |
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As far as gauging an approximate value on Colonials, auction archives are the best method. For the most part, this is true; more so, methinks, on the lower and mid-rarity pieces. However, if two or three bidders have deep enough pockets and really want a particular piece, the "value" can really get inflated. Also, factors like provenance, strike and condition anomalies can really skew a price. On the flip-side, when I review the prices realized in a major auction, I inevitably find pieces that sold for what I deem as bargain basement prices. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
17884 Posts |
Quote:, they're a fallacy. Spend some time on the Token forum and you'll see some Civil War Tokens that are astonishingly rare, but they can be had for a fraction of what US Mint coins of the same rarity go for. Alternatively, Barber halves are quite common, but try getting one in XF or better! Don't confuse rarity with value. The very rare tokens are cheap because there is relatively low demand. The XF Barber half may be common, but there are a LOT more collectors chasing them than there are collectors chasing the rare token. Make on of those halves as rare as the token and see what happens (see 1894-S dime) |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3253 Posts |
And that's the third factor. Demand will make a coin more "rare" than the actual census of existing specimens.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4416 Posts |
One phenomenon that I've witnessed with the tokens, particularly so, the CWT's, is that there are collectors who endeavor to accumulate, even hoard, particular towns and/or dies. I expect that this has happened to some degree with coins. There have been hoards of 1916-D dimes, 1844 dimes and even 1893-S dollars. This tends to foster some sense of rarity, in effect.
Getting back to the original post, it's not beyond belief that some collectors of colonial varieties could do likewise; especially so with those URS-7's on up. Then, the fewer appearing in the marketplace, the greater the demand ...
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Moderator
United States
16679 Posts |
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In a real sense, they are guesstimates at best, but even beyond that, they're a fallacy. They are guesstimates..nobody has exact numbers nor will they ever. Think of those, as exo pointed out, that have not hit the marketplace yet or better yet, ones in the ground (including possible undiscovered varieties) that are yet to be unearthed. It's really a sense of how bad you want (or need) a particular coin, and how much your willing to shell out for it. swcoin.ecrater.com
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Replies: 12 / Views: 1,373 |
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Posted 12/02/2013 7:24 pm
