Doug Winter Numismatics - "After 21 years (and three months) the Auraria collection of Dahlonega gold is finally complete. The set includes 68 coins with all of the major varieties; 34 coins are in mint state, and the vast majority of the rest are in choice AU condition. I have just a few observations on the journey. First find a dealer you trust and stick with them. It does not make a lot of sense to have several dealers searching for the same coins for you!
I was fortunate to have two great dealers assist me. Jack Hancock, now deceased, helped me start the collection and got me about half way through the half eagle set when he suddenly died. He lived only about 30 miles away and had assisted a number of local collectors. Jack had an excellent eye. It was Jack's idea to come up with a name for the collection; he felt it created a certain mystique. Auraria was a small town near Dahlonega where the Georgia gold rush began. Upon Jack's death I had to find a new dealer.
I made the best decision in contacting Doug Winter. Doug was able to get me through the rest of the half eagles, and before I finished them I purchased a 1849-D $1 MS64 from him. That led to wanting to complete the gold dollar set, and before completing the gold dollars, Doug sold me the Harry Bass Jr 1856-D quarter eagle that led me to complete the entire Dahlonega series.
Of course, I made a few mistakes along the way. Early on I bought a few coins from other sources that I later regretted. I would definitely suggest buying a very nice example the first time so you are not tempted to upgrade later. Unless you purchase the coin at a very good price, more often than not you will lose money on upgrades. Have a plan and try to stick to it. My plan was to have every coin in AU 50 condition or better. There is no way anyone can duplicate the amazing quality of the Duke's Creek collection, so I did not try.
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Posted 09/12/2015 10:47 am
