The Kunker auction finished today. Prices look pretty strong from the few coins I've checked so far.

https://www.kuenker.de/onlineAuctionCatalog...d=145&lid=1

I won this, long missing from my collection
Click to view attachment


Steve

Russia starts at lot 1310

Their PDF catalog is still there too (Auction 135) but they're pretty big so you need a fast connection.

Congratulations, very nice Annensk 2 kopek!
Is that coin overstruck?

Thanks!
No these weren't overstruck.

Steve

The AM 2 Kopecks (1789-1796) are never easy to find. The 1790AM is about the easiest but they're still fairly scarce. So far, I know of 7 1789AM examples, though obviously there are more out there. Anybody have one to share?

I doubt it's overstruck although I'm seeing signs of double strucked. Still, quite a nice coin, I don't even have any coins from AM, I think.

What about 5Ks?

Congratulations on a tough coin!

Thanks

[quote name='STEVE MOULDING' date='Jan 31 2008, 07:58 PM' post='370331']
The Kunker auction finished today. Prices look pretty strong from the few coins I've checked so far.

https://www.kuenker.de/onlineAuctionCatalog...d=145&lid=1
[quote]
_____________________________________________________________

Congratulations on your great purchase and thanks for posting this link.

Lots of really beautiful coins. and of course the prices realized were appropriately high, although I noticed that some items actually went for less than the estimate (not too many but maybe it's a positive sign?)

Could someone who reads German be so kind as to help me with some of the ratings?
I have no problem with Sehr schon (I don't have an "o" with an umlaut), but that is as far as my knowledge goes. What is the meaning of:

Vorzuglich
Fast vorzuglich
Winz, Kratzer vorzuglich
Stempelglanz
Fast Stempelglanz
Min. Randfehler
Winz. Randfehler

Sorry I don't have a German keyboard so all the umlauts are missing.
Thank you.

Meanwhile, I think I am going to go out and buy a lottery ticket. (For the next auction that is.)

Thanks Maya.

Vorzuglich EXTREMELY FINE
Fast vorzuglich ABOUT EXTREMELY FINE
Winz, Kratzer vorzuglich TINY SCRATCHES, EXTREMELY FINE
Stempelglanz UNCIRCULATED
Fast Stempelglanz ABOUT UNCIRCULATED
Min. Randfehler MINIMAL EDGE FAULTS
Winz. Randfehler TINY EDGE FAULTS

Kuenker provides a full translation page near the end of each catalog

See for example, Page 13 of
http://www.kuenker.de/images/download/pdfa...-193-208-sm.pdf

Click to view attachment

While these translations are technically correct, it usually happens that European grading is much stricter than what we see on most U.S.A. graded coins. Most coins graded "vorzüglich" (when they are correctly graded, that is) would probably grade "AU-50" or higher, even into the lower MS range, by American standards. Also, there is the grade "unzirkuliert" which corresponds exactly to "uncirculated" and is usually used for coins which might grade between MS-61 and MS-63. "Stempelglanz" means "fleur du coin" which I would interpret to mean choice BU (i.e. MS-63 or better).

Most coins which American grading companies would grade XF-40 would not make the "vorzüglich" grade by European collectors. If you are lucky, you can also find dealers who adhere to these standards and find bargains as a result once in a while.

In the early 1980s, Krause used to take the "VZ" price and list it in the "XF" column (maybe they still do?).

I don't remember seeing grades like "Fast Stempelglanz" (AU) in European auctions then.

Nope, don't have any AM 5 kopeks either

Thank you Steve, thank you Bob and thank you Grivna1726 for the translation and explanation.

I found the prices for some of the items a bit perplexing.

For example Lot # 1613 - a 5 roubles 1902 coin, MS64, graded and slabbed by ANACS, described as Stempelglanz, went for 440 Euros. And yet one sees them on eBay all the time (also graded MS 64 or 65 by NGC, PCGS, etc.) at less than half or even one third of that price by the time you calculate all the percentages.

As far as understand, it is a fairly common coin. I, myself, have four of them, ranging from raw to MS67, and my collection is certainly nothing to brag about. My coins, although very precious to me (every one of them), would be of hardly any interest to serious collectors. But when I see prices like that I wonder.

That result does seem strange, but there are unusual results in every auction (even though most lots typically sell close to established market values).

Maybe somebody got carried away at the auction?

Or maybe there's some rare die variation that was noticed by a variety collector?

It might just be an overenthusiastic buyer, but my guess is that there is something "special" about that coin that is not immediately apparent. But I could easily be wrong. There are always people who just have to "win" at any cost, but I don't think they usually stick around for long. Most bidders aren't idiots.

You are right about the 1902 being a common date. In RNS Newsletter 15 (spring
2005) there was printed the results of a year-long study of 5 and 10 rouble gold
coins of Nicholas II on eBay. The results for 736 5 rouble pieces were as follows:

1897 ... 30
1898 ...197
1899 ... 74
1900 ... 58
1901 ... 45
1902 ...162
1903 ... 68
1904 ... 86
1909 ... 15
1910 ... 1
1911 ... 0

RWJ

That's because "Stempelglanz" implies an exceptionally beautiful coin ... "fast unzirkuliert" would make more sense here.

There might have been the problem of counterfeit slabs as discussed in one of the earlier threads and this might have drove potential buyers off ebay to legit auction houses. At least the buyers have a piece of mind of knowing that what they bought are very highly to be genuine.

I know that prices are going up ... but I still find it astonishing that these coins could all sell for over $1,000 each (all from the Kuenker auction):

#1605: 50 kopeek 1897-* (Paris mint)
#1619: 50 kopeek 1910-EB
#1625: 1 Rouble 1915 (nice one)
#1626: another 1 Rouble 1915 (not quite as nice)

Also, there was a 1785-KM pyatak, only about VF or low-end XF, which netted EUR 340 (before commissions and shipping):
#1406: 5 kopeek 1785-KM

Where will it all end?

Hmmm ... I would have expected to see more 1909's ... Although mintage numbers for that year are unknown, Severin remarks in his gold and platinum book that the 1909 5 rouble coins had been "rarely met with in past years but currently [i.e. 1958] glutting the market."

Hi Steve,
I have 5K 1790 AM , 2x 1793 AM (one is holed... tragedy), 1795 AM and 1796 AM.

Thanks Konstantinos. Very nice! I always had a soft spot for AM coins. My first rare coin was a 1797AM narrow cipher 2 Kopeck.
I'm still looking for some of the Catherine AM 2 Kopecks....very tricky to find.

Steve

#1619: 50 kopeek 1910-EB

I just got this, no where as nice, but...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...em=130191552614

There was a nicer one for $85.

I guess "Stempelglanz" is a x10 multiplier these days.

you're welcome. I Will keep my eyes open this side of the pond for you.

Now that is about what I would call a "normal price" for this year and grade of 50 kopeek coin ... or even a bargain! 1910 is a relatively tough year, although there are certainly tougher ones. While it exhibits a good deal of circulation wear, it appears to be problem-free WRT cleaning, rim damage, etc. For comparison, about one year ago I bought a 1913-EB (rare mintmaster) 50 kopeek from Alexander Basok for $60 which is very similar in grade. From what I have seen over the past few years, I would say that 1910 and 1913-EB are somewhat similar WRT scarcity.

What bothers me is when you compare prices spent for nice (but not uncirculated) Nicholas II coins, which are not that hard to find, with some very nice older roubles of Anna or Elisabeth sold in the same auction. To me, those would definitely be the more desirable purchases, e.g. this Rubel 1749, SPB which went for "only" EUR 750. Here are these two coins side by side:


Now, which of these would you rather spend $1,000 on?

First one