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harpagon coins

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About harpagon coins

  • Birthday 03/11/1972

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  • Website URL
    http://www.versocoins.com

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  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    Italy
  • Interests
    German state thalers and world crowns predating 1945 in uncirculated condition or near.

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  1. Hi! Does anyone have experience with the reconsideration service offered by PCGS. I'd like two of my coins reconsidered. I sent a lot of Weimar coins which came back well and consistently graded. However another lot of German State coins I sent were a little more shoddily graded - at least from a consistency point of view and two in particular were completely off the mark. The two in particular are proofs as the Germans would call them. I'm well aware that Proof for German grading sometimes takes into account very well preserved examples of MS coins, without sticking to the technical definition of the word. Setting aside the vague definition of "proof" German's attribute, the two coins are definitely exceptional MS - visibly above MS64. One came back as an MS64 and the other a disappointing MS62. We're talking coins with no scratches or contact marks seen by the naked eye and with a nice all round luster. Even under magnification, there are no hairlines or anything sufficiently detracting to hold them back at the MS64 and 62 tier. I wonder, if sending them in for reconsideration, could they be regraded by several points, say from MS62 TO MS66, or that kind of jump in regrading never happens? If anyone has experience or insight into this, I'd really appreciate it!
  2. Hi there. You pose a good question that many collectors I guess have, or at least should ask themselves. Whether it's worth building a large collection of inexpensive coins or a small collection of high value coins. From my personal experience I'd go with the latter. I built up a significant collection of coins which over time became difficult to manage (some 7 medium size albums + another 9 inherited), also having two young children cut away at my free time. I also asked myself if one day, my kids would want to continue collecting or simply sell them off. Since, a collection may be for your own pleasure but at some point you will part with it. Who gets it? Will they understand anything about the hobby? Can they easily sell it and get good money? All these questions I asked and I finally chose to go with fewer coins but of higher value. Depending on your lifestyle, preferences you've got to make your choice. In 100 years they will obviously have gained in value, but most probably as an investment you'd be much better off investing in something else. If you have the time check my blog on my website where I discuss the investment matter in a little more detail and briefly touch on the issue of precious metal content. You're two coins appear to be VF from the photos. Best wishes, but don't spend the 5K on cheap coins, at least coins with numismatic value - high value that is will always attract buyers who have significant disposable income to not just want them, but buy them too!
  3. Hi there! I have two Italian 1 lira coins from 1926. There were only 500 minted. A few weeks ago a fellow collector took an interest in them, but then brushed off the idea of buying one by stating that it was not legal tender and that it had been minted specifically for collectors. This does not seem to be the case from my understanding, even though they were minted for collectors, they were still legal tender - if a collector would have wanted to use it as such. Many mints produce coins and dispatch them directly to collector lists while still remaining legal tender. In his statement, he appeared to be saying that this was not a real coin for him. The only thing I can fathom is that he, like me actually, does not like to buy mint sets, or coins sold by the mints for collectors. In some way, he does not feel it is a real coin since it never entered circulation or even was intended for circulation. A kind of vanity coin collecting, when a coin is released directly to collectors without any intention of its public use. Would it be fair to say that he felt this is not a real coin? – in his definition. I personally feel the same way with contemporary mint sets, however, at a mint run of 500 I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss them. Please share your opinion on this matter.
  4. Constanius I know what you mean about falling behind... I had to sell off, rather slowly and sadly a big part of my collection since it was impossible for me to continue maintaining it. The time needed, is just not available to me at the moment.
  5. Hi there, I didn't direct the question well...since I didn't want to lead attention unnecessarily to the problem area. I'm not trying to establish whether the coin is authentic - this area I'm pretty well versed in, since there is an abundance of documentation regarding both these coins. I'm more interested in the coin grade, whether there is some fault with the coin regarding condition, surface preservation etc. Something that could impede it from being professionally graded. The two thalers you show are are from different states as you point out - one being Hannover with King George V and the other coin is from Schaumburg-Lippe with the portrait of Prince Adolph Georg. I see your expertise in noting subtle differences in details and I imagine there are many more mules out there in medals than in coins. Thanks for the input. If you have any ideas why this coin might be considered cleaned, it would help me. I'm not an expert, but I get by with detecting cleaned coins most of the time, but on this example I'm a little stumped. Cleaning is an iffy area I find. I dislike the excessive onus some place on it, but we have to live with it. Thanks again!
  6. I got this coin recently, I've been told it has a problem... I don't necessarily agree with this opinion. In fact I disagree. I might be wrong. Please help me see, where and how this coin has a problem, or simply where someone could think that it does.
  7. By the way, congratulations. You have an impressive collection!
  8. Thank you Constanius, Yes, we owe an amazing debt to classical art and iconography. It's filtered through time and still has the same powerful affect on our senses. Would I be guessing wrongly that you're a collector of Ancient coinage?!
  9. I hope someone is still reading this. Anyway, here goes... It's a gorgeous coin. And the comment regarding TPGs is interesting. I find too that they have some difficulty with grading German thalers. There's some inconsistency I feel. This particular one seems like an MS, potentially even getting to 63, but since I can't make out the degree of wear on the bear, it's iffy territory to commit. The thighs and face of the bear are usually the first place that show wear on this thaler. Beautiful piece!
  10. Hi everyone. Quick introduction... I'm a third generation collector from Italy. But I'm based in Israel. I collect with a group of friends various high grade crowns from Germany, England and Italy. Other countries are also of interest but we follow them less. We showcase our coins for viewing purposes (at present) through our website. Harpagon coins. Please feel free to visit us, make suggestions, contribute to the blog, or simply enjoy the photos of our coins. I hope to contribute constructively on this forum and become a valued member. If you have any questions, I'll love to hear from you. Thanks for your time, Roman
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