A Member of The Family

[coin928]

After owning it for 16 years, it was time to have it graded.

 

I can't believe it's been over a year since I last posted a journal entry. I hope to be a little more prolific in the future.

 

This 1895 Liberty Head five dollar gold coin pictured below has been in my family for many years. I don't know exactly how many, but I'm reasonably certain that my paternal Grandfather acquired it before 1933, and probably sometime in the 1920's. He was not a collector, but rather a hoarder of silver and gold coins. If you've read my bio, you know that my Grandfather is the person responsible for starting me down the path to becoming a coin collector and numismatist. Beginning in the early 1960's he would give each of his grandchildren a couple of Morgan or Peace dollars at Christmas time. I am the oldest of all of my siblings and cousins, so I actually benefited the longest from his generosity.

 

He passed away late in 1973, but it wasn't until mid 1974 that we realized just how many coins he had stashed away in the attic of the family home. Being the oldest child, my father was the executor of his will and with me being the only serious coin collector in the family, I was was given the task of dividing the entire coin hoard equitably between my Father, and his three siblings. There were at least 500 each of silver dollars, half dollars, quarters and dimes. Several thousands coins in all, the hoard included:

 

- Morgan and Peace Dollars

- Barber, Walking Liberty, and Franklin Half Dollars

- Barber, Standing Liberty, and Washington Quarters

- Barber, Winged Liberty, and Roosevelt Dimes

- Three gold coins (Two $5 and One $10)

 

All of the dimes, quarters, and half dollars were probably obtained from pocket change since the majority of the dates were between 1930 and 1964 and all of the coins with earlier dates were very well worn. There were roughly two Morgan dollars for every Peace dollar and I think many were obtained during trips to Nevada in the 1950's and 60's.

 

Being the executor, my father gave each of his three siblings one of the gold coins, keeping none for himself. This aggravated me at the time, but in hindsight this is the fairest thing he could have done and makes perfect sense. This coin came into my possession when my Aunt passed away in 1999 from pancreatic cancer. I would greatly prefer that my Aunt was still with us, but I am glad to have at least one of the three gold coins from my Grandfather's estate.

 

From a numismatic perspective, this coin is a relatively common date AU, and was probably also taken from circulation in the 1920's. As a piece of family history however, it is priceless, which is why I decided to send it to NGC for grading and encapsulation. It now has a well defined value and will be protected from any further degradation in the new scratch resistant holder. With a little luck, it will remain in our family for many years to come.

 

Thanks for reading.

 

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[CBC]

Great story. Regardless of the rarity and collector value (or lack of), a coin with a family connection should always have a place in our collections. I have a 1853 large cent, given to me by my grandfather who said he inherited it from his father. NGC says it is "AU Details - Cleaned" but i wouldn't swap it for a MS-63.

[coinsbygary]

Wow! What a story and what a nice family heirloom! I have a few coins that mean a lot to me for sentimental reasons like yours. What would you give in exchange for them? Their value goes well beyond their numismatic value. That is a fine half-eagle, thank you for sharing with us the story of your coin with a personal pedigree. BTW, I for one would love to see more posts from you on these boards from time to time.

Gary

[Yevrah1]

That is a beauty of a AU58, IMO! Any thoughts on what it might have graded if not circulated? 1895 Liberty Half Eagle is a common date issue. But again, the story makes it priceless to you.

 

I have several coins that were in my baby bank when I cracked it open. I personally cleaned them in about 1965. I had them encapsulated anyway. They are nice despite the cleaning. Not particularly rare but in my possession since 1956.

[Iowa Silver Baron Bammer]

I love these kind of stories that go along with some of our coins. Personally, I'm finding I like higher grade circulated coins (VF thru AU) just as much as MS. You have a very nice coin and some great memories.

 

My dad saved some silver dollars, after he passed away mom let my brother and I divide them up. I took the one Morgan (a 1900-O) that I really wanted and had it graded right away. It only graded a G-6, but every time I look at it I think of dad.

 

Thanks again for the story and the pictures of the coin.

 

Brian

[coin928]

Thank you all for your comments.

 

Virtually every coin I own has some kind of story behind it, I just wish I had the time (and focus) to sit down and write them all.

 

This isn't the only numismatic family heirloom I have, it's just the only one I've had graded. Some of the others are:

• 1901-O Morgan Dollar - My maternal Grandfather was a "Dry Goods Salesman," and he always carried it with him for good luck. I have carried this coin myself for at least 20 years now.
  
• 1855 Knob-on-ear Large Cent - Also passed down by my maternal Grandfather. It has obverse scratches and I am sure it would receive a low details grade.
  
• 1900 Indian Head Cent - My maternal Grandmother had this coin in her shoe when she got married.
  
• 1943 Lincoln Cent - I swallowed this steel cent as a VERY young child. (Yes, it went all the way through me!)
  
• 1904-S US/Philippines Peso - My first USPI coin. It is well worn with rim dings and hairlines from being harshly cleaned (long before I got it in the late 1960's), so I doubt I'll ever have it graded.

(Yevrah1) I recently took a two day grading class at the 2015 World's Fair of Money in Chicago, and estimating a grade for my 1895 $5G, sans circulation is pretty difficult. Basically though, from what I learned in my class, an AU58 is essentially an MS63 with some rub. My guess though would be MS62, but there's no way to know for sure.

 

Harry