Do "CC" Coins Get Melted

With the recent rise in gold and silver prices alot of common date coins get melted, one wonders if any carson city coins get melted I hope not. But I think that coins that are damaged or badly worn do get melted. By the way I got a silver quarter and dime as change I couldn't belive that silver coins still circulated!!!

Spring Issue Mailed

Spring 2008 Curry’s Chronicle Has Been Released!

The eleventh issue of the award-winning Curry’s Chronicle has been released and should be reaching Carson City Coin Collectors of America club members shortly. Thanks always to the members who volunteered to submit articles and letters to the editor. We appreciate members stepping forward and volunteering in that fashion. And as always, we ask our members to consider writing something for the next summer issue of the journal. You do not have to be a professional writer of any sorts to contribute. For more information regarding submissions and deadlines please refer to your new spring 2008 chronicle. If you require further assistance or want to pass an article idea by me, feel free to email me at mariesgate@sbcglobal.net or call me at (775) 322-4455 and I will be happy to assist you.

Typo Announcement and a Solution
There's one additional item that I would also like to address. When you receive the latest issue of Curry's Chronicle you'll notice two obvious TYPOs on the front cover and the title page. The printing company that produces our journal screwed up, and as a result, instead of it reading “Spring 2008” on the front cover and the title page, it reads “Winter 2008.” We were shocked by the mistake made by our printer. But they have apologized for their carelessness and in order to remedy the errors they have created replacement stickers that read “Spring 2008,” which you will place over the “Winter 2008” mistake on your journal.

These replacement stickers will be mailed along with important renewal information to each member within the next six weeks. So, don't flip out when you see the typos, and just hold tight and we'll get the correct information on your journal before summer arrives.

And, just as a reminder, the $20 annual membership dues entitles you to a year's subscription to Curry’s Chronicle. The schedule of release for these journals is as follows:

1. Spring issue mailed out the first of March
2. Summer issue mailed out the first of June
3. Fall issue mailed out the first of September
4. Winter issue mailed out the first of December

Hope everyone enjoys reading their spring journal. I expect to see some blogs written on this site sharing about what you've learned!

-Amy
C4OA Membership Services

"CC" COINS IN THE AUCTION PLACE

The Queller Family Collection of silver dollars will be sold at the Heritage Central States Platinum Night Auction, April 16-19, 2008 in Rosemont, Illinois. "CC" coins represented in this auction include:
1. 1870-CC Seated Dollar NGC MS-60
2. 1871-CC Seated Dollar NGC AU-58
3. 1872-CC Seated Dollar NGC MS-64
4. 1873-CC Seated Dollar NGC AU-55
5. 1874-CC Trade Dollar NGC MS-64
6. 1876-CC Trade Dollar - Doubled Die Reverse NGC MS-61
7. 1876-CC Trade Dollar NGC MS-62
8. 1877-CC Trade Dollar NGC MS-63
This is one of those very rare times when you will encounter the four "CC" seated dollar issues for sale at the same time. Get 'em while the gettings good!

Important News Regarding Annual Club Meeting at ANA Convention

Dear Carson City Coin Collectors of America club members,

It is that time once again to start making plans to attend the annual general meeting for the C4OA which is going to be held at the summer ANA Convention in Baltimore, MD. Please mark your calendars for:

THURSDAY, JULY 31, 2008 at 1:00 P.M.

for the C4oA general meeting in Room 319 at the Baltimore Convention Center (One West Pratt Street Baltimore, MD 21201).

Please contact the ANA for more information regarding hotel reservations and travel plans at (719) 482-9857 or email them at convention@money.org. It is suggested that you make your plans early, as rooms do fill-up fast.

We hope that everyone is able to make it the C4OA general meeting to have questions answered and suggestions heard.

Any additional questions related to this or any other club event, please contact me at (775) 322-4455 or email me at mariesgate@sbcglobal.net.

See you in Baltimore!,

Amy

C4OA Membership Records

The future of 'CC' coins

To all 'CC' collectors; I feel that now is the time to get the coins that you need for your collections, because it will be only a matter time before we see huge price increases. I really like the gold series: mainly the double eagles. Good luck to all collectors in their quest for those 'cc' coins.

1870-CC $20 GOLD PIECE BRINGS QUARTER MILLION $$S

An 1870-CC gold double eagle graded XF-40 (non-certified) sold for $253,000 at Stack's Americana sale in New York City on January 16. This example of the key date in the "CC" $20 gold series is not visually attractive, and has not even been graded by a third-party service, which makes its price realized even more astonishing. 1870-CC $20 gold piece from Stack's Americana sale, 1-16-08.

This strong showing further illustrates the perpetually-increasing demand for rare "CC" issues. We can only imagine what this same coin would have fetched if it had been graded XF-40 or XF-45 by PCGS or NGC. It seems plausible that the winning bid would have cracked the $300,000 barrier. This is all so mind-bending, since it was only about seven or eight years ago that 1870-CC double eagles in any grade were just barely crossing the six-figure level. And, to add more perspective to the sale of this specific 70-CC $20 gold piece, the same coin sold for $20,900 back in 1987 at another Stack's January auction. If its consignor in 2008 is the same person who purchased it in 1987, he or she should be very pleased, don't you think?

The way this current auction season is shaping up, "CC" coins of all types, dates and grades, are sure to garner their share of attention. Stay tuned.

SIX CC $20 BEAUTIES FROM THE RICH UHRICH COLLECTION

"Hear ye, hear ye" all "CC" fans. Six beautiful "CC" gold double eagles are on the auction block. From the Rich Uhrich Collection:
(1.) 1872-CC NGC AU-58
(2.) 1873-CC NGC AU-58
(3.) 1875-CC NGC MS-63 (only two graded finer by NGC)
(4.) 1885-CC PCGS MS-61
(5.) 1891-CC NGC MS-62 (none graded finer by NGC)
(6.) 1892-CC PCGS MS-62.
These fabulous bad boys will be auctioned by Stacks at the February 26-27, 2008 Baltimore Sale. It is my hope that a member of our C4OA will score at least one or two of these. Since I probably won't be able to get them, maybe we could keep them in the family so-to-speak. Let me know what you think. Members, leave your comments!

RECORD PRICE REALIZED FOR PROOF 1876-CC DIME

It's all about respect. Either the numismatic community believes that a certain coin is rare and worthy of high value or it doesn't. The 1876-CC branch mint Proof dime has finally earned its distinction as a genuine American classic rarity, as it transcended the price scale to the next level, shattering all pre-sale estimates. The winning bidder chunked down $178,250 for the 1876-CC Liberty Seated dime certified as a PR-65 by PCGS in Superior's Elite Coin Auction held in Orlando, Florida on January 5, 2008. The consignor of this special coin posted a hefty reserve before the sale, which if satisfied, would ensure that a new record would be established. One by one bidders dropped out of contention, until at the end it was between two stalwarts, neither of whom wished to concede victory to the other. A second-to-last bid of $150,000 was trumped by one of $155,000, thus ending the contest. Add another $23,250 in buyer's fees to the hammer and you've got the final price realized.

Previous sales of any of the reported Proof or Specimen strike 1876-CC dimes approached the $50,000 mark, which is certainly an impressive level. But now the roof has been raised, and just as the 1893-CC Proof Morgan dollars at one time needed to prove that they were worthy of breaking the six-figure barrier, the specially-struck 1876-CC dimes will now be accepted into an exclusive club in which rarity engenders accolades.

This is a monumental day for the Carson City series and we offer our hearty salute in honor of the occasion. And, by the way, congratulations to the dime's new owner.

Happy New Year "CC" Enthusiasts!

What does the year 2008 have in store for all of us who treasure Carson City coins? Time will only tell, but before we ponder the future let us reflect on the past. Aside from it being the 150th anniversary of the founding of Carson City, it has been 138 years since the Carson City Mint released its first coins (1870-CC Liberty Seated silver dollars), and 115 years since it issued its last coins (1893-CC Morgan silver dollars). In between those two landmark years, the Carson Mint manufactured approximately 56.6 million coins consisting of ten different types; seven of which were struck in silver, and three of which were struck in gold.


According to my best estimates, no more than 4.5 million of these coins survived to the present day; and approximately 4.2 million of these are represented by the Morgan silver dollars. This means that there are no more than a combined total of 300,000 of all the other nine types of coins in existence.

Some of these we know are extremely scarce, with the 1873-CC Without Arrows dime sitting at the top of the rarity scale with only one known survivor. Next in line is the sister to the Unique dime, the 1873-CC Without Arrows quarter, with only five known survivors. And not too distant down the scale is the 1876-CC twenty-cent piece, with its estimated surviving population of eighteen or nineteen specimens. These are the three coins many of us dream of owning, but only a few of us ever will own.

So, we've got our mega-rarities, but then there are many other coins bearing the "CC" mintmark which run the gamut of price categories. As all members of C4OA have observed in the pages of Curry's Chronicle, there are categories of "CC" coins to fit everyone's taste and budget. Some of us can derive just as much pleasure from owning an 1876-CC quarter in Fine condition, or an 1882-CC silver dollar in MS-60, as others do owning one of the elite coins in the Carson City series.

I invite any of you that have not already done so to submit an article or a letter to the editor in which you describe your favorite "CC" coin or coins, for publication in Curry's Chronicle. The stories behind the coins and the testimonies of those who own them are part of the fascination we have with collecting them.

As for what this new year holds for all of us "CC" enthusiasts we might be given a foretaste during the January auctions. Certainly the spotlight will shine on some of the more notable issues from our beloved mint. Consider for instance, the 1876-CC Proof Liberty Seated dime for sale in Superior's auction. It is catalogued as the only such specimen in existence, although we know that this may only be a matter of semantics, since NGC lists four Specimen Strike 1876-CC dimes in its census report. Regardless of the terminology employed in describing these special dimes, we know that they are rare, and that whenever one of them sells, there's usually big bucks involved. Superior estimates that their Proof 1876-CC dime might fetch $100,000. If it does, it will set a record for this variety. Let's wait and see.

Then there's the finest known example of an 1873-CC gold half eagle, graded PCGS MS-62, scheduled to appear in Heritage's FUN sale during the second week of January. The consignor placed a $90,000 reserve on this rare little devil. Will he get it?

During the following week, Stack's is offering a Circulated example of an 1870-CC gold double eagle, which their cataloguer describes as an XF-40 piece (it's not certified). With what these bad babies have been bringing recently it will be interesting to see what this uncertified specimen realizes. Stay tuned.

There are numerous other "CC" coins scheduled for the auction block in January and after the dust settles, we should have a clear idea of how strong this market is. What are your predictions.

Let's make 2008 the year that C4OA's blogsite emerged as an active, highly interactive platform. Get involved. Submit something. Make it one of your New Year's resolutions to be a player and not just a spectator.