Antique Coin Boards with David W. Lange – www.coincollectingboards.com …..
For Collectors of Antique Coin Boards
Number 55 — Summer 2020
DISPATCH FROM THE BUNKER
In the Spring issue I speculated that we soon might be under quarantine, and to varying degrees this has come to pass.
Most coin shows have been canceled through July, with the August ANA Convention uncertain as of this writing. It’s one of the most highly anticipated events on my calendar, along with the ANA’s Summer Seminar, already lost to the pandemic.
While the virus situation is ongoing my work has alternated between home and office, but any additional travel is limited to once-weekly jaunts to the supermarket during the very early “seniors only” hour and to the post office to pick up mail, mostly when only the box lobby is open.
Despite these fears and restrictions our hobbies somehow go on, and I’ve acquired a few nice boards in recent months – including some upgrades to my own collection. I’m foregoing the usual list of boards for sale this time, and the newsletter will be a short one. My best wishes to all for good health and safety.
MARKET ACTIVITY
As this is written there are numerous eBay listings of coin boards fully or partially filled with coins. I’ve observed many times in this newsletter that such listings are always a source of frustration to board collectors when the boards themselves are desirable.
Fortunately, the current offerings include no heart breakers.
A couple of months back there were three group lots that included some nice Kent and First Edition Whitman boards that I was able to snag at very reasonable prices. These included the upgrades to my own collection mentioned above, and some of the others made it onto Coin Boards For Sale Number 145. This was the fully illustrated list of rarities that I sent out subsequent to the last newsletter. Those five boards sold out within 24 hours, a testament to the consistent demand for rare and/or high-grade coin boards.
As for boards that are not rare, demand is a little soft right now. That’s a condition in common with the coin market, which presently is offering some lower prices than just a few years ago. I’ve been adding to my own USA type set while this opportunity exists, hoping that next summer I’ll once again be able to share these coins with my students in Colorado Springs. I missed out last year due to my cancer treatments, and this year that happy annual gathering is not to be for anyone, though the ANA is doing what it can with an online substitute.
BOOK UPDATES
Absolutely nothing has turned up this quarter that’s new to the coin board book, but then board listings on eBay have been pretty thin overall in recent months.
THE “OTHER BOOK” UPDATE
The third volume in my series of books relating the histories and product lines of coin album publishers is in the layout process, and that work is nearly completed. Expected for a late summer release, its title is Coin Collecting Albums: A Complete History and Catalog Volume Three, Whitman Publishing Company Folders and Albums 1940-1978. The book is about 350 pages and in full color throughout. I anticipate having it bound with a soft cover to keep down both weight and binding costs, but it will be a deluxe softcover with sewn signatures to prevent the falling out of pages so common to cheap, “perfect bound” books.
I’m delighted with the completed chapters from my book designer, and this entry should really fill an important gap in hobby history. In addition, Lange Numbers will now exist for each and every variety of Whitman folder and album, and this will make the collecting and cataloging of these items far more satisfying. The inventory of duplicate folders I amassed while preparing this book will soon be offered for sale, and the next list I send out may be for folders rather than boards. I’ll hold off on doing that, however, until persons desiring to do so have been able to acquire the book.
SHORT TAKES
With nothing new to report in the realm of 1930s and ’40s coin boards, I’ll offer a little selection of some more recent items. These can be quite fun to collect, too.
This penny board was created by Chicago coin dealer Harlan J. Berk and sponsored by the Numismatic Literary Guild (NLG). It capitalized on widespread excitement over the discovery of a naked-eye doubled-die obverse variety for 1995(P) cents, and thousands of these boards were distributed for free at coin shows during the next few years.
The last of the old British sterling pennies was dated 1967, and this set off a frenzy in the UK to complete sets from circulation. This very large board, with its brittle plastic frame, is dated 1968.
This is one of many mass-market offerings of common coins that are put out to tempt non-numismatists. It dates to 1996, but similar products may be found in popular magazines at any given time.
Best Regards,
—David W. Lange, coincollectingboards.com
The author’s desktop, featuring Gramercy coin boards as his computer wallpaper. Photo courtesy David W. Lange
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