The coins and currency of numismatics provide multiple connections to our shared culture in ways unmatched by other areas of popular collecting. No where else are the portraits of emperors, queens, tyrants, and visionaries of over two millennia of human history so easily accessible. No other field can claim to be so close to the crossroads of history, art, economics, and politics as the study of numismatics.
The finest survivors, the rarest issues, THE most important coins in American Numismatics – these are the “Masterworks”. Collecting those coins which fit this description sounds daunting, unapproachable, really expensive, and it can be. When all the stars align, the right combination of rarity, condition, and historical importance can result in a six or even seven-digit price tag. (Following recent sale results, we’ve now broken solidly into eight-figure territory). However, with diligence and some patience, we can acquire finest and near finest known 19th Century Silver, Capped Bust through Barber, and even some condition census level Pre-1840 gold coins and important early copper at much more approachable levels.
Over long stretches of time, rare numismatic assets of the finest quality have proven to be highly liquid and a steady store of value. More importantly, our market is dominated by collectors, knowledgeable buyers with long-term goals and ‘strong hands’, which collectively provide a solid, underlying foundation to our market.
Hi, I’m Joe O’Connor. For over thirty years I have specialized in these American Numismatic Masterworks.