Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-09-20
CONVENTION OF TEE NUMISMAqlSqS
Why American Money is Preferred
by the Collectors.
MORE PRECIOUS THAN GOLD

through all their business and sandwich III
a good deal of pleasuring and perhaps a
little trading of coins. They met at 10
o'clock this morning at Mr.. Collins G
street parlors, but most of the members
were out sightseeing, and it was difficult
to get enough together to transact any
business. These enthusiasts spend most Of
their time in discussing the relative merits
of their collections and In driving shrewd
bargains with each other, SO that President
Heaton, who Is not a dealer, and has only
one speciality. that of 'mintages," had
some difficulty in getting the meeting to
order. The dcors were then closed theo-
retfcally, and the association proceeded to
Ger slider some routine business and to act
on number OF minor matters of no i'm
pc rtance whatever to the public at large.
The Star reporter was told before he left
the field that If the weather was not too
warm some of the papers scheduled for the
meeting might be read, though the general
plan was to save this literary part of the
proceedings for the river trip to and from
Mt. Vernon, which takes place this after
neon.
Officers Chosen.
Last evening the annual election of off,
GERS was held and resulted in the re-elec-
ton of all the old officials, except Mr.. J.
w. Luck of Adrian, Mich, who was sue
ceeded by Mr.. A. c. Gruhlke Of Waterloo,
Ind, as Superintendent of exchange Last
night Mr.. Heaton, the reelected president,
gave reception to the members at his
home, 1913 18th street. Notwithstanding tina
intense heat a most enjoyable evening was
passed by the numismatists, many of
whom had some of their specially pet
coins in their vest pockets to show to each
other. Mr.. Heaton had provided refresh
ments we'll suited to the temperature, and
his guests declared that all that prevented
them from coming to Washington next
year for their annual convention was the
unwritten rule of their association that it
should go from town to town. Philadel-
phia was chosen as the next meeting place.
good deal has been learned by novices
in the art of coin-collecting through the
coming of these enthusiastic experts 20
Washington this year. 1t is peculiar fall
lacy that rare coin, that is. one of an
unusual date, Is valuable, anyhow. what
ever it's condition. This was shown to be
untrue this morning in the presence of
Star reporter at Mr.. Collins parlors. The
latter had a number of trays filled with
these old copper pieces of various dates
and conditions of preservation. Some of
them coul1 be bought for five cents apiece,
others for ten. and there was still an
other lot that was price-marked twenty
five cents. Four were found in the quarter
box with the date of 1914. The lot could
have been secured for one dollar. One of
the visiting dealers produced from his col
lection copper cent of 1914, which he de-
clared he would not sell for less than 500.
To the average eye the four coins priced at
one dollar appeared to be worth four times
as much as the single one held at the high
figure. but this illusion was quickly dis
PEELED by one of the experts, who showed
that In the more valuable coin all the
lines were distinct and the metal was little
If any worn away by use In other words,
the coin had never been in circulation and
was practically in perfect state Of preser-
walton. This illustrated one phase of the
coin collecting fad.
Why Some Coins Are Valuable.
Said Mr.. Collins to the reporter: "It is ex-
actly like evsry other business in which sup
ply and demand regulate price These worn
coins have been passed from hand to hand
for many years. The beginner in numis-
mates may think that because the date is
Gear they are exceptionally valuable, but
could guarantee to furnish you a hundred
such coins within a v eek at % cents apiece,
but could not furnish a dozen perfect ones
in lifetime, because they do not exist This
perfect coin Is worth 500 because nobody
lector will pay a high price for something
that he warts and that he knows every other
collector wants. 1t is not necessarily the
antiquity Of the piece that determines its
value"
NO" interjected one of the Outstanding
visitors, land that is one Of the most diff
cult things to impress upon amateur col
lectors and would-be sellers of old coins.
pie, who are very apt to have these old-date
coins in their pocket, and appear surprised
when tell them that their coins are worth
less in comparison with certain others. Then
1 tell them that they know fully well that
they could go to bone yard and get an old
plug of horse for 81 or S., equipped with
name and tail, four feet and hoofs. body.
eyes and head and all the other requisites of
a fully developed animal, but they could not
buy a perfect horse for ten to twelve times
that sum. This Illustration brings home to
them the difference between a badly pre-
served rare coin and a well-preserved rare
CON-"
speaking of horses" continued Mr.. Col
Inns, reminds me of another Illustration Of
the value of preservation In coins that
often give to amateur collectors. 1t is like
the trotting record OF Maud Sand the pacing
records of Robert ]. 1t is the last quarter
Of a second that counts in the total Of their
almost fabulous values. 1t Is the last frac-
tional difference in the lair lines on the face
of coin that show whether 1t has ever pass
ed from hand to hand or not and that deter
mines its ultimate value to the collector
Pennies Worth Thousands.
Mr.. Collins has what he claims is the best
collection of American copper cents in ex-
istence. 1t consists of 129 pieces, the face
Of which are, therefore, worth just $1.29.
To show that numismatists snap their
fingers at face values it is but necessary to
state that this collection is held to be worth
just $1,000 1t is curious fact that most
American numismatists prefer to collect
American copper coins, the least valuable
intrinsically of all the products of the mint
AS one of them explained this morning,
there are three reasons for this. The first
is the patriotism of the collector, who pre-
fers the money of his own realm to that
of any other country, the second is his
greater familiarity with the history of the
nints which enables him to decide more ac-
curately the true value of the coin, and the
third and last reason is that there is a
positive limit to American coinage which is
rot to be found in the case of any other
me notary system. Chinese money, for in
stance, runs back to ages that are beyond
the knowledge and the reach of man. Eng
lish money, too, runs into almost mythical
periods, and complete collections of British
coins are practically impossible. This is
not true of American coins, as complete
collections are quite common. Thus enthu-
siasts are GRABBED to vie with each other
not alone In the numerical completeness of
their collections, but also in the perfection
and fineness Of the individual pieces, thus
leading to the finest kind Of rivalry and, as
one of the numismatists said this morning,
creating the very highest phase Of the art
More to he Desired Than Gold.
Another curious fact is that most numis-
natists are partial to collections of copper