Bargains might be found in unlikely places

The Internet has made numismatics truly international.

An upcoming March 16 sale proves my point.

It was advertised in the Numismatic News that went to press yesterday.

Readers of Numismatic News collect mostly U.S. coins, so they might be surprised to see an ad in the paper that actually will take place at the West Plaza Hotel, Wakefield Street, Wellington, New Zealand.

There are U.S. coins among the 719 lots that will go on the block.

You might find a bargain looking among these lots.

There cannot be a huge demand for American coins in this faraway country. Can there?

Groups of Morgan dollars are there.

There are Walking Liberty, Franklin and Kennedy half dollars, too.

Lot 80 caught my eye. It is described this way:

USA $1 (34), complete dates of Eagle silver bullion dollars 1986 - 2014, incl scarce 1996, 2006, 2011S, several duplicates, W mint & ultra cameos, all slabbed by NGC & PCGS MS69+; & eight 2013 presidential dollars in slabs, including quality storage box. Total 33.98 oz ASW. UNC - PROOF.

This sounds like the typical holdings of an average American collector, right down to the description of slabs.

Another lot threw me for a moment.

I cannot blame a faulty translation, as the firm is in an English-speaking country.

Lot 81’s description reads this way: USA $10 (2), 2006W Seated Liberty Rev, km 389, slabbed and graded PF 70 ultra cameo by NGC; & 2001 Eagle Rev, km 283. Each 1/10th oz, total 0.1998 oz of platinum. PROOF.

I wondererd what a 2006-W Seated Liberty reverse could be.

The fact it is made of platinum explains a bit why it might not come trippingly off my brain.

Seated Liberty conjures images of 19th century silver coins to me.

But that is not the case.

The KM number sent me right to it in the Standard Catalog of World Coins.

It is a tenth-ounce proof coin, part of the platinum proof series, that indeed shows a seated Liberty.

It is described in the Red Book as part of the Foundation of Democracy series that honors the legislative branch of our government.

As I went from lot to lot, I realized I was having fun.

You probably will too.

You might even see some coins of the world that will be of interest to you.

Pretty soon, you could be talking about the keys to various New Zealand series or buying a Waitangi crown.

There is an online bidding function to erase distance.

The website says it is via AUCTION MOBILITY and that a link will appear shortly.

To take advantage of this service will cost you an additional 3 percent.

I expect this might be to cover international shipping and insurance.

It definitely is a smaller world for we collectors nowadays. Who knows where we will find what we want.

If you get hooked by this auction, you can check dates of future sales as well.

Go for it. Take a look at the catalog. What have you got to lose?

Buzz blogger Dave Harper won the Numismatic Literary Guild Award for Best Blog for the third time in 2017 . He is editor of the weekly newspaper "Numismatic News."

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