Numismatic Nightmares

As October 31st approaches, collectors had best heed the horrifying demons that prey upon the unsuspecting in the dark hours of All Hallows’ Eve. Beware them all.

Gradeflation Goblins: Parasitic vampires that very, very, very slowly suck the lifeblood from their victims. Invisible to all but the oldest collectors. It is rumored these creatures originally escaped from the laboratories of Third-Party Graders conducting gain-of-function research.

Haunting Hoards: These merciless beasts periodically surface to blow up coin populations, mockingly turning high-price rarities into common fodder. They inhabit the vicinities of New Orleans and San Francisco.

Bad Strike Zombies: These living dead forever walk the realm between life and death, unable to escape from eternal damnation. They seduce novice collectors with a mask of high numerical grades. These zombies make appearances in auctions over, and over, and over again, moving from one tortured collector to the next.

Creeping Counterfeits: Swamp-dwelling creatures that prey upon the weakest of the weak. Able to breed in collectors possessing even a hint of greed. Often exhibits a bright golden hue. Can only be killed by repeatedly chanting “too good to be true,” or by driving a spectrometer through their heart.

Hapless Heirs: A wolf in sheep’s clothing. This poltergeist takes the form of naïve offspring who take great joy in selling priceless rarities for bullion value. A demon that takes shape after a collector’s passing.

Sales Tax Specter: This dark contagion may remain dormant for decades, only to rise from the grave to gruesomely consume innocent coin dealers. A species prone to mutation, as every state has its own deadly strain.

Published with permission from the original publication, the Liberty Seated Collectors Club newsletter, E-Gobrecht #249 - October 2025, and the author, Jeff Pritchard, LSCC #1759.