Market Watch

Summer is here and the marketplace has heated up. Usually folks are at the beach, but maybe the sharks in North Carolina have chased them away. In any case, we had 163 CT sales in June with more auction action this time around: 111 auctions to be exact. Still, BIN sales accounted for about one-third of the activity.
   One seller in particular has contributed significantly to the uptick. Steve Hayden -- a respected Civil War and good-for token specialist -- has begun to offer the remnants of the Burzinski collection on ebay. I know Steve, and I have purchased many CTs from him -- great guy! He offered five USA CTs, all sold on June 21st. These pieces led the way in terms of price -- bidding was active. Clearly, the USA CT market is strong; however, one power-bidder walked away with four of the five pieces.

This CT is a stock design that was
used in PA and VT.

   Seventy-two CTs sold in the C range, whereas 77 pieces traded hands in the B range. Usually, the statistics are the other way around, but many fine pieces were offered in the $20 to just-under $50 range. Is this a market shift? Maybe. But nice eighteenth century tokens have been hot all along -- we just have not seen much new material lately. Also, the quality has been high this month.
   Only six CTs sold in the BB range, above $50 but below $75. This leaves eight pieces at the top: two selling below $100 in the A range, and six bringing over a C-note. All six of the AA pieces were won in auctions. As mentioned above, five of them were USA CTs.
   The top CT was way up there: A round, stock token from South Ryegate, VT (BZ6078/AB416). This pieces has also been attributed to Pittsburgh, PA (AB333). It was in lovely condition, attracting 11 bidders (the largest crowd for any CT in June). They entered 17 bids overall. Two last-second bids decided the outcome. It sold for a whopping $379.
   Next up, a CT from the 3rd Reformed PC in NYC (BZ5346/AB106) was hammered down for $293. This oval was also in great condition. Some of you might remember that a trio of these in three different metals (copper, lead, white metal) came up for auction about two years ago in a StacksBowers sale. They were hot then, and they still are! Nine bidders vied for this one, casting 13 bids. Four bidders were there at the end, but last second bids made it a two-way battle.

This is a large round CT at 38mm
with nice details and a complete
date on the reverse: 1/18/1870.

   Two CTs sold for $208 in separate auctions. First, an Allegheny, PA, oval (BZ339/AB186) attracted 19 bids from 10 bidders, with two bidders outpacing the field at the very end. This one was profiled (twice) on this blog in September 2013; it is a relatively common USA CT, but scarce to rare overall. These ovals come in two varieties: Type1 is cast; Type2 is struck. This one was a struck one (and in nice shape). Second, a Philadelphia CT (BZ5651/AB322), dated January 18, 1870, attracted 15 bids from 9 bidders. I have not seen this one offered before. It was in new condition. The piece is a large round, depicting a tabernacle (tent) with cloud overhead.
   The last of the USA CTs was a worn round piece attributed to Albany, NY (BZ168/AB71) that sold for $172. This is a stock token with script AC on the obverse and a lathe-work band on the reverse. Bason named James Maxwell as the maker -- similar CTs were used at other PCs in NY and Ohio. Eight bidders were waving their paddles on this one, casting 12 bids -- so, despite the wear, it was not ignored. It is a rare piece.
   The last CT to cross the block in the AA category was a round piece from the Hurst National Scotch Church in England (BZ3241). It is a silver piece. It took six bids to nudge it just over the cut-off with a hammer of $103.
   Of note, the two A category pieces were BIN sales of Canadian CTs that had been for sale for several months. Someone either thought about them for a while and decided to give it a go, or a new face in the crowd snatched them up: either way, they are seldom seen CTs (as least for ebay). Both sold for $75. The first one was an oval from St. Gabriel PC in Montreal (CE226A), and the second one was a crude, hand-hewed rectangle from McLennan's Mountain in Nova Scotia (NS254B1) -- I liked that second one for its primitive look.

Finally, the Simmons Gallery auction was completed in mid-June. Did anyone bid? If so, I think readers of this blog would enjoy a brief report of how it went. Add a comment and let us know!