Uniting collectors of Liberty Seated coinage since 1973
Liberty Seated Collectors Club
National Officers
President Leonard Augsburger leonard_augsburger@hotmail.com
Vice President
Craig Eberhart craig@eberhart.us
Secretary Jeff Pritchard PO Box 10771, Bainbridge, WA 98110 jjpsr2@gmail.com
Treasurer Mike Rupert oldebullion@insight.rr.com
National Positions
The Gobrecht Journal Publication Greg Johnson (Editor/Publisher) lscc@lsccweb.org
E-Gobrecht Monthly Newsletter Michael Fleming (Editor) egeditor1891@gmail.com
E-Gobrecht Layout Artist Maria Fanning
New Membership Chairman Joe Casazza jsazza236@gmail.com
Education Director John Frost john.frost@doubledimes.com
Advertising Director Jeff Pritchard jjpsr2@gmail.com
Team Leader - Regional Directors
Ken Otto kenotto53@gmail.com
Director - Southern Region
John Lundsten john.lundsten@yahoo.com
Director - Northeast Region Joe Casazza (email above)
Director - Western Region [Open Position]
Director - Central Region Dennis Fortier ricajun@msn.com
Liberty Seated Collectors Club Mission
To encourage, promote, and dispense numismatic knowledge of Liberty Seated coins; to cultivate fraternal relations among its members and all those interested in the science of numismatics.
LSCC website: www.lsccweb.org
LSCC email address: lscc@lsccweb.org
LSCC Membership Information: Dues are bargain priced at $30 per year and include 3 packed issues of The Gobrecht Journal, an award winning numismatic publication printed in glossy, full color. To join the Liberty Seated Collectors Club, for The Gobrecht Journal mailing address changes, or for other membership questions, please correspond with Jeff Pritchard, LSCC Secretary listed on this page. Articles, comments, or advertisements for publication in The Gobrecht Journal magazine may be addressed to Greg Johnson, The Gobrecht Journal Publication Editor.
Submissions, correspondence, information and comments for this digital publication (E-Gobrecht) are actively encouraged from its subscribers and may be sent to Michael Fleming, E-Gobrecht Publication Editor.
To be added as a “free” subscriber to E-Gobrecht or removed from the mailing list or to change your email address, please send an email message indicating your preference in the subject line to: egeditor1891@gmail.com.
Wanted: Submissions for this newsletter!
Please consider submitting something for print. It need not be elaborate; it can be something as simple as a short note on a favorite coin, variety, neat find, happening at a coin show or local club, Liberty Seated coinage at auction, etc. If you are interested in it; rest assured, others will be too!
Sharing information is a goal of this newsletter and you need not be an experienced writer to submit material of interest to others. “This is your monthly digital publication. It is what you make of it!”
Please be sure to quote the E-Gobrecht and the LSCC as its contents are not copyrighted. Use its contents freely.
Stepping back in time to a bygone era of the Liberty Seated coin design period, both far and wide, and a little before & after...
Len Augsburger
Ken Otto, Regional
By
Mike Rupert,
LSCC #2604
By Joel Meredith, LSCC #2987
LSCC
Welcome to the following new LSCC members this month:
Paul Hurt #3086
There are currently 1523 active subscribers to E-Gobrecht and counting, including 350 local coin clubs across the country.
Cover image: This month’s cover images are quite the tasty treat for those willing to explore just a bit…keep reading to find out more! Images are courtesy of Heritage Auctions.
By Jason Feldman [LSCC #2003], Gerald Tebben, and Jeff Pritchard [LSCC #1759]
The E-Gobrecht is an award winning informal electronic publication of the Liberty Seated Collectors Club (LSCC). The LSCC is a non-profit organization dedicated to the attributions of the Liberty Seated U.S. Coin series. The LSCC provides the information contained in this “electronic” e-mail newsletter from various sources “free of charge” as a general service to the membership and other subscribers with a numismatic interest. You do
not have to be a LSCC member to benefit from this newsletter; subscription to the E-Gobrecht is available on a complimentary basis to anyone. All disclaimers are in effect as the completeness and/or accuracy of the information contained herein cannot be completely verified. Contact information for LSCC and this publication can be found on the page 2.
President’s Message
Len Augsburger
Welcome to the May 2026 issue of the E-Gobrecht, the monthly electronic newsletter of the Liberty Seated Collectors Club. Michael Fleming joins us as the new E-Gobrecht Editor beginning this month. Michael pursues both Liberty Seated and Barber coinage, as do many Liberty Seated and Barber specialists, so I expect him to fit right in.
The recent Central States coin show drew a strong crowd of collectors, and the LSCC club meeting was similarly well attended. Meeting video is not yet available but will be posted soon. Russ Bega, Chief Operating Officer of Harlan Berk Rare Coin in Chicago, spoke on the gold and silver markets from the perspective of someone on the front lines, as he deals with individual buyers and sellers of bullion coins every day. Bega is constantly monitoring the spot market, buy and sell spreads, liquidity of smelters and refiners, and a host of other factors that go into being a retail conduit of precious metals.
The trade is surprisingly complicated – for example,
just because gold is $5,000 per ounce doesn’t mean a refiner will always have sufficient cash on hand to actually pay a seller. If a coin dealer can’t get cash from a refiner, how are they supposed to pay the seller who walks in off the street? I recall being at a coin show, circa 2009, when there was zero liquidity in the market, and being completely unable to sell bullion gold. This is the deception of price guides – publishing a price is not the same as concluding an actual transaction.
Fortunately, the market is in a healthier state these days with robust turnover in dealer inventories and a wide array of auction and fixed price offerings. Here’s hoping that something special catches your eye as we head into the spring season.
P.S.—For those interested, last month’s E-Gobrecht cover featured the 1844-O Doubled Date Half Dollar... one of the most visually striking varieties in any Liberty Seated series. For more information, consult the Spring 2026 edition of the Gobrecht Journal (Issue #155).
30th of the month prior to month of issue
Send submissions to: Michael Fleming at egeditor1891@gmail.com
Next Deadline for Submissions to The Gobrecht Journal: Summer 2026 - June 1st
Send Inquiries & Submissions to: lscc@lsccweb.org
Regional News: Looking Forward to a Very Active Coin Show Schedule from May through July
By Ken Otto, Regional Team Director, LSCC #2674
The LSCC regional team had a very busy April attending coin shows in New Hampshire, Georgia, and Illinois. The overall coin market appears to be reasonably strong with high collector interest in Liberty Seated coins. The overall quality of these coin shows appears excellent with most dealers reporting good results, particularly at the Central States Coin Show in late April.
The regional team will continue to be busy over the next several months with attendance at coin shows ranging from the Northeast to Midwest to Southeast regions of the country. We plan to participate in the Summer FUN Show in July which continues to gain importance in the overall U.S. rare coin marketplace.
The regional team participated in the New Hampshire Coin & Currency Expo which was held on April 3-4 at the Doubletree by Hilton Manchester Downtown, 700 Elm Street, Manchester, NH 03101. Joe Casazza and John Frost hosted the LSCC club table.
The regional LSCC team also participated in the Georgia Numismatic Association Coin Show which was held April 17-19 at the Dalton Convention Center, 2211 Tony Ingle Parkway, Dalton, GA 30720. This is an important regional show in north Georgia. Dennis made a well-received presentation on “Collecting Liberty Seated Half Dollar Varieties for Fun and Profit”. The club table was hosted by Dennis Fortier and Ken Otto.
The regional LSCC team participated in the Central States Coin Show which was held April 23-25 at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel, 1551 North Thoreau Drive, Schaumburg, IL 60173. The Central States Coin Show is a large coin show that we enjoy attending each year. The club table was hosted by Dennis Fortier, Ken Otto, and Craig Eberhart (among others) and a club meeting was held during the show. Russ Bega, Chief Operating Officer of Harlan Berk Rare Coins, made a great presentation at the LSCC meeting on the precious metals markets and their impact on rare coin prices.
The regional team will participate in the Pawcatuck
Ted Barrow and Dennis Fortier at the Georgia Numismatic Association Coin Show in April
Len Augsburger and Ken Otto at the Central States LSCC Club Table in April
The LSCC Club Table Exhibit at Central States in April
Seated Collectors Club
Liberty
Valley Coin Club (PVCC) Annual Coin Show to be held May 3 at the Holiday Inn, 10 Laura Blvd., Norwich, CT 06360. The club table will be hosted by Verne Pitman.
The regional LSCC team will also participate in the PAN Spring Coin Show to be held May 28-30 at the Monroeville Convention Center, 209 Mall Blvd., Monroeville, PA 15146. This is a very important regional coin show that is usually well attended. The club table will be hosted by John Frost and Greg Johnson.
The regional team plans to participate in the Cincinnati Numismatic Expo to be held June 5-6 at the Sharonville Convention Center, 11355 Chester Road, Sharonville, OH 45246. This will be our second year in a row hosting a club table at this show. Dennis Fortier and Ken Otto will host the LSCC table and exhibits.
The regional team also plans to participate in the Raleigh Coin Club Expo to be held June 26-28 at The Exposition Center, NC State Fairgrounds, 1025 Blue Ridge Road, Raleigh, NC. This is an excellent regional coin show that the LSCC regional team has attended several times before. Dan Perkins will host the club table and is planning to give a presentation entitled “Liberty Seated Halves: A Collecting Journey”.
The regional team plans to attend the Summer FUN Show to be held July 9-11 at the Orange County Convention Center, West Building, Orlando, FL. The club table will be hosted by Dennis Fortier, Carl Feldman, and Ken Otto.
The LSCC regional team also plans to participate in the Bay State Coin Show to be held July 24-25 at the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel, 181 Boston Post Road West, Marlborough, MA 01752. The club table will be hosted by Joe Casazza and John Frost.
Central States LSCC Club Meeting Group Photo, including Guest Speaker Russ Bega (wearing black vest, right of center).
Len Augsburger with U.S. Mint Director Paul Hollis at the Central States Coin Show in April.
LSCC/BCCS club table staffed by Dennis Fortier and Ken Otto.
Liberty Seated Collectors Club
“Quarter” for Your Thoughts: The 1845 Briggs 1A Variety
By Mike Rupert, LSCC #2604
In February of this year, Great Collections featured the Palos Verdes Registry Set of Seated Quarters. After viewing the selections several times, one coin piqued my interest: an 1845 quarter housed in a PCGS Gen 6.1S holder graded EF 45. The variety was quickly attributed as a late die state of Briggs 1A. Unfortunately, the coin did not sport the coveted CAC “green bean”. After some contemplation, I decided to acquire the coin and take the shot. Sadly it did not pass; however, some coins need to be accepted for what they are and I felt this was one of those pieces.
Since Briggs reported it was paired with both the A and B reverses, I decided to do a little research of my own. Searching through several auction archives yielded thirteen examples that could be conclusively attributed. From this small sample, I made several interesting observations. Of the three O1-RA combinations identified, two had prime state obverses and the bisecting reverse crack. Neither had the second crack from the rim up through the letters EMA F. One matched the late
die state of my coin.
The other ten coins are the Briggs 1B variety. One displayed an obverse die state more advanced than either of the two 1As. This coin also displays severe cracking on the reverse, none of which are listed in the Briggs reference book. So far, there does not appear to be any linear emission sequence indicating it may have been intermittingly used with both reverses.
Liberty Seated quarters are the product of technological advances not available in the 1830s. All small Capped Bust quarter dies had most of their elements added by hand. This gives each die a signature which can be readily learned. The working dies for Seated quarters were produced in a more uniform manner. When prime state 1845 A, B, and C reverses are compared, they all show the same anomaly with the ‘C’ in AMERICA indicating the same master die. I have not been able to identify reverse D to see if this finding holds up. Time will tell as I am heading further down the rabbit hole of the 1845 quarter die pairings.
Liberty Seated Collectors Club
A “Glob” of 1861-O Half Dollars – Now Available in Snack-Sized Portions!
By Joel Meredith, LSCC #2987
News Item: Finest Known Rare Coins has recently “declustered” a large mass of approximately 1,000 1861O half dollars recovered from the SS Republic. These coins are available for individual purchase. The cluster was previously displayed in a traveling exhibit. All coins are now certified by NGC with the “Shipwreck Effect” qualifier. Contact Rich Teschler (rich.teschler@finestknown.com) for further information.
Joel’s Remarks: For those of us who study and collect shipwreck Seated Liberty coins the news from Finest Known is extremely exciting! I touched base with my contact at Finest Known and he confirmed that these 1861-O coins are indeed the last group to be released by Odyssey Marine Exploration.
This is not surprising, as various date batches of 100 to 200 SS Republic coins have been released over the last three years through VaultBox and BullionPlus. In September of 2024 VaultBox released a batch of 1861-O coins in their “Series 8” group.
The release of such a large group of 1861-O half dollars further supports my research that close to 13,000 were recovered from the wreck. Odyssey Marine Exploration’s press release of April 23, 2004 states that 47,094 half dollars were recovered. My review of online sales and auction records seems to support this claim, as 1861-O listings are more than double any other related date. The next most available dates from the wreck are the 1858-O and 1854-O.
Even if you are not a passionate shipwreck collector, the 1861-O has a unique place in numismatic history and would be an ideal coin to obtain.
For More Information:
Product Page: https://finestknown.com/product/1861o-50c-seated-liberty-ngc-ssr-swe SS Republic Shipwreck Treasure Documentary: https://finestknown.com/ss-republic-shipwrecktreasure-documentary
Photo Courtesy of Adam Crum, Finest Known Rare Coins
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Letters to the Editor and Jeff’s Replies
Editor’s Note: We received some excellent comments and clarifications to April’s E-Gobrecht article by Jeff Pritchard (see pages 5-7 of that edition) about donating rare coins to LSCC or other numismatic organizations. Printed below are portions of those letters, followed by insightful commentary from Jeff Pritchard. Please remember to consult your tax professional when considering any charitable contribution!
(Also: Letters to the Editor are always welcome, and may be sent to Michael Fleming, LSCC #2995, at EGEditor1891@gmail.com)
From Gerald Tebben:
I think there’s an issue in the Donating Coins article in E-Gobrecht. Page 7 implies the 2026 $1,000 (single) $2,000 (married, filing jointly) above-the-line charitable deduction applies to donated coins…but the IRS says the 2026 above-the-line deduction applies to cash contributions – only.
This is probably the single-most question I’ve encountered doing taxes this year for the AARP Foundation’s Tax-Aide program. People want to know if they can deduct Goodwill donations next year, even if they don’t itemize.
Of the 100 or so returns I did this year, only a few people were able to itemize, so the potential tax break is a big deal for low to moderate income senior citizens.
From Jason Feldman:
Congratulations on the charity status. I enjoyed reading the article on donations.
This was a very helpful and timely overview. The discussion around avoiding capital gains and the mechanics of donating coins to a qualified organization is clear and useful, particularly for collectors who have held appreciated pieces for many years.
One point that may benefit from further emphasis is the “related use” requirement. In practice, many organizations ultimately sell donated coins rather than retain them for display or educational purposes. If that occurs, the donor’s deduction is generally limited to cost basis, which materially changes the expected tax out-
come. Given how central that issue is, it may be worth encouraging donors to confirm the intended use of the coins in advance and document that understanding.
The three year disposition rule is another area where additional caution may be warranted. Donors may not fully appreciate that a subsequent sale by the organization can create a retroactive adjustment to their deduction, potentially leading to amended filings or additional tax exposure.
Overall, this is a strong piece that addresses a topic many collectors have questions about. With a bit more emphasis on these practical risks, it would provide an even more complete roadmap for those considering this strategy.
Follow-Up by Jeff Pritchard:
Gerald’s clarification of my oversight is greatly appreciated – and absolutely correct! The 2026 $1,000 or $2,000 charitable deduction available for “non-itemizers” is only permitted for cash donations – not for donations of personal property (including coins). Good catch Gerald!
Jason’s letter underscores a key point: A numismatic organization’s plans can change! Unexpected financial pressure, senior leadership turnover, or facilities downsizing are just a few of the reasons an organization may change (or forget!) assurances made to donors that it wouldn’t sell donated rare coins within the 3-year lookback period, potentially triggering tax complications for the donor.
Larger donors would be well advised to request a Letter of Intent (LOI) from the numismatic organization attesting that they don’t plan to sell the coin(s) within the key 3-year period. And while not a binding commitment, as a point of reputational integrity, a LOI encourages an organization to honor its original assurances.
One bright spot here is that charitable organizations are only expected to file IRS Form 8282 – indicating they sold donated coins within those 3 years – if the coin sold is above the $5,000 threshold. The sale of lesser items shouldn’t have any downstream tax implications for the donor.
