Uniting collectors of Liberty Seated coinage since 1973
National O cers
President Leonard Augsburger leonard_augsburger@hotmail.com
Vice President
Craig Eberhart craig@eberhart.us
Secretary Je Pritchard PO Box 10771, Bainbridge, WA 98110 jjpsr2@gmail.com
Treasurer Mike Rupert oldebullion@insight.rr.com
National Positions
e 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 Je 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 e Gobrecht Journal, an award winning numismatic publication printed in glossy, full color. To join the Liberty Seated Collectors Club, for e Gobrecht Journal mailing address changes, or for other membership questions, please correspond with Je Pritchard, LSCC Secretary listed on this page. Articles, comments, or advertisements for publication in e Gobrecht Journal magazine may be addressed to Greg Johnson, e 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 nd, 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. “ is 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.
By Ken Otto, Regional Team Director,
LSCC
Verne Pitman, LSCC #2467
By Dennis Fortier, LSCC #2016
Len Augsburger, LSCC #1271
John M. Frost, LSCC #2005
not have to be a LSCC member to bene t from this newsletter; subscription to the E-Gobrecht is available on a complimentary basis to anyone. All disclaimers are in e ect as the completeness and/or accuracy of the information contained herein cannot be completely veri ed. Contact information for LSCC and this publication can be found on the page 2. Stepping
e E-Gobrecht is an award winning informal electronic publication of the Liberty Seated Collectors Club (LSCC). e LSCC is a non-pro t organization dedicated to the attributions of the Liberty Seated U.S. Coin series. e 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
Welcome to the following new LSCC members this month:
Hany Malek #3087
Mark Hotz #3088
ere are currently 1523 active subscribers to E-Gobrecht and counting, including 350 local coin clubs across the country.
Cover image: is month’s cover features the elusive 1875-S (Micro S) Half Dollar. Please see Dennis Fortier’s “Request for Information” for more details!
Images courtesy Heritage Auctions.
President’s Message
Len Augsburger
Welcome to the June issue of the E-Gobrecht, and as always a big thanks to our incoming editor, Michael Fleming. With the capable assistance of graphics wizard Maria Fanning, the transition from Paul Kluth’s longtime editorship is rapidly taking shape. We hope you enjoy our monthly musings on all things Liberty Seated.
ere are a few upcoming events to mention this month.
e ANA Summer Seminar, session one, takes place June 21-24. e New Orleans class, featuring a healthy dose of Liberty Seated content, will be led by John Frost, Craig Eberhart, and myself. It is not too late to register, and an email to Sheila Fortenberry at the ANA (sfortenberry@money. org) will get you plugged in to the logistics. We always have a good time at this event, and we think you will, too. ere is much to discuss and many coins to examine.
Late August brings the ANA convention, with this year’s installment taking place in Pittsburgh. e LSCC Annual Meeting will be held ursday, August 27, at 9AM. Our special guest will be John Dannreuther, who recently published his extensive study on U.S. silver proof coins, including of course the complete dope on Liberty Seated proof coinage. John will share a few words and take audience questions. Get your stumpers lined up now!
It is not too early to announce SeatedFest III, which will take place at the FUN Show in January 2027. We’ve already met with o cials from the FUN organization and they are
enthusiastic. e rst SeatedFest occurred at the November 2011 Baltimore show and featured exhibits of notable sets of Liberty Seated coinage. As we noted at the time: “In our recollection, there has never been a similar exhibit of Liberty Seated coinage, with the exception of auction lot viewings such as Eliasberg, Richmond, etc.”
SeatedFest II was held at the March 2019 show in Baltimore and included presentations on each denomination of Seated coinage, in addition to extensive exhibits that notably included the unique 1870-S half dime. e owner of the coin was on hand, and the event featured great conversation and camaraderie.
You are invited to participate in making SeatedFest III an equally memorable event! We are looking for collectors to exhibit their Liberty Seated coins, which need not necessarily represent complete sets of a particular denomination. ematic collections built around varieties or other ideas are also welcome – in short, if it is interesting to you, it will probably be interesting to your fellow collectors. We further invite presenters and volunteers to coordinate social events, pre-event promotion, and security. Simply indicate your interest to me or another club o cer and we will guide you accordingly.
As always, enjoy your coins, and we will see you again next month in this space…or better yet, at a regional or national coin show.
30th of the month prior to month of issue
Send submissions to: Michael Fleming at egeditor1891@gmail.com
Next Deadline for Submissions to e Gobrecht Journal: Fall/Winter 2026 - October 1st
Send Inquiries & Submissions to: lscc@lsccweb.org
Regional News: e LSCC Regional Program is Set to Have an Active Summer Season
By Ken Otto, Regional Team Director, LSCC #2674
Spring was a busy period for the LSCC regional team as we attended coin shows in locations across the country, ranging from New England to the Mid Atlantic, Southeast and Midwest. We continue to witness a strong rare coin market with particularly high collector interest in Liberty Seated coins. is market strength is expected to continue through the summer period.
e summer season is also expected to be busy for the LSCC regional team. We will attend the Summer FUN Show in July and the ANA World’s Fair of Money in Pittsburgh in August. e LSCC will conduct the course on the New Orleans Mint during the ANA Summer Seminar in Colorado Springs during June and John Frost will deliver two mini-seminars at this event. In addition, the LSCC will participate in many regional coin shows during the summer season.
e regional team participated in the Pawcatuck Valley Coin Club (PVCC) annual coin show which was held May 3 at the Holiday Inn, 10 Laura Blvd., Norwich, CT 06360. e club table was hosted by Verne Pitman.
Verne reported that the activity at the LSCC and BCCS table was very active during the show. He passed out many LSCC applications to prospective members and exhibited his collection of Mint State Liberty Nickels. Verne reported that most dealers appeared to have strong sales at the show.
e regional LSCC team also participated in the PAN Spring Coin Show which was held May 28-30 at the Monroeville Convention Center, 209 Mall Blvd., Monroeville, PA 15146. is is a very important regional coin show that is always well attended. e club table was hosted by John Frost and Greg Johnson. John indicated that the attendance at the show was very good and most dealers appear to have had strong sales. John gave an educational presentation on the New Orleans Mint at the show.
e 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. is is the second year in a row
Greg Johnson and Roy Ash at the PAN Show in Monroeville, PA.
Seated Collectors Club
Liberty
that we have had a club table at this show. e club table will be hosted by Dennis Fortier and Ken Otto. Dennis will also make a presentation on various aspects of collecting Liberty Seated Half Dollars.
e LSCC team will be teaching a course at the ANA Summer Seminar in Colorado Springs during June 2025 on the New Orleans Mint. is is the second year that the LSCC team of Len Augsburger, Craig Eberhart, and John Frost will teach the course entitled, “ e New Orleans Mint Coinage and its History”. In addition, John Frost will conduct two mini-seminars on U.S. error coins and “oddball” denominations.
e regional team plans to participate in the Raleigh Coin Club Expo to be held June 26-28 at e Exposition Center, NC State Fairgrounds, 1025 Blue Ridge Road, Raleigh, NC. is is an excellent regional coin show that the LSCC regional team has participated in several times before. Dan Perkins and Rich Uhrich will host the club table and Dan is planning to give a presentation entitled “Liberty Seated Halves: A Collecting Journey”.
e 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. e club
table will be hosted by Dennis Fortier, Carl Feldman, and Ken Otto.
e 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. e club table will be hosted by Joe Casazza and John Frost.
e LSCC regional team plans to participate in the Missouri Numismatic Society Coin Show to be held August 6-8 at the St. Charles Convention Center, 1 Convention Plaza, St. Charles, MO 63303. e club table will be hosted by Ed Terneus.
e LSCC regional team will be at the ANA World’s Fair of Money in Pittsburgh, PA (David Lawrence Conventional Center; 1000 Fort Duquesne Blvd.) on August 25-29. We will conduct a LSCC club meeting at the show. e club table will be hosted by many people including Dennis Fortier, John Frost, Carl Feldman, Joe Casazza, and Ken Otto.
e LSCC regional team will be participating in the Central Ohio Numismatic Association’s (CONA) Ohio State Coin Show on Sept 4-5 at the Embassy Suites-Dublin, 5100 Upper Metro Place, Dublin, OH. Dennis Fortier and Ken Otto will host the club table.
Call for Submissions:
Anything America 250th Related!
Come one, come all…with anything (at least somewhat) numismatically related to America’s 250th Birthday you would like to see published in next month’s Special Edition E-Gobrecht!
Please send me your:
• Pictures
• Remembrances
• Anecdotes
• Short Stories
• Poems
• Commentary
• And anything else you would like to share with the readership
Submissions may be sent to Michael Fleming at: EGEditor1891@gmail.com
ank you in advance for helping to make this birthday one for the history books!
Verne’s View: Another Successful PVCC Show!
By Verne Pitman, LSCC #2467
On May 3, 2026 Verne Pitman attended the annual show of the Pawcatuck Valley Coin Club (PVCC) in Norwich, CT. Verne hosted the joint table representing both the Liberty Seated Collectors Club and the Barber Coin Collector’s Society. e PVCC show is an annual event held on the rst Sunday of May each year; the LSCC/BCCS has had a table at this show for many years. As always, the show was very well attended and many visitors, both members and non-members alike stopped by the LSCC/BCCS table to see the displays and talk about both coin series. No new members were signed up at the show although the stock of membership applications was swept up by prospective members…hopefully for later completion and submission.
As seen in the picture, among the many visitors to the table was young numismatist Ashton (Ash) Pitman. He’s about 18 months old and although he might not realize it, he has the beginnings of a collection squirreled away in his piggy bank.
A George Washington themed young numismatist program was hosted by PVCC President Woody Carland and had a number of YNs in attendance.
As the show wrapped up on Sunday a ernoon the PVCC members congratulated each other for completing another successful show and began planning to do it all again in May 2027.
Verne representing the LSCC with Young Numismatist Ashton Pitman.
Hunting for a Legend: the 1875-S ‘Micro S’ Half Dollar
By Dennis Fortier, LSCC #2016
1875-S ‘Micro S’ Half Dollar –
Dear E-Gobrecht subscribers and LSCC Club Members:
I am attempting to gather all the information I can on the famous 1875-S Micro S, WB-19, WB-105, Liberty Seated Half Dollar.
Information Requested:
• Grade of coin(s), Raw or Certi ed
• Full Certi cation Number (including any variety nomenclature)
Request for Information
• When and Where purchased (including price paid)
• Photos – if convenient All personal information will be held con dential. Help build a database for this sought-a er variety! Please send information to Dennis Fortier at: ricajun@msn.com
Sample Coin (Obverse)
Sample Coin (Reverse) – note the ‘Micro S’ mintmark!
Shout-Out to the Seated Half Society
By Len Augsburger, LSCC #1271
e weekly E-Sylum (published by the Numismatic Bibliomania Society) included this note in their May 10 edition, regarding the recent issue of Half Crazy:
“Among the publications regularly archived by Newman Portal is the Seated Half Society (SHS) newsletter, Half Crazy, edited by Dennis Fortier. e SHS is akin to the Bust Half Nut Club, which requires members to build a signi cant collection of half dollar die marriages as a condition of membership. Half dollars of this era were struck in large quantities and remain eminently collectible today at many price points. e recent May issue of Half Crazy includes a feature on the 1846 Tall Date and Medium Date varieties, one of the most incorrectly attributed issues in the series, despite the clarifying images in the Guide Book and other sources.”
E-Sylum editor Wayne Homren adds: “I absolutely love the name Half Crazy. I’ve trademarked Full Blown
Batshit Crazy for a future publication.”
Link to Half Crazy on Newman Portal: https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/publisherdetail/548913
John Dannreuther’s United States Proof Coins Books
Good news – John is issuing his United States Proof Coins, Volume 3 (silver coins) in individual, spiral bound volumes. us, if you specialize in one denomination, you need not purchase the entire set. ese books contain extensive notes on each proof coin in the series, including die varieties and condition censes. If you need the de nitive research on some of the trickier issues
By Len Augsburger, LSCC #1271
(for example 1880s Mint State vs. proof strikes) this is the place to look! e three books can be bought individually or as a group:
• ree cent silvers to twenty cents
• Quarters and half dollars
• Silver dollars
For more information, contact John at: jdrc@mindspring.com.
Another AI ‘Success Story’
By John M. Frost, LSCC #2005
Editor’s Note: John Frost, current President of the Barber Coin Collectors’ Society (BCCS), is also the coauthor of a fantastic reference on the short-lived twenty-cent piece, “Double Dimes”.
A few years ago, in a Stack’s Bowers auction, there was an interesting item -- an 1836 large cent with the counterstamp, “J. FROST” on the obverse. I had to buy this coin - it had my name on it! According to the catalog, J. Frost was Jonathan Frost, a clock-maker in Reading Massachusetts during the rst half of the 1800s. Given my father’s (Frost) side of the family came to the New World in the 1630s from England, and settled in the Boston area, it was quite possible that this particular Jonathan Frost might be an ancestor of mine. So, in some of my extensive “spare time” which I never seem to have, I was planning to do some research on the matter.
A week ago, I could not nd my notes on this coin, so I wanted to look up the original lot description. I simply used Google and entered: “Stack’s “J. Frost” large cent” to see if I could nd it quickly.
At the beginning of the results, the “AI Summary” section of the search result was quite interesting: e reference to a “J. Frost” large cent handled by Stack’s (now Stack’s Bowers Galleries) usually refers to John M. Frost, a prominent numismatic author and researcher of early American large cents. John M. Frost is a legendary collector who built a high-end collection of United States Large Cents, and is a frequent cataloger of early American copper coinage for auctions.
Advanced collectors o en have their names attached to a coin’s historical ownership pedigree (its provenance). For instance, the well-known copper specialist named John M. Frost has had their collection of large cents extensively cited by organizations like the Liberty Seated Collectors Club (LSCC) for major plate coin varieties. It is highly likely that high-grade or rare die-marriage large cents from this same personal collection have passed through Stack›s Bowers.
Wow, I didn’t know I was a large cent specialist! Or that I had a legendary collection of them. Gee, I hope I had a nice Chain cent, plus an uncirculated 1799 to go with it. Somehow, I don’t remember selling a collection like that!
But at least the LSCC gets a nice shout-out. I guess AI is a wonder a er all. It got bits and pieces of several di erent things all jumbled up into a mess. And each time I re-executed the search, I got a di erent response, but all along the same lines. Nothing about the Double Dimes book, twenty-cent pieces, or Barbers.
As someone who started working on commercial AI systems back in the 1980s at Digital Equipment Corporation, I see companies making the same mistakes now that were widely made 40 years ago: trying to rush the tools to market, deploying them before they are really ready.
I did nd the lot description another way and have the information I wanted. Just for grins, I tried the Google search again today, and it was totally di erent. “AI Mode” is a separate tab now, and the ndings of my search actually mentioned “previous confusion about John M. Frost and large cents” and now has me tied to the Double Dimes book with Lane Brunner. But for a while, I had a good laugh.
