E-Gobrecht
Volume 22 Issue 7 • Whole Number 258 • July 2026
Uniting collectors of Liberty Seated coinage since 1973
Liberty Seated Collectors Club
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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)
E-Gobrecht July 2026
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!
Director - Western Region [Open Position]
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!”
Director - Central Region Dennis Fortier ricajun@msn.com
Please be sure to quote the E-Gobrecht and the LSCC as its contents are not copyrighted. Use its contents freely.
Liberty Seated Collectors Club
E-Gobrecht July 2026
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Stepping back in time to a bygone era of the Liberty Seated coin design period, both far and wide, and a little before & after...
Inside this issue
Welcome to the following new LSCC members this month:
President’s Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 By Len Augsburger
Joshua Tate #3091
Cole Armbrust #3092
Bill Hancock #3095
Joe Rice #3096
Logan Guy #3097
Wyatt Delevan #3098
Nickolas Mitilenes #3099 There are currently 1534 active subscribers to E-Gobrecht and counting, including 350 local coin clubs across the country.
Regional News: Looking Forward to Summer FUN and the ANA World’s Fair of Money. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 By Ken Otto, Regional Team Director, LSCC #2674
2026 Summer Seminar Pictorial Report – Part One. . . . . . . . . 11 By Len Augsburger, LSCC #1271
Gage Chaffee #3090
Robert Schiavone #3093 Jim Cummings #3094
Attribution Exercise – Care to Try Your Hand?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 By Len Augsburger, LSCC #1271
Hunting for a Legend: the 1875-S ‘Micro S’ Half Dollar . . . . . 10 By Dennis Fortier, LSCC #2016
Cam Scheirer #3089
Cover image: In honor of America’s Centennial Celebration…please enjoy the 1876 Proof Trade Dollar adorning this month’s cover. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions.
2026 Summer Seminar Pictorial Report – Part Two. . . . . . . . . 13 By Craig Eberhart, LSCC #1348
E-Gobrecht’s
22nd Year! 2004–2026
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 member-
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.
ship and other subscribers with a numismatic interest. You do
Liberty Seated Collectors Club
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E-Gobrecht July 2026
President’s Message By Len Augsburger
Welcome to the July issue of the E-Gobrecht, and many thanks to our editor Michael Fleming for putting together our monthly musings on all things Liberty Seated. If it’s July, that’s means the Fourth of July must be this month. You’d think that would be obvious, but at my advanced age one can never be confident. In the Midwest, the Fourth of July means it is cherry season. Unfortunately, a May freeze reduced my cherry trees to a mass of shriveled buds, and the crop was severely impacted. Thank goodness this is just a hobby and not a vital form of sustenance. In any case, the annual canning required me to purchase some supplemental stock from Pennsylvania, for which the shipping cost as much as the fruit. I was able to cook a few jars of jam, which always creates a pernicious sticky haze over the whole kitchen. Supposedly sugar dissolves in water, but no less than a thorough bleaching is required to rid myself of the tacky surfaces in seemingly every last corner of the scullery. It’s like after Christmas when you take the tree out to the curb and find pine needles for months afterwards. Such woes! Onward. The summer brings a number of coin shows, which are enumerated elsewhere in this issue. The ANA Convention in Pittsburgh is the highlight, and preparations are underway for a busy week. We’ll host an LSCC club table on the floor (Booth 1840), where the exhibit theme will be proof Liberty Seated coinage. If you have a piece or two, please stop by! The LSCC annual meeting will take place on Thursday, August 27, at 9:00 AM
in Room 323. Our featured speaker will be John Dannreuther, who will be discussing his recent work on the Liberty Seated proof series. We’ll also present our annual literary awards, and raffle off a few Liberty Seated goodies. I’m pleased to report another successful edition of the ANA Summer Seminar, which took place at the end of June. John Frost, Craig Eberhart, and I taught a fourday course on New Orleans coinage to a class of eight students. One of the class highlights was examining an 1856-O double eagle, a key date in the New Orleans double eagle series. There are perhaps 30 known examples of this exceptionally rare issue. We had two YNs in the class, both of whom, I am happy to report, are now LSCC members! The ANA always does a great job with this event, and the LSCC is always pleased to participate. I was fortunate to take one of the ANA grading classes many years ago, and it was a formative experience in my collecting career. We’ll end this column with a coin joke… Q. How many Liberty Seated collectors does it take to change a light bulb? A. Just one—but first they’ll spend two hours debating whether the bulb is Briggs 1-A or 1-B! Okay, I didn’t say it would be a good joke...in any case, enjoy your coins, and I hope to see you in person at a coin show this summer.
E-Gobrecht Deadline for Subscriber Submissions 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: Fall/Winter 2026 - October 1st Send Inquiries & Submissions to: lscc@lsccweb.org
Liberty Seated Collectors Club
E-Gobrecht July 2026
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Attribution Exercise – Care to Try Your Hand? By Len Augsburger, LSCC #1271
A collector forwarded two images of this well-detailed 1861-O half dollar for variety attribution. Len Augsburger offered an opinion, which PCGS disagreed with. Can you settle the matter? There are at least two important resources online that may prove useful in this endeavor:
cessible via: https://archive.org/details/gobrechtjournalfn094libe/page/2/mode/2up • Bill Bugert’s guide, published in the Register of Liberty Seated Half Dollars Varieties, Volume 4, and available here: https://archive.org/details/LSHDVol4NOpart2/page/456/mode/2up
• Randy Wiley’s attribution guide for the 1861-O half dollar, published in Gobrecht Journal #94, ac-
We’ll publish the PCGS variety attribution next month!
Liberty Seated Collectors Club
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E-Gobrecht July 2026
Liberty Seated Collectors Club
E-Gobrecht July 2026
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Regional News: Looking Forward to Summer FUN and the ANA World’s Fair of Money By Ken Otto, Regional Team Director, LSCC #2674 Summer is well underway and the LSCC regional team remains very active at regional and national coin shows. The rare coin market remains strong with high collector interest in Liberty Seated coins. The attendance at most coin shows that we have participated in has been good. We plan to attend the Summer FUN Show in July and the ANA World’s Fair of Money in Pittsburgh in August. In addition, the LSCC will participate in many regional coin shows during the rest of the summer season! The regional team participated in the Cincinnati Numismatic Expo, held June 5th-6th at the Sharonville Convention Center, 11355 Chester Road, Sharonville, OH 45246. We have now presented a club table here for two consecutive years. Dennis Fortier and Ken Otto hosted the LSCC club table. Dennis made a well-received presentation on various aspects of collecting Liberty Seated half dollars. This show continues to be a good regional coin show with strong attendance. The LSCC team once again taught an amazing course at the ANA Summer Seminar in Colorado Springs during June 20th-25th. For the second time [so far…], the “Dream Team” of Len Augsburger, Craig Eberhart, and John Frost provided phenomenal instruction regarding: “The New Orleans Mint Coinage and its History”. This course was reasonably well attended, and initial feedback has been VERY positive. John Frost also conducted two ‘After Hours’ mini-seminars on U.S. error coins and “oddball” denominations. The regional team participated in the Raleigh Coin Club Expo held June 26th-28th at The Exposition Center, NC State Fairgrounds, 1025 Blue Ridge Road, Raleigh, NC. This is an excellent coin show that the LSCC regional team has participated in several times before. Dan Perkins and Rich Uhrich hosted the club table. Dan made a presentation entitled “Liberty Seated Halves: A Collecting Journey”. The regional team plans to attend the Summer FUN
Dennis Fortier Entertains a Visitor at the Club Table in Cincinnati.
The LSCC ‘Magic Box’ at the Club Table in Cincinnati.
Show to be held July 9th-11th at the Orange County Convention Center, West Building, Orlando, FL. This is a major national coin show held during the summer season. 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 24th-25th at
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E-Gobrecht July 2026
Liberty Seated Collectors Club
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Dan Perkins and Rich Uhrich Looking Lively in Raleigh!
The LSCC Club Table Display in Raleigh.
the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel, 181 Boston Post Road West, Marlborough, MA 01752. Joe Casazza and John Frost will host the club table. The LSCC regional team plans to participate in the Missouri Numismatic Society Coin Show to be held August 6th-8th at the St. Charles Convention Center, 1 Convention Plaza, St. Charles, MO 63303. Ed Terneus will host our LSCC club table. The LSCC regional team will be out in force at the ANA World’s Fair of Money in Pittsburgh, PA (David Lawrence Convention Center; 1000 Fort Duquesne Blvd.) on August 25th-29th. We will also conduct a club meeting at the show on Thursday, August 27, at 9:00 AM in Room 323. The club table will feature many familiar
faces…including: Dennis Fortier, John Frost, Carl Feldman, Joe Casazza, and Ken Otto. • Rumor has it: These gentlemen may be willing to sign autographs…if one asks nicely. The LSCC regional team will also participate in the Central Ohio Numismatic Association (CONA) Ohio State Coin Show on September 4th-5th at the Embassy Suites-Dublin, 5100 Upper Metro Place, Dublin, OH. Dennis Fortier and Ken Otto will host the club table. Dennis is planning to make a presentation on Liberty Seated half dollars. That’s all, folks…at least, for now. Stay tuned for what’s next!
LSCC Info & Member Application: lsccweb.org Liberty Seated Collectors Club
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E-Gobrecht July 2026
Hunting for a Legend: the 1875-S ‘Micro S’ Half Dollar 1875-S ‘Micro S’ Half Dollar – Request for Information By Dennis Fortier, LSCC #2016 Dear E-Gobrecht subscribers and LSCC Club Members: • When and Where purchased (including price I am attempting to gather all the information I can on paid) the famous 1875-S Micro S, WB-19, WB-105, Liberty • Photos – if convenient Seated Half Dollar. All personal information will be held confidential. Information Requested: Help build a database for this sought-after variety! • Grade of coin(s), Raw or Certified Please send information to Dennis Fortier at: • Full Certification Number (including any variety ricajun@msn.com nomenclature)
Sample Coin (Obverse)
Sample Coin (Reverse) – note the ‘Micro S’ mintmark!
Monthly E-Gobrecht Newsletter Advertising Rates (Prices are per issue. All ads should include some Liberty Seated coins and/or related material.) Full Page $100 • Half Page $50 • Quarter Page $30 Inquires & Special Rates: Contact Advertising Manager Jeff Pritchard at jjpsr2@gmail.com Deadline: 25th of the month prior to month of issue For Advertising in The Gobrecht Journal, see contact above. Liberty Seated Collectors Club
E-Gobrecht July 2026
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2026 Summer Seminar Pictorial Report – Part One By Len Augsburger, LSCC #1271 Editor’s Note: Len Augsburger provided the following ‘photographic journey’ of his recent experience teaching the LSCC’s New Orleans-focused ANA Summer Seminar Course in Colorado Springs…with plenty of candid shots – and captions – to boot. Please enjoy! John Frost, Craig Eberhart, and Len Augsburger presented “The New Orleans Mint Coinage and its History” at the ANA Summer Seminar, June 21-24. Eight students were enrolled and several joined as new LSCC members at the conclusion of the class. Our classroom was further used by John Frost for two evening sessions.
John works on setup while attendee Tim Glaue is to the right.
At lunch, John Frost tries to think up a good sales pitch to get Ken Bressett started on his collection of 20cent die varieties. Ken doesn’t seem too receptive, but otherwise he is as active as ever – a living legend!
The ANA book sale is always a good opportunity to acquire numismatic literature at exceptionally good prices.
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E-Gobrecht July 2026
One of the highlights of the ANA Museum is the first steam-powered press introduced in the U.S. Mint in 1836. This represented an important upgrade in their coining technology. Exhibited at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia for many years, this press is now at the ANA in Colorado Springs.
There was a big hailstorm on June 23rd in Colorado Springs, with several attendees noting golf-ball size hail damage to rental cars!
The Broadmoor resort is a must-do whenever visiting Colorado Springs.
Colorado Springs is full of good restaurants, including Edelweiss, which features German food. Our server turned out to be a coin collector!
The three instructors. As you can see, “coin camp” is a casual environment!
Liberty Seated Collectors Club
E-Gobrecht July 2026
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2026 Summer Seminar Pictorial Report – Part Two By Craig Eberhart, LSCC #1348 Editor’s Note: Craig Eberhart rounds out Len’s excellent photo-based coverage of the LSCC Summer Seminar Class presented in Colorado Springs, with his own unique perspective of the week’s events. Cameron Scheirer, one of two Young Numismatists (YNs) in the course, is examining a partially melted stack of coins recovered from the San Francisco Mint after the 1906 earthquake and subsequent fire. Interestingly, the stack of melded coins included at least one New Orleans coin, a Morgan dollar.
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E-Gobrecht July 2026
Louise Boling and Paul Hartman are examining a The last photo shows six of our eight class particiroll of 1888-O Morgan dollars in a Capital Plastics coin pants attributing 1840-O half dollars by Wiley-Bugert holder, nineteen of which have a rotated reverse! numbers. Our other YN, Gage Chaffee, is the fourth person from the left. Both YNs are new LSCC members!
Liberty Seated Collectors Club