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Sheik Sheck

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Journal Entries posted by Sheik Sheck

  1. Sheik Sheck
    This Thomas Flynn Fr. 774 "battleship" note was sold for $6,037.50 in April of 2008.
    The same note sold for $4,312 in 2014.
    I just picked it up at auction for $3231.75. This is 46% reduction in 9 years. I wish there would be a really good article on how much the currency market has softened quite a bit. One vendor says the premium for low serial number specimens has dropped out the bottom. Interesting since there are Bison notes and other low serial number notes still going for several hundred thousand dollars up to over a million. It seems one needs to be really careful with the premium on low serial number notes. I never thought it was worth it anyway. I thought it was an interesting and nice feature to have but never bought notes for any serial number feature (low #, ladders, radars etc....) Happy collecting. 

  2. Sheik Sheck
    I can't find the $5 note!?!? Other than that, this is an awesome collection I put together. They are all graded but finding notes with the same signatures for all the denominations was not easy. I really enjoy putting sets like this together. Comments would be nice!!
  3. Sheik Sheck

    Retouched

    By Sheik Sheck,

    This is being offered at auction by Heritage in their Long Beach, 2017 September auction. I have heard "retouched" used in the context of "this note is to be avoided at all costs" to "I don't pay attention because the note appearance is all that matters." I lean more and more to the latter looking for bargains on notes that are not "NET" but some negative comment is on the back. I believe you can snatch some good bargains on notes with comments that are not "NET" A tear that you can't see on a scan, an inclusion, pinholes...etc, is not given the "NET designation and is a wonderful note. Especially, "closed pinholes" is another potential bargain generator. Look at my Fr-1184, it says "closed pinholes" on the back, their is no "NET" designation and the reverse is one of the most gorgeous I have seen for a $20 Large Gold. I have seen 40's and 45's of the Fr-1184 and their reverse doesn't have half the eye appeal of mine. Sure, we all want GEM-EPQ notes but if you are serious about building collections and you're not incredibly wealthy, then I am really trying to use my eyes! I have seen so many 35's that look better that much higher grades. SO I was really piqued by Heritage's definition of "Retouched" on this Lincoln $5 portal.  I have copied Heritage's advertisement for this note verbatim below. Look at the note your buying and if it is not "NET" but has comments, don't walk away from a beauty because PMG didn't precisely define what was retouched!!!!
    Heritage's Description
     282 $5 1923 Silver Certificate PMG Choice Very Fine 35.
    Very beautiful, lightly circulated porthole that PMG has anointed with their cryptic comment, "Retouched," which over the years we have found can mean almost anything or often nothing at all. The note could have a minor repair, a little artwork, or be entirely problem free. The comment reminds us of the old, unfunny joke about Tarzan swinging from vine to vine, wearing his new glasses, then jumping to a nonexistent vine, which was a crack in his glasses, and slamming to the ground. Poor Tarzan...Poor PMG...Poor consignor. There is a lot of value in this "Retouched" note. 


  6. Sheik Sheck

    Found at Coin Shop

    By Sheik Sheck,

    This little old lady always seems to have some nice stuff. I love being able to locate good stuff that is ungraded and has potential. I was looking through her rotation case and found this Dallas FRBN. We started talking and she pulled out of her special drawer 100 star notes and a local Type 2 NBN, I was thrilled. When I bought the 100 consecutive star notes ($800) she gave me a good deal on the FRBN ($32) and the LaGrange note ($250). I sent them in promptly for grading. 




  7. Sheik Sheck
    This note was recently returned from grading. I am growing fond of the new holders. They seem to have solved the problem of crooked notes and bulging ridges between the note and label compartments. Track and Price lists only 13 large notes and one Value Back. The VB listed is a $20 so this is new to then census. When I received the note from the seller, I could smell the strong tint of tobacco! If only this note could speak. I am sure the yellow color is a result of cohabiting with a smoker for a long time. However, in the holder, no one will ever know!!
     


  8. Sheik Sheck

    Example of Bad

    By Sheik Sheck,

    I did business with the purveyor of these notes. Note the tape as the holder fell apart. Fortunately I don't see many of these holders anymore but it was not a good way to begin collecting, doing business with a person that doesn't care about long term customer relations as opposed to making a quick buck. If you do see these holders, treat them as CGA or ungraded notes as the owner was grading and selling notes at the same time. I still find it hard to believe that ungraded note sellers on Ebay fetch top retail dollar . People just don't understand that large size old notes are not graded for a reason. The note has certainly been inspected  by professionals, probably dozens of times. They are not graded because there is some small flaw that translates into hundreds or even thousands of dollars for high dollar large notes. And folks bid these notes up to full retail based on the sellers description "Strong XF, Choice Unc., check out my 100% feedback"...etc. 

  9. Sheik Sheck

    CH #252

    By Sheik Sheck,

    I am trying to complete a set from one national bank set. I chose the First National Bank of Pittsburgh (Ch #252) because I originally bought an ungraded 1902 $5 Plain Back. It graded 35 EPQ and the signature of the bank president Lawrence Saunders is a wonderful signature. Also, this is a common bank with many notes so I thought the chances of getting most of the denominations would be better. It's not as easy as I thought. I rarely see the large denomination notes for sale. If anyone can help, I am BUYING CH #252's. Notice the the cashier was C.C. Taylor on the large notes and is also the same cashier on the small Type 1 notes! C.C must have worked at the bank as a cashier for many years. Anyone else trying to do a collection like this??

  12. Sheik Sheck
    I finally had it graded. I picked the note up for a very nice price ungraded. There are several notes that were preserved with about the same serial number range so the lack of extreme rarity makes these notes of less value. I have seen several of the CH# 1555 in $10 and $20 denominations sold at auction. They are always graded and always seem to be AU or Unc with the EPQ designation. So, as I have posted before, these type of notes are not graded for a reason and here is it this time. When I received the note, it was clearly AU or Unc so I thought it had probably been flattened. This time it did not grade NET but it was commented as "Previously Mounted" I always thought that meant it was in another holder and cut out and sent without the previous holder to another grading service. Matarcat showed a CGA $50 note mounted in a CGA 62....he cut it out sent it to PMG and was delighted it came back as a PMG 63. I wondered why they didn't put "Previously Mounted" on his note. So I called PMG. Maybe I am educating some of you. "Previously Mounted" was detected as remnant of adhesive on the corners which was probably because the note was in a frame or something like that with adhesive tape or something to hang it. I checked the corners before I sent it and I could not see any problems but PMG did. I asked them not to place it but they said they had to. Can anyone see the presence of adhesive on the corners? Anyway it graded out as 62, not EPQ. A mixed blessing. I don't think I lost money but I don't thin it is super valuable like I had hoped for. Moral of story...buy an ungraded note, and you may get lucky and get a fantastic grade making the note worth far more than you paid, but if you buy a relatively rare, expensive, especially old note ungraded, it is probably for a reason. How many experts looked at this note under magnification, saw the remnants of adhesive and balked on purchasing or sending it for grading because they know it was worth more ungraded? On another note, I am so disappointed in this Journal board. I hoped it would be active and teach us all a lot. Instead, I post more than anyone, rarely get a response and when writing, feel like this hobby is so obscure, it's all a waste of time. Anyway, here are the images. 


  13. Sheik Sheck
    Happy New Year! I stumbled upon Lawrence and his exquisite signature he was not only representing the bank I collect (Ch#252), but also apparently lived in the neighboring state. I assume bank presidents were equally mobile in the early 20th century, looking for the best job. Looks like he lived in both Pennsylvania and West Virginia. 
     

  14. Sheik Sheck
    Hey ddr70, I was checking out your nice Large Nationals and noticed your Newton, Mass note. It has the rare Woods-Tate signature combo. Attached is New York Dunbar of the same ilk. You ay be aware but Peter Huntoon wrote a nice article in the April 2019 Bank Note Reporter about the rarity of the combo. Attached is also a .jpg of the article and the banks that issued such notes. 


  15. Sheik Sheck
    How about FOUR different signature pairs for a single bank. Two of the notes show the cashier presumably promoted to the President. And C.C. Taylor, the cashier quite common on the Ch # 252 notes is President on the 1929 small versions from this Charter. I wish someone could explain this bank's storied signatute lines. Obviously the "FirstSecond NB" merged to become the First NB but the multiple signatures requires some research of which I haven't done yet. 
  16. Sheik Sheck
    After shopping for the vaunted Bison for several years, I finally made the plunge. I am trying to pick up only EPQ when at all possible since observing sales, the slightest comment can cause the price to be extremely volatile. The most minor of comments, NET or not, seems to reduce the price by quite a bit. I'd like to hear your opinions. Bank Note Reporter noted that recent auctions seem to ding notes with "closed pinholes" or "minor repairs." PMG tends to obscure the topic by assigning NET in a somewhat arbitrary fashion. NET can really kill the value of a note, no matter how minor the flaw. Thus, please enjoy my EPQ Fr-122!!


  17. Sheik Sheck
    Heritage Auctions posts scans that are not realistic either!!
    Heritage says, "The margins are outstandingly large for this type, and the gold inks are as deeply colorful as we have ever seen them. PMG likely saw some very minor flaw with the note out of the holder, but in the holder its obvious original embossing along with its other attributes makes it look like a 65 EPQ to us.
    From The Yuri Solovey Collection"
    Now look at their scan compared to mine once I received the note. When will this monkey business stop!!?? I expect it from Ebay trolls, but a fine Auction House??

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  18. Sheik Sheck

    Ungraded Notes

    By Sheik Sheck,

    They continue to get away with it and the auction house does nothing. Here is a description from a seller that I bought an ungraded note from and it graded out NET 35....The listing is shown below as is a pic from the current listing. The photo has been so manipulated it is almost impossible to see but when you get it in the mail you will DEFINITELY see a horizontal fold. NO NOTE WITH A HORIZONTAL FOLD WILL GRADE ABOVE 35. NONE!!!! Yet, this 100% feedback seller that has glowing feedback from poor folks that never have their notes graded. The words below are a LIE. It is NOT "Almost Uncirculated" No "almost uncirculated" note has a horizontal fold that traverses the entire note. It is NOT even near "GEM" The sentence... "In our opinion, this is Gem Almost Uncirculated" is so misleading it is truly criminal. I am simply trying to educate my fellow collectors because this seller does this with every ungraded note he lists. Note, this is NOT the seller I recently posted about regarding the Lincoln Porthole. It goes to show how many of these crooks run a muck. Please follow the clues here, find out who this is and don't buy from him. The nerve of these crooks...."In our opinion..."
    For auction is this spectacular 1882 Twenty Dollar Gold Certificate. This note features a vignette of slain President James A. Garfield on the obverse with the promise that this note was worth twenty dollars in gold coin!! This is the very rare Fr.1178 with the signature combination of Lyons and Roberts. In our opinion this note is Gem Almost Uncirculated. It is super crisp with no rips, tears or pinholes. It features razor sharp edges, perfect margins and amazing color with the brightest seal and incredible reverse we have ever seen. The "in gold coin repayable to the bearer on demand" slogan was very important at the time as people were worried about paper currency becoming worthless, so the government added the slogan to let them know the paper was backed up in gold value. This note is the nicest 1882 Gold Note we have ever offered!! So look at the scans, check our outstanding feedback and make this stunning Gold Certificate part of your currency portfolio!!

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  19. Sheik Sheck
    Educating all on the difference between CGA and PMG
    As the esteemed Matarcat says, treat CGA as ungraded when purchasing.Note, the even though PMG did not assign it "NET" another surprise was the note had been "Retouched", impossible for most to realize before sending in for grading.

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  20. Sheik Sheck

    Must See

    By Sheik Sheck,

    If you want to really feel like your collection is small and futile, check out the Bebee collection at the ANA museum website. You can see just about any rarity you could hope for. DDR70... you will salivate at the high denomination, territorial NBN's. It's just an astounding collection! http://www.ana-museum.org
  24. Sheik Sheck
    Please vote!! This should be fun. Also feel free to predict the grades if you want!!!!
    Please vote with your reply, then I will show you the official grades in the third post and I will entitle the grades for each the note "Note Grades for Survey" If you like this note better, then write (2) in your reply. THANKS!!!!!

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