400 Esplanade

关于此套币: For a lifelong collector whose roots began deep in the bayous of Louisiana, this set seems like a no brainer...right? I remember when several boxes of treasure coins were unearthed during the Hotel Meridien renovation on Canal Street in 1982. I got one as a gift when I was just a kid, and my collecting interest grew like bermuda grass. The history that surrounds the coins struck at the New Orleans Branch Mint is remarkable and accounts for some of the great rarities and varieties that make up this set. When taking on a set like this, it is not only important but interesting to learn as much history as possible (I hated history in school) and research every entry thoroughly. Working with knowlegable people and using the latest published resources are also extremely helpful in limiting costly mistakes...I've struck out a few times, but I've hit a few homers, too.

Completing this will be a difficult task on many levels as some issues simply haven't withstood the test of time. Initially, a reasonable and affordable goal was to find a nice circulated example of each date, but as it turns out, that was simply not a high enough bar. Over the last decade, the treasure hunt has been "elevated a notch" (as a famous NOLA area chef once put it) to find the best example possible for each issue. While PCGS remains the gold standard registry and has a vast amount of graded material, an effort will be made to include as many PCGS coins as possible. However, with the advent of CAC and now CACG, many coins will be replaced/upgraded to include truly spectacular examples when possible. So far, the set does include many other non-PCGS coins and many coins that were purchased prior to CAC. In time, I may submit these for evaluation by CAC or simply replace them if I can find a better example. Some of the better non-PCGS entries include the Eliasberg 49o Seated Quarter in 64, one of three unc 42o $5s, a 57o dime in 67cac, and a 60o dime in 58. Stay tuned...

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