IAG Benchmark Collection to be sold

[robbiegal]

well the coins had to come from an Australian mint
so it is not a stupid idea for a national mint collection to have samples of these coins

maybe I am wrong  - remember there is walk in vault that contains the collection

although over the years I think a heck of a lot of coins were sold by walk away prices and consequently have ended up in mysteriously some private collections .... isn't that the big drama with the 1930 proof penny

[oh my florin]

I have spoken to Tony Bryne a number of times who was the former National Numismatist and he said the RAM would commonly swap duplicates of certain dates for dates it didn't have or swap for superior coins. But generally the RAM doesn't actively buy but it does trade though only for coins of absolutely massive rarity from what I have heard.

[nealeffendi]

I have spoken to Tony Bryne a number of times who was the former National Numismatist and he said the RAM would commonly swap duplicates of certain dates for dates it didn't have or swap for superior coins. But generally the RAM doesn't actively buy but it does trade though only for coins of absolutely massive rarity from what I have heard.

I'm waiting for the day the government decides to balance the budget and sells off lots of deadwood and unproductive assets OR decides that assets such as RAM need to pay higher dividends to the gov't coffers.
On that day the RAM might decide to do what was done a few years ago with the nations gold coin collection and auction it off.
With talk of flogging off the RAM itself that day may be sooner than later.
So what are the massive rarities in the collection?

[autocoupler]

- remember there is walk in vault that contains the collection

That's interesting, so an organised tour would allow one to view these? On the few occasions I've visited the RAM, I thought the display cases up on the viewing platform
were the extent of it. :blush:

Also interesting to read what oh my florin said. With regard to at least one of the coins I mentioned previously (1920 penny London obv. dot over bottom scroll), one must see the irony of any circumstance that would see the RAM actively seeking a coin they have no record of minting. But good on em.

[nealeffendi]

- remember there is walk in vault that contains the collection

That's interesting, so an organised tour would allow one to view these? On the few occasions I've visited the RAM, I thought the display cases up on the viewing platform
were the extent of it. :blush:

Also interesting to read what oh my florin said. With regard to at least one of the coins I mentioned previously (1920 penny London obv. dot over bottom scroll), one must see the irony of any circumstance that would see the RAM actively seeking a coin they have no record of minting. But good on em.

I'm looking forward to see how the Benchmark Dot Above sells for. It has a sales history as a raw coin and now it will be the first slabbed example to sell.
Mind you if the RAM does add this coin to their collection they won't have the best one.:whistle2: (and it aint for sale)

[oh my florin]

I have spoken to Tony Bryne a number of times who was the former National Numismatist and he said the RAM would commonly swap duplicates of certain dates for dates it didn't have or swap for superior coins. But generally the RAM doesn't actively buy but it does trade though only for coins of absolutely massive rarity from what I have heard.

I'm waiting for the day the government decides to balance the budget and sells off lots of deadwood and unproductive assets OR decides that assets such as RAM need to pay higher dividends to the gov't coffers.
On that day the RAM might decide to do what was done a few years ago with the nations gold coin collection and auction it off.
With talk of flogging off the RAM itself that day may be sooner than later.
So what are the massive rarities in the collection?

I remember him telling me how the mint would exchange certain gold coins which were only ever struck for proof of record for Holey Dollars and Dumps. I believe he specified he had swapped a few of the 1918P Sovereigns and a couple of Sovereigns from the early 1920's (don't know if he had anything to do with the 1920-S) along with a few duplicate proofs the mint had. We spoke for a while about it but seriously when the National Collection deals it uses 1930 Pennies as small change there are utterly magnificent coins in the national collection from what he has told me but only a select few ever get to see inside the vault let alone the coins themselves.

He was there from 1965 to 1986 so he would have traded plenty of coins and seen most if not all of the national collection.

[nealeffendi]

1930 pennies are not that hard to obtain (for a years wages) so the RAM having a couple is nothing. They purchased at least one circulated example back in about 1964 or 65  from Downies so that indicates that they don't have any Uncs from when they were minted
Have they ever published an inventory or are we the public (nominal owners) not allowed to know what assets we own?
Is it some state secret or do they think the unwashed masses are not worthy of being told?

[oh my florin]

The only 1930 Penny example the mint kept were a few proofs/specimens for proof of record I don't think they managed to pick up a circulation example prior? They do have inventory lists (but only for the mint to keep track) but they do find coins in there that they have no record of from time to time.

[robbiegal]

The ram is a factory with a shop front. The last assessment sent the insurance premiums way up through the roof. There is no way they'd be stupid enough to make that public. It had nothing to do with them hating the average Australian which seems to be a rather common attitude towards the ram here in this forum. Pity.yes sell it off and feel smug and then watch the public accountability dissolve before your eyes. The ram would become a strictly business model and the collectors will be screaming.just mark my words guys.

[oh my florin]

They won't sell of the national collection as it is covered under law which is administered by the Mint Museum Commitee which is independent of Government. All the government can do is change the guidelines on how the National Collection should be administered but the Committee has final say and can bend the rules a bit.

[robbiegal]

moved to the other thread

[robbiegal]

http://www.iagauctions.com/files/IAG_BC_Preview.pdf

[Fr45h3R]

I got dibs on the 1960 halfpenny.

[kchan1111]

http://www.iagauctions.com/files/IAG_BC_Preview.pdf

Woow look at the pretty colours on that 1923 florin!

Is it likely that it won't achieve MS67 if graded by PCGS? General opinion is that NCG is more generous.

[nealeffendi]

The only 1930 Penny example the mint kept were a few proofs/specimens for proof of record I don't think they managed to pick up a circulation example prior? They do have inventory lists (but only for the mint to keep track) but they do find coins in there that they have no record of from time to time.

There is a little misunderstanding in your answer.
the mint that kept the coins wasn't the RAM but Melbourne. Melbourne didn't keep any 1930 penny proofs as they were sent out to selected museums after they were struck. Melbourne may well have retained some proof coins for other years.
Melbourne probably didn"t do much collecting (buying) of used (circulated) current Australian coins although their records do indicate that they were given sets of foreign coins from other mints.
There might be an inventory of coins transferred from Melbourne to Canberra somewhere. That inventory would be what Canberra would be using in swaps.
Mark Duff (the owner of the Benchmark Collection) was involved in the sale of much of the inventory (if my notes are correct). So I'm not sure how much juicy stuff is still in the vaults.