Ken Kash 1222130804|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
Went to a coin show this weekend and with money in my pocket burning a hole I was determined to pick up some Russian type coins to fill a set.
Sounds like an easy task but I was actually hard pressed to find examples of pre-communist Russia. I visited a total of 6 tables that I knew carried a wide assortment of world coins. All that was available was about two dozen common copper coins (which I already had) and silver coinage (regardless of condition) only yielded 6 examples with the lowest priced at $150 which was out of my price range. There were quite a bit of gold coins but since my collection does not include gold coins I passed them over.
As I spoke to the dealers, all 6 confirmed that they have had a hard time keeping Russian coinage in stock and demand has driven up the prices in almost all grades. I've heard stories that Russian coinage was hot but I've always been able to find what I wanted so I figured it to be localized to Europe….apparently not.
As tough as it was, I was still determined to go home with a coin so I reverted to my last option…rummaging through the bargain bins. After two hours of moving from table to table and searching what felt like an endless flow of coins in 2x2 holders my persistence paid off. I found an 1897 50 Kopek coin in a grade of Fine for $9, not perfect but it had more than enough detail to fit into my type set. It's hard to believe but it was the only silver Russian coin I could find for under $100. I don't mind the prices going up but I typically collect coins in grades ranging from VF to XF and to find no examples in this grade range was a lot tougher than I thought. Looks like this set is going to take a little while longer :(
If I get a chance later this week I'll post a pic.
What I still need: 1/4 & 25 kopek coins, and a 1 rouble coin.
Ken Kash, 1222130804|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
