R & I Coins

Dear Fellow Numismatist....

Simply put, as a rare coindealer, my goal is to help you build a rare coin collection that will grow invalue for your future.

To achieve this objective,the coins in a collection need to grow in desirability and stature over time.

The above statement may seemlike common-sense, but think of all the coins on the market that are availableand easily replaceable today. Virtually all the coins available today wereavailable and replaceable 20 years ago. And they will be available, and replaceable, 10 and 20 years from now.

As long as such coins arereadily available, their ability to grow in desirability and stature over timeis relatively limited.

To build a collection ofsuperb, rare coins whose desirability and value will increase over time (i.e.appreciate), a collection must be built around <i>coins of rarity</i> offeringthe<i>finestquality</i> and <i>eye-appeal</i> possible <i>for their respective issue</i> - the <i>irreplaceables</i>!

While there are fewguarantees in life, yourbest guaranteefor the futureappreciation of your collection is to own rare coins that, in eye-appeal andgrade, rank at the highest peak of desirability for their issue, with few <i>ifany</i> of comparable symmetry and beauty.

Finding coins of thiscaliber, in virtually all price ranges (they don't have to be priced in themillions, or even in the tens of thousands of dollars), is my specialty.

In achieving the above statedgoals for my clients, my track record is second to none in numismatics.

I encourage you to take thetime to review some of the coins in our Everest Archive of The Finest Known. The R & I clients who own these coins possessnumismatic Mona Lisa's that are the Finest Known in every sense of the word -they are not only the highest grade for their respective issue, they also offerthe eye-appeal and beauty one would expect for a coin with "The Finest Known"superlative placed on its mantle. For those of you who value the CAC premiumquality sticker (as I do), I guarantee virtually all the coins in our Everest listingwould also receive CAC certification, signifying they are not only deserving ofthe grade on the holder, theyare also premium quality for that grade!

In acquiring that list of the"Finest Known", an archive that has taken me the better part of two decades toassemble for my clients, I usually have had to pay what many other dealerswould consider "premium" prices. In other words, I paid more to acquire thecoin than they were willing to pay!

But what a premium price isto one individual, is quite often a bargain to another.

For without exception, whatwas considered a "premium" price in the short run for these Everest coins,turned out to be a bargain in the long run, for every one of the coins in thislist is valued considerably higher today, then when it was first acquired, andevery one of these coins have appreciated at a pace that has outstripped thegeneral numismatic market of gem quality coinage.

Some of the coins in theEverest list were struck in the1800's. But one was struck as late as 1965.Some of the coins sold for over $200,000. But some sold for under$2,000.An Everest coin can be a cent, nickel, or half. Or  it might be struck in gold.

What all the Everest coins inour Finest Known archive have in common is:

1. EVERY one offersoutstanding, ultimate quality and eye-appeal for their respective issue!

2. They are all extremely rarein the condition being offered - some are unique!

3. They all offer outstandingpotential for long-term appreciation.

The above three criteria aremy guiding principles when I look for rare coins for my clients. I do notdiscriminate based on coin's vintage, or price.

There are dealers who discriminatebased on a coin's year of mintage, or its series, and would prefer that a collectorbelieve the only coins worth buying are the kind of coins they are selling.

DON'TBELIEVE IT!

Some of the greatest rarecoin opportunities, in terms of percentage appreciation, are in rare coinsstruck since the 1940's.

And it is also true some of thegreatest rare coin opportunities, in terms of percentage appreciation, are inrare coins struck before 1916.

Too many dealers only see theopportunities within a narrow field of vision.

<i>Illustration#1</i>

In the 1980's there was adealer who told my client he was "crazy"for buying a 1954 cameo proof set from me.  Every coin in the set was a stunning cameo,bordering on perfection. Yet all this dealer could see was that the coins werestruck in 1954, and in his mind, coins struck in 1954 had no investmentpotential, since over 233,000 proof sets were minted. In other words, theyweren't rare.

My client paid $700 for theset. Instead, that dealer offered to sell my client an attractive gem 1954proof set for $150.

I would be the first to agreethat, indeed, your typical 1954 proof coin is not rare. They are very common.What is most un-common, however, are those earliest strikes from matching newproof dies, offering heavy cameo contrast, that have survived in virtuallyflawless condition. The<i>ULTRA CAMEO</i> 1954 proof coins. Just as an 1880-O Morgan dollar isquite common in average BU condition (over 5 million struck), a gem MS 65 1880-O Morgan is extremely rare, and understandablyhighly valued among knowledgeable collectors.

Last year, that client submittedthe coins from the 1954 proof set I sold him to NGC. Every coin graded eitherProof 68-69 CAMEO or Proof 68-69 ULTRA CAMEO. He sold the set for over $11,000.

And what of the "nice gem"1954 set offered to him by dealer X? That set is worth about $150 - about thesame value today as 20 years ago.

That is just one story ofmany that I can share. Another.....

<i>lllustration</i> #2

In the 1990's I was sellingclients 1956 Lincolncents in PCGS PR68DCAM for $2,000. If you would have taken a poll of dealers ata local coin show, if given the choice, the majority of dealers would have muchpreferred to sell you a Proof 64 Morgan dollar, or Proof 64 1936 WalkingLiberty for $2,000.

How have these coinsperformed the past 10 years?

The last 1956 PCGS PR68DCAMLincoln cents to appear in auction have all sold for $8,000 - $16,000 - anaverage appreciation of 400% - 800%. <i>The passage of time has proven their rarityin superb condition -</i> to date, PCGS has only graded a mere 5 examplesin PR68DCAM - none higher, and none in the past several years. So these coinscontinue to appreciate in value.

While Proof 64 Morgan dollarsand 1936 Walking Liberty halves have also appreciated, they typically tradebetween $3,000 and $4,000 today - an average appreciation of only 50% - 100% inthe same time frame that 1956 proof Lincoln appreciated over 400%, as Morgandollars and 1936 Walking Liberty halves in Proof 64 grade are available at anymajor coin show - in quantity!

<i>Illustration#3</i>

In the most recent 2008 HeritageF.U.N. auction a 1954 Franklin PCGS PR68DCAM sold for $24,300. A 1956 Type 1Franklin PCGS PR 68 CAMEO sold for $6,800. A 1959 Franklin PCGS PR 67 DCAM soldfor $18,400. A 1960 Franklin PCGS PR69DCAM sold for $27,400.

All the above are extremelyrare in the condition they were offered in, and I advertised them as beingextremely rare when I offered these coins 10-15 years ago - when I was selling themto clients for ¼ of the price.

Whenbuying rare coins, I always have one eye on the coin, and the other eye on thefuture. It's really not as important as what some dealers might think a coin isworth today, as what it will be worth in 5 years, 10 years, or 15 years.

Too many dealers are not ableto see beyond the present. In numismatics, it is almost always a good idea topay a little more <i>today</i> for the "right coin", as it will reap dividends fargreater in the future than for coins of lesser quality, rarity, and eye-appeal.

<i>There was a time</i> when Michelangelo's "Mona Lisa" was just anotherpainting.

<i>There are</i> numismatic opportunities today offering you the opportunity to own a future MonaLisa - a numismatic rarity offering the absolute finest in eye-appeal andquality for its issue.

Your coin budget may be$1,000,000 a month, or it may only be a few hundred a month - there areopportunities in U.S.numismatics for you!

If you are interested inacquiring rare coins whose luster and<i>desirability</i> will only <i>glow brighter</i> with the passage of time, give me a call, or email. Iam a very easy guy to talk to, and I truly enjoy working with fellow collectors- whatever your budget!

Whether you are seeking thatultimate quality, ultra-rare Gem ULTRA CAMEO proof $20 Double Eagle struck inthe 1800's (a $300,000 coin today - a $3,000,000 coin for the future), or thatfinest known MS 67 FBL 1952-P Franklin for $9,000, an amazing and very rareULTRA CAMEO SMS Roosevelt dime struck in 1966 for $2,000, there is a "Mona Lisa"waiting for you.

                                                                                               Warmestregards,

                                                                                               RickTomaska