Heritage to Offer The David J. Greene Collection of Buffalo Nickel Errors and Varieties

Dallas, Texas: Heritage Numismatic Auctions, Inc. will be offering the David J. Greene Collection of Buffalo Nickel Errors and Varieties in its June 2004 Long Beach Signature Auction. The auction will be held June 3-5 as the Official Auction of the Long Beach Coin Expo.

"Mr. Greene's Collection of error Buffalo Nickels" said Heritage President Greg Rohan, "began in 1989, during a visit to Village Stamp and Coin in Tampa, when one particular coin in the case caught his eye. The 15% off-center 1937 Buffalo that owner Ed Howard placed on the counter hooked him immediately. Now his collection contains just about every type of error known to collectors."

As Mr. Greene described this first step on the journey of assembling this amazing collection of seventy pieces: "I immediately drove a hard bargain with Ed and paid full price. After a year or two of scrutinizing dealer lists and walking the floors at many coin shows, I realized just how scarce many of these coins truly are. While one can easily find a 1909-S VDB, a 1916-D Merc, a '55 Doubled Die, or just about any other big money key date, just try to find a decent 1936-D 3 1/2 Leg. In my eyes, these coins are many hundreds of times more rare!"

While Mr. Greene admires the Buffalo Nickel for its classic design, which captures the essence of the Native American, the coin also reminds him of very special times from his childhood. "I vividly remember going to Uncle Joe's Drive In with my Dad on Friday nights for dinner. I only saw my Dad every other weekend, so this was indeed a very special time for me. He would always give me a few rolls of Nickels to play pinball for the night. Even though I was only seven years old, I'd marvel at the Indian and the Buffalo on some of those old and special Nickels. But alas, I'd succumb to the allure of just one more pinball game, and by the end of the night, all of my Nickels would be gone. Since becoming a collector at the age of nine, I have often wondered how many rarities I fed into that evil pinball machine!"

In late 1994, Mr. Greene obtained a small group of Buffalo rarities from Larry Whitlow, who was selling his personal Buffalo Nickel collection. According to Mr. Greene, "Acquiring this group really helped grow the collection, and included such coins as the 1913 Type 2 broadstruck with straight edge clip that was used as the plate coin in the Gallery of Errors section of David Lange's classic reference "The Complete Guide To Buffalo Nickels."

Mr. Greene is currently a private investor/trader. A graduate of the University of Florida, he received his MBA from Indiana University in 1980. He credits his early collecting experiences as leading to his interest in financial markets and ultimately a successful career in securities trading. He has been married to his wonderful wife Carol for 21 years, and is the proud father of four beautiful and accomplished daughters.

Highlights of the Greene Collection:

• Lot 5605 1913 5C Type Two--Broadstruck With Straight Clip, Obverse Improperly Cleaned--NCS. Unc Details.
• Lot 5624 1918-D 5C --Struck 15% Off Center--MS65 NGC.
• Lot 5618 1917 --Doubled Die Reverse--Fine 12 NGC, FS-016.4.
• Lot 5620 1918 --Doubled Die Reverse--VF20 ANACS, FS-016.45, Die Two.
• Lot 5637 1920 --Struck On Cent Planchet, With Reverse Lamination--AU55 NGC
• Lot 5648 1930 --Doubled Die Reverse--MS63 NGC, FS-017.5 "Five Legged Variety"
• Lot 5660 1935 5C Doubled Die Reverse AU50 ANACS.
• Lot 5665 1936-D 5C --3 1/2 Legs--VF35 ANACS.

Images, descriptions, and prices realized are available in the Permanent Auction Archives at the Heritage website, www.HeritageCoins.com