By Greg Reynolds for CoinLink

Rich Uhrich has been collecting coins since he was four years old. A large part of his collection will be auctioned by Stack’s in Baltimore on Feb. 26 & 27. He has owned some of the coins that will be sold since he was fifteen, especially including large cents. Many others have been obtained in recent years. Uhrich’s collection consists of about 4000 coins. He consigned nearly 1600 of them, which will be auctioned in around 540 lots.

He determined that more than 2000 of his coins are better suited for private sales than public auctions. Some of his 20th century coins are not valuable enough to warrant the costs of an auction process. Also, Uhrich is retaining a small number of coins, many of these are coins that he “fell in love with” and just cannot bring himself to sell.

For U.S. copper, nickel and silver coins minted from 1793 to the present, Uhrich’s collection is missing only about ten coins. His is missing only six business strikes; the other four were struck only in Proof format, though some of these Proofs later became worn. The unique 1870-S half dime is one of the six that he is missing, and it is the only date in all half dime series that he does not own. An 1802 half dime is among the coins that will be retained.

It is true that Uhrich has an exemplary, complete collection of Proofs dating from 1936 to the present. His mid-20th century Proofs usually have some degree of cameo contrast, and most of the later dates exhibit deep cameo effects. It is also true that Rich has a colorful collection of Proof Indian Cents, images of which can be viewed on the Stack’s website. Even so, Uhrich has generally tended towards circulated 19th century coins. He likes coins that have honest wear and medium, natural toning.

The Stack’s lot descriptions do not specifically identify the coins that are from Uhrich’s collection. Uhrich would like his coins to be so identified, and presents an outline, with many details, on his website.

For many years, Rich had a high level job in the management of a Fortune 500 corporation. In January 2006, he exercised an option for early retirement. On “the very next day,” he “became a full time coin dealer.” As a collector for almost his whole life, he had “dreamed of being involved in coins full time.” Uhrich is now a regular on the East Coast coin show circuit. As a dealer, he felt that it would be difficult to manage both a sizeable inventory and a 4000+ coin collection of his own. More importantly, Rich determined that he “accomplished” his “goal” as his “total set is as complete as it can feasibly be.”

His Bust Quarter (1796-1838) collection is included in his auction consignment. Rich has ninety-one of the ninety-six die varieties listed in the standard reference on Bust quarters. An 1822 of the overdenomination, 25/50, variety and a rare 1823/2 quarter are noteworthy. His set of Liberty Seated Quarters is complete by date, except for the 1873-CC ‘No Arrows.’

Likewise, except for the 1873-CC ‘No Arrows,’ Uhrich has a complete set of Liberty Seated dimes ‘by date’ (1837-91). Among Bust dimes, he has all dates and many varieties, including both the 13-star and 14-star varieties of 1804 dimes.

He has a complete set of Capped Bust halves by date, except the 1817/4. Similarly, with one exception, he has a complete set of Liberty Seated halves. For many series, he has doubled dates and overdates, including an 1847/6 half in Very Fine condition.

Circulated two cent pieces are affordable and the set is not difficult to complete. In lot #1281, eleven two cent pieces from Uhrich’s collection will be offered, ranging in grade from Good to Fine, including the 1864 ‘Small Motto.’ Additionally, Uhrich has many scarce Three Cent Silvers, including an “EF-40” 1865, an “EF-40” 1867, an “AU-50” 1868, a “VF-25” 1869, and both an 1870 and an 1871 that have been catalogued by Stack’s as “AU-50.”

Rich has a longtime fondness for Proofs that grade less than 60. He has an 1873 Three Cent Silver, a Proof-only date, that Stack’s grades “50.” He also has an 1877 Three Cent Nickel, another Proof-only date, that Stack’s grades “45.”

Rich’s collection contains a handful of patterns, particularly those that complement or almost ‘fit into’ date sets. He has an 1863 pattern two-cent piece. Regular issue two-cent pieces were first minted in 1864. Likewise, his 1858 Indian Cent is neat, and he has an 1859 Indian Cent pattern that has the reverse design of 1860, along with an 1863 Indian Cent struck in the alloy (Bronze) that was not officially employed until sometime in mid-1864.

All the scarce dates and interesting varieties in Uhrich’s collection cannot be listed here. Moreover, many of his non-rare coins will be of interest to casual or beginning collectors, and to very budget-minded buyers. Rich is a seasoned expert who has been active in the coin collecting community for decades. Collectors at many levels, with varying tastes, may benefit by acquiring coins that Uhrich carefully selected for his own collection.