The publisher and managing partner of the new ownership group for the Coin Dealer Newsletter family of numismatic pricing publications says changes are in store that will improve and enhance the products provided to subscribers.

John Feigenbaum, formerly president of David Lawrence Rare Coins in Virginia Beach, Va., said that he is looking forward to “reestablishing a great brand” with pricing that is “unbiased and objective.” 

Feigenbaum had confirmed to Coin World on July 30 that he was the managing partner for the investment group that purchased CDN Publishing LLC from the Downing family a little over a month after the untimely death from cancer of CDN Publisher Shane Downing at age 47.

“The passing of Shane Downing left a void in the management, and the owners decided to seek a new publisher,” Feigenbaum said.

Additional investors

On Sept. 4, Feigenbaum identified four additional members of the investment group comprising the new ownership — Jim Halperin, Steve Ivy, Mark Salzberg, and Steve Eichenbaum.

Two of the members of the group are from Heritage Auctions. Halperin is co-chairman of the Dallas firm and Ivy is co-chairman and chief executive officer.

The other two members are officers of Certified Collectibles Group, the parent to Numismatic Guaranty Corp. in Sarasota, Fla. Salzberg is chairman and Eichenbaum is chief executive officer.

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Feigenbaum, who is also a managing partner of CoinPlex, a dealers-only trading exchange for certified U.S. coins, says he has stepped down from the day-to-day operations at DLRC.

DLRC will continue to serve its numismatic customers under a management team headed by DLRC numismatist John Brush, Feigenbaum said. DLRC will also continue to offer its online auctions, Feigenbaum said.

“While my partners and I have various numismatic interests, I have opted to retire from my full-time career as a rare coin dealer to focus on the information side of the hobby, and I will dedicate myself to the publication and growth of CDN, and its family of publications,” Feigenbaum said Sept. 4 via email. 

The DLRC website is at https://www.davidlawrence.com/.

Feigenbaum said the numismatic pricing will be at arms-length without interference from the partners.

“My partners and I have entered into this new arrangement with the full understanding that CDN will run without any pricing or reporting influence from the partners, or related entities; and that they are passive investors in this endeavor,” Feigenbaum said. Feigenbaum added, “CDN will continue to operate with the same independent authority as always, with a renewed focus on contemporary market-pricing concerns, including a greater focus on areas such as auction price results, the impact of CAC [Certified Acceptance Corp., www.caccoin.com], and ‘plus’ grading.

“The world of coin pricing is incredibly complex and CDN has a very important role to fill in protecting buyers and sellers by getting the pricing right.”

Feigenbaum has more than 30 years of professional coin experience that he will use to lead his team of analysts, headed by CDN Editor Patrick Ian Perez.

Feigenbaum said he is currently working on the physical move of CDN from California to Virginia.

No major changes

“We are not planning any major changes, except to work hard on updating pricing on specialty series, which have been long neglected,” Feigenbaum said. “In our second phase, we will speak to our readers to determine the top areas of focus for improvements and change.

“CDN feels like a start-up company all of a sudden, and it’s a very exciting time for me and my staff,” he added.

Among improvements to be considered are the revamping of the CDN website (https://www.greysheet.com/); redesign and reformatting of the publications for easier reading; and modern product delivery methods, including mobile apps.

Feigenbaum said among subscriber concerns is that the size of some type used is too small for ideal ease of reading.

The CDN family of publications offers The Coin Dealer Newsletter, commonly known as “The Grey Sheet”; The CDN Monthly Supplement; the Certified Coin Dealer Newsletter, also known as “The Blue Sheet”; and The Currency Dealer Newsletter, also known as “The Green Sheet.”

John Feigenbaum can be reached at john@greysheet.com.

Perez can be reached at patrick@greysheet.com. 

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