Just Bob

Someone really wanted that 91 point registry score bump badly. Or, maybe they just wanted the prestige of owning one of the finest graded examples. I wonder, though, if there are more out there waiting to be made. A price like that might just set folks looking for gradable examples in rolls and mint sets.

Rulau 4th edition doesn't have any additional information.

I had a feeling you would catch that.

I could post pictures with circles and arrows, and lay it all out, but I prefer to make this a "teach a man to fish" reply. I will give the basics, and provide some links for further study, if anyone is so inclined. This information is also available in the Red Book. As Sandon stated above, Trade Dollars had two obverse types. There were also two reverse types. (Skip Fazzari has done extensive research into these, and has identified several sub-types, which have differences in the eagle's feathers, the right end of the ribbon, and other places.) The type one obverse and reverse were used through 1876, so no coin dated 1877 should show any markers of either the type one obverse or reverse. Here is a link to a site with pictures that show the most easily identifiable markers for the two obverse and reverse types. https://www.usacoinbook.com/coins/3169/dollars/trade/1876-P/type-1-obverse-type-2-reverse/ The NGC Variety Plus page shows which years has which types paired together, https://www.ngccoin.com/variety-plus/united-states/dollars/trade-dollars-1873-1885/819432/

I like it!

Great coin! Congratulations!

Thank you for returning this thread to its original intent.

Actually, this coin is a counterfeit, too.

I don't blame you for that. I wouldn't want anything that might cause a spot or other streak being trapped inside there with my coin. Inert plastic is one thing, but a hair would need to be removed.

Here is a link to a discussion on another forum which has pictures of several other coins showing this same damage, along with a possible explanation of how they were formed. Dryer coin thread - click here

That is sad. He was one of the good guys.

Wouldn't you just love to be the newbie at NGC who gets stuck grading a pallet full of ASEs? I'd go nuts!

I seem to recall there being two different varieties with the mint mark placed next to the "5" like that. (A "high D" and a "higher D" ? Or maybe a "high D" and a "not-so-high D"?) The one that NGC has listed as FS-401 is the higher of the two, I believe. It appears to match your coin. This one actually did bring a premium at one time, since it was also listed in the Red Book. It may, still - I do not keep up with these. I am not sure how many collectors would want to buy one as beat up as that one, but it is pretty cool to find one in the wild. Do some looking on Ebay at sold certified examples, and you should be able to tell if it would be worth the money to have yours graded.

I don't want anyone to think that I meant that I was feeling superior, or that not having a set of scales somehow made me a better collector than anyone else. I just never felt scales were necessary to what I collect. I was, however, wondering if I was missing out on something, since everyone else, including almost every newbie, seems to own a set. I sort of felt like the oddball. I find it somehow comforting to find out that there are others like me.

It's nice to know that I am not the only collector who has never felt it necessary to buy a scale.

FYI: The link in your signature line is not working, at least for me.

I found another variety of this wooden nickel. (Thank you Fenntucky Mike for making me aware of the different types.) Given the recent passing of Mr. Lange, there was no way I was going to let it get away.

My first guess when viewing on my phone was VF, with XF a possibility, if more luster shows in hand than in the pictures. Viewing it on my laptop doesn't really change my opinion. I can't tell if that is a rim ding at about 6:30 on the reverse, or just a stain, but, if it is a ding, I don't think it would keep the coin from getting a grade. I also can't tell enough from the pics to offer an opinion on whether or not I think it might have been messed with, but I will say that (again, judging from the pictures) I like the look of the coin, since I have a feeling that the toning looks nicer in hand.

I have been doing some research into these Menelik II coins. If I ever branch out into dark side collecting, this will probably be the way I go.

Sorry, but this information isn't completely accurate. While some errors are the result of die damage, etc., most of the things involving the dies that are called errors are actually die states or varieties. The majority of true errors are either planchet errors - lamination, improper alloy, clipped planchet, etc. - or strike errors - misaligned dies, broad strikes, double strikes, capped dies, etc.

Any Tom,Richard , or Harriet can open up a shop, rent a booth at a flea market, or sit behind a table at a coin show, and call himself (or herself) a dealer. No expertise, or even knowledge of coins, is necessary. And, it really does seem that coin dealers in general are often lacking in basic social skills. I have never understood why that is so. I hope you find another dealer that will actually give decent service and have decent inventory. A good relationship with a dealer really is a plus when it comes to buying and selling coins.

We have moderators?!

Welcome to the forum, marr420. Do you mind if I ask what error you feel that you are seeing? The pictures are not clear enough to tell much about the coin.

So many times we wait until someone has passed before we acknowledge their achievements or contributions, or even tell anyone how we feel about them. It is great that the MSNA took the time to pay tribute to this man while he was still living. My condolences to his family and those who knew him.

That is just Wong.