Just Bob

I would say you were holding two Chinese fakes at worst, and one fake pattern trade dollar and one very overpriced Morgan dollar at best. Oops, missed the first three coins. Those all look fake, too. OK, my post is confusing, even to me, so let me rephrase it: The coins are fake. Run away as fast as you can.

Must be a regional thing. I was raised in the South, and I never heard of putting sugar on grits until I was in my thirties. Sugar was for oatmeal or cream of wheat. Grits were, and are, eaten with salt and pepper, maybe crumble up a little bacon in there, or even mix it in with your fried egg. (I also don't say you'uns or pronounce sugar as sugah. That is a regional thing, too.)

Since you didn't grow up with them, I have to ask: Are you a sugar, or salt-and-pepper kind of guy?

Closest I found was VAM14, but I admit I didn't spend but about 30 minutes looking. http://www.vamworld.com/wiki/1878-P_VAM-14

I am much more likely to skip over a regular poster's poorly written or rambling post, since I already know what their normal content is like. I tend to treat newbies with a little more leniency. However, let them develop an attitude, and I am done.

I had a long response typed out about die states, die markers, and Sheldon/Bowers-Whitman numbers around 9 hours ago, but I guess I failed to hit the "submit" button. Rather than re-type everything, I will just mention to the OP to check and see if the "0" in the date is directly opposite of the "O" in "OF." On the later die state coins (and maybe the earlier ones, too) the dies were slightly rotated. This does not guarantee authenticity, but will let you know that it is likely a fake, if there is no rotation. If the coin is, in fact, genuine, it is worth a few hundred dollars, even with the AG Details/Corrosion grade.

8

If it is a new poster, I read it all the way through. I am curious enough to see what they have, and what they want to know, to overlook a poorly written post.

I get the same impression. It is much easier and cheaper to just post a question on a chat board, or do an internet search. Both have their place, but nothing can take the place of an accurately researched book. Right now, I have 4 books sitting beside me on the couch, and two more on the nightstand, next to my bed. I guess I am "old school."

I'm not sure if your picture is meant to go with your post, but that is not where the "L" is.

And, even if they can't figure out how to use everything, imagine how many millions of dollars they can get from folks who can use the stuff - like Iran.

Not only was the "Strong N" introduced in 1870, but there were also some "Weak N" dies that were re-hubbed with the "Strong N" hub. This created a doubled-die reverse that is called a "Type 2" by Snow. The OP's coin is a fake, though, regardless.

Tolerance is .227, so the acceptable average weight is 5.44 to 5.90, rounded to two decimal places.

I don't think it was struck through anything. It looks to me like it's just post mint damaged. The distance between the faces of the dies is small enough that, had there been a nut, bolt, or screw in there, it would have made a much deeper impression than shows on your coin.

I have a feeling that the photographers put them up to it, but, yes, I agree it looks dumb. If I were in that position, I would refuse to do it. Since we are on the subject, sort of: Wearing the US flag draped across your shoulders is a breach of flag etiquette. This should be taught to these athletes. A victory lap around the track holding a small flag would show national pride without disrespecting our symbol.

Congratulations to Mr. Lange and Mr. Burdette, for excellent writing, and to Kurt for a job well done!

I am going to go ahead and cast my vote for AT, but I am not at all familiar with how these were packaged or stored, so I could be wrong.

Congratulations on your award.

That is exactly how it was done. They sent out questionnaires to collectors all across the United States. I don't understand why you don't know about this. They sent mailers to everyone they considered to be of any significance whatsoever to the Hobby. Did you not get one?

Oooh! I want it! Can you get me that for Christmas?

Hey, Tom. Good to see you posting again! I hope everything is going well. There have been quite a few additions to the roster since you have been here. Some are good guys, and some...well... I will let you figure out who is who on your own. On a personal note: how did the dissertation go? What is going on in your world these days? (we can have this conversation by PM, rather than hijack the OP's thread, or you can start an "I'm Back" thread, if you would like.) Again - good to have you back.

When you first posted this, I though you were just showing us a nice coin that was going to be in an upcoming auction, and giving us some background information. I did not realize that you had bought it. Very nice score!

I agree. I don't think this is a counterfeit that was intended to fool anyone. There was no attempt to even clean up the edges. It looks like something one would find at a gift shop or souvenir stand.

I believe that is the first time I've ever heard that phrase used in connection with a coin purchase. I can assure you it would not apply to any of mine.

Every CAC gold stickered NGC coin that I have ever seen was in a no-line fattie, and if I ever saw a PCGS gold-stickered coin that wasn't in a rattler, I don't recall it. Read into that what you will. It is accepted in the coin community that grading standards have loosened over the years, but that does not mean that every coin in an older generation holder is automatically assumed to be undergraded. Some are still in the old holders for a reason.