Just Bob

Before you leave us, would you mind explaining what a "die change error" is? I am not familiar with this term.

Here is what I found: In addition to the two Hard Times (1832 - 1844) tokens above, there is another listed - E.& I. Bragaw, from Mobile. U.S. Merchant tokens (1845-1860): There is a B. FERGUSON of Huntsville counterstamped on a Peru 8-reales of 1838. There are also a lot more than three varieties of the Mobile token mentioned above. ALA 2 through ALA 6 are from 1853, and are the original medal in different metals. ALA 7 through 26C are mulings with at least six different reverses, of various metals. There are also other mulings known that Rulau does not list. All mulings were struck in or after 1860. You have already mentioned the Civil War (1861 - 1865) token of White & Swann. There is known a unique Alabama Confederate ID tag counterstamped on an 1835(?) U.S. Large Cent. For U.S.Trade tokens (1866 - 1889,): Bank Saloon, and The Dude Saloon, both of Birmingham, J.M. Appling of Carbon Hill, J.L. Hartung of Eufaula, J.M. McRohan of Hayneville, B.M. Gregory, McLEan & Winter, and McMillan & Harrison of Mobile, C.L. Ruth of Montgomery, Tallapoosa Copper Reduction Co. of Tallapoosa, and Goldwaithe & Son of Troy. There is also a "Champion" counterstamped 1875 Seated Liberty half dollar listed as Birmingham. The Gay 90s (1890 - 1900) section lists: Burnette & Florence, J.L. Chalifoux & Co., Huston Biscuit Co., Shelby Iron Co., from Birmingham; C.M. Jackson from Coosada; T.C.I. & R.R.Co. from Ensley; Lake Lumber from Florala; and S.W. Reeves from Tuscaloosa.

Alabama had at least two 1835 Hard Times Tokens LINK HERE Also there was a Merchant Token from 1853, with 3 varieties LINK HERE I will take a look at Rulau this evening, and see if I see anything else.

"Make do?"

Can you get that in writing?

More great additions to a fabulous collections of coins and medals.

Compare the shape of the "8" and the letters to this picture:

Yeah. That whole album was good.

I heard that that was the original opening line to the Blackfoot hit "Highway Song." Unfortunately, they couldn't find an appropriate word to rhyme with "coin," so they changed it to "Another day - another dollar."

Given the fact that we have seen several examples of this kind of damage fairly recently, I wonder if this is not the result of the coins being caught in some kind of machine - similar to a "dryer coin." Notice that the cheek and hair are worn smooth, without the grinder marks.

I can see all kinds of potential for fraud with this.

I know "LOL" is used often, but I really did laugh out loud when I saw that.

Welcome to the forum. The Collection Manager is on the Collector's Society website, under the heading "My Collection." CLICK HERE Thanks to NGC admin Maribeth, I just learned yesterday that there is a link from this NGC website. Going to the NGC homepage, clicking Resources - NGC Registry - Browse Custom Sets - will take you to the old registry on the Collector's Society page, and "My Collection" is in a little bar near the top. I don't participate in the registry on either site, so I can't offer opinions on the merits of NGC vs PCGS, or the old NGC registry vs the new version.

Thank you, Maribeth.

Most any description of Kennedy halves lists the composition of those minted from 1965 - 1970 as "40% Silver, 60% Copper." While this is technically true, it does not tell the whole story. They are actually minted from a "silver-clad sandwich," consisting of outer layers of .800 Silver and .200 Copper, bonded to a core of .209 Silver and .791 Copper. This works out to the 60/40 ratio that all the information sources have listed. It also means that they look like they contain more silver than they actually do, since the surface that you see is 80% silver. As Wood said, the edges will often show faint layers of the cladding, but it may sometimes be hard to see. This does not mean that it is impossible to have a wrong-planchet error, where the coin was struck on a leftover 1964 90% silver planchet - I think there has been one or more of these actually discovered - but, the odds are very slim, and you should assume your coin is normal until proven otherwise.

Nice to see that others know of the Hartzog site. The exonumia community lost a friend and major player when Rich passed away. Although the earlier posted "K.Cook" counterstamp was not on the list, this "PITTSB" counterstamp is. Unfortunately, if the coin is not listed in Rulau, you may have to consult Greg Brunk's book "Merchant and Privately Countermarked Coins" for further information. It isn't cheap, though. The last time I saw a copy for sale, it was priced at over $700.

The only thing that I found specifically for GSA holders is a Guardhouse brand wooden box made to hold 10 slabs. Wizard is currently out of stock. I also checked the Guardhouse website, but I could not find the box there. This may mean it is no longer sold by them, but you could contact them to be sure. Link to Wizard here. Guardhouse homepage here

In this scenario, I think it is reasonable to expect the dealer not to lie.

I can recall seeing comments such as "CAC declined to sticker this coin," or similar, in the descriptions of coins on your website, when you were selling. I always thought that was admirable.

For the 1999 coins, the "Close AM" is the common one. It is the "Wide AM" that is scarce. So far, it is only known on Philadelphia minted coins. See this link HERE (Scroll down to the bottom of the page)

On the bust half - Star 7 touches the cap, Reverse ribbon ends under the point of the "M," right inside serif on the bases of the "A"s are missing. That is Obverse die 9, paired with Reverse die H - Overton-109. For the half dime: Star 7 is close to the headband, and points to the top of the headband, Star 8 close to the cap; Reverse has extra "serif" between "C" and "A," "I" in "PLURIBUS" between the "A" and "T." Looks like obverse die 1 and Reverse die F. That is Logan-McCloskey-2.

You did? Where did you tell us that? Certainly not here in this thread. Go back and look at what you typed above. You never said anything about what you posted first or second. If you could post a link to the other coins that look like yours, that have sold on Heritage, Great Collections, or another legitimate site, I would be happy to look at them.

The date of the coin in the picture has been obscured, so I am guessing that it is a stock photo. If that is the case, none of us can really offer anything substantial at this point, since the coin you receive may look nothing like the picture. The best we can do is speculate, based on past experience. (Which, based on some of the replies, has not been that good for some members.) Once you get the coin in hand, we (and you) will be able to judge more precisely whether or not you got a good deal. If it turns out to be a decent, uncleaned, MS coin, then the price is not too bad, in my opinion. If it is circulated or damaged in some way.... well, let's just wait and see. One thing to remember: It isn't always about, "Can I buy this coin cheaper somewhere else?" Sometimes what matters is whether or not you like the coin, and whether it fits your collection. Hoping for a good report when it comes in.

I there a link on the NGC home page, or elsewhere on the site, to collectors-society.com, or to the collection manager? I was looking for one yesterday, and did not see it. Obviously, I can type the address in myself, but I was just trying to save a little time.