Just Bob

There are those who will disagree with me, but, in my opinion, neither the color of a coin, nor its "eye appeal" should effect the grade - at least not the assigned number. The amount of wear (on a circulated coin,) and the number of contact marks ( on an uncirculated coin,) should determine the grade. "Eye appeal" is subjective, and can not be defined quantitatively. Well, that may not be entirely true. You can assign a number to it, but that number will be arbitrary, and should not determine the grade. If anything, it should be listed separately, along with strike, luster, and any other descriptive term that the hobby decides is necessary to assign a value.

From 1965 to 1970, Kennedy halves were made of an 80% silver/20% copper layer over a core of .209 silver/.791 copper. 1971 and later were made of 75% copper/25% nickel over a core of pure copper. The 80% silver layer is likely why the '68 that you posted first is lighter than the '89. The other '68 may be darker because of toning, caused by exposure to the environment.

Aside from the 1968, are any of your other Kennedys minted before 1971?

The first and last ones being fake does not bode well for the others.

Checking auction prices realized is one of the best ways to determine a coins actual value, as JKK said, but be aware that what you posted is actually an inventory sheet. It contains coins that Heritage has listed for sale. While they will not rip you off, they are in business to make money, so don't expect to receive those same prices if you decide to sell your coins to a dealer. JT's advice to buy a "red book," A Guidebook of United States Coins, is also sound. Don't pay too much attention to the prices in there, either. They are usually high retail. They can be used, though, to compare the value of one coin to another, and determine which are the better dates. Don't clean the coins, even though you may think they need it. You will remove most of the value if you do. Feel free to post clear close up pictures of any you may have questions about. We will be happy to help. Edited to add: Kurt posted while I was typing, so let me second what he said. A coin's condition can make a huge difference in the price, especially when you get in the upper grades. If your grades match those listed, you will have an amazing collection.

Thank you, Dena.

Did you just ask me if I needed a tutor? I was going to make a joke and try to have a fun conversation with you, but never mind.

Welcome to the forum, and let me first offer my condolences on your loss. The advice to buy a "Red Book" aka "A Guidebook of United States Coins," is sound advice. You can use this reference to compare the relative value of your coins; just keep in mind that the listed values are usually high retail, not what you should expect to get for them should you decide to sell. Kurt's idea of putting some of your coins in an album is also a good one, in my opinion. In fact, if you have heirs, you might want to build a set for each. You can buy Whitman, Harris, or other brands of albums at Books-A-Million or online. https://www.wizardcoinsupply.com/products/Whitman-folders/ The other coins can be grouped as the others have suggested, then gone through to look for varieties, if you want to go to the trouble of doing that. You will likely run across coins with various types of worthless doubling, (and feel free to post pictures of any that look promising), but you will soon learn to tell the "good" from the "bad," if you follow a few of the posts on that subject that are always popping up on this forum. I will go ahead and give you a head start by posting a link to an article by our host: https://www.ngccoin.com/news/article/5688/Double-Dies-vs-Machine-Doubling/ As a general rule.most anything in the cent category after about 1940 or so is only going to worth a few cents, even in higher circulated grades. It seems odd that a nice example of a 75 year old coin would not be worth much, but it is the truth. At this point, I wouldn't be concerned with trying to have anything graded by a third party service. Unless you have something worth $100 or more, you will probably be money ahead keeping them raw. If you have questions or need some help with something, don't hesitate to post.

On which point are you betting your house?

Welcome to the forum, Jason. You did not specify a grade for the 1883 "no cents" nickel, but I assume you meant that it was also AU58. Looking at the NGC population shows 342 "regulars" in that grade, vs 1 (yours?) VP-005. Since there is no "With Varieties" set for Liberty nickels, the market would be limited to people who collect the series with varieties, or who collect varieties as a whole. In other words, even though there is only one graded, compared to 342 that are not doubled, the market is probably quite slim. Finding a buyer willing to pay more for this one than the price for a normal specimen may prove difficult.

The responsibility of informing a new member, or anyone else, who they should or should not ignore does not belong to me, you, or any other member of this forum.

It would do a wonderful job of leaving hairlines and unnatural color.

Does this same technique work for darkly toned or circulated, dark copper / brass / bronze coins or tokens?

For the benefit of any newbies who may read this post in the future: Using an abrasive method or an abrasive cleaner is not something you want to do, if you intend to sell or pass your coins down to your heirs. It will remove most, if not all, numismatic value from a coin. If you're cleaning a bunch of junk coins before returning them to circulation, or shining moderns up to encase them in epoxy to make a tabletop, or something like that, I suppose this works as well as anything. But, as a general rule, you should NEVER clean your coins. On the other hand, a soak and rinse in acetone can be a safe method for removing gunk and PVC contamination, if done correctly. Now, back to your regularly scheduled program..

It looks like extreme wear, coupled with corrosion that has since been cleaned off.

I am curious to know if the exposed areas of any of the coins look different than the areas that were touching other coins.

I think the color progression is legit, but I think the pictures have been juiced to fool us and/or teach something. I vote NT. And, yeah, in order for someone to properly asses a coin, full, clear pictures are necessary. But, this is a mostly anonymous coin forum, not a matter of life or death. If you want to have some fun posting cryptic threads, let 'er rip. I will play along, show how little I know, and maybe learn something along the way.

Bobby (bsshog40) and I, and probably others have reported this several times over the years, and sent questions to "ASK NGC", and nothing has ever been done about it, and no one from NGC has ever responded. As others have mentioned, I have to log out to see who has responded to any post. Interestingly, I can see who responds over on the comics forum, even when I am logged in.

It took a hit on the reverse, which pushed metal out on the obverse, causing the raised areas on the cheek and neck, and distorting the date. It also has damage in other areas, and considerable wear. Welcome to the forum.

I am going to shift gears, and post something completely different from my normal posts. We went to the Flight 93 Memorial in Pennsylvania yesterday, and I must say, it was a moving experience. I don't normally agree with or support commercializing tragedies, but the proceeds from the items in the gift shop there are supposed to go toward maintaining the site, so I bought this token. If you are ever in the area, I recommend going to see this place. It is worth the trip.

Is there any damage or marking on the rim 180 degrees opposite this bent spot?

I carried this one in my pocket for a while to see if I could wear the cleaning marks off by legitimate means.( I don't have an "after" pic) It is now in an envelope to see if it will tone a bit.

Were these carbon-rod arc lights, like the ones used in older movie projectors?

Welcome to the forum. Your coin appears to simply be damaged. It would not receive a grade if submitted, in my opinion. Keep hunting

Welcome to the forum. Although the angle and the lighting make the doubling a little more difficult to decipher, it does not appear to be hub doubling - which is the cause of a doubled die coin. Take a look at this article by our host: Link to article