BillJones

The edge reads that same as it would on a genuine coin. "Fifty Cents or half dollar." This one was made back in the 1830s or '40s well before China got into the act. The piece is a collectors' item in its own right. It is listed in Don Taxy's book, Counterfeit and Misstruck Coins.

This is a contemporary counterfeit of a Bust Half Dollar. It has a lettered edge, which is an immediate tip off that it is a counterfeit. All of the half dollars the mint issued in 1837 had a reeded edge.

Looking at the set, I don't think that it has been stored properly in the past. The nickel appears to be toned. I think that keeping the set intact is the best bet. This set was a big deal years ago because of the nickel. Given the quotes here, I guess the nickel still is important. A lot of collectors ordered this set and didn't get it because the mintage was limited.

This is very hard for non collectors who have no idea about grading coins. My suggestion is that you take a picture and post it here. Other collectors and dealers can give you an approximate grade. In general, the 1884-S dollar is very hard to find in strict Mint State and expensive. In the circulated grades, including even Almost Uncirculated, it is fairly common. Here are photos of a Mint State Morgan Dollar. You might compare your coin with this one. A prior generation of the current ANACS grading company graded this MS-63. ANACS started a part of American Numismatic Association, but was sold to private owners. I have a large collection, but Morgan Silver Dollars are not at the top of my list. I am a retired dealer and have been a collector for over 60 years.

It is already happening. There are store that won't take cash now. Most people are paying with credit cards. I rarely use cash or coins. I'm not thrilled about it because I question that having all of my economic transactions recorded is a good thing.

EBay has been historically loaded with counterfeits. Many of them get caught by collectors who look for them, but you have to bet that some of them have gotten through. I dare say that if you frequent flea markets, you will run into many counterfeits, especially "circulated Morgan Dollars." Time was you could buy those coins with relative confidence, but no more. Don't think that you are safe because you are only buying the common date and mint mark combinations. The Chinese are making those in droves. They look like circulated silver, but there is not a drop of silver in them.

As soon as I saw the 1836 Gobrecht Dollar at the top of this post, I said to myself, "That doesn't look right." I am quite sure that it is a counterfeit. Here is a real one which is graded PCGS PR-62, CAC.

In my opinion, these are the type of coins you buy raw. I can't see why they need to be certified. I'm not sure of the significance of a "Type II Silver Eagle." This is my take on it. I won this as a door prize at a local club. The price paid was about $35. I don't know where people are buying this for 5% over melt, at least not in bulk.

The first thing I would do is to buy a copy of this book. It's A Guide Book of United States Coins. It is known as the "Red Book" among collectors and dealers. This is 77th edition, and it has been issued annually since the mid 1940s. It provides a wealth of historical and collector information about U.S. coins from 1652 to the present. There are retail prices listed in it, but they are good on a relative basis only. Prices change for coins on a regular basis, and there are more timely guides. If there is a local coin club in your area, you might try a meeting or two. You might meet other collectors who can help you. You best numismatic friend might be an honest, knowledgeable loca dealer. A good dealer can help you to learn. You might also buy a coin folder and start to fill it from pocket change. If you find that you have a desire to fill all of the holes, you might be cut out to be a collector. Please remember that this is primarily a hobby. Making money from coins is tough. You have to know how to grade them and be up on the prices. You also have to have to patience to hold on to them for a while. I have been a collector since 1960, when I was child. I have coins in my collection that have owned for 60 years. I am also still an active buyer, but all "for fun." I could sell my whole collection for a profit, but I've owned many of those coins for a long time, and I have taken "some shots" to learn the ropes. I was a dealer for about 15 years. If I can help you on-line, please contact me or post something. I don't come to this site often these days, but it would be fun I could have more interactions with some collectors.

Here are genuine examples of each coin. 1908-S - One of my favorites because it was the U.S. cent to be struck at a branch mint. 1909-S Indian

Here is an MS-65 example of this coin that has been certified by our hosts. As you can see, there is quite a bit of difference.

Here is a genuine example of the variety, if that will be any help. I don't like the piece at all. I can't see how something which has that much detail would have that much damage. You really should post shots that "straight down" and not shot at an angle.

I like the the fact that the NGC Registry will take both NGC and PCGS U.S. coins. I buy the coins I like, not the holder. This concept allows for more of the best sets to be on display. The PCGS, PCGS only, policy severely limits my participation in their registry. I have built two sets over there, and don't plan to build any more.

The one big exception is the 1922 Plain cent. That was made from three wore out 1922-D dies that lost their “D” mint marks in addition to other design details.

Back 2016 one of these fakes showed up at the Lakeland, Florida coin show at the ICG grading table. It was in the original mint capsule, velvet box, carboard box and had the COA. The boxes and other mint issue items are sold from pieces that are sent in for slabbing.

I was buying a wire transfer at my local bank yesterday to pay a dealer in London. The bank people made mistakes on the first two forms and had to do it over again. Each time they did it, the price of the British pound was going down. In the end, I ended up paying less than I would have the first time around.

Don Taxy’s old book gives a lot of information on how the designs were developed. I have greatly enjoyed the book by Anthony Swaitek, but it was expensive and probably hard to find now. David Bowers also wrote one years ago that is large and comprehensive on the old commemoratives and the new up to the time of publication.

I don’t think that you will get an MS-65 with the scratch under “GR” in “GROCER” and the one in back of the “C” in the same word, but I could be wrong.

Yes, the 1804 C-6 half cent die variety, which is one of the Spiked Chin half cents, is fairly common as a variety, but some people have come up with as many as 18 die states of it. As a result, one collector could soak up that many examples in a die state set. It makes it harder for other collectors to get even one.

If you have all of the die varieties, why collect all the dies states unless it's something that is really striking, like a spectacular terminal die state? Why not start another collection? Back when drugs really started to be a problem, someone said "Getting addicted to cocaine (It was very expensive) was a sign that you were making too much money." To me getting addicted to die states is a sigh that it's time to move to something else.

As a collector, I tried not to collect die states. When I was collecting half cents by die variety back in the late 1980s and early 1990s, die states came into their own. I believe that the hobby is best when more people can participate. Half cents are scarce as a group, and there are not an infinite number of coins available, even for the common varieties. When one collector has to have four, five six, even 11 or more examples of one variety, there is less left for everyone. Therefore no, I don't collect die states. I might look them up in a book, but that's it.

The 1904 double eagle is the most common Liberty Head $20 gold by far. The 1908 St. Gaudens is pretty much in the same category. They are the ideal type coins, but most of the value is in the gold they contain. If gold bullion goes down in price, so will these coins.

The price of gold makes every large coin, like the double eagle ($20, expensive now. The $2.50 coins offer a chance to get a higher grade, more attractive coin for less money. I have also seen some conservative grading for them. This 1905 quarter eagle is in an MS-63 holder. It's well under $1,000, but, of course, you are getting a lot less gold.

I have been researching these coins and have not been able to find as much information as I would like. I know the first of these coins was issued in 1797 after a French invasion that the called "The Battle of Fishkill." Later on additional pieces were issued which had a larger counterstamp. The Bank of England also had the Soho Mint overstrike Spanish dollars completely which resulted in the 1804 British dollars which were valued at 5 shillings. Does anyone know how long the counterstamped coins were issued? I've read that they were issued after 1804, but I don't know if that is correct. Thanks for any help you can give me about this history.

It is obvious on a dime. Look at just about any modern Proof. Anything smaller than that can be an issue, but then you are looking at half dimes, Silver Three Cent pieces and Gold dollars. This Type III gold dollar is a marked Proof CAM.