BillJones

I had been looking for an 1802 over 1 dollar for several years. Although there are five die varieties of it, the coin does not seem to crop up frequently. There were quite a few in the Heritage auction that will close shortly, but I spotted this one at the rent Winter FUN bourse. It is an NGC graded AU-55.
The Bowers dollar book variety is BB 234. It is a die chip to the right of Ms. Liberty's eye which is a characteristic of the variety. I liked it because the overdate is very sharp. 
 

The Boston Museum of Fine Arts sold off most of its coins 30 years ago -- this included the ONLY pattern 1908 $5, which had been donated by Bigelow to the Museum. The coin was unknown until my research and nobody knows where it is now. It will seem distinctive only to someone who understands what to look for.
As for SI, I think they loan items, but do not sell them. They got burned on the fakes that JJ Ford and Stacks foisted off on them with the Lilly collection.

I had been looking for an 1802 over 1 dollar for several years. Although there are five die varieties of it, the coin does not seem to crop up frequently. There were quite a few in the Heritage auction that will close shortly, but I spotted this one at the rent Winter FUN bourse. It is an NGC graded AU-55.
The Bowers dollar book variety is BB 234. It is a die chip to the right of Ms. Liberty's eye which is a characteristic of the variety. I liked it because the overdate is very sharp. 
 

I have gotten the log-in straighten out on both devices. 

I have tried repeatedly to log into the NGC Chat Boards with my iPad. It will not accept my password. Yet the same password works on my desktop. Has anyone else had the same problem? 

Bill's anecdotes are on the nose and were once common discussion among collectors. Now, I guess they have become new insights for new collectors. They can also be a reminder for collectors to examine any coin of interest closely -- What might appear to be a "proof like" of limited value, could also be one of the proofs put  into circulation by the Philadelphia Mint. This kind of find requires a thorough understanding of how proof coins were made, the kind of presses used, die treatment, handling, and mechanical details - the "big find" would be any circulated proof gold coin.
To begin preparation for the hunt, read all the MODERN books you can about mint machinery, equipment and mechanics. (A little  - hint: look in my books, especially From Mine to Mint, for facts and details. Add my Numismatist article, "A Brief History of United States
Proof Coins" [2022] on the basics of proof coins. Also, get familiar with language relating to 19th/early 20th century proofs by searching on NNP. For example you'll find
RG104 E-6 Box 28 Vol 2 Jan 2 1885- Dec 27 1886-Medal Clerk.pdf
RG104 E-6 Box 29 Vol 3 June 16 1888- Mar 2 1889-Medal Clerk.pdf
RG104 E-6 Box 29 Vol 1 Dec 14 1887- June 16 1888-Medal Clerk.pdf
RG104 E-6 Box 30 Vol 2 Nov 23 1892-Nov 18 1893 Medals-Proofs.pdf
RG104 E-6 Box 31 Vol 1 Oct 18 1893-Aug 1 1894 Medals Proof.pdf
RG104 E-6 Box 31 Vol 2 Aug 2 1894-July 1 1895 Medals Proof.pdf
All of these describe proof coin and medal orders by collectors, and include occasional complaints.
Here's a little technical detail about the screw press used for medals and proof coins. It's damaged and not clear but it's a little more we didn't have:
[On back of letter] Sept 1, 1860.
 The diameter of eccentric shaft is 4-3/4 inches. Face of arch 26-inches.
Distance from center of eccentric shaft to point of striking is 30-1/4 inches.
Width of slide -- 6-3/4 inches.
W. depositing other moving pieces slide moves – 6-1/4 inches.
Distance between uprights supporting [xxx] sections – 19-5/8 inches.
            Which are the trapped pivot [xxx] to which is attached the carriage motion rod.

I am scheduled to give a counterfeit detection seminar at the 2024 FUN show. It will be at 11:45 AM on Thursday, January 4.The emphasis will be on how to spot counterfeit coins in counterfeit slabs on-line. There will be handout so that you can use my tips on your computer, cell phone and iPad at home and at the shows.  
I hope to meet you there!  

I'll see what I can do with on-line media. It's been an education for me with the cell phone and iPad. I know a lot more about coins than I do about using devices. I have gotten the PCGS chip to work on my cell phone. 

I am scheduled to give a counterfeit detection seminar at the 2024 FUN show. It will be at 11:45 AM on Thursday, January 4.The emphasis will be on how to spot counterfeit coins in counterfeit slabs on-line. There will be handout so that you can use my tips on your computer, cell phone and iPad at home and at the shows.  
I hope to meet you there!  

I'll see what I can do with on-line media. It's been an education for me with the cell phone and iPad. I know a lot more about coins than I do about using devices. I have gotten the PCGS chip to work on my cell phone. 

Many years ago, the late coin dealer, Robert Bachelder, had an original 1904 Proof set that had everything but the silver dollar. He told me that the owner had spent the silver dollar during the Great Depression when he was short of cash. 
There was another story about a depression era dealer, I think it might have been Abe Kossoff, declining to buy a complete 19th century gold set. He paid something like $5 for three dollar gold, but declined to buy the $20 gold. Why? He was concerned that he didn't have a customers who could pay $20 floor that was under the value of the piece. I suppose that he didn't have heart to take the coin to the bank. and lose a couple dollars if he didn't sell it. 
Of course, all of these coins would be collectors' treasures today, which would be worth many thousands of dollars. It's hard to believe how tough times were then. My parents were lucky. My father lost $75 in gold coins he won for graduating 1st in his class from high school when he deposited it into a local bank that failed. My mother's family survived the Depression and kept their house, farm and store, but she was scared by the experience was very concerned about money, even when they were doing well in the 1950s. 

I am scheduled to give a counterfeit detection seminar at the 2024 FUN show. It will be at 11:45 AM on Thursday, January 4.The emphasis will be on how to spot counterfeit coins in counterfeit slabs on-line. There will be handout so that you can use my tips on your computer, cell phone and iPad at home and at the shows.  
I hope to meet you there!  

Absolutely correct. Further in the 19th century it was normal practice to put unsold proofs (and ones that failed inspection) into circulation at their face value. They were, after all, legal tender coins. Also, when families faced economic hardship, coin collections were among the first possessions to be sold or spent.

I am scheduled to give a counterfeit detection seminar at the 2024 FUN show. It will be at 11:45 AM on Thursday, January 4.The emphasis will be on how to spot counterfeit coins in counterfeit slabs on-line. There will be handout so that you can use my tips on your computer, cell phone and iPad at home and at the shows.  
I hope to meet you there!  

"Proof" refers to a coinage process, not a a grade. Therefore a coin which was struck as a proof, which was circulated, is graded by the degree of wear. 
Sometimes it's impossible to tell if a coin was Proof piece after it has been circulated. For example 1955 Proof cent that is put into circulation might look the same as a 1955 business strike piece if it is worn down to something like Fine condition. If however, a 1969-S quarter were to be found in circulation with considerable wear, you would still know that it is a Proof because the San Francisco Mint did not produce any business strike quarters that year. All of them were Proofs. 

Yes, all of the dies are polished before they are used to strike coins. The Proof coins get special attention.
Sometimes the Proof coin dies are re-polished to extend their useful life, and sometimes the results can be really bad in my opinion. Proof coins are supposed to have perfectly mirrored fields. When you have a bunch of polish lines on a Proof coin, which are raised BTW, they can look very much like hairlines. I avoid those coins, regardless of the grades a TPG might put them. This was a bigger problem in the 1950s and than it is today. 
Sometimes Proof coins lose design features when they are re-polished. This was a big problem in the 1940s. The Walking Liberty Half Dollars that are missing the designer's initials on the reverse are an example. Once more I prefer not to buy those coins, but error collectors think they are cool. 

"Proof" refers to a coinage process, not a a grade. Therefore a coin which was struck as a proof, which was circulated, is graded by the degree of wear. 
Sometimes it's impossible to tell if a coin was Proof piece after it has been circulated. For example 1955 Proof cent that is put into circulation might look the same as a 1955 business strike piece if it is worn down to something like Fine condition. If however, a 1969-S quarter were to be found in circulation with considerable wear, you would still know that it is a Proof because the San Francisco Mint did not produce any business strike quarters that year. All of them were Proofs. 

Yes, all of the dies are polished before they are used to strike coins. The Proof coins get special attention.
Sometimes the Proof coin dies are re-polished to extend their useful life, and sometimes the results can be really bad in my opinion. Proof coins are supposed to have perfectly mirrored fields. When you have a bunch of polish lines on a Proof coin, which are raised BTW, they can look very much like hairlines. I avoid those coins, regardless of the grades a TPG might put them. This was a bigger problem in the 1950s and than it is today. 
Sometimes Proof coins lose design features when they are re-polished. This was a big problem in the 1940s. The Walking Liberty Half Dollars that are missing the designer's initials on the reverse are an example. Once more I prefer not to buy those coins, but error collectors think they are cool. 

"Proof" refers to a coinage process, not a a grade. Therefore a coin which was struck as a proof, which was circulated, is graded by the degree of wear. 
Sometimes it's impossible to tell if a coin was Proof piece after it has been circulated. For example 1955 Proof cent that is put into circulation might look the same as a 1955 business strike piece if it is worn down to something like Fine condition. If however, a 1969-S quarter were to be found in circulation with considerable wear, you would still know that it is a Proof because the San Francisco Mint did not produce any business strike quarters that year. All of them were Proofs. 

Yes, all of the dies are polished before they are used to strike coins. The Proof coins get special attention.
Sometimes the Proof coin dies are re-polished to extend their useful life, and sometimes the results can be really bad in my opinion. Proof coins are supposed to have perfectly mirrored fields. When you have a bunch of polish lines on a Proof coin, which are raised BTW, they can look very much like hairlines. I avoid those coins, regardless of the grades a TPG might put them. This was a bigger problem in the 1950s and than it is today. 
Sometimes Proof coins lose design features when they are re-polished. This was a big problem in the 1940s. The Walking Liberty Half Dollars that are missing the designer's initials on the reverse are an example. Once more I prefer not to buy those coins, but error collectors think they are cool. 

It was a couple months ago, but here is an 1813 British guinea, which is known as the "Military Guinea." This piece was struck for Lord Wellington's forces when he was fighting the French and Spanish in Spain during the Napoleonic Wars. The Spanish locals would not take silver coins which made these pieces necessary. 
These pieces bring strong prices although they are not overly rare. It is a one year type coin. 
I bought this one from a London coin dealer who had 11 of them on his site. This one is graded AU-58. He had an MS-62 that I did not like as well. He also had an MS-63, but that was out of my price range. 

"Proof" refers to a coinage process, not a a grade. Therefore a coin which was struck as a proof, which was circulated, is graded by the degree of wear. 
Sometimes it's impossible to tell if a coin was Proof piece after it has been circulated. For example 1955 Proof cent that is put into circulation might look the same as a 1955 business strike piece if it is worn down to something like Fine condition. If however, a 1969-S quarter were to be found in circulation with considerable wear, you would still know that it is a Proof because the San Francisco Mint did not produce any business strike quarters that year. All of them were Proofs. 

Yes, all of the dies are polished before they are used to strike coins. The Proof coins get special attention.
Sometimes the Proof coin dies are re-polished to extend their useful life, and sometimes the results can be really bad in my opinion. Proof coins are supposed to have perfectly mirrored fields. When you have a bunch of polish lines on a Proof coin, which are raised BTW, they can look very much like hairlines. I avoid those coins, regardless of the grades a TPG might put them. This was a bigger problem in the 1950s and than it is today. 
Sometimes Proof coins lose design features when they are re-polished. This was a big problem in the 1940s. The Walking Liberty Half Dollars that are missing the designer's initials on the reverse are an example. Once more I prefer not to buy those coins, but error collectors think they are cool. 

It was a couple months ago, but here is an 1813 British guinea, which is known as the "Military Guinea." This piece was struck for Lord Wellington's forces when he was fighting the French and Spanish in Spain during the Napoleonic Wars. The Spanish locals would not take silver coins which made these pieces necessary. 
These pieces bring strong prices although they are not overly rare. It is a one year type coin. 
I bought this one from a London coin dealer who had 11 of them on his site. This one is graded AU-58. He had an MS-62 that I did not like as well. He also had an MS-63, but that was out of my price range. 

Barber was very good at making designs that were easy to strike up and held up well in circulation. His art was mostly okay. I don't agree with Theodore Roosevelt that it was "hideous." 
The obverse of the 1915-S Panama - Pacific $2.50 is generally considered to be Charles Barber's best work. George Morgan, who designed the silver dollar that so many collectors like, designed the reverse.