BillJones

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. 

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. 

Both came today.    
 

 
 

My latest a three shilling, 1814 British Bank Token. Our hosts graded it MS-61. 
 

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.

Part of it is my photography. I bought the Mercury dime because the obverse is, at the least, a light CAM. I could have cited many more examples from my head, but I didn't buy the coins and therefore could not photograph them. Getting CAM on a Proof from the 1936 - 42 era is almost impossible, even if the coin shows it.
But, yes, I have no idea why the 1883 Proof dollar did not get a CAM.

I have found the grading companies to be very inconsistent when it comes to giving Proof coins the "Cam" designation. For example, these two Proof coins don't have it. 
 
 


 
But this one was given a CAM. The obverse might be CAM, but not the reverse.

 

I paid a small fraction of that amount for a Satin Finish Proof in PR-67. I am very happy with my coin at that price. I also have one with the Brilliant Finish, which I don't like as well, also in PR-67. I think that the design looks better with the satin finish, but the brilliant one sells for about 35% more. 
 

BU for a silver means that it is bright, not tarnished or toned. It does not necessarily mean the coin has not been dipped. If fact for older silver coins, which are not Morgan or Peace Silver Dollars, they may well have been dipped. Those dollars were saved in bags, stored in government vaults, away from air and light. That is why many of them are not toned.
Most older, Mint State silver coins are toned. This 1800 half dime is graded Mint State-64, and it is toned. This is considered to be normal. Very few Mint State coins from this era are bright, and if they are chances are they have been dipped.
 

My latest a three shilling, 1814 British Bank Token. Our hosts graded it MS-61. 
 

Very Nice coin

As well you should be.  Just from the pictures it is stunning.  An exceptional coin.

I paid a small fraction of that amount for a Satin Finish Proof in PR-67. I am very happy with my coin at that price. I also have one with the Brilliant Finish, which I don't like as well, also in PR-67. I think that the design looks better with the satin finish, but the brilliant one sells for about 35% more. 
 

My latest a three shilling, 1814 British Bank Token. Our hosts graded it MS-61. 
 

If you go to my registry sets, you will see many of the my U.S. coins. The British and Roman coins are mostly raw. 

People have accused me of not have much focus because I have collected many items over the years. Here's a partial list of what I have done after graduating from undergraduate school many years ago.  
U.S. Type Coins from the half cent to the "old commemorative coins including gold."  Indian $2.50 gold set Classic Head $2.50 gold set Classic Head $5.00 gold set Type I and Type II gold dollars set Proof sets from 1936 to date (still in progress for the 1936 to '42) Half Cents by die variety, mostly all sold.  New England Civil War tokens (not a big set but tough to do, mostly sold) U.S. Presidential campaign medalets and medals from 1824 to 1896. Included political Hard Times Tokens At least one coin for each British king from Alfred the Great (871) to Elizabeth II At least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to Constantine the Great. I might go further.  The Libertas Americana medal series. (American Revolutionary War heroes) Plus a lot of other stuff grabbed my fancy because it a good story around like, like medals in copper awards to U.S. Grant and Zachary Tyler.  You might call this "unfocused" but most of these collections are complete. 

My latest a three shilling, 1814 British Bank Token. Our hosts graded it MS-61. 
 

I had a Proof set the mint sent to me, back in the 2000s, that had a fingerprint on the dime from the get-go. This was like 15 to 17 years ago. 

People have accused me of not have much focus because I have collected many items over the years. Here's a partial list of what I have done after graduating from undergraduate school many years ago.  
U.S. Type Coins from the half cent to the "old commemorative coins including gold."  Indian $2.50 gold set Classic Head $2.50 gold set Classic Head $5.00 gold set Type I and Type II gold dollars set Proof sets from 1936 to date (still in progress for the 1936 to '42) Half Cents by die variety, mostly all sold.  New England Civil War tokens (not a big set but tough to do, mostly sold) U.S. Presidential campaign medalets and medals from 1824 to 1896. Included political Hard Times Tokens At least one coin for each British king from Alfred the Great (871) to Elizabeth II At least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to Constantine the Great. I might go further.  The Libertas Americana medal series. (American Revolutionary War heroes) Plus a lot of other stuff grabbed my fancy because it a good story around like, like medals in copper awards to U.S. Grant and Zachary Tyler.  You might call this "unfocused" but most of these collections are complete. 

People have accused me of not have much focus because I have collected many items over the years. Here's a partial list of what I have done after graduating from undergraduate school many years ago.  
U.S. Type Coins from the half cent to the "old commemorative coins including gold."  Indian $2.50 gold set Classic Head $2.50 gold set Classic Head $5.00 gold set Type I and Type II gold dollars set Proof sets from 1936 to date (still in progress for the 1936 to '42) Half Cents by die variety, mostly all sold.  New England Civil War tokens (not a big set but tough to do, mostly sold) U.S. Presidential campaign medalets and medals from 1824 to 1896. Included political Hard Times Tokens At least one coin for each British king from Alfred the Great (871) to Elizabeth II At least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to Constantine the Great. I might go further.  The Libertas Americana medal series. (American Revolutionary War heroes) Plus a lot of other stuff grabbed my fancy because it a good story around like, like medals in copper awards to U.S. Grant and Zachary Tyler.  You might call this "unfocused" but most of these collections are complete. 

I had been looking for a nice, but reasonably affordable example of the 1795 Bust Dollar with the bust of Liberty set too far to the left. It is believed that this was the first Draped Bust coin die that was prepared. I found this one on the Internet and purchased it from the dealer who was offering it. It's graded VF-35. 
 

There are collectors who chart die cracks and for collections of a given die variety by what they call die states. Some die states can be very valuable if you know which markets to tap.
Some die cracks can a neutral effect or price or lower it. As I type collector, I look for coins that have the sharpest impression for the design. Sometimes you lose sharpness because of die cracks because the die sinks does not give a full impression on the coin when it is struck. 
This 1839-C Quarter Eagle was made with badly cracked dies. My guess is that it probably lowers the value, but I bought the coin because it was graded properly, AU-50, and had not been dipped or cleaned, which can be a problem with these coins. 
 

Wow that 1852 is a keeper. Way Nice