Mohawk

Hi again Mike!!! Well, I just broke out the old Photograde guide and I think you nailed it.....I came up with an AG-3 based on your photos, too!! Well done!!! ~Tom

Well.....allow me to chime in here Quintus. In looking at the coin, it's very crudely made. The lettering and the numerals in the date are very crude and entirely incorrect for a genuine 1861 3 Cent. On the reverse, the Roman numeral Is that make up the III are incorrect and are not aligned with one another, as they would be on a genuine coin. And the look of this piece is entirely wrong. For the contributor's and others' review, I have posted photos of a genuine 1861 3 Cent, courtesy of our host's Coin Explorer page. Once you see the real thing, the problems with the other 1861 3 Cent are readily apparent:

And you would know, I'd say. The damned things make my head spin with all of the conflicting views out there.....makes me glad that I don't collect any series that they belong to!!!!

Excellent. They should do well in there. And I'd be careful with any conservation with reactive metals like iron. I've never seen what happens with iron, but I've seen a collector with some Polish zinc coins that didn't do so well with conservation. They originally had some residue on them and the conservation got the residue off, but, man, were the coins ugly afterward!!! I'd hate to see something like that happen to your iron coins. There are coins that conservation can help but there are also coins that conservation can annihilate.

And this is why I won't touch the topic of "1964 SMS" coinage anymore......too controversial. I wonder if the issue will ever reach a widely held and accepted consensus.

It really can. I have some beautiful British India 1/4 Annas....they're just gorgeous!! I've been selling a lot of my other collections to put into the Faustina project, but those are still hanging around. That's a testament to the beauty of MS RD and RB copper!!

Yeah...a 69 UCAM on a 1964 Kennedy is tough to get.....that packaging hairlined the coins like nobody's business.

Hi Liverpool 4 Ever!! Well, I've only owned a few Iron coins in my time as a collector and yours look very nice for iron. I've seen very few older iron coins with no rust on them whatsoever and the rust on your coins is very, very light. What I would do is honestly leave them be....they're attractive as they are. If you could find an Airtite type holder that they would fit in, I'd definitely do that as it would help them stay out of the air. But I think they're nice just as they are

Depends on the age of the copper and the skill of the dipper. There was a guy at the coin shop I went to when I first got back into coins in 1999, and he could dip a hazy Proof Lincoln Cent from the 1950 forward range and you'd likely never know it. He even had Lincolns he de-hazed in this way straight grade at PCGS and grade pretty high, too!! That said though, this one particular gentleman is the only one I've ever seen with the skill to do this.

All three of those coins are proofs. I'll let someone else wade into the controversy of "1964 SMS" coinage..........

Learning this hobby is A LOT of work......making a profit at it adds to the difficulty. It's not the kind of thing you can wade into and learn quickly. I was in this hobby as an adult for 9 years before I sold a single coin, and even so, I made some mistakes with trying to make money at selling coins. But you're doing the right things to learn....you are looking at coins, handling coins, asking good questions and you're taking the answers you receive to heart and you're using them to improve. If you keep doing these things, you'll be successful at the hobby but don't expect it to happen overnight. I've been active in this hobby as an adult for 22 years. There are people here who have been in this hobby for 50 years. And we're all still learning new things!! One of the best secrets to success here is not to get into this with the goal of making money.....because at first, you likely won't. That comes later if it comes at all. People who are successful at it are the ones that got into it out of genuine intellectual interest and a true love of coins combined with a desire to learn about them.

TPRC is right.....it's PVC. Acetone may help, but it's a mystery what's under the PVC. Only one way to find out....soak it and see how bad it is under there. Best of Luck!!

I'm with Jonathan and Coinbuf......it's nearly impossible to give an accurate grade on a coin in a clear plastic holder from photos, especially a holder as old as those GSA holders are, but based on the photos, I'm between an MS 63 and an MS 64. I'll hedge my bets and go with MS 63+ or MS 63*

I'm with Mike......I think you'll be just fine on those coins. Let us know how you do if you do submit them. Best of Luck!!!

Hi again Raegan!!! Jonathan has this nailed once again on all counts. Definitely take his advice and check out some graded MS copper......it'll be a great learning experience and then you'll know what MS copper in all three colors should look like. ~Tom

Hi Raegan!! I'm with Jonathan on all counts......that one's either a spender or a piece of copper bullion. ~Tom

Update-the 1979-S Type 2 Dime has sold and the 1972-S Quarter in NGC PF 69* Cameo is reserved for a buyer and the links have been removed. Thank you so much!!

We definitely agree on the Zincolns, GBrad. I have my own beliefs and you have yours and I respect that. I'm not an atheist or anything like that, actually. But I won't get too deep into where I actually fall on here. But since you wished me well in your faith's way, I'll wish you well in mine......Blessed Be, GBrad

Well....I'm certain that I'm not what would be considered a "God loving American" as I am not a Christian nor a follower of any Abrahamic religion and I have no desire to be. But, I do agree that Zincolns are pretty awful.

That's a nice one jtryka!! When I first started collecting as an adult in 1999, I was living out in California and I saw quite a few Mexican coins at the coin shop I frequented whenever my limited budget would allow. Your coin brought back some nice memories for me. Thank you for sharing it.

Indeed it does not!!! I have truly arrived!!!! I'm so glad I came back here

I'm with Greenstang....I see nothing indicating a DDO at all. From the photos, I'm just seeing a regular, circulated 1969-D Lincoln Cent.

It looks like a few of us who left a while ago are coming back.....welcome back to you, Robec!!

Okay, now THIS I love, Quintus!!! I didn't know that's who I was collecting though toward the end of her output, Faustina was indeed headed into middle age........ I feel like I've made an impact here now that what I collect has officially made it into a Quintus Arrius post

I think it's important to relate to the coins you collect. Even though I live in the U.S. and I've collected U.S. coins at different points, I was never able to really stick with that part of the hobby.....because I found that I couldn't relate well to U.S. coins, even though I live in the U.S.!! Ancients are a much better fit for me as I've always been interested in the Roman Empire and I find Faustina the Younger to be in interesting and fascinating person. Once you find that fit for yourself, it's good to stick with it.......it makes the hobby much more rewarding, in my experience.