DWLange

At that time the SFM struck only proof coins, so the die caps were all for proofs, and the obverse ones have S mintmarks.

How do you think the OP acquired it? I was given a handful of them by a friend of mine who was the senior die setter at the SF Mint. They were just considered junk, so there was no problem with removing them from the facility.

That's the winter slab; it provides better grip in slick conditions...

Here's a better example still, from NGC's VarietyPlus website: https://www.ngccoin.com/variety-plus/united-states/half-dollars/franklin-half-dollars-1948-1963/816740/

Frequently I buy collections of cents and nickels simply to obtain the folder or album for my collection of same. Most of the coins have little or no premium value, so they often get rolled for the bank or just dumped into my car's ashtray for making exact change when needed. These collections sometimes include AU or MS coins from the 1940s-60s which should have a collector premium, but there were simply too many saved. It's analogous to the countless stamps that survive in sheets and are still being used for postage by persons who purchase them below face value.

I doubt that the U. S. Mint makes any effort to keep a truly accurate count of the circulating coins made in recent decades. No longer having to account for the bullion value of precious metals going in and out has permitted figures rounded to the nearest 1,000 or even the nearest 10,000.

I'll add that the examples illustrated have been cropped. As delivered, the die caps wrap around the die's shank to the point where the die is beveled to a greater diameter. They look somewhat like a "die cap" mint error that has similarly wrapped itself around the die shank due to repeated strikings.

The numbers of reeds on our coins has varied over the years. One of my first published articles was a study of the reed counts for silver Roosevelt Dimes. There were two different ones for several dates. The reed count is also a good way to determine the genuineness of a coin which is suspected of having been altered. For example, Carson City dimes have fewer and broader reeds than those of its cousins, and this will give away an added CC mintmark.

That's the resin cap which protects proof dies from damage while in transit. A friend of mine who retired from the SF Mint in 1987 gave me several for half dollar dies. They pick up a perfect impression from the die face. I don't know whether the US Mint still does that these days.

That's damage from a coin counting and/or wrapping machine.

NGC decided to not attend the show this time. There's no need to pick on Charmy...

Will the Red Book add a new section? “Really Dumb Junk”? Yes, it covers everything coined after about 1980.

Well, we know that the mintmark on the only known 1870-S three-dollar piece was hand cut into the die, presumably at the SF Mint. I can't imagine 2,000 silver dollars were coined, when only ten or so are known today, so it must have been the gold dollar dies that were lacking a mintmark.

NGC sorts them within the category of Anniversary Coins and Medals, and that's where you'll find them in the Census.

It does seem that the leading edge of Lincoln's coat was touched up on the working die. Such work typically was reserved for proofs, though the 1944-D half dollar with its AW monogram recut is another exception.

To reinforce what Roger wrote, the Eckberg book is certainly more entertaining and ideal for an introduction to the series. Manley is a technical book, with illustrations of the progressive die states for each die marriage. It's the book I use for attributing half cents by Cohen numbers at NGC. The only flaw with it is that the binding is poor, and the pages can drop out like leaves. I ended up disassembling my copy completely and coil binding it at the office.

We had rolls of them inhouse for bulk grading, and I believe the new portrait came out well.

So far as I know there never was a hardcover edition of that book. My copy is the softcover.

I think more people should use old coin boards...just sayin'

The light coming off of Liberty's cheek suggests a surface that's unnaturally smooth. I say cleaned and retoned, but it could just be the photo.

Looks completely normal to me. Remember, there is raised metal within the loops of the mintmark punch as a reinforcement to keep the punch from chipping. NGC receives a lot of very similar S-Mint coins with a request for variety attribution, but these are not RPMs.

For the silver proofs NGC uses a grading band that wraps around the rigid government holder, permitting it to remain intact. The silver uncirculated dollars are likewise left in their original plastic sleeves. These are sealed within a plastic envelope of the type PMG uses to grade notes.

Probably just a mistake, since Littleton has a pretty good reputation overall.

You may find this of interest: https://www.ngccoin.com/news/article/8019/

You folks are lucky. I worked the show all week and didn't get one.