• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Mr. Smith Guesser

Member: Seasoned Veteran
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    1,013

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Journal Entries posted by Mr. Smith Guesser

  1. Mr. Smith Guesser
    I hope that I'm not 'counting my chickens before they hatch', but I just checked my order tracking from several Roosevelt dimes that I submitted at the Baltimore show a few weekends ago...and there are a few good upgrades for my set. Here are the best...
    1957-P MS 65 FT
    ...Even though this is not technically an upgrade to my set, the 1957-P is one of the hardest Roosevelts among the silver series to find in FT. It might be the hardest to find. And I'm glad to have this one.
    1957-D MS 67 FT
    ...Upgrade from MS 67.
    1959-P MS 67 FT
    Upgrade from MS 67.
    1959-D MS 67 FT
    ...This is another that is not technically an upgrade for me. I have another 1959-D MS 67 FT ex: Richmond Collection. But it's still a good submission.
    1960-P MS 67
    ...Sort of an upgrade. I have another 1960-P graded MS 66 FT. But I'm not sure which I like better yet.
    1961-D MS 66 FT
    ...Sort of an upgrade. I picked up a 1961-D MS 66+ from the Baltimore show. But like the 1957-P, the 1961-D is another Roosevelt that's quite difficult to find with FT.
    As I mentioned, I hope that I'm not 'counting my chickens before they hatch' because I don't have the coins in hand yet...and I'm sure we've all had issues with shipping in the past. But I am very excited and pleased with the results.
    All of these were submitted under the "Modern" tier, so they had to be post-1954 coins. But I have about ten 1946-1954 Roosevelts that I can't wait to submit soon after the new year.
    --Luke
    To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.
  2. Mr. Smith Guesser
    Several weeks ago I took an interest in the transitional reverse varieties on the 1969 and 1970 Roosevelt dimes after reading an article in CONECA's Errorscope.
    It's not a very much discussed variety (nor is the Roosevelt series the most valuable among collectors, adding to its obscurity), but I think it's a neat little nugget of U.S. coin history.
     
     
     
    In the Cherrypickers' guide as FS-901, it seems that a 1968 proof reverse die was used on some 1969-P, 1970-P, and 1970-D business-struck Roosevelts.
     
     
     
    I wrote a whole thing about it back in May. Check it out here: http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=7689112 , or check out the Errorscope article.
     
     
     
    After I posted that journal I submitted the nicest 1970-D FS-901 that I found from the roll search to PCGS. I'm not a PCGS member, but NGC doesn't recognize the variety. So I had to submit the coin to PCGS through my local coin shop, which was sort of expensive. And it did take quite a while for the coin to be returned... like three months. But it came back with a pretty good grade for the variety... MS 65 ...so it was all worth it.
     
     
     
    1970-D Rev of 68 FS-901
     
    PCGS Population
     
     
     
    MS 64 -- 12
     
    MS 65 -- 5
     
    MS 66 -- 2
     
     
     
    MS 64 FB -- 0
     
    MS 65 FB -- 0
     
    MS 66 FB -- 1

    To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.
  3. Mr. Smith Guesser
    It turned out to be a little harder than I was expecting...
    A few months ago, I set a goal of putting together a complete set of raw silver Roosevelt dimes that, in my opinion, graded between MS 60 and MS 65 and included all of the CONECA-documented obverse die varieties (ODVs). And I just added the last coin to the set today.
    The set includes 55 coins in total and consists of all dates and mints from the 1946 to 1964 run of Roosevelts including:
    * 1946 P, D, and S with ODV-001 and ODV-002
    * 1958 P and D with ODV-005 and ODV-006
    * 1964 P and D with ODV-011 and ODV-012 (also known as Pointed 9 and Blunt 9, respectively)
    I don't have unlimited funds to spend on coins. If I did, I definitely could have put the collection together much faster. But, unfortunately for me (yeah, boo-hoo for me) I don't. So I had to put the set together always looking for the lowest prices.
    Nevertheless, silver Roosevelt dimes are quite affordable and I was able to assemble most of the collection without much of a problem. The most difficult coins for me to find were the ODVs. And this was mainly due to two things:
    #1 No one really pays much attention to the ODVs of the silver Roosevelt series and they are very rarely ever identified by a seller, and
    #2 I bought most of the coins on eBay and most times it is very difficult to see the subtle nuisances of the various ODVs. So a lot of the time, I didn't know what ODV I was getting until I had it in my hand.
    Specifically, the most difficult coins for me to find were the 1946-S ODV-002 and the 1958-D ODV-005.
    The 1958-D ODV-005 was difficult to find because the difference between it and ODV-006 is a serif on G of GOD, and rarely are eBay photos clear enough to see it.
    I'm not sure exactly why the 1946-S ODV-002 was so difficult to find. Most sources say that ODV-002 is more common than ODV-001. But I didn't find that this is the case. I had many 1946-S ODV-001s come and go over the past three months or so. But was only able to get one ODV-002 in that time.
    So now that it's complete, what's next?
    Well, some say that there is actually a third ODV on the 1946-dated Roosevelts. It's been called the "Transitional Type". But I call it ODV-001.1. More information on that here in the first few photos: http://www.richardsrooseveltreview.net/1946-P.htm So I will be looking to add those to the set if I can find them.
    There is also noted to be different Denver mintmark styles on 1962 to 1964 Roosevelt dimes that I'll also be looking to add to the set. More on those here about halfway down the page: http://www.richardsrooseveltreview.net/1964.htm
    However, neither the 1946 ODV-001.1 or the 1962-1964 Denver mintmark styles have been documented by CONECA so I was not originally looking for them.
    While I'm doing that I'll also be looking to upgrade some of the coins that, again, in my opinion, are lower on the MS scale. It's a never ending thing with this hobby, eh?
    Regards,
    Luke
    MSG

    To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.
  4. Mr. Smith Guesser
    In the March/April issue of CONECA's ErrorScope, Tanay Wakhare wrote an article about the little discussed transitional reverse varieties of the 1969 and 1970 Roosevelt dimes.
     
    What the heck is that?
     
    Well, basically there are two reverse types found on 1969-P, 1970-P, and 1970-D Roosevelt dimes, As Wakhare explains in the article:"The regular reverse (RDV-001) features the torch in low relief, while the transitional reverse is RDV-002; it's obvious to the naked eye since it has two deep valleys in the torch flame. RDV-002 was used on business strikes from 1971 onwards and proof strikes from 1968 onwards, so it's conceivable that a proof reverse could have been used for business strike dimes."Wakhare continues to say that RDV-002 is listed are "rare" on the 1969-P, 1970-P, and 1970-D dimes by CONECA; however, reports that she was able to find several from a very small sample. From a sample of 47 coins, Wakhare found twenty-two 1969-P, 1970-P, and 1970-D Roosevelts with RDV-002 total.I recently purchased two rolls of uncirculated 1970-D Roosevelts and thought that I would also take a look to see what I could find. From a sample of twenty-three 1970-D dimes, Wakhare found 15 with RDV-002, which accounted for 65% of the sample. But here's what I came up with from those two rolls:1970-D Dimes Roll #1There were zero coins with RDV-002. However, I did find a Cherrypicker's DDR -- FS-802 MDS (also CONECA DDR-004). I actually have this coin for sale here: http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=7678575#Post76785751970-D Dimes Roll #2From this roll I found eleven coins with RDV-002, which accounted for 22% of the roll. However, only two of these had nice strikes. The remaining nine have heavy to very heavy metal flow lines around their perimeters on both sides. One of the two nice examples is photographed below.I must admit that I am unsure whether or not these rolls have been searched before. The lack of any RDV-002 in the first roll makes me a bit suspicious; however, the variety might be a bit too obscure for most people to pay any attention.And, as I mentioned, there was a DDR in the first roll; however, the coins could still have been previously searched and the DDR overlooked. Both rolls came from the same eBay seller and in the same coin wrapper pattern. Here is a photo of one of the rolls before I opened it up: http://oi59.tinypic.com/nq1utg.jpgA sample size of 100 coins is still too small to come to any definitive conclusion on how common RDV-002 is on the 1970-D Roosevelt. And while my sample didn't produce as many RDV-002 as Wakhare's sample on a percentage basis, I also don't believe that this transitional variety is very rare -- on the 1970-D at least. What seems harder to find is a mint state 1970-D with RDV-002 and with a good strike.Check out Tanay Wakhare's article in ErrorScope for more on the 1969 and 1970 Roosevelt dime transitional varieties. I can't find the article published anywhere online. But you can get back issues of ErrorScope from CONECA.More: http://www.error-ref.com/transitional-reverse-1969--1970-dime-with-proof-re.htmlTo see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.
  5. Mr. Smith Guesser
    Just got word today that CONECA will be listing a new RPM that I sent in to Dr. James Wiles for examination two weeks ago.
    1952-D Roosevelt dime D/D Rotated CW will be listed as RPM-003. See photo below of the RPM, or I just created a Wordpress blog to put up photos, here: www.1952d10crpm003.wordpress.com
    I believe that this RPM may already be listed by Kevin Flynn under RPM-003 as well.

    To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.
  6. Mr. Smith Guesser
    So I have to share this with everyone here. I am unable to come up with a logical explanation for this. Maybe just my lucky day?....
    I sold a partial U.S. mint set on eBay. The buyer received the set no problem. But he emailed me saying that in addition to the mint set, there were two $50 bills in the envelope.
    So apparently I accidentally mailed him the mint set plus $100 cash. But here's the kicker... I never use cash. Never. I only use my debit card. So the odds of my having $100 in cash laying around is very very low.
    Also it would have been a huge oversight for me not to see two $50 bills in the standard white envelope that I put the set in (which was in another larger envelope). So I have no clue.
    Perhaps the biggest surprise is that the buyer is sending me the $100 back! I think most people would have just pocketed the cash and not sent the email. So my faith in humanity has just gotten a huge boost.
    When I get the money, I'm going to send the buyer a bunch of coins as a thank you. But I am still at a loss for an explanation.
    Miracle money? Conjured cash? Divine dollars?
    There has got to be a logical explanation.

    To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.
  7. Mr. Smith Guesser
    What's happening all. Cold enough for ya? I just wanted to post a quick journal about a few NGC submission blessings and windfalls that have been recently returned.
    Please note that these are just the winners. There were plenty of boners in the bunch.
    Coin: 1946-S 10C ~ MS 67 FT (Cert# 208212-027)
    Service: Designation Review
    This dime was graded MS 67 and encased in the 7th generation of NGC slabs; before the company began FT designation. However, all of the vertical and band lines on the torch were clear, well-defined, and uninterrupted.
    So I sent the coin in for Designation Review. NGC agreed and added the FT designation. I originally paid under $30 for this coin, so this one was a winner, winner, chicken dinner.
    Coin: 1948-S 10C ~ MS 67 FT (Cert# 278470-019)
    Service: Designation Review
    This is another dime that was encased in an old soap bar NGC slab with an MS 67 grade and all vertical and band lines on the torch were clear, well-defined, and uninterrupted. However, this dime had a bit of unattractive toning.
    So John (don't know last name) from NGC called me and said that the dime may not grade MS 67 today due to the discoloration. And they can't/won't do a Designation Review without an Appearance Review first.
    But before the Appearance Review, John sent it over to NCS for Conservation at no charge for me. Long story short...After Conservation, Appearance Review, and Designation Review, the dime came back MS 67 FT. I originally only paid under $20 for this dime, so this one was a nice score.
    Coin: 1954-S 10C ~ MS 67+ (Cert# 2621220-005)
    Service: Grading from Raw
    To be honest, I did not expect this dime to come back graded so high. In fact, the reason that I sent this one in was to fill an empty spot in my secondary Roosevelt dime collection. But once it came back MS 67+, it replaced the 1954-S in my primary set, even though it's not the nicest looking coin.
    The 1954-S 10C is almost everything but a rare coin. (Same goes for all Roosevelt dimes.) And there are millions of mint state survivors. But at MS 67+ there aren't too many graded higher with only 6 at MS 68 between NGC and PCGS.
    Since I bought this coin raw, I don't remember exactly how much I paid for it. But it certainly wasn't any more than $5 or $10. So this one was a small jackpot for me.
    Like I said, there were also plenty of Roosevelts that were returned lower than my expectations. The biggest loser was probably a 1962-D. I was expecting a grade of MS 66 FT, but it was returned at MS 63. D'oh!
    I have 5 more raw Roosevelt's currently at NCS and will be sending in another 5-10 raw dimes in the next couple weeks as well as a stack of dimes that I'd like to have regraded and reviewed for FT designation. So I'm hoping my luck will continue.
    Regards,
    Mr. Smith Guesser
     
    (Photo below is NGC's)

    To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.
  8. Mr. Smith Guesser

    Dog Eats Dime

    By Mr. Smith Guesser,

    I would have liked the title of this journal to be some witty pun on the "dog-eat-dog" idiom. Unfortunately... the title is literal.
    Christmas...
    My brother and his wife are staying at my place for the holidays. With them they've brought gifts and deserts and all the accoutrements one brings with them while on vacation...
    Plus one 75-pound greyhound.
    See where this is going?
    I recently bought 20 or so new silver Roosevelts and have gone through them to pick out ones that I wanted to send in for grading and certification.
    Of those, I picked out three that I set aside for more consideration, and one that, there was no doubt, I was going to send in -- a 1963 P, which I believed would have graded MS 66 FT -- not an easy grade to come across for this date. NGC only has 40 in their registry with a book price of $200. PCGS has less in their registry; 30 at that grade with a book price of $475.
    Of course, there is no guarantee that the dime would have graded MS 66 FT. But I was at least 80% confident that it would have achieved that graded, or I wouldn't have considered sending it in for grading in the first place.
    We made our rounds today visiting different family members and finishing off the night with a visit to my sick grandmother (Yup, I'm going to use my old, sick grandmother whip up the commiseration.) When we returned to my place for the night we found that Leon (the greyhound) had eaten the cat's food, a large bag of sugar cookies, and one Roosevelt dime from my desk -- you guessed it, the 1963 P.
    Gone... Ingested by the hell hound, and currently somewhere working its way into the beast's small intestines.
    I would have never thought that the dog would (or even could) get his face up onto my desk, more or less eat one of the dimes on it. "Man's best friend" my ! Ugh...
    But hey, at least the dog has good taste. (There's that pun I wanted.)
    I can't be too upset. I really didn't pay that much for the raw coin. And it's not like the dog ate the cat, or my boss or the place where I work. I mean...I've live, right. Besides, I'm guessing that the dummy won't be feeling too great tomorrow anyway after also eating those four dozen sugar cookies.
    I'm already over it. I actually feel more guilty about being irresponsible with the coin than upset. Although, like I said, I never would have guessed that the dog would eat one of my dimes out of all the other things in the house that you'd think would be more appetizing.
    I guess that you win some, you lose some, and the dog eats some.
    So let this Christmas tale of loose coins and canine betrayal serve as a warning to others...Keep your cookies out of sight and your coins in a drawer.
    Regards,
    Mr. Smith Guesser

    To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.
  9. Mr. Smith Guesser
    There's no doubt that an important pedigree can increase the value of a coin. Coins with names attached like Eliasberg, Norweb, and Garrett usually command a high premium in the marketplace. While others, like The Omaha Bank Hoard, are so common, they will summon little to no premium at all.
    In this journal, I will make no argument for or against the importance of a coin's pedigree. Rather, I'd simply like to compile and share some of the specific things that I've learned about silver Roosevelt dimes with notable names and pedigrees attached.
    Please note that I will only be referring to names and pedigrees that are noted on NGC and PCGS slabs. In other words, if the name isn't printed on the slab, I didn't include it. And again, this list is limited to 1946 to '64 silver Roosevelts.
    --------Benson--------
    Silver Roosevelt dimes with the Benson name attached are certified by PCGS. There is not a lot of information to be found online about the Benson name. And, in addition to the limited information, there is more than one "Benson" in numismatics, which makes things a bit confusing.
    A New York Times article, published January 31, 1909, describes an upcoming Sotheby's auction for ancient Greek coins, which belonged to a late Mr. Frank Sherman Benson¹. (The poetry guy from my last journal.)
    This Mr. Benson was an active member of the American Numismatic Society (not to be confused with the American Numismatic Association) who frequently gave talks and wrote for the American Journal of Numismatics. But this is not the Benson to whom I am referring.
    The New York Times article talks about coins owned by "the late Frank S. Benson". And that was 1909, so there's no way Frank S. Benson could have ever owned any Roosevelt dimes. At that time, FDR was only 27, working as a lawyer, and wouldn't become a New York Senator until two years later.
    After a bit of interest research, I learned that a large collection of 20th U.S. coins with the name "Benson" attached was auctioned off by Goldberg Coins and Collectibles between 2001 and 2003. The coins in this auction were noted for their fine toning.
    I wrote to Ira Goldberg of Goldberg Coins & Collectibles to inquire about the Benson name. Mr Goldberg tells me, "Yes, the Benson collection was a very important collection for us to handle at auction. The term 'Benson toning' has become synonymous with beautiful natural toning."
    I thought that the Roosevelt dimes may have been assembled by a later relative of Frank S. Benson. But Mr. Goldberg tells me that these Benson coins have nothing to do with Frank S. Benson at all. The Roosevelts with the Benson name were previously owned by a living collector, who wishes to remain anonymous.
    So after all that, I still don't have any information about the original owner of these Benson dimes. And after I learned that he wants to remain anonymous, I abandoned any further research into him.
    Nevertheless, in my experience, Roosevelt dimes with the Benson name attached are much nicer than those attached to other pedigrees. However, most of the Roosevelt dimes that I have handled lacked the "Benson toning" that was associated with the original collection. Still, the Roosevelts that I've owned with no toning are beautiful, bright white coins with excellent luster.
    But perhaps the most interesting thing that I've found on Benson Roosevelts are undesignated RPMs; specifically on 1947 S dimes.
    I have owned a total of six 1947 S Roosevelts with the Benson pedigree. Of these, I found two S/S RPMs, both listed in the CherryPickers' guide under FS-503 #2. But, again, neither was designated on the slab. This suggests to me that there could be more out there with the same RPM waiting to be discovered. I'm always on the lookout for more.
    Despite being quite nice coins, Benson dimes command little to no premium. However, Roosevelts with the Benson pedigree are only somewhat available. In the past three months, there have been less than 10 sold on eBay.
    But if you ever come across one, and are interested in Roosevelt dimes, Benson is one of the names that you really might want to check out. They're really nice coins and you have a decent chance of finding an RPM.
    1947 S Benson Roosevelt w/ undesignated RPM, MS 66: http://outside-affiliatelinksnotallowed.com/l6wlv5x
    --------The Omaha Bank Hoard--------
    The Omaha Bank Hoard pedigree is perhaps the most common pedigree found on Roosevelt dimes. There are currently around 35 Roosevelts with the Omaha Bank Hoard pedigree currently for sale on eBay, with another 35 to 40 sold within the past three months.
    There are so many Roosevelts attached to this pedigree, in fact, that it is possible (and has been done) to assemble an entire 48-coin '46 -- '64 Roosevelt set with the Omaha Bank Hoard stamp.
    Due to the high availability of OBH Roosevelts, they also command little to no premium. I have personally owned at least two dozen silver Roosevelt's with the OBH pedigree. And overall, I have found these dimes to average to below average in quality, with most OBH Roosevelts graded MS 65 to MS 66. I have found no OBH Roosevelt with any color to speak of and luster is, in general, also just average to below average. I do not pay a premium for this name at all.
    --------The Teich Family Collection--------
    The Teich Family Collection is a more recent pedigree to come to the market. The collection was put together a Dr. Samuel Teich and his family in the 1950s and 60s. The Teich Family Collection was first brought to the market in 2011 by Stacks-Bowers here in Baltimore.
    The collection included some Roosevelt dimes, but no where near as many as the OBH. Roosevelts with the Teich Family pedigree are about as available as those that carry the Benson name, with under 10 being sold on eBay in the past three months.
    I have personally only owned a handful of Roosevelts with the Teich pedigree. But from my experience, these dimes are some of the ugliest you'll find anywhere.
    Every Roosevelt that I've seen with the Teich pedigree has been gray with little to no luster. There has been a little color on some of the Teich Roosevelts that I have owned, however nowhere near enough to make up for the lack of luster.
    The few Teich Family Roosevelts that I've watched sell commanded little to no premium. And I'd say for good reason. I have not been a fan of the Teich dimes that I've handled.
    1957 D Teich Roosevelt, MS 66: http://outside-affiliatelinksnotallowed.com/lljwlyy
    1958 D Teich Roosevelt, MS 65 FB: http://outside-affiliatelinksnotallowed.com/ld28ogx
    --------The Binion Collection--------
    The Binion Collection is perhaps the most well-known of the pedigrees. And we all know the story by now so I won't reiterate it.
    But in addition to the 100,000 silver dollars, there were a few thousand Roosevelt dimes in Binion's vault. NGC put together 2,500 silver type sets that included a peace dollar, Kennedy dollar, Washington quarter, and Roosevelt dime. Some of these sets have been broken up and the coins sold individually. But despite at least 2,500 in the market, finding a Roosevelt dime from the Binion hoard by itself on eBay is fairly uncommon, believe it or not.
    Also, Binion Roosevelts perhaps command the highest premium of all the silver Roosevelts with a pedigree. Although you can pick one up for $20 to $25, all of the Roosevelts with the Binion na
    To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.
  10. Mr. Smith Guesser

    Coin Poetry?

    By Mr. Smith Guesser,

    I was doing a bit of interest research for an upcoming journal and ran across something that I never would have thought to exist...
    A poem about coins.
    I'm sure that there are countless of other poems that involve coins in some way. But I've never read a poem that venerates the actual art of the coin.
    Maybe you've seen this before. It's pretty old; first published at the turn of the 20th century. But it's a new discovery for me.
     
    A Cabinet of Greek Coins
    BEHOLD portrayed in miniature, yet clear,
    The changing seasons of Hellenic art;
    Fair spring-time, when dim haunting visions start
    Forth into life, and forms divine appear;
    Full, radiant summer, when a heaven-born skill
    Achieves such height as man ne'ermore can gain;
    Dear autumn of decay, wherein remain
    Mere phantoms which a glimmering twilight fill.
    Here too the Olympic pantheon displays
    Pure, grand ideals of each dreaded god,
    Or cherished goddess, or loved nymph enshrined.
    With likeness too of many a king whose nod
    Could empires shake. Thus various-hued we find
    A rich emblazonry of ancient days.
    ---Frank Sherman Benson
     
    Ok, I didn't say it was the best thing since Shakespeare. In fact, I flat-out hate this type of poetry, where conveying the message takes a backseat to impressing academics with fancy words and metrical structure. I just never imagined anyone writing verse about coins.
    This poem was an opening to a volume of Mr. Frank S. Benson's self-published work on Grecian numismatics simply titled Ancient Greek Coins; published 1901 -- 02. Mr. Benson was an active member of the American Numismatic Society (not to be confused with the American Numismatic Association) who frequently gave talks and wrote for the American Journal of Numismatics. This poem was republished in the American Journal of Numismatics at least once in 1903.
    As mentioned, I came across this during some research for an upcoming journal. There, I will attempt to compile a complete list of important and notable pedigrees and names attached to certified Roosevelt dimes, as well as some of the things I've learned about them.
    Until then,
    Mr. Smith Guesser
     
    Reference:
    Ancient Greek Coins, Volume II, Parts X -- V, by Frank Sherman Benson, 1901 -- 1902: http://outside-affiliatelinksnotallowed.com/la36hrw

    To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.
  11. Mr. Smith Guesser
    Here are the 10 rarest Roosevelt dimes that exhibit Full Torch or Full Bands according to NGC and PCGS. REPOSTED TO ADD TO MESSAGE BOARDS
    I am back and forth on how I feel about the Full Torch and Full Band Designations. On one hand, I think these designations can give a buyer a little more confidence that the Roosevelt dime they are purchasing has a good strike -- even though I have seen enough dimes with just average to below average strikes with all of their torch lines clear, well-defined, and uninterrupted. It is rare, but they do exist.
    On the other hand, I feel that the FT and FB designations are given out way too generously. If there is even a shred of doubt that any of the vertical lines or either band lines are not clearly defined or interrupted by contact marks, I do not think a dime should receive a FT or FB designation. "Well...maybe" does not cut it for me.
    It is important to note, however, that PCGS does not mention the vertical lines at all in their official definition of what constitutes FB. The company says, "The PCGS "Full Bands" designation for Roosevelts requires that both the upper and lower pair of bands on the torch be distinct and show full separation. The line dividing the bands must be complete and unbroken." *
    Meanwhile, NGC does include the vertical lines in their official definition. They say, "The designation FT for Full Torch will be applied to Roosevelt Dimes having both upper and lower pair of horizontal bands split as well as the vertical lines of the torch being defined." **
    Neither official definition, however, makes any mention of contact marks interrupting the continuity of vertical lines. But, as I said, my opinion is that Roosevelt dimes should not receive FT or FB designations if they have any contact marks through any of the vertical lines.
    My strategy when looking for a full torch is to use a 10X power loupe to evaluate the lines, instead of a 16X or 20X power loupe that I would normally use to examine a dime. I figure that if I am confident that all of the torch lines are present and uninterrupted using a less powerful loupe, I am comfortable using the Full Torch label.
    But all this is just my opinion. The third-party coin graders are going to do whatever they want. With that said, below are lists of the rarest Roosevelt dimes with full torch lines according to NGC's and PCGS' population reports as of 12/13. The populations below include all MS grades with FT or FB designations from each grading company.
    ___________NGC ___________________PCGS________
    ___Year/Mint ~ Total Pop.______Year/Mint ~ Total Pop.____
    ___1949-S______34__________1949-S______56_______
    ___1958-P______39__________1958-P______82_______
    ___1961-P______44__________1953-P______100______
    ___1957-P______48__________1949-P______106______
    ___1955-P______57__________1957-P______108______
    ___1953-P______59__________1963-P______110______
    ___1963-P______64__________1961-P______111______
    ___1949-P______65__________1963-D______128______
    ___1956-P______81__________1956-P______134______
    ___1963-D______85__________1955-P______135______
    Clearly, the 1949-S is the rarest Roosevelt dime with full split bands according to NGC and PCGS. As the key date in the series, this is not surprising.
    The 1955 P was actually the lowest mintage for the silver Roosevelt dime series. But the data above supports the long held belief that collectors hoarded 1955 Roosevelts due to low mintage and the fact that 1955 was the last year business-struck Roosevelts were minted in San Francisco.
    I have heard that the 1955 dimes were only available through mint sets. However, the data that I have found does not support this. According to MintSetGuide.com, there were only 49,656 business-struck mint sets produced in 1955. (I was unable to find mint set production figures on the U.S. Mint's website, but I am 99% confident that the data from MintSetGuide.com is correct.) Here are the total production figures for comparison:
    Year/Mint ~ Total Production
    1955-P______12,450,181
    1949-S______13,510,000
    1955-D______13,959,000
    1955-S______18,510,000
    In conclusion, I think there should be an industry-wide standard for FT and FB designations on Roosevelt dimes. And I would personally like this standard to be much stricter than current definitions by NGC and PCGS. But alas, I am only one voice among millions.
    Regards,
    Mr. Smith Guesser
     
    Further Reading:
    Roosevelt Dime Attributions: NGC Full Torch "FT" vs. PCGS Full Bands "FB", by Michael Bugeja, CoinUpdate.com, April 16, 2010: http://news.coinupdate.com/roosevelt-dime-ngc-full-torch-ft-vs-pcgs-full-bands-fb-0236/
    Has 1955 Roosevelt Dime Price Settled?;, by Paul M. Green, Numismatic News, April 09, 2010: http://numismaster.com/ta/numis/Article.jsp?ArticleId=10023
     
    References:
    * http://www.pcgs.com/News/Pcgs-To-Add-Full-Bands-Designation-For-Roosevelt-Dimes
    ** http://www.ngccoin.com/news/viewarticle.aspx?NewsletterNewsArticleID=426
    To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.
  12. Mr. Smith Guesser
    A brief introduction to me and my intentions for journal entries.
    Greetings journal readers. Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Luke. But since I insist on eccentricity, I will write under the name Mr. Smith Guesser.
    I've only been collecting coins for a few years. And when I first got started, I was all over the place with my collecting. But now I am a much more focused collector, concentrating my collecting efforts today on the silver 1946 to 1964 Roosevelt dime series.
    Why Roosevelt dimes? Well, two reasons.
    First, the Roosevelt dime series is not the most popular coin right now in numismatics. And I'm a bit of a contrarian.
    But more importantly, the design on the reverse of the Roosevelt dime is really interesting to me. It is certainly one of the most esoteric designs found on 20th century U.S. business circulated coins; although the Walking Liberty design on the 1916-1947 Half Dollar and American Silver Eagle is also deeply meaningful.
    Flanked on both sides by the olive branch (signifying peace) and the oak branch (signifying strength) is the great torch, a symbol of enlightenment. This concept harkens back to its literal interpretation, for where there is darkness, light guides the way.
    But this is also the torch of Prometheus, the God who stole fire for the service of man, for which he is also subjected to eternal punishment. Fire was the first technology. Without it, the human being would still be living in caves, eating bugs, and raw meat. We would still be animals.
    Before Prometheus, the human being needed the gods. But once Prometheus brought the torch from the heavens, humans did not need the gods anymore. In other words, reason and logic replaced the irrational and illogical.
    These symbols have been used for thousands of years to represent these core ideas. Perhaps this is why the design of the Roosevelt dime remains relatively unchanged for nearly 70 years, the longest a U.S. coin has ever been minted without significant design changes. (The Jefferson nickel is actually the longest running mintage, but significant changes in the design were made in 2003 with the Westward Journey series.)
    My current Roosevelt dime collection, which I've named The "Fear Itself" Collection, contains over 100 professionally-certified Roosevelt dimes that grade MS 66 or higher, plus over 25 additional lower-grade mint state coins.
    These include over 40 dimes with Full Torch or Full Bands designation and over 20 coins with well-known pedigrees including the Benson Collection, the Omaha Bank Hoard, the Binion Collection, Nick Cascio, the Teich Family Collection, and the Richmond Collection, among others. Other dimes have been acquire from leading Roosevelt dime collectors here on the NGC registry including Michael R. Bianco III and Six Mile Rick.
    The entire collection is presented here in the NGC Registry in three separate competitive sets and an additional custom set. The highest graded coin set is currently ranked 38 in the 1946-1964 Roosevelt Dime Circulation Issue Competitive Sets.
    In these journals I plan to discuss my experiences collecting silver Roosevelt dimes and what I've learned from the series.
    So with that, please check back soon.
    Regards,
    Mr. Smith Guesser

    To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.