GoldFinger1969

I wouldn't MIND an overpriced Morgan Silver Dollar or even Saint-Gaudens coin at a 30-35% premium....probably never make $$$ on it, but at least I/the family can enjoy it. I don't need any more Donald Trump or Ronald Reagan commemorative BS given out at Christmas, and I like both guys. My father did the same thing with collector plates like 25 years ago. Thank God he didn't know about Ebay and Beannie Babies in the late-1990's.

Yes, Hog, I have to re-read FMTM again including key sections. Probably this summer when I have time. Much more detailed book and harder-to-read than some of Roger's other books including the SAINTS DE book.

IMPROVED READING/ACTIVITY EXPERIENCE: This might be better in any NGC Suggestions Thread (if one does exist)....but it would also improve the learning experience here if more threads like the RWB Saint DE Thread were pinned at the top along with other critical or important threads. Pinning could be permanent or temporary. Should be pretty easy for Mods or others to decide on the merits (54 pages qualifies, I think ). Could also do it for recent weekly/monthly most actives (a daily active pin isn't needed as any thread active daily should continually stay on Page 1 of the US COINS section). NGC Accouncements, What You Need To Know, and Counterfeit Coins can be moved to the side of the page or at the bottom. At a minimum, their width and the space they take up can be greatly shrunk (they take up 1/2 the space when they are at the top of my screen and initially they are what is seen at the bottom of the page when you hit US COINS, not any threads themselves in US COINS). This way...actual threads from US WORLD ANCIENT COINS, etc....will all show when you click on them and the'll be higher-up, too., since the Sub-Forums won't be there (apparently, no sub-forums for NEWBIE section).

Seriously, you wonder how many really good threads here, at PCGS, CT, etc....have gotten deleted or even lost due to glitches that had invaluable comments, data, charts, or back-and-forth commentary. I got most of a classic PCGS thread on Franklin Gradeflation which was really eye-opening, but other good threads got shut and/or deleted because of TOS or "alleged" TOS violations. And in a Is-This-Real-Or-BS thread from a guy connected to Mafioso Joe "Bananas" Bonanno...a few of us only have the posts by the son of the lawyer who represented JB, interesting as they may be. For some reason, we don't have all the quesitons and comments by others which really detracts from the usefulness of the thread (like listening to only 1-side of a phone conversation).

I just found out that my father -- who suffers from occasional minor dementia/forgetfullness combined with an overwillingness to spend on things that aren't scams but just way overpriced -- spent a few thousand dollars in the last year or so on collector/presidential coin series that are mostly non-PMs and/or overpriced copper or silver. Today, PCS Stamp & Coin -- whoever they are -- mailed him via FedX a Gem Proof 2021 ASE in a PCGS slab "signed" by Emily Damstra. They also included a wooden coin box to store 3 slabs in some red velvet-like holders commemorating the design. $270 or close to it for the coin and box, billed in 3 installments. I can't tell if that price is for 3 coins to fill all 3 slab slots or if it's $270 for 1 coin and the box. Either way, it's going back.

Brilliantly stated as usual. The book was an absolute joy to read and Roger's willingness to spend time responding to questions of all types with brilliant insight helped make it probably the best coin thread I have ever been involved with. Additionally, his patience with beginner questions and receptivity to duplicate questions is greatly appreciated, and helped make the thread what it is today. Thanks also to those who read it and those who posted comments and questions as well. Everybody contributed in their own way, it's just rare that we have the ability to ask the author directly and he is as willing as Roger has been to contribute. Needless to say, the best way to thank them is to buy the book, spread the word about it, etc. BTW, Roger, the book is 650 pages, not 550. Don't shortchange your own work !!

That's weird, huh ? Why keep such a detailed sheet and NOT note the breakdown of the item that whole sheet is about - the $500 in gold coins ? As I recall, the Philly Mint gave breakdowns on $20 and $10 cashier hand-outs for 1931-33, right ? That's great sleuthing, Roger. Imagine if somewhere...in a SDB or maybe held by a family member who thinks they are plain-old 1927's and not 1927-D's....there were some 1927-D's paid out that aren't in today's pop numbers ? Would really impact the market. OTOH, it's almost been 100 years since the coins were struck. The original owner is almost certainly deceased, and any 1st Generation heirs should be getting up there in years after inheriting them that you would think they would have divulged possession of valuable coins by now. But...you never know.

Fantastic information Roger, thanks a bunch !

Sometimes the TPGs have approximate prices based on "recent auctions" but the data sometimes is off. The best thing to do is to look at recent sales for a comparable coin (same grade and extras like CAC or no CAC, toning, etc.) on auction sites. Heritage Auctions and Great Collections are good resources and good places to buy quality coins.

Welcome to the forums, Ann. I know nothing about Capped Busts, but I do know that older, more valued coins are the victims of prodigious counterfeiting. Happy that the experts here say you were not a victim and your coin appears geniune. You stated that you just started collecting 2 months ago. Without knowing about what you will be collecting besides Capped Busts and without knowing your financial resources, be VERY CAREFUL when buying raw coins. Yes, you pay more for graded/certified coins....and there are issues with overgrading and the occasional counterfeit slab....but your chances of getting stuck with a fake coin from one of the TPGs are infinitessimally smaller than buying raw. There are lots of great threads here on many coins. Take advantage of them. There are also good books referenced -- read them over time, too. Take advantage of the online resources from Heritage Auctions and Great Collections (and even Ebay, occasionally) to see what the market for a particular coin you like sells for. And don't be shy about asking here for advice on any coin investment that involves a significant financial or emotional investment. Welcome !

In the past, being a dealer probably meant having a B&M store. Size didn't matter. Today ? Anybody with a website, an email, and $20 worth of business cards can call themselves a "dealer." I've never sold a coin myself, but if my volume of "buys" were high enough, I could probably call myself a dealer and justify the title. I guess if you were REALLY a dealer, you'd list the business and any income on your IRS 1040.

Any idea how much a medal press cost back then compared to a regular press ? Would the coins have looked bad if not annealed ? You'd still have the high relief shape, just wouldn't have the shine and luster, right ? Was it 12 minutes per HR -- or was that 12 minutes per UHR ? That works out to 5 an hour...can't be that low. I thought I remember it was like a few per minute....but 80-90% reduced quantities from the low-reliefs. Can't recall where I read that...maybe from you, or another source. Great stuff, thanks. Who made these presses -- had to be someone the government looked after closely, they didn't want them sending presses to counterfeiters ? Must have been on the East Coast and it took a while to get them to Denver and SanFran, even with trains.

I'm assuming 3 strikes as needed, resulting in lower production numbers, but still enought with other gold items (bars, ingots, etc.) to meet global trade and domestic coin needs. Outside of the mandate to have coins (only) backing Gold Certificates, you really didn't need coins to make up global gold trade needs as gold bars and ingots apparently could have made up the difference or done the heavy lifting for the bulk of the trade. At least that's one theme that comes across from RWB's SAINTS DE book.

That's what I thought !! Does being a dealer and paying that Membership fee with the cheaper rate entail any minimum number of submissions ? If not, then any collector might add in the cost of membership as an added grading cost and go for it. If I"m a collector and only want 3-5 coins graded a year, then paying the membership fee probably isn't worth it, right ? Unless they are very valuable coins. OTOH, if I am an individual and want to get 20 or 30 or 40 coins graded in a year, then getting dealer membership probably makes sense even if I have never sold a coin in my life if that 15% discount makes a difference.

Noted. Look at the Top 5.....forget the 1933, doesn't matter....the first big change occurs at your #4, the 1932. A/A had it at #7. Your #5, the 1931, was A/A's #6. Your #6, the 1931-D, was A/A's #8. The 1921 and 1920-S had more coins identified/found by you and others. You have them at #7 and #8....A/A has them at #4 and #5. You and A/A meet again at the 1927-S, #9. Then diverge again and meet at #19, the 1922-S....diverge again, meet at #27, the 1911.....diverge again, meet at #42, the 1911-D.....diverge but meet up for a double at #45 and #46, the 1914-S and 1923.....diverge again but meet at #50, #52, and #53 (the 1920's Philly Commons...1928, 1927, 1924). Fascinating the intersection of new finds, hoards, improved counting methodology, and people having a coin here or there which impacts both Total Population and High-Grade Population.

If I take out the MCMVII HR, it doesn't materially impact the rankings at all. 52 instead of 53 coins using my consolidated methodology (i.e., only 1 1908 DE not 3)....most of the coins from Akers/Ambio outside the Top 10 are within 1-3 places of your rankings for the same coin. No coin moves more than 4 spots in the rankings from 2012 in your SAINTS book list.

In the words of Jerry Seinfeld...."Oh, I like that idea....."

TJ, in response to your other thread about how to get Likes, Posts, Comments, etc.....yes, this is the thread I referenced and yes, RWB = Roger Burdette. Roger has some other self-created threads based on notes, memos, and other correspondences from 100-150 years ago that you might find interesting in this section (not in this Saints thread, in the US, WORLD, ANCIENT COINS section). Knock yourself out and WELCOME !

You found him.....

I get gold flowing in from Europe -- they want supplies, munitions, food, etc. -- so looking at it from an American perspective....you think maybe the fear of such a Great War could have led more people to hold their savings themselves in the form of gold ? Panic of 1907 still fresh in people's minds....Knickerbocker Trust....creation of Federal Reserve System (1913) maybe controversial....and now a Great War. I would have held some gold.

1915 Circulation: Roger, is there any reason for your belief that about 10% (15,000 coins) of the 1915 Saint production may have circulated, aside from maybe WW I ? That number would normally be at most 1% or less of a normal mint's annual production. In fact, I believe the % was much lower than 1% (contrary to what I used to believe) and much lower than 15,000 in absolute numbers. So a total of 10%/15,000 that wasn't seen by San Francisco (567,000 produced) strikes me as very strange even accounting for an East Coast (Philadelphia) economic bias.

Many people may still remember the old format where you were limited to like 3 "LIKES" per day. We got the NGC folks to make it unlimited. But they used to have to ration LIKES so now you have to get in the groove and used to doing it lots of times a day. Beyond that, you need to talk about something in a post that interests lots of people. Check out the Roger Burdette Saint-Gaudens Thread which is 50-plus pages long and has lots of "LIKES" and comments throughout.

Any thought to continuing to strike the MCMVII HR's as a regular coin and not go to low-relief ? I know the UHR was not feasible, but maybe they could have gotten enough HR's struck from all 3 mints to satisy global trade demands and the miniscule circulation needs of the U.S. ? Considering the surplus of low-relief coins from 1907-32, we probably could have gotten away with a lower quantity of High Reliefs in their place.

So why weren't they ? Pressure to get the coins to TR ?

If it takes you to a Registry Page (where your Avatar/Pic shows even though you haven't/can't login).....it's a glitch that appears the last few months. Everybody's PC has different work-arounds.....I find logging in a separate Incognito Window (which remembers my Login & PW) is very easy.