GoldFinger1969

I think Roger or someone answered this somewhere way back in this thread...but what exactly is an 8-oz. "duck bag" ?  

Was it just a regular coin bag, a predecessor to those $5,000 bags we saw holding the Saints decades later ?

On 10/19/2023 at 8:44 AM, edhalbrook said:

The prices on the 1862 are all over the place. I have been looking at the 1/4 oz Liberty eagle at the coin shop. 

It's really your choice, Ed....I would just say if this is going to be your ONLY or one of your very FEW purchases, you might want to get something with a bit "extra" from a historical perspective.  Hence my plugging of a Double Eagle.

On 10/15/2023 at 4:06 PM, Henri Charriere said:

It may very well be that storage of gold in assayed bars is the most economical form vs hundreds of coins -- and space savers as stackable as well.

Found it : 

"$1 MM face value of Morgan Dollars in 1,000 coin/8-oz. duck bags took 250 cubic feet to store; other smaller silver denominations in $1 MM took 150 cf; $1 MM in gold coins in $5,000 8-oz duck bags took 17 cf."

You can imagine what it took space-wise to store $20 MM in MSDs vs. $20 MM in DEs !  

On 10/17/2023 at 10:51 AM, Linda_Latch said:

Wow, seeing your book on TV must have been a total surprise and really cool! It's always fun to find your work mentioned unexpectedly. Your book cover looks super interesting, and I bet it feels amazing to know it's getting some love in the numismatic world. If you ever find out more about why and how your book ended up on TV, I'm sure it'll be a fascinating story to tell. Congrats on your work getting some attention!

Nice words about one of our most voluminous contributors, Linda.   Roger's books are fantastic and his contributions on some of the threads here is also invaluable (I'm biased, of course, because of his contributions to the Saint-Gaudens DE Thread based on his book).

Welcome to the Forums. 

On 10/15/2023 at 4:06 PM, Henri Charriere said:

It may very well be that storage of gold in assayed bars is the most economical form vs hundreds of coins -- and space savers as stackable as well.

Yes....I had a blurb from Bowers' Liberty Head DE book....I know I saved it in Word and also posted it somewhere here but I can't find it. 

But it showed how larger gold coins allowed you to save much more in terms of $$$ value or size.

On 10/15/2023 at 8:34 PM, Sandon said:

   It is important to distinguish between die polish and hairlining.  Die polish lines or marks are, indeed, hairline scratches but on the dies that strike coins rather than the coins themselves.  Accordingly, they are raised lines on a coin rather than minute scratches that penetrate the coin's surface.  Whereas hairlines on a coin are indicative of handling and may reduce a coin's grade, or if significant, lead to a diagnosis of abrasive "cleaning", die polish is usually indicative of a coin having been struck from new or refinished dies. Such coins are not impaired.  Die polish is sometimes useful as a tool in authentication or variety attribution to identify a coin as having come from a particular die pair. I have never been troubled by die polish. However, newer collectors should be careful not to confuse a hairlined, likely "cleaned" coin with one exhibiting die polish.

In his Saints book, RWB has some great pics which show die lines vs. die cracks vs. die failure....makes it very easy to see the differences.

Your post reminded me about that because as you said.....die polish lines are raised above the surface.....whereas hairlines are submerged/into the coin itself.  You have to remember that any defect or imperfection in the die will be REVERSED when it strikes the coin.

Have to look VERY CLOSELY to tell the difference, as Sandon said.

OK....2 1/2 months of no posts here is a record that needs to come to an end. 

The decision to melt down all the Double Eagles into 400 ounce bars was for simplicity and ease-of-trade.  It also saved space relative to smaller coin sizes (I have a good size of coin vs. space used post but I can't find it).

Question:  has anybody ever read or saw anything where officials discussed maybe not melting down ALL or SOME of the gold coins....that they would just store all the coins at Fort Knox and various FRB's and sub-treasuries ? 

I know the 400-oz. bars were better for international commerce...but why go through all the time and expense of melting down tens of millions of coins of all denominations just to make bars...when there was no guarantee the bars themselves would be used (who knows ?) in any global pseudo-gold standard ?

On 1/24/2023 at 8:43 AM, Zebo said:

So GF - did you buy the book and if so what did you think of it. ($20 Libs)

Missed this....obviously, bought the book Zebo....loved it, lots of comments and "Tidbits" notes in this thread. 

Probably an MCMVII High Relief.  I'd probably want an AU-58 over a low-60's if I can't afford at least an MS-63 or higher.

On 9/24/2023 at 5:46 PM, edhalbrook said:

I want it as bullion but I want a coin because I'm a coin collector. 1/10 oz coin don't seem like a good deal. I mean if you can get a heavier piece for a bit more

Any thoughts about upping the $$$ and buying a 1 ounce gold coin like a modern American Gold Eagle or a classic Saint-Gaudens or Liberty ?  You can buy one in AU condition to save on cost.

Then you have an ounce of gold AND a beautiful conversation piece.

On 10/15/2023 at 2:05 AM, cobymordet said:

I vaguely recall reading a thread in which a few reputable online coin sellers were mentioned.  If there is already a thread that lists out any/many online sellers, please advise.  I understand In person purchasing is always best, but I'm not looking to break banks.  I am just looking to find consistent dealers with a decently expansive selection that are reasonably priced.  Any and all suggestions would be fantastically appreciated.

What are you looking to buy ?  Gold or silver coins....NCLT....moderns ?

Is it just me or does it seem like every day or every other day we get a new thread with a newcomer coming in asking what some coins are worth or if they found a super-valuable coin in pocket change ?

It's been this way for months....we seemed to go weeks or months WITHOUT them during Covid.

I'm just wondering why we seem to have gotten this flurry the last few months.  Not sure what it coincides with...if anything, would have thought it would have happened during Stay-At-Home Covid or during lockdowns.

Any ideas ?

On some of the Saint-Gaudens DEs, die polishing lines confirm authenticity and the grade.

Family situation to take care of but would be great to see everybody.  Not sure how much buying I'd be doing this time unlike in 2019 as it's been a tough year job-wise and portfolio-wise. 

On 10/1/2023 at 5:19 PM, RWB said:

The National Park medal is not a coin, which is stipulated in the OP's requirement.

Yup, I overlooked it.  Not sure I have any 70's other than the commemoratives...well, I guess I probably have a few ASEs or other country's silver coins like Pandas, Kruggerands, etc.

On 9/29/2023 at 6:24 AM, Fenntucky Mike said:

It was originally, but now has expanded to Morgan and Peace dollars. I've paid zero attention to this but maybe it's taking off. 

ALL Morgans/Peace or just more common coins ?

The economics must not work for anything costing a few $$$....no serious collector will want the NGCX label and the newbies will probably realize they're overpaying. 

On 4/10/2023 at 9:50 AM, GoldFinger1969 said:

Coins in TV Shows & Movies:  Whenever I watch TV shows -- mostly Westerns -- from the 1960's, I always look to see if there are refences or shots of coins we follow which would be of that time, mostly Morgan Silver Dollars and Gold Double Eagles.

Well, a show I never heard of called LARAMIE (since learned it was on NBC from 1959-63) has an episode airing tomorrow on the STARZ Western Channel (STZWS) entitled "Double Eagles" with a snyopsis of:  "Outlaws who rob and then kill a wealthy rancher find their escape is slowed when their booty -- weighty gold coins -- becomes difficult to transport."

Dummies...shoulda stolen Gold Certificates !!  

Anyway, it airs tomorrow twice at 9 AM EST and again at 3:45 PM.

And it happens again tomorrow...."Double Eagles"......9AM and 3:45 PM.

It's Season 4 Episode 8....Robert Fuller, who did tons of Westerns and starred in "Emergency !!" in the 1970's, stars in this show.  Still alive at age 90...God Bless !! 

On 9/29/2023 at 1:40 PM, Coinbuf said:

Honestly it still all means nothing to me, this NGCX scale is just the sheldon MS scale redefined, confusing and unnecessary, but hardly innovative.

They must have done some marketing or research work that said that there were lots of potential buyers of classic/modern coins but they were confused by the grading scale.  Honestly, I think the hurdles to learning about coins are far less than those about buying a house, learning about real estate, investing in the financial markets, etc.

Hey, maybe NGC saw a niche opportunity and went for it.  Dunno......

On 9/21/2023 at 7:12 PM, Henri Charriere said:

If the market has yet to react, which appears to be the case, I would blame lack of promotion. 

Where would/should they be promoting the coins, in your opinion ?  Online...print....where coin collectors go or where non-collectors go ?

On 9/21/2023 at 6:25 PM, bstrauss3 said:

I looked recently and there were only a few hundred listings.

ONLY a few HUNDRED ?  That seems alot to me, no ?  

Did we establish on another thread -- I can't remember -- the OLDEST struck coin/commemorative/proof -- that has achieved a "70" score ?  I can't remember.

Since comemoratives were struck to be saved (even more so than proofs), there's a better likelihood that more of them (along with proofs) were better taken care of and more likely to score a 70-grade.

On 9/21/2023 at 12:56 AM, powermad5000 said:

You might be able to find some nice ones on eBay for a fair price. It is not a popular coin amongst collectors.

Price has really moved up for select coins though, right ?  I recall a few articles on forums or in the GreySheet talking about how prices have skyrocketed.

On 9/14/2023 at 8:14 PM, RWB said:

Interesting. I, myself, and me, await the certified check from the biggest bank in Nigeria for my inherited oil concession. (Only a $3,000 processing fee, too!)

You better jump on it....mine are usually 6- or 7-figure sums to cover SG&A expenses. 

On 9/18/2023 at 12:32 PM, RWB said:

He could make these or any other stray or test pieces go away, and they would never show up except a a bit of bullion. Foolishly, he delivered the 24 pieces of struck bullion, which instantly made them legal tender coins, that HAD to be recorded, tracked, tested, etc. Hence the 1894-S dimes now existed.

I think in all the details, I got lost.....again WHY were the 1894-S's not supposed to have been created....why should the Coiner have yanked them ?  Was it the low volume of coins (24) struck ?