GoldFinger1969

On 3/20/2024 at 12:58 AM, Coinbuf said:

@Sandon please post any dealer or bullion operation that is selling impaired AU dets quarter eagles for $260, I would love to load up at that price as that would be significantly under spot.   The term "a rising tide lifts all boats" is in full effect with the rising spot price, I'm not sure that you could even buy half a coin at $260 today.

Did he say that you could buy them at that price ?  I think he said their GOLD VALUE was about 1/8th of an ounce or about $260 or a bit higher.

MM, your current photos of the coin are approximatly 400x400 which is low-resolution.

If you have a smartphone it should at least quintuple those figures and give us a good Hi-Def pics.  

On 3/19/2024 at 11:48 AM, Henri Charriere said:

Correctamundo. Just under a fifth of a troy ounce as compared with the 50-peso 1.2057 troy ounce [AGW] Centanario de oro of Mexico, first minted in 1921, commemorating its 100th anniversary of independence from Spanish rule.  

How did they come up with these "weird" ounce numbers ?

On 3/19/2024 at 11:50 AM, RWB said:

The newly digitized materials from NARA include a large portion of correspondence about the Saint-Gaudens coin designs. See the other thread for access details.

Good stuff...thanks for posting it.

I wonder if they ever thought about striking a few MCMVIII HR's EVERY year, changing the date ? 

On 3/18/2024 at 10:00 PM, GoldFinger1969 said:

How many of the originals (non-restrikes) were minted and how many survived ?  Both numbers are probably much less than for Liberty's or Saints....but this was a SMALLER gold coin used for commerce and the French seemed to use their gold much more than Americans, given their domestic upheavals from 1870-1936.

It's too bad they didn't have a 1-ounce coin like the Liberty Head or Saint.  Seems that for most countries their #1 gold coin was much smaller than 1 ounce.

On 3/19/2024 at 8:11 AM, olympicsos said:

Here's an article showing that Turkish mint production outpaces the US Mint 

Yes...I was referenceing actual gold production, Olympics. 

On 3/18/2024 at 11:23 PM, Henri Charriere said:

I didn't think it could be, so I fact-checked it (behind the OP's back) 🤣 and, sure enough, it was! The trajectory of production was roller-coaster erratic, but it is hard to believe any nation could surpass the outputs, individually, of the U.S., China, Russia, India or Australia. This would be an interesting bit of trivia for one of those quiz shows.

Their output is miniscule compared to those countries (and South Africa).

On 3/18/2024 at 7:47 PM, VKurtB said:

My first wife was Greek. Trust me, she was quite clear that the worst part of Türkiye is/was the Turks. I learned early on not to even bring up the subject with her grandmother. WOW!

Cyprus. 

On 3/18/2024 at 4:16 PM, USAuPzlBxBob said:

He was the one who reached down into the American River had plucked the first pieces of gold.  And to think that he died in poverty 32 years later at age 74:  one failed venture after another left him penniless, living in a small cabin in Kelsey, California.

One of those phrases I never forgot in investing:  you only have to get rich ONCE. 

Think about it.  It's so true.

I would suspect that this guy SHOULD have had 1st-dibs on the best/easiest gold....probably made some $$$...but then either squandered it or invested in assets/businesses poorly.  

Heard that some Spanish ship from 1709 might be raised soon and has $17 BILLION in treasure !!! 

On 3/18/2024 at 7:53 PM, VKurtB said:

I have been scouring auctions for 20 Franc roosters that have been graded. There seems to be a very hard resistance level at MS65. It’s as if you have to wallop somebody upside da’ head to get them to consider going to MS66.  

How many of the originals (non-restrikes) were minted and how many survived ? 

Both numbers are probably much less than for Liberty's or Saints....but this was a SMALLER gold coin used for commerce and the French seemed to use their gold much more than Americans, given their domestic upheavals from 1870-1936.

Why do I feel I am re-living the M*A*S*H sitcom, with me caught between Hawkeye Pierce and Trapper John/BJ Hunnicutt vs. Frank Burns or Winchester ? 

May he R.I.P....along with his 8 MCMVII UHRs !!!! 

On 3/17/2024 at 4:40 PM, JoeF said:

Thanks for the feedback. I agree in that I think they are MS and FBL is questionable. These photos were taken shortly after getting a macro lens and speedlight flash unit. Still working on figuring out getting good shots of coins and figuring out lighting. They do look better in hand but after scrutiny only the '53 D from these photos made the cut for grading. I wish I had thought to take pics of the coins I actually sent in! Hopin' that they all get FBLs and at least a MS 64 grade...but we'll see. Fingers crossed.

Report back....

On 3/17/2024 at 12:45 PM, Kinlar said:

eventually i would like i to be sizable, figured id start small and let it grown as the interest gains more ground

Reading and LEARNING about the history of the coins can be as much fun as simply opening your wallet and buying. 

I love collecting/buying Saint Double Eagles, but they aren't cheap and I can't buy one every few weeks...or months....and sometimes years.   So I spend lots of time doing lots of researching and reading on threads, forums, books, journals, etc. 

Not as much fun as buying, for sure, but it makes getting the next one that much more enjoyable.  

For sure, spend time reading forum threads here and elswhere that talk about Roman/foreign coins...and get a book or two that matches your experience level so you can learn the basics (or more advanced stuff, if you already have the basics down pat). 

On 3/16/2024 at 11:40 AM, TeenageMuntantNinjaTurtle6 said:

Well im not an expert nor have i had any experience so I wouldn’t know what to look for or the differences between a real and fake thats why i came here to ask the people of this community. So…

You came to the right place.  Don't be embarassed...we see lots of people with coins they THINK are valuable and turn out to be legit but worth alot less OR are counterfeit.

If you do have an interest in starting a collection or adding to an existing one, we're here to help ! 

Didn't Franklin Halves take a big price drop from about 2010 to 2020 ?  Have they bounced back since ?

On 3/17/2024 at 12:23 PM, Kinlar said:

i would like to start with "actual" romans so anything before 476 AD, i know a bit about roman history but next to nothing when it come to numismatics. i have no references, not sure what you mean by that but i would love suggestions. Greek alphabet knowledge is not too well. i would like to begin with roman coins and as i learn see what other cultures interest me. i haven't bought any yet. my goal isn't to get rich i just want to own a piece of history, this is for personal pleasure not monetary 

Are you looking to build a sizeable collection...or just get a few Roman coins ?  

If you decide you want to look at Saints or MSDs, I'll pipe in then.   Until that time, I'll leave you with the foreign/Roman coin experts.  Good Luck, Kinlar ! 

Late-2023 Numismatic News article on French Roosters.  Good for most of us, probably 2nd-hand to Henri:

https://www.numismaticnews.net/collecting-101/bargain-collector-french-rooster-popular-gold-coin

On 3/15/2024 at 10:35 PM, Henri Charriere said:

I hereby apologize to the learned OP, and ask fellow members to disregard my intemperate insinuation.

We're all here to learn...it's all a journey. 

On 3/15/2024 at 9:48 PM, Henri Charriere said:

I should like to request you direct your attention to the line, preceding your post of the two coins, as hereinabove quoted, and, taking judicial notice that the then-President's Executive Order mandating the recall of gold coins, has since been superseded and/or rescinded, ask you whether your grandparents' action of willfull and knowing withholding of the gold coins depicted, constituted a violation of the mandatory recall?

Sandon didn't say if they had any sizeable quantity of gold coins, just a few that he inherited plus the fact that they dealt in coins from time-to-time.

His grandparents would have been allowed to hold/possess $200 in gold coins between them.

On 3/29/2023 at 7:57 PM, Sandon said:

My grandmother told me that, although currency was more commonly used in the grocery store than gold, it was not uncommon for customers to spend $5, $10 and occasionally $2.50 gold pieces. (She related that once there was "a little shiny penny" in the till that turned out to be a quarter eagle.)  She had never heard of $20 gold pieces, which is consistent with their being understood to have been used mostly in international and bank-to-bank transactions.  Both my grandparents and their customers were largely recent Eastern European Jewish immigrants who weren't wealthy by any means. 

I would say that immigrants from Eastern Europe -- esp. Jews -- were more likely to bring over gold coins and then continue to utilize them in their trades or business, if customary like Sandon's ancestors food market.  I would expect Irish immigrants to not have much in the way of gold savings and not to be business ownes in a position to utilize or accept gold coins.

JMHO.

I wanna throw up......

On 3/7/2024 at 7:16 PM, Errorists said:

Wish they were Gold Eagles and ASEs.

They could probably sell some Saints or Liberty's or common Indians if they had a display case explaining their history.

Again, I'd bet that most gold buyers don't know about them.  I didn't ! 

Bill.......$2-$3 increase ?