RWB

Good delivery specifications for gold bars. Fineness: minimum of 995.0 parts per thousand fine gold Marks: serial number, refiner's hallmark, fineness, year of manufacture Gold content: 350–430 troy ounces (11–13 kg) Recommended dimensions -- Length (top): 210–290 millimeters (8.3–11.4 inches) Width (top): 55–85 millimeters (2.2–3.3 inches) Height: 25–45 millimeter (0.98–1.77 inches) Specifications/rules were established by London Bullion Market Association in 1947. Prior to that it was informally set by various association of bullion dealers and London Gold bullion Guild. The bar weight was not actually 400 T oz, but approximate based on convenient mold sizes. Bars were intended to be of convenient weight and shape for shipping with minimal movement between bars. The modern trapezoidal shape was adopted to minimize shipping movement and improve security in holding a bar for stacking. Here are a few photos from 1896-1901 showing rectangular gold bars. Notice the variety of sizes.

You'll need much better photos if you expect a meaningful reply. PS: Your post is not a "blog." You are posting a message on a coin collector message board owned by NGC - not by you.

Uncirculated nickels (not "nickles" - are those fancy underpants?) are included in Treasury Mint Sets, and in large bags distributed to coin sorting and packaging centers. These latter are broken down into rolls ($2 for a roll of 40 nickels) and sent to banks for use by their customers. If the coins happen to be new, they are "uncirculated;" if used, they will be "circulated." There's no magical source - people just go to a bank and then look through many rolls of nickels to find the very best - some of these are submitted for independent "grading" although the chances of finding anything of high enough grade to be worth the grading cost are very low. Hope this is helpful.

For the technically minded, there are many differences between common vernacular and technical jargon used at mints.

Anything that purports by its appearance OR weight & shape to be a US coin is a counterfeit -- intent is implicit in its production. The ONLY exception is described in the Hobby Protection Act. The salient appearance features are: a US monetary denomination and statement "United States of America." Composition is irrelevant. Additionally, if an item is promoted as being equivalent to or a substitute for legal US currency it is also covered by counterfeiting law. (This is the main thing that got Von Nuthouse in jail.) EVERY participant at EVERY level should be prosecuted - flea market to owners of a coin press who use it for counterfeiting. Anyone, even those with 5th-grade elementary school skills, can make all the ugly medals they want.

Did the coin(s) come back yet?

The items in question are counterfeit coins according to US law. Look it up.

If you won't go to the extra work to post good photos, why should members go to the extra work of posting good information? If you want to buy it, include the requirement that it be certified as a matte proof by NGC.

If you got to the NNP site and look for E-229 boxes 125-127, and E-235 volumes 41-44 you can see initial test products of the A2-size scanner. Compare to earlier files in the same entries.

I don't have your confidence. Our cattle left the corral long ago and just now someone might have remembered to close the gate.

Thank you! Lots of "mealy worms" to justify a false attribution, and a failure to accept responsibility thereafter.

Honored and humbled to be in the August Presence of such an expert as the OP and his toy phone.

Had dinner at a nice restaurant the other evening. They later sent me a note asking me to "Grade their Service." I don't have any stickers...Is that what the restaurant wanted? I gave them little stars and numbers -- but no stickers. Why would more grading services be needed? The present ones have screwed thing up enough, as it is.

You'll need abut 2 Tbytes for the database.... My files, including earlier paper photocopies that have yet to be digitized, mirror my research approach. This is: pull boxes and volumes, scan and record general content and date ranges, copy everything that might have a use for either a current project or something in the future....that is, don't out guess myself. Every page of every document is labeled with its NARA location and file ID. Every individual document that I read is given a name based on date and content. My search engine indexes everything and allows searching by file name words, ID, date, OCR text, etc. An example: for the S-G Double eagle book, which took a year to write, I went back to materials I'd discovered more than 10 years before at NARA, LoC, Royal Mint, US Treasury, Sec of Treasury, Comptroller of Currency, Commerce Dept, Insular Affairs, French National Archives, etc. None of this had much relevance when copied -- but was there, waiting for the DE book project. I'll email you a copy of my research methodology representation given at ANA and other clubs. It might be helpful to you in the future.

OK....I found the info. I'd accessed the Mint's database before, but that's been changed.

Yep. Having eleven toes will do that when typing. Corrected table is posted. Thanks.

Did someone recently post a link to original issue prices of US proof, collector and commemorative coins? ....or am I crazy? (Don't answer that least part....)

How about a standard weight for slab inserts --- and also for printing on the inserts --- and bug legs ---- and sneeze debris ---- and fingerprints. When weighting coins to the fraction of a grain, every one of the above will become critical. Now -- returning to reality.

This one from about 1930 might help. Diameter of coins after about 1895 is slightly greater on one rim than the other. This is due to the conical shape of the collar and the drift tool used to add reeds. For coining force ("pressure") the critical quantity is tons per square inch,

Plated and polished one-cent coins were and remain popular for very cheap, shiny jewelry and tourist junk.

This little table will help. PS: If anyone wants a PDF of the table, send me your email. RWB

"Special Mint Set" was the name applied to the US Mint's substitute product when proof coin sets were discontinued from 1965-1967. No other US coin sets have this name and no others were ever made. The Mint had previously issued uncirculated sets including one coin of each denomination from each mint, and proof sets. UNC sets were merely ordinary cons picked from bags and put into cheap paperboard holders. This was an easy way to build a collection since all coins for the calendar year were in the set. When you look on-line be sure of what you are seeing.

Plastic coin holders have production tolerances but, as far as I know, no careful control of weight. TPG holders are also affected by the weight of inserts, stickers, dust, various chicken parts enclosed, and the weight of wishful thinking.

There are a lot of interesting coins in similar condition, but they have been priced out of most budgets due to grade inflation and associated greed. I "stretched" for this one, but can't do more.

Settling an Estate comes down to just 4 tasks: 1) Inventory, 2) Valuation, 3) Distribution, and 4) General Accounts. The person appointed Executor/Personal Representative needs to prepare a complete inventory of the Estate based on categories or official form types used in the decadent's jurisdiction of residence. If the OP is the Executor or is preparing an inventory of the named collections for the Executor, that must be completed first. Following inventory, the Executor has to obtain a financially valid appraisal; the appraisal must have expertise in this type of work and it is common for there to be wide variation among appraisals. (Example: Granny dies leaving 2 large cabinets filled with Hummel figurines. Granny valued these highly and occasionally boasted of their high worth. These objects, evaluated absent Granny's opinions, might be fairly valued at cost, or at present market value, or at auction value, or as worthless if scratched by Granny's cat. All are valid and supportable within an Estate.) So.....find an Estate and Trust attorney and follow their instructions.