RWB

But....do collectors and others in the hobby read new books? Do they learn from new research and new approaches?

Tristram Dalton, Esq. Philadelphia December 16, 1791 The President of the United States Sir: Having twice already intruded upon your important time, I feel a great reluctance in addressing you, Sir, again on my own account. A Bill for establishing a Mint being before the Honorable Senate, in which an Office of Director is designated, I am induced to propose myself a candidate therefor, when the Bill shall have become a Law, and I beg leave to add, that, if it should be convenient with your arrangements the appointment to that Place would be very agreeable to me – and accepted with gratitude. In every Event, I am, with all possible respect, Your most obedient and humble servant. Tristram Dalton The previous February, Dalton asked to be appointed Post Master General, but did not get the position. Dalton was appointed Treasurer of the U. S. Mint May 4, 1792 and remained until he resigned on April 23, 1794.

Nice group of off-center coins -- except for the top center which is a deliberately "waffled" coin.

About the same, 1830-1934, but maybe a little later. Unlike the Royal Mint, the US Mint had no long-tern technology plan, performed almost no documented internal research, and made operational changes only when anew director demanded it. Kimball and later Ross made the most important accounting and record keeping changes until the 1960s, but much of this has no relevance to coin manufacture.

Similar die books were kept for all mints. Those for other mints are "missing" with most not mentioned in inventories made in the late 1930s. FMTM was not intended for a beginner audience, rather it was prepared to correct and fill knowledge gaps in how coins were made and handled based on mint regulations, procedures and equipment. This added information was then applied to some commonly seen coin defects.

No. The surface had most copper removed by annealing between the 7 blows. the Color was almost that of 24k gold. I said nothing about mirror-like finish.

Added to list. The Denver die book covering this period is missing. It is recorded as transferred to Denver NARA from Washington DC in the early 1990s, and it appears on a 1938 GAO inventory. It might still exist in some 2nd hand book shop or the collection of a numismatic thief. The cover of the missing volume looks like this (except for the light blue damage) and includes the "Form No. 864" identifier. It covers 1926 through at least 1938 for all denominations.

One of my current tasks is the successor book to From Mine to Mint. This continues the kind of process and mechanical approach to minting coins begun with the first volume. That is, the emphasis is on how equipment worked, how it was used, and the effects on coinage - including errors and defects. There is no deadline for the book -- maybe when it reaches 550 pages - like the first volume? I am interested in hearing from forum members who have subjects of interest -- either specific questions or concepts. (Some here have already provided suggestions; no need to duplicate them.) You can PM your comments to me at any time, and I will consider adding them to the current subject list. Thanks! PS: Please pass this to other collectors or re-post on other forums for those who might be interested.

Maybe my outspokenness is to blame in part. Think I'll go post on the motorized missile launcher hobby website.....

"NGC cleaning service...." Hmmmmm..... Maybe he's asking about the weird elephangellocicles who just want money...does he want them scrubbed into goodness? Well, I don't know.

A nice "earthy" find, but no great value. Step 1. Gentle washing with soap and water. Step 2. Alcohol dip with soft brushing (camel's hair) Step 3. Olive oil soak, the see if crud will chip off using a toothpick.

"NGC Cleaning Service" Do they 'do' windows?

If it's a "worn" die, who wore it? Is it "game worn" or just worn fro somebody practicing spending and not really spending for real ?

Posting twice will not make the counterfeit "genuine."

"Yuan Shih Kai" or "Yuan Shikai". Common fake with the pre-Afro hairstyle. Funny.

The next book is available in standard print format and as a "Smoothie Text." (Trade Mark) The Smoothie Text (patented) version can be poured in your ear while sleeping or injected into your sinuses while you do really important stuff -- like surf the web or study ebay and esty auction offerings.

The effect is not over -- the quality vs real condition has slid downward, so buyers are getting less value for their money.

Sandblasting was done very carefully and at low pressure. This was common treatment for medals at all the major world mints. The work rearranged surface metal slightly, resulting in lowered detail; however, it also enhanced the perception of relief giving the coin or medal a more sculpted look than absent the sandblasting. Medals (and some Peace dollars) were also antiqued to further emphasize relief. The very best detail for proofs was striking the coin on a medal press from new dies, then doing nothing else -- that was a satin proof.

Seems fairly graded.

..but not in reality because the "grades" are unstable, and continued grade inflation pushes inferior coins into superior "grade" labels. The absurdity of "AU-50" is an excellent example. These things have been EF coins for generations. Now, by their individual dictate and fiat, TPGs are declaring them "About Uncirculated."

Here's a link to a really nice 1922 sandblast proof Peace dollar. The coin shows subtle adjustment made by George Morgan to improve the strength and clarity of Anthony de Francesci's 1921 version. The holder and original post perpetuate the misleading and duplicative description of "matte." Also, the Stacks-Bowers quote includes a false statement. The red text is incorrect. Proofs were struck once in a medal press, not multiple times. Per Stacks Bowers auctions: “All Proof 1922 high relief Peace dollars were produced in the same manner, struck multiple times on the Mint's medal press to bring up even the most intricate elements of the design. Once struck the coins were sandblasted in the Mint, this type of finish being popular at the time in production of high quality medallic and coinage works of art. These coins are often referred to as "Matte Proofs," or being of a "matte finish," although they are more accurately described as Sand Blast Proofs in keeping with the method of manufacture.” Link: https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1079273/1922-peace-pr67-matte-cac

OR --- If supply is short, reduce quality and raise price claiming "New and Improved." Economic Reality 101.

Return the coins for replacement. FYI - the Mint ships coins but does not examine each piece. Everything is handled by machines. It is only when you return a damaged coin that a person examines the coins and selects replacements. The returned coins are used for assay, equipment testing, design evaluation and other internal purposes - they are not re-sent to other buyers.

They are paying inflated prices for overgraded coins in TPG plastic holders.

Reject whatever you wish. The stamp served the same purpose as a STERLING stamp - an indicator of the silver's quality, and often its source. This reassured buyers they were getting silver and not pewter, tin, copper-nickel or silver plated tableware. There are thousands of contemporary newspaper ads explicitly stating the use of coins as the silver source. Go fish for them at your leisure.