RWB

What make vehicle ran over it? ... Or was it hit by a lawn mower first....?

Correct. Others might have been saved by sharp-eyed collectors who noticed the superior sharpness of first strike coins off ANY set of dies -- of ANY denomination.

Thousands exist, but mixed with the rest of coinage as is normal. The coins from the Adams Estate and at the Smithsonian were simply saved just after striking. Further, since every pair of new dies is slightly different, any true "first strike" coins you fined will not necessarily match the phony "Special Strike" ones being peddled to the ignorant. (The knowledgeable numismatists will find similar first strike coins in the Mitchelson Collection and a couple of un-touched museum collections.)

I think it ruined a nice collector coin that could be worth several hundred dollars without the damage.

1. Nice looking coins acquired by your father. 2. Do not attempt to clean or "improve" the coins. Leave them as-is. 3. I suggest you take them to a coin dealer who has an NGC submission account, and have them ship the coins for authentication and grading. They will know how to price the services and also give you an informal opinion about whether the coins were cleaned/dipped at one time.

No such critter. Simply normal coins made off new dies. Many thousands exist from all the new dies put into service during mintage.

Very nice! Congrats on finding such a nice first-year specimen! Clean AU based on the photo.

The concept of ANA offering any sort of an accredited degree in ANYTHING is far removed from reality. Presently, they can't begin to attempt to help collectors with anti-counterfeiting when the tools are available. Truthfully, there are few degrees anywhere in "numismatics" except as part of archeology or history. A few places offer self-directed "degree" programs, but they carry no academic weight. Plus, the version practiced in the US is nowhere close to a science or serious topic of inquiry -- a hobby, yes, and a fine one.

Common date and condition. Market saturation.

Can you tell us what you see that cause you to post a photo? Can you post a sharp photo?

Is the real grade 15-percent uphill ?

From the BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-60866212

Your photos are clear and sharply focused! The Android camera is doing just fine. The tough part is controlling lighting -- especially with a coin behind plastic. Try shooting near a window and possibly placing a thin white cloth in between the window light and and the coin....not sure what that will do to reflections off the slab. Maybe experiment with some un-slabbed coins first.

Lighting is very flat - maybe EF from the appearance of the fields and wear on eagle's leg and breast.

She was a little like the starving artists who barely had two sous to rub together, but once dead, they became Masters.

Proof gold sales included dealers, some of whom had purchased a couple of sets each year in the past. The proof sold for only a little more than face value for a long time. If we look at ANA membership for 1900 there were as many members in Ohio as NYC -- in fact Ohio was the center of US coin collecting for a long time.

Nice. That reverse die would not have lasted much longer.

Top section of the Corliss Steam Engine on the first floor of the San Francisco Mint. The engine was one of the attractions for visitors to the Mint, and employees kept its brass and steel parts shined and polished. Credit: Department of the Treasury. Bureau of the Mint. Original at NARA San Bruno, CA. Photo date about 1885.

Thanks, Tom!

More like 25 to 35 actual collectors and dealers in gold....occasional others for special purposes or possible speculation.

There are a bunch of books about Classic Commemorative (1892-1954?). All are superficial and contain much copy-cat and unsubstantiated material mixed in with facts. The best book on this series is not published -- yet.... It's by member LeeG and is far more informative, accurate and reliable than ANY of the others. For starters, get Taxay's old book -- should be available cheap. That will get you started. On the modern ones, I'm not sure if there's anything other than dull US Mint press releases stuck together. Others here might know more. PS: As for "great deals" you have to search, be patient, be critical of quality vs price for every coin and --- did I mention patience?

Tom Delorey has been examining these in detail. I'll send him a link.

Agreed. Part of the difficulty is that the popular site "https://cuds-on-coins.com/" illustrates "shattered dies" with photos of badly cracked, but intact dies. It then calls dies that have structural failures "broken dies." This is another example of misleading numismatic terminology. To me, a die that has structural failure, including lateral and radial displacement are "shattered." "Broken dies" are ones with one or more deep surface cracks (breaks with extruded metal) and/or gaps, but have not separated at the rim or disintegrated. A "cracked die" is one that has visible surface cracks, often connecting peripheral inscriptions or areas of die collapse.

"Routinely" would only be for late 18th and early 19th century gold, and possibly only to 1804 for silver. Amortized test cost would be a lot less than $75. PCGS and NGC both make a substantial profit on this service under present very low utilization rates. A couple of years ago I considered leasing equipment and offering the service at major coin shows. But the limited duration of shows plus G&A made it impractical.

The Treasury Cash Room photo, above, shows from left to right --- Cash and bond account clerks, counter clerks (tellers) who waited on public customers, and members of the public who were there to receive cash, make government payments, redeem bond coupons, exchange currency types.