RWB

In turn, 4 reverse dies were carried forward to 1878, but we don't know which ones or how much they had previously been used.

Excellent that you found a couple of nice half cents and enjoyed yourself!

The following is a link to a video by Rick Snow concerning 1877 cents. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YY5cSnU_SwU. Note that near the end Rick mentions an apparent discrepancy between the reported mintage of about 800,000 and the only 2 reverse dies were used in 1877. The following, which I have sent to Rick, will correct the problem. There were 2 new reverse dies for 1877 plus 4 1876 reverse dies carried forward. Thus, the total number of reverse dies used in 1877 was 6, not 2. This is in line with typical contemporary one-cent coin die life.

Proprietor of a Disney Land restaurant.

These are common bullion. Any "premium" is mostly related to individual coins and buyer/seller transaction reporting. (If someone wants 1,000 DE, I can get you a much better price that you'll see in print. OK...but what are you going to do with them? Bracelets for your "friends?" Fancy bath tub drain stoppers? Individual canapé holders?)

I think it varies slightly with condition. My experience is that 1927 is the most common in highest grades, but that 1924 or 28 are more common numerically. All three mostly pop-up with bullion value changes, but I'm not aware of any single, or small group of sources. Dispersal-Accumulation is not possible to track or predict. These Philadelphia Mint coins are common because they were the only ones released in quantity -- D and S coins were struck then stored as backing for gold certificates.

That's quite a price for one of the most common DE in the world.

Correct. A 20-cent could be struck within a 25-cent collar, but the reeds might be noticeably weak and the coin a little too large in diameter. Hopefully, I can locate the reply and possibly other materials. (NARA has placed such unfriendly requirements on users that accomplishing anything meaningful is very difficult.)

Not with any confidence. Since these were made on a hydraulic medal press the "strike" will be excellent in the high central points - that is, wherever excess polishing did not remove die detail. It wasn't until the 1950s that the Medal Department (later proof coin division) figured out how to maintain good mirror-like fields while also retaining detail. Some of the 1936-42 proofs, especially halves, have poor detail in Liberty's hand, the flag and parts of the eagle motif.

No worth even the staples and 2x2 flip.

The US Mint has been trying a similar approach, although in a more insular manner than the Royal Mint. The current "Innovation Series" is largely a boondoggle of prosaic-mediocraty for what might have been truly imaginative design and execution. As for commemoratives, I feel there is too much influence from sponsors - most are happy with their logo just as if they were selling corn flakes. That makes creative, interesting designs much more difficult to produce and implement.

I came across this interesting letter the other day, but have not found the reply from San Francisco. Other document show that both Carson and San Francisco Mints had questions about the 20-cent edge: reeded or plain. Did Dir. Linderman find an authentic 1875 RE 20-cent or had someone added reeds to a normal plain edge coin?

Good that you found some interesting items. There are five of those DosBros Fresh Mexican Grille in the village. It seems that you exhausted all of Chattanooga's "charms" during your visit. I've noticed the same for the 2021 imitation Morgan and Peace NCLT. Care to predict when they fall below issue price?

This one is not a "high flying eagle" and is taking a "nose dive" off the "scales." It might rate About Good or Good, but not something most collectors would pay for. Much nicer 1857 Flying Eagle cents are available for a few dollars. Personally, it's worth about $3 -- certainly not $16 as the referenced web site claims.

Naw....If I were doing that, it would be about the Grim Reaper using his scythe to cut through the ANA's red tape and do somersetting positive for the hobby and collectors.....before he came back for ANA's aging membership.

Neglected to mention --- People attending the chariot races were encouraged to buy their pizzas when they first arrived in the morning. Although Yashua's was open late, the meat toppings were prepared fresh each morning, and with no refrigeration, could become a little "gamey" by afternoon. PS: Every word of this post and the previous one are absolutely true -- just not in the order presented.

The gold coin was known as a "solidus" or commonly "DekaImperium." The latter described the quantity of extra large "Imperial" pizza that could be bought by the coin. One "imperial" pizza could feed 5 Praetorian Guard members or one of the Emperor's portly mistresses. The bottom photo is really the obverse. It features an ad for Yashua's Sit-Down Pizza company located near the Hippodrome and next to the Imperial Palace in Constantinople. The place was very popular and known for it's kosher sausage and bacon pizza. The central figure is Yashua ibn Yoseph, seated as per the business' name, with a large bacon and green pepper pizza behind him. His right hand beckons customers to enter and his left holds a complimentary cloth napkin - necessary due to the thick layer of sauce and melted cheese toppings. Yummmmm! The upper design with two figures, depicts workers holding a large pizza paddle used to put the pie into a hot wood-fired oven, and then remove it for table service. The oven was very hot and its temperature was high enough to instantly melt lead. Heat of the oven was regularly tested by tossing in a lead pellet (about the size of a marble) and watching it melt. The Supreme Pizza Master (at left on the coin) wore a vest or bandalero-type sash that held a supply of lead pellets used for quality assurance. The small "plus sign" on the worker's hats were there to protect their heads from pizza that accidentally slipped off a paddle. (The main location had a 3-level oven, so it was important to prevent worker injury and damaged pizzas.) The two workers are believed to be special favorites of Yashua named "Constantia" and "Diarrhea."

Here's the first photo with color of the paper corrected to neutral white. Still looks pink.

Stash some of that extra cash to cover unexpected expenses. The present inflation will not last once world supply structure settles down (just like lumber and some other things), but better to skip a coin or two for the present.

Were they struck in "rose gold" or is the color off?

The reverse photo shown above, indicates it was one of the last pieces struck from that die before repolishing. Detail is very good, but there is considerable die-wear metal flow in the field. If you look at the olive leaves to immediate right of center, you'll notice a small gap between the leaves and the fasces. This is typical for proof dies that have only been polished once. (Compare to a circulation dime of similar condition.) PS: The book United States Proof Coins 1936-1942 by Roger W. Burdette (me) has detailed information about this series of proof coins, and might be of interest.

Coins without a mintmark were made at the secret "Ephemeral Mint" located in Peat Moss, Iowa.

Love the high angle photo of Lincoln. Your Dad must have really impressed someone to be allowed anywhere in the work area - especially on top of GW or in the access tunnels. BTW, the National Park Service is very good about evaluating and accepting donations. What they try to avoid is duplication. Alternatives are the National Archives or Smithsonian Archives of American Art, or Library of Congress. Most will accept the image with as much origin data as possible and public rights. They also give you a high quality print and copy negative. If you are donating but not planning to take a deduction of the FMV, no appraisal is required.

However we label it, it remains a very nice coin - one that any collector should be proud to own.

The new photos confirm that the coin has been circulated, and in my opinion, is no longer a legitimate AU. [OK...ok....by current TPG use it might be AU-55; but I don't accept that as a valid "AU" condition - it has historically been called EF and that is how I learned to grade coins from Frank Katen. My view is: there is only one "AU" grade - very slight abrasion on high points and/or very slight disturbance of luster.]