RWB

"The provenance is COOL, also."

Hope your enjoy it. There were space limitations from Whitman, but we tried to get all the most important material in the book - especially the "1964-D" chapter.

These statements are not provable.

Artistic excellence has never been the Mint's consistent goal, although there have been notable exceptions. Those exceptions, are however, well recognized, and have now been beaten into commercial mush through needless repetition and bastardization. The CCAC recommendations of a decade ago were not fully implemented, and thus the key component - a professional art director with both academic stature and authority - has never been hired. No, your point was clear. It is my contention that what happens on the secondary market is not part of the US Mint's business. Other than fair initial distribution, secondary profit/loss is irrelevant. But, the Mint should be doing a much better job with product artistic quality.

The 1903 cent might be worth a quarter....Lack of bids at $1.99 is understandable. 1864 cent is damaged - basically a cull, unless there's an L on the ribbon.

Information content of an image depends of multiple factors including how pixels are binned, pixel area and spacing, photon scatter, etc., etc. All of these are independent of file type and compression which also affects image quality and content.

The US Mint, as a government entity, should never be involved in the secondary market. Awareness is desirable for production planning, only. Auctions by a producer are inherently inequitable, which is contrary to the equality expected of government. Proof set production is an excellent example of successful mint-to-demand; everyone could order at the same price and under the same terms (with some small adjustments for large volume buyers). That remains the best model, although fixed-production/order-limit can also work, if better management is in place.

Somewhere I've lost my list of companies making little tokens/medals for inaugurations, etc. Anyone remember who struck these for McKinley's 1897 festivities? Thanks!

Imitation made for cheap jewelry or tourist traps.

Are you saying that French Roosters are something to crow about?

No. Value 5-cents. In 1940 that nickel would buy a 6-1/2 oz ice cold Coke; today it will not buy the ice or cold.

Conservation can remove haze, limited corrosion and related problems. It should also stabilize the surfaces so that further damage will be limited. The result is typically a more visually appealing coin and sometimes one that will be more saleable. Nothing can restore a coin to original condition.

Nothing suitable, no.

...or "Carry out."

You folks have been spinning around in that tornado too long....

Banter?....Who was banntered? I was bantered by PCGS for being truthful. So were some others banntered about. Or are you talking about bantered roosters?

Sounds like Protestants and Catholics or any other group of extremists who think they are are "chosen people." The really amazing part of the British solution was to ignore what was well known to professionals, and make cole slaw out of the old Ottoman territory.

A more automated version of gold amalgamation is described and illustrated in my book "From Mine to Mint." When used for silver it is called the 'patio process.' Horses lasted only a few months; men a little longer from mercury poisoning.

This little BBC video will give gold bugs and others a clearer view of how some of their "precious metal" is mined and the local impacts of the work. Enjoy. https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-africa-52324363 The illegal gold mines killing rivers and livelihoods in Ghana. Sixty percent of Ghana’s water bodies are now polluted, largely due to illegal mining activities. Ghana is the leading producer of gold in Africa and about 35% of it is extracted by small-scale miners, most of them operating illegally.

A large contribution to persistent middle east conflict originated with Britain's high-handed and ignorant partitioning of the "Palestine Mandate" into geometrically cute nations, when the Ottoman Empire was dissolved. By chopping up traditional cultural and interest groups, they guaranteed failure of all the new countries and promoted extremism.

Any tornadoes, yet?

The coins you describe have been extensively counterfeited, including in your great grandfather's time. First, check NGC's counterfeit articles. Second, post sharp photos of a couple of the pieces here. Many of the counterfeits are readily recognized. Third, do not attempt the clean, wash, scrub or otherwise "improve" any of the coins. Doing that will ruin the value of any authentic pieces. Fourth, be patient. Once members see your coin photos, they will likely give you more information.

Ordered a couple of the Peace imitations. I don't expect much based on the illustrations - soft and mushy.

Separating proof from circulation strike coins is usually simple and based of accepted standards both of appearance and technical manufacture. Not so with 1965 SMS coins which received no special treatment except reduced handling during production. The data are in NARA files.