RWB

Very practical. Idaho potatoes make better dies than reds or some others because of the starch.... Just scrape off the Play-Doh before baking.

Glad you found this of use. You will not see "Longacre doubling" on any modern coin. It is are artifact of the letter and logo punches used to prepare master dies and NOT from the manufacture of working dies. (Another new icon photo -- you're going to confuse us!)

If the OP will list and illustrate some of the slabbed coins, members might be able to better assist.

Try this link: http://www.vamworld.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2647

The labels signed by deceased persons, however, are not manually autographed... they use a ghost writer.

Photos show an ordinary, damaged dime. No collector value.

I think you're referring to the rim - the edge is reeded. The rim is raised and surrounds the design to help protect it from wear. It also facilitates stacking of coins. In this case it was struck slightly off center. Very common. No value.

Agreed. Plus, a ring is not in the "likeness or similitude" of a coin. A latter 19th century argument related to adding stickers to one side of a coin (quarters and nickels). That was nixed - law prohibits advertising on a legal tender coin. (The majority of coins stamped with ads were large copper cents and half cents - which were not a legal tender.) Advertising prohibition was also the argument from the Washington Star newspaper that resulted in removal of Victor Brenner's initials from the new cent in 1909.

Zip. Damaged.

Yikes! That's awful....and from news reports you were fortunate to have a little water. It really sounds like the Texas Governor, Legislature and a host of public utility officials had a major "awareness lapse and got caught unprepared." Did they all skip the Boy and Girl Scout camps? Around here (VA), public utilities (necessities) have public oversight, get tested regularly, and have to justify their expenses and charges to the public. Systems are designed and managed for the exceptional, not merely the routine. Accountability is constant. Sure hope you get things back together quickly. Can't imagine the suffering of Texans in this mess.

True. Which suggests they were either hiding information or relied only on the standard records, thus preparing superficial responses.

Heck, when I do that the glass cracks.....Have to shave by the reflection in the toilet bowl....

New icon portrait ? did the wife get fed up with you hanging around the house and give you a trim?

Ironic that the caption "A National Park for Art" is on one of the most commonplace and ugly quarters -- nearly as bad as the Georgia state peach.

Likely heated. No premium. Nickels will be found from reddish through brown to jet black, plus painted, plated, colored, inked, holed and split, served from a pit or on a BBQ spit.....

If you coin were double struck (i.e., struck twice while in the press) it would have much of the design on both sides doubled with other parts 'squished' by the second blow.

Do you mean you have the cut piece - the 1/8th - and want to have it authenticated and graded,or do you have the 7/8ths of the original peso? (PS: "Clipped" implies something trimmed or sliced off the periphery of a coin, rather than cut into segments.)

Always nice when someone gives you a pile of gold!

Most "Indian Head" cents are worth only a couple of dollars. Only the very best, and some rare dates, justify the expense of authentication and grading.

The value mentioned is ONLY if the coin is uncirculated with minimal distracting marks. The photos are not of sufficient quality to determine much about condition.

There is no die doubling visible in the photos. The coin has been harshly scrubbed and basically ruined as a collector's coin. There is a small possibility it can be identified as a specific die variety (VAM variety). To learn that, you want to post the coin on the VAMWorld.com site, in the discussion section. Members there are specialists in this sort of thing. http://www.vamworld.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=4

Suggest avoiding any "coin" place that has the word "jewelry' in it's name. Look for the phrase "professional numismatist."

ClaudiaPaille -- Here is an excerpt from the section on Panamanian paper currency from my book "Saudi Gold - and other tales from the Mint." The full section is about 3 pages and extends both before and after this excerpt. This excerpt is for personal use and not to be used or quoted in any commercial situation. The book will be available in 4 to 6 weeks. The new constitution took effect on January 2, 1941 and had a direct effect on paper currency in the country. Articles 156 and 157 dealt with issuance of currency by Panama and were in apparent conflict with a long-standing policy of using exclusively United States paper currency in the country. The constitutional articles stated (original above, translation below): Artículo 156. La facultad de emitir moneda fiduciaria de curso forzoso de cualquier clase, pertenece al Estado y no es transferible. La facultad de emitir moneda fiduciaria de curso legal pertenece al Estado, pero podrá ser transferida a bancos oficiales o particulares de emisión, siempre que tales bancos estén bajo el control del Estado en todo lo relacionado con la emisión, en la forma que determine la Ley. Artículo 157. No podrá haber en la República papel moneda de curso forzoso.[1] Article 156. The power to issue legal tender paper money of any kind belongs to the State and is not transferable. The power to issue legal tender paper money belongs to the State, but may be transferred to government or private banks of issue, provided that such banks are under State control in all matters relating to the issuance, as determined by law. Article 157. Paper money can be legal tender within the Republic. On September 30, 1941, as part of President Arias’ plans to assert national authority, Law No. 41 created the Banco Central de Emision de la Republica de Panama (Central Issuing Bank of Panama). This new bank had the power to issue and regulate the circulation of paper money. It also made the Panamanian government solely responsible for obligations of the bank.[2] The bank was authorized to place in circulation paper currency with a value up to six million balboas. Each paper balboa issued required the reserve backing of one silver balboa, or its equivalent in gold, or one United States dollar. Prior to authorizing the currency, procedures for issuance and redemption were established and other steps taken indicating this was a seriously considered attempt at a national Panamanian paper currency.[3]

Wizard will have autographed copies available at no extra charge. I typically sign 2 or 3 cases at one time. When they get low, I sign some more. A lot of buyers don't care for the signatures, so most copies are kept in the original shrink wrap. Hobby book buyers are very particular about the condition of the books and will return a copy for minor flaws such as a scuff on the spine or partially opened shrink wrap. That's OK. The returns are donated to libraries and clubs.

Typically it takes about a month to print and ship a new book to the distributor (Wizard Coin Supply). The print quantity is small, so the book has to wait for a slow day at the printer's factory - basic it's space available printing. Shipping is 2-3 days, then then the distributor has to get it into their inventory system and photos/description posted. Before all of this, I have to register the new book with Books in Print and the Library of Congress, Copyright Office, get an ISBN number, and generate a barcode for this and the book's retail price. These things ensure that any book seller now or in the future can locate the book. (Any book without and ISBN number effectively vanishes after printing.)