RWB

A follow-up letter of March 10 reveals that the nickel has a seam along the edge, hence, a glue job of two ground down coins. Nothing else to see here --- move along, folks.

This letter seems to describe a double sided shield nickel. I've found no follow-up letter and was wondering if a member might have some thoughts on this.

I'd forgotten how awful the spaghetti-head and other modifications made our coin portraits in the early 2000's.

Note Mr. Lange's comments....also, in the 19th and first half of the 20th centuries, early dollars (among other coins) were available for a little over bullion content. Only the very nicest specimens brought a significant premium. Except for 1794 dollars and halves of 1796-97, the coins were "cheap" and available. In reviewing US Mint archives, I note many letters from people asking the value of early silver and gold coins - sometimes they include lists of coins that would make a modern collector salivate! Early silver shows up in small deposits well, into the 1890s. Also, pre-1853 silver brought a bullion premium, and many were sold to the Mint as bullion, not coins.

A little of the "extra" weight might be from the crud visible on the obverse. The coin has no numismatic value, so try giving it a bath in warm soapy water. (Not recommended for coins with collector value.)

Early dollar collecting by die variety was once popular. But hefty price increases in the 1950s pushed collectors out of it, except for those with substantial funds. Now, there are very few variety collectors which means prices trend lower but are highly unstable.

12 Troy ounces in a pound. Added: $13,407.71 divided by $20.67 = 648.66 Troy oz divided by 12 oz/lb = 54.06 pounds.

$3,407.71, on account of U.S. vs. Henry S. Cochran plus the $10,000 surety bond. (Letters 1893, 1894)

It was demonetized and is now just a beat up metal paper weight.

A jewelry store does not qualify as a reliable test location. What were the numerical readings for the coin? Copper-nickel alloy was never close to silver in any of the mints. That you claim to have other nickels with measurable silver content just reinforces the likely incompetence of the folks doing the measurements. Of course, you might have coins that were silver plated for jewelry use, but 3 coins is very unlikely. NGC will make an accurate XRF alloy test for you, but there is an additional charge. Send them a note ans ask, or work with a coin dealer who has a submission account.

All of his property was confiscated. There is more to the story but the documents are only slowly being revealed from the archives. When FMTM was published, little except what is in the book was known.

What were the tests, what were the numerical results, who performed the tests? If you are referring to "ice test" that is useless.

He was a highly trusted, long-time mint employee...21+ years. He was the weigh clerk which meant that all deposits went through his supervision. I don't know how long he spent in prison. He was caught because the transfer accounts didn't match. It is possible he had been taking small quantities from raw gold dust deposits for many years. The loss would be covered by wastage and impurities captured by the flux during melting.

If the OP will enter the Greek inscription into an on-line translator, the meaning will appear. (Hint -- it was produced in Athens)

Maybe the US Mint should issue a "pareidolia" commemorative....say a 4-1/4 cent piece or 6-cents?

What do you see that makes you think this....?

You will be $39.99 in the hole if you send this coin for authentication and "grading." Plus --- the more you send, the more you will loose.

Berry Good !

Might be worth much less than the time invested in searching submission numbers.

Nice coin. You seem to have a "good eye" based on the coins you've posted.

Counterfeit....note the smirk.

The posted photos suggest coins pulled from circulation in the 1920s - possibly by your great grandfather. Condition seems to be EF more or less. The Krugerrand is likely a nice UNC.

The coin is a nice EF and the bell lines are well defined, but not entirely full. Still a nice piece of silver for 50-cents. (Remind your son these once circulated as ordinary pocket change.)

The thicker ones, much like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, had more filling and tasted better, too.

"Aspet" is the name of the Saint-Gaudens estate near Cornish, NH. It is a national park. https://www.nps.gov/places/aspet-saint-gaudens-nhp.htm