RWB

It's an area with little study, and likely few extant examples: local issues, small businesses, fragile media, limited utility, early obsolescence, etc.

Philadelphia brand cream cheese works well, too....And the squeeze container is particularly easy to use. I start with a sturdy box, then line it with stale bagels, add 1/2-inch of cream cheese cut from blocks, put in the coins, then fill all the little gaps and top with cream cheese from the squeezer. PS: Some prefer to toast the bagels before use - just don't mention that in Brooklyn.

When you shake a bag of coins the sound you hear is not "jingling" - it's the little coins lamenting loss of their loved ones.

Most states require disclosure of all known impediments and defects to buyers before a real estate transaction. Is there an "implied disclosure" required in numismatics?

All the reverse rays are approximate half-cylinders tapering to the end. Some have re-engraving. The obverse rays are more flattened ellipsoidal cylinders. All the inscriptions were intended to have rounded upper surfaces, but careless manufacture means most coins have flatness there. Note the rounded upper letter and digit surfaces on this 1921 Peace dollar. [As an aside - notice the clarity/detail of the monogram.]

From Mine to Mint comes with a *.pdf version on CD. This is fully searchable by any word, phrase or collection of words - so it replaces a conventional index. The book begins roughly in the mid-1830s. Feedback from other readers suggests that you take your time and "browse" through the material. It's densely packed even at 550 pages. Also, if you want to use some of it for a coin club presentation or article, just let me know so I can provide original images -- as long as it's educational use and not for commercial/sales use it's OK.

The distributor is Wizard Coin Supply in Chantilly, VA. Ask for an autographed copy - there's no extra charge. Other hobby book sellers have copies and each seller sets their own price and shipping terms. I receive nothing from any of the sellers. Here's a book list with summaries. The Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle book is available only from Heritage Auctions, Dallas, TX. Renaissance of American Coinage 1905-1908 – 2006. Origin and development of the Saint-Gaudens and Pratt gold coins of 1907 and 1908. Substantial new discoveries including gold patterns, unpublished letters, and much more. The standard reference. Detailed photos and carefully referenced text to original sources. NLG Book-of-the-Year, 2007. Hard cover, $64.95 retail. Renaissance of American Coinage 1909-1915 – 2007. The seminal work on the Lincoln cent, Buffalo nickel and Panama Pacific commemoratives. Complete, accurate explanations of designs, production difficulties, proofs and U.S. Mint events include destruction of 19th century pattern hubs. Another standard reference for these coins. NLG Book-of-the-Year, 2008. Hard cover, $64.95 retail. Renaissance of American Coinage 1916-1921 – 2005. The book that awakened coin collectors to “lost” stories of the new silver coins of 1916 and the Peace dollar. Complete revision of nearly everything about these coins. NLG Book-of-the-Year, 2006. Hard cover, $64.95 retail. Note: The three Renaissance books constitute a veritable 1,000 page encyclopedia of both the coins and production methods for this time period. Explanations of everything from making reductions to the “proof coin” processes are described in detail. This vital information is available nowhere else. A Guide Book of Peace Dollars – 2009-2020. The first and only comprehensive reference book on the Peace dollar. This volume includes information on every date and mintmark combination, plus pattern and proof pieces. A detailed chapter presents entirely new research about 1964-D dollars. Barry Lovvorn, co-author. Soft cover, $19.95 retail. 4rd edition, 2020 Annual Assay Commission – United States Mint, 1800-1943 – 2010. Complete, original manuscript minutes of every annual assay commission meeting for which records exist, plus coins reserved for assay prior to 1850. An indispensable research tool for the serious numismatist. NLG Extraordinary Merit, 2011. Set of 4 DVDs in custom case, $75.00 retail. Silver Dollars Struck Under the Pittman Act of 1918 – 2011. Complete, original manuscript daily journal entries of every date and mint of silver dollar struck from 1921 to 1928. Required reference for anyone involved with die varieties or coinage production. Includes a lengthy research essay on the Pittman Act. CD-ROM in jewel case, $12.95 retail. United States Pattern and Experimental Pieces of WW-II – 2013. Coinage experiments for the cent and nickel before and during World War II. Completely erases all previously published information on these fascinating pieces. Released February 1, 2013. NLG Best Specialty Book, 2014. Full color printed edition of 190 pages. Price $29.95 retail. From Mine to Mint: American Coinage Operations and Technology 1833 to 1937 – 2013. Equipment, technology, operations of the US Mint as it evolved from muscle to steam to electric power. March 25, 2013. NLG Book-of-the-Year 2014. 560 pages, $39.95 retail. Truth Seeker: The Life of Eric P Newman – 2016. Primary author of the definitive biography of one of America’s most dedicated research numismatists. Includes extensive material from Newman’s personal papers including an inside look at the Col. E.H.R. Green collection. NLG Book-of-the Year award 2016. United States Proof Coins 1936 – 1942 – April 2017. Detailed guide to proof coins made from 1936 through 1942. Includes mintages, deliveries, sales, pieces per die, varieties and a wealth of information never before available to collectors. This is the definitive reference for collectors and sellers of these coins. Full color, 350 pages, soft cover. $39.95. Best Specialty Book award. Saint-Gaudens Double Eagles 1907 – 1933 – May 2018. The only detailed guide to double eagle gold coins designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Includes every known major die and mintmark variety, plus mintages, deliveries, survival estimates, and details of the use of these large coins in domestic and international trade. This is the definitive reference for collectors and sellers of these coins. Full color, 648 pages, soft cover. $90.00. Book of the Year and Best Specialty Book awards. Private Pattern and Related Pieces: International Nickel & Gould Incorporated – May 2019. International Nickel Corp. (Inco) and Gould, Inc. private patterns are placed within their historical context and the commercial goals of both companies. Inco, by addressing the replacement of silver coinage in the United States from 1964-65, sought to increase the amount of nickel used in our coinage. Gould, Inc. proposed changing to powdered metal technology in 1976-78 and advocated use of compressed and sintered titanium in small size dollar coins. Although neither company was successful, they left a fascinating legacy of design, alloy and layered composition test pieces similar in size to standard U.S. coins. Full color, 248 pages, soft cover, $29.95. Girl on the Silver Dollar – June 2019. Coin collectors have long believed Anna W. Williams was the model for George Morgan’s 1878 silver dollar design, but was she? The author examines available evidence and suggests Miss Williams modeled for Mr. Morgan, but her likeness was not part of the standard silver dollar design. This in-depth book also examines the origin and initial production of Morgan’s silver dollar, production of elusive 1895 dollars, and destruction of millions of coins in 1918-1919. Full color, 135 pages, hard cover, $24.95. NLG Best Specialty Book award. Fads, Fables & Foibles – pending January 2021. Includes Barclay’s coinage experiments at the Philadelphia Mint, annular gold dollar and half-dollar coins, Joseph Wharton’s nickel alloy coins, Bedford international exchange gold, Hubbell’s goloid fiasco, and other odd and unusual coinage proposals. Full color, 260 pages, hard cover, $34.95. Saudi Gold – pending March 2021. Gold discs made for Saudi Arabia, gold exchange standard, gold double eagles missing from US Mint, designing the Roosevelt dime and Franklin half, plus many other insights into US coinage and finance. Full color, 255 pages, hard cover, $34.95. [Moderators - If this book list/description is inappropriate here, let me know and I will move it to the sales area.]

S3R3NDIPITY, Thank you for your kind and generous remarks. American numismatics, having a much shorter history than Britain, has placed more emphasis on varieties and production irregularities. However, the techniques and approach for British coins would be nearly identical, so anyone with a good knowledge of 19th-20th century coinage should be able to replicate the process and results. There is also a major advantage for British collectors - the magnificent archives of the Royal Mint and Bank of England, plus the Gold Guild archives for 18th and 19th century. On top of that there is the outstanding metallurgical research of Sir. William Chandler Roberts-Austen. Sadly, the US Mint Bureau never maintained its own history, operations, processes, production details and related materials... Us poor Colonials have been trying to figure out how our Mints really worked for decades. That has been the overall focus of my research for a long time, and it is only now that the discoveries are beginning to percolate to the hobby and business of American Numismatics. I'll mention, specifically, the book From Mine to Mint as a beginning compilation of US Mint operations, equipment, and processes for those interested in the subjects.

Nothing on this one, either. Do you have astigmatism?

"...Save the humor." Is that a new tax exempt charity? Is it related to "Send in the Clowns" or "Good Morning Vietnam?" There are semantic challenges out there for us all. ....and, yes, many will catch the error - the Stardust closed a decade ago. Nothing left but the sign in a museum and some mobsters' bones in the foundation. Maybe a trove of silver dollars is in that same dirt....?

This doubling happens when two coins like each other a lot. They snuggle close in a bag of other coins and get feisty, and , well....stuff happens .... and one of the coins starts to double. But then they got separated in a coin counting machine and never see each other again and one is left with only partial doubling caused when the machine separated the two coins. They try writing letters to each other but since they have no hands (or paper) that does not work well. And one ends up doing two shows a night in the Stardust chorus line in Las Vegas, but gets fired for the partial doubling showing...and, well, it's a long sad story....ending in a quarter slot machine in the men's restroom at a discount gas station, edge worn down, copper showing -- not a pretty sight.

Prethen --- Were your dealings with him after 2009 or before?

Nope. Does your coin look like the 1955 doubled die cent in the Guide Book? No.

The only "SMS" coins are those in the Special Mint Set packaging issued by the US Mint 1965-1967. There are no others. If a coin was removed from SMS packaging and put into a slab, it must have the "SMS" designation on the label. There are thousands of privately assembled "mint sets" going back to the 1930s.

Look in A Guide Book for Peace Dollars for photos, descriptions, etc.

The Philadelphia Mint was at least 3-weeks behind on filling orders. (This was back when minor coins were ordered direct from the Mint, not sub-Treasuries.)

The term "specimen" ('SP') is tossed about with little concern for meaning or relevance. In 19th century US Mint correspondence the meaning floats depending on context. Before 1850 it can mean either a "Master Coin" (what is now called a proof) or simply an example or sample of a coin as in "Here's a specimen of half dollar made today." In the latter usage, nothing special is implied. After about 1858 the terms Master Coin and Proof Coin both refer to what is now called a proof. Specimen is seen more in relation to pattern pieces although the meaning is rarely clear. Use of "Specimen" to mean a coin made for a specific event or purpose is not historically justified - unless there is documentation to support the claim of "specialness." Some continue to follow the obsolete approach of declaring a coin a "specimen" just because it looks a little different than other contemporary pieces. Given the normal wide range of appearance of coins struck from a pair of dies, nearly all of these claims are specious, and are built on ignorance or wishful-thinking. The basic rule I follow is: "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." (Virtually every "specimen" I've been shown fails this simple test.) Back to the OP's original thought.... A coin known to have been part of a US Mint Special Mint Set from 1965-1967 should be labeled as such by an authentication company. That is a clear, recognized and accepted designation and needs no embellishment.

FYI- As much as 50% of the extant US Mint correspondence for 1864 consists of requests for cents (and a few 2-cent pieces), and letters regarding the supply of bronze cent planchets from Holmes, Booth & Hayden, a Waterbury, CT metal supply company.

RE: "The story behind the figurines." I looked behind them....nothing there except the occasional leaky diaper....

However, I learned something from the thread title "...certified 1894-S Barber Dime Set...." I did not know that 1894-S dimes came in sets. How many coins in a set? Can they beg, roll over, play dead, or jump through a hoop? Just curious.

"1964 sms nickel under a microscope" Well, it could be used under a microscope's leg to level the instrument. Then it could be called a "Special Microscope Straightener" coin.... ?

Don't know about Eliasberg's dog, but as part of the coin's provenance it might matter a little to some. Investors would not care one wit about a previous owner unless it cost nothing and added disposal value.

1864 was a tough year for small businesses. It was made more difficult by a shortage of small change - mostly cents. Some merchants resorted to stamping small cards in 1-cent and 2-cent values. Local bankers almost begged the Philadelphia Mint for coins. Here's an example. Banking and Exchange Office of Walter G. Sterling Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne Co., Pa October 25, 1864 Treasurer, U.S. Mint Philadelphia Dear Sir: Yours of 21st inst., in reply to mine of 19th enclosing draft for $160 for cents you state my name has been entered for $100 to be forwarded when my turn arises and $60 will be sent in about two weeks. This order is not for myself , but for 8 merchants of this place who need the cents very much; many of the shops and some not so responsible, issue cards stamped 1 and 2 cents which is about the only currency used in stores; the persons for whom I ordered these desire to drive the cards out of use and if you can by any means give the penny orders at an early day it will confer a favour [sic]. Yours very truly, W. G. Sterling

He means "on the die," producing the coin as shown.

Nope. More "1964 SMS" bologna.