RWB

coinsandmedals - Wherever Doty's spirit is, I'm sure he will enjoy your article!

California gold tokens were all I could think of, too. Maybe Dr. Rear thought they were U.S. Mint products? A lot of people wrote the Mint in Philadelphia asking about gold quarters and halves. I wonder what kind of coin business he ran?

The much more difficult challenge is to acquire coins that are nearly fully detailed - not just limited to Liberty's head, toes, etc.

AcesKings - You are experiencing what happens when past writers failed to look for facts, not conjecture. When the pieces were first mentioned in hobby publications, 1881, many members and former members of the Harmony, PA, New Harmony, IN, and Oikonomia, PA religious communities were alive. However, it appears that no one in numismatics bothered to ask them about the coins. Here is some very basic information about the society and constraints on the meanings of E and L stamps. Some information about the “E” and “L” counterstamps. "The Harmony Society’s town of Harmony, Pennsylvania (on Connoquenessing Creek) was sold May 6, 1815 and everyone, including new arrivals from Württemberg, moved to New Harmony in Indiana on the Wabash River. "A decade later the Society’s town of New Harmony, Indiana was sold to Robert Owen for $150,000 January 3, 1825. Payment was $15,000 up front and $15,000 per year until paid in full. No interest. Richard Flower was the selling agent in Scotland. The community moved back to Pennsylvania on land purchased adjacent to Sewickly Creek, to their new homeland called Economy. "The official and dominant language of the Harmony Society was German – mostly late 18th century Swabian dialect. Attempting to squeeze English meaning out of the “E” and “L” counterstamps is likely to be counterproductive. "Note that the Society always used the term “oikonomia” or ecclesiastical “economy.” This sense suggests the idea of stewardship, or management on behalf of others, or to the works of god; that is: on behalf of a god or superior. In Lutheran Church German the word is “Oikonomenische” not “Ökonomische.” "‘Count’ Maximillian Leon’s society was known as the New Philadelphia Society (at Phillipsburg, Beaver County, Pa) and not by the moniker “Leonites.” Use of coins as “voting tokens” is not supported by any contemporary practice in Germany, English-speaking countries, or among Harmony Society members. (The closest “stretch” might be communion tokens.) The same applies to letters “E” and “L.”

Came across this last night and thought it might bring a smile to members. The business proprietor, Dr. Rear, certainly had a diversified approach. Can anyone guess what an "8 square gold dollar" was/is? Narrow Gauge Grocery Dr. Rear Milk, Bread, Fresh Cakes, Cold Drinks, Cold Lunch, Notions, Tobacco and Cigars, Fruite, Nuts, Vegetables. Buy and Sell Ancient and Modern Coins. Corner of Court and Military, Port Huron, Michigan January 8, 1887 James P. Kimball, Esq. Dear Sir Mr. Rush here, an old coin collector, wishes me to get him a copy of 14th Annual Report of Dir. Of Mint. Many Thanks for the one sent me. Please find enclosed stamps – are these sufficient? Have you an 8 square Gold Dollar you could sell. I have the ¼ Dol and ½ Dol 8 square and wish to have the Dol. Yours, Rear [P.S.] Also $1,000 Confederate Note or Bond.

Yep. Normal 1922-D dollar.

:) This works for a lot of us....!

MorganMan and Nysoto1 - Thanks! Very helpful. One would expect various styles of "L" since these were made locally and not a coordinated distribution. AcesKings - The Reich articles refer to the so-called "Economite" hoard - which is more myth than fact.

Your 1924 does not appear to have "full head" detail...but it might be the lighting.

The Boulton letters at NARA Philadelphia (RG104 E-2) are available from the Newman Numismatic Portal (NNP) for free download. The images are not very good but most are readable. Direct link: [https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/archivedetail/515203] There are additional Boulton letters in Entry-1 (General Correspondence), but these seem to be mostly orders and receipts for planchets and they are scattered over several decades. Your Boulton article would likely be enjoyed by EAC members and the ANA's Numismatist would be a good place to submit it.

I've seen mention of only an "L" or the word "Light."

Beginning in the 1870s it was the practice by sub-Treasuries to stamp light-weight gold coins with the letter "L" to facilitate removal from circulation and recoinage. Do any members have examples of this? The stamp appears to have been applied to the center obverse. Thanks!

Interesting. Have you gone through the Boulton correspondence in the National Archives near Philadelphia?

I am only presenting the truth. Get a lawyer and ask him/her to read the US Code relating to counterfeiting coins, plus the Hobby Protection Act. There is NO WIGGLE ROOM in counterfeiting law - even a blank token the weight and diameter of a nickel qualifies as counterfeit if it operates a vending machine. The legal wording is "likeness or similitude" if it looks like or functions like a legal coin...composition is irrelevant. I personally resent your ignorant and arrogant supposition that I might ever deliberately misinform any one here or elsewhere !

Then ANACS is complicit in counterfeiting of they included items other than medals. If it looks like a legal tender coin but was not issued by the United States, it is a counterfeit - that is by definition and nothign else is needed for the trash to be correctly labeled and confiscated as counterfeit. The ONLY exception applies to reproductions that comply with the Hobby Protection Act. Ask your counterfeiting friend to show you proof from the FTC or Justice Department or US Treasury Department stating that the so-called "fantasy strikes" comply with the US Code. The fakes quack at every step they take and the buyers quack the same complicit ignorance and greed. They are the same as middle-Eastern fake sovereigns or quarter eagles, or Ford's pile of fakes, all of whom spout some sort of phony justification for cheating others. Lastly, I have never attempted to litigate the matter and your assertion is a lie. Personally, I do not have the funds to do so; but would love to "hit the lottery" and hire the lawyers to help see every counterfeiter everywhere behind bars, and their ill-gotten gains confiscated.

When I was last at Monticello, I happened to look toward those same steps and saw a chipmunk jump out from beneath the steps - so, I think that's what's under the steps on your coin, too. :)

There are several well known and very expensive US coins for which there is no official "issue" information. Liberty nickels date 1913, Trade dollars dated 1884 and 1885, silver dollars dated 1804 and so forth. Coinage of many other nations have similar coins and patterns. The major authentication companies will examine and certify these. However, no TPG will authenticate counterfeits, such as the "1964 Morgan dollar" fake VKurtB mentioned...even if they comply with the Hobby Protection Act.

Agreed - Tourist bait. The OPA item is a WW-II ration token. The silver coins are worth only bullion, and the others are common pocket change accumulated by vacation excursionists.

RE: "... LBE show earlier this year I'm thinking that spending > 1k on a coin just isn't a smart move." Spending $1,000 in a nice coin, preferably scarce and in choice condition, might be a smart move if virtually identical pieces are selling for $1,500. But the plastic and cute stickers are meaningless - you must use your own skill of visual examination to make a decision. To actually "invest in rare coins to make a profit" your individual purchases might begin at $50,000 to $100,000, but using even tighter discrimination to get the absolute best quality -- that is where price appreciation might be found. Coin sales are also subject to considerable, sometimes unintentional manipulation. The total coin market is very small, and this makes it very volatile. There are no controls or regulations. A great rarity might have sold for $2 million 10 years ago and sell next week for $1.7 million....or $2.2 million - both a considerable loss in time-value of money.

A "hobby" has no assurance of pecuniary gain. Likewise, there is no assurance your wine or fine art will appreciate in value in either price or adjusted. The price of a Monet depends on perception, immediate 'taste', and availability of others willing to place a greater 'price' on the painting than that paid by the present owner. Neither is actually "value" - which is a more complex assessment that mere dollars, pounds or euros. Coin collections depend on the same qualities as your other collections, and have similar limitations. in the end, the old rule of buying quality applies. However, you can drink the wine - if it has not turned in the bottle. The Monet can be enjoyed for it's beauty. A coin can be enjoyed for its history and possibly appearance. This is not to neglect that sale of collections cannot be profitable. But that is a business or investment decision that must be taken aside from collecting. If you want to "invest money to make a profit" in rare coins, then toss aside your preconceptions and look only at the market potential. To begin that, the various price guides and related are just ink on paper.

With exceptions for readily available collector coins, each piece is unique even if hundreds are known. Therefore, binning them into some sort of price or value tracking guide is a futile exercise. The apparent volatility in auction prices comes from the reactions of individual collector and dealer perceptions to different specimens of the same date/mint of coin over time. A meaningful relationship only exists if one tracks the same coin (regardless of plastic container or source of 'grade') through multiple sales, over time. As others have said, collecting coins is a hobby not an investment - except in enjoyment.

The Eagle collar dies followed the same process, so they all have the same star count.

46 versus 48 stars. I did not consider the 48 star coins (DE or E) as a new design type because the only change was addition of two stars to the master design die. In 1908, the complete obverse or reverse was changed along with the pairing of designs. Addition of a new state required considerable advance planning and operational changes to move from a Territorial Organic Act to a State Enabling Act and execution. Possibly the best known exceptions were Texas, California and West Virginia.

"Do you think that was because the admission of Oklahoma was considered a "done deal" years prior to admission? " Yes. "The Oklahoma Enabling Act of 1906 allowed the writing of the constitution, and the territorial period officially ended on statehood day, November 16, 1907." [Kenny L Brown, Oklahoma Historical Society]

Nice, honest EF 1907 cent! :)