RWB

Damaged in both posts....

Now think....why would such a "nice" coin not be in a legitimate TPG holder with a cute smiley-face sticker? The contrast has been exaggerated so the fields look black and relief almost white - not normal for a coin of that era, except for a few carefully maintained pieces.

Was the US occasionally shipping US coins to Mexico? This letter seems to imply that....

Italian States LUCCA Scudo KM# 60. 1751. Obverse Legend: LUCENSIS RESPUBLICA ( Republic of Lucca) ; Reverse Legend: SANCTUS MARTINUS (Saint Martin). Reverse depicts "Saint" Martin on horseback cutting his cloak in half to share with a beggar. (The horse turns to watch the action...probably thinking "Better that cloak than me.")

Without hard evidence, it's just rancid bologna.

Wish I could have published this....it wipes out all the previous copy cat stuff.

They were all pattern pieces whether shiny or not.

Roberts had more opportunities to preserve historical specimens than did Leach.

Hmmmm.....I wonder the same thing, just the other way around.

Frank Leach had replaced George Roberts as director. Each might have held different views on pattern pieces and each might have been influenced by unknown conversations. Leach "should" have ordered the S-G HE and Pratt HE patterns put in the mint cabinet of coins, and he had previously acted to preserve the $10 knife edge patterns, and small diameter DE, but..... we'll likely never know.

It is a pattern piece, not a legal tender coin. There are no circulation strike pieces. It was one of several US Mint experiments toward making gold one dollar, and gold fifty-cent coins in a convenient diameter. See my book Fads, Fakes & Foibles, pages 57-90, for details.

I should have written, "everything was suspended until Congress acted on the IGWT bill." Meaning that if the bill passed the Mint would have to use a version with IGWT. Instead of wasting time, the Mint merely waited for a decision before producing S-G half and quarter eagles. During this interval Bigelow made poorly-informed sales pitch about using a real Native American and a sunken relief. (This is according to documents, not imagination.)

Goose egg.

"Lima beans"

How about a list of dealers who didn't get robbed....or...maybe one of dealers who cheated customers, or bounce checks, or....... Robberies and thefts are nothing unusual, and rates are much lower now than way back when. Crooks change with the times and opportunities; honest people have to do the same.

Non-precinct voting has too many potential security problems where states have individual regulations. It works well in some European countries, but their jurisdictional systems do not align with that in the US, so making comparisons is difficult. Political party poll watchers are permitted in all Federal elections including primaries. If any of them think there is something wrong they have a responsibility to speak up; and there is a process for coordinating this.

Nope --- that's clearly a one-eared leprechaun who is out there trapping marsupials. He cut off one ear to put in the marsupial trap. because he was out of marshmallows which, as we ALL KNOW, are favorites of marchupials.

The coins in your photos are ordinary items pulled from pocket change. During the 1950s average circulation quality was approximately like your coins. Adding more photos does not change anything.

The only mintage for 1927 Experimental pieces I've found is an estimate of 5 pieces.

Bigelow donated his pattern piece to the Museum, which held it in its collection until most of the collection was sold 70 years later. If collectors will simply read modern research books they can find the answers themselves.

Pattern pieces were and are entirely legal, despite attempts by Dirs Kimball and Andrew to claim otherwise. (There is no relationship between pattern pieces and 1933 DE.)

Hubs and dies were made in December 1907, and patterns struck in January 1908. Then everything was suspended until Congress passed the IGWT bill, and TR decided to try Bigelow's goofy (and false) sunken relief idea --- about 3 months delay. (Lettering the edge was not so big a deal as often assumed. US Mint had experience lettering Mexican coinage.)

I don't recall exactly --- 1980s maybe ? The "received Holy Wisdom" prior to my research was that no S-G half eagles were made. This was accompanied by many 'learned' guesses, assumptions and blather based entirely on hot air and BS.

An article will soon be in my bi-weekly Coin Week column.

The Federal election rule is "vote where your legal residence is on election day." Many states allow those whose address has not been updated in the polling books to cast a "provisional ballot" which will be individually checked once the election day polls are closed, but before the final tally is certified. This cross checking always reveals 1 or 2 people who voted in the wrong place, and they have to appear in person at the Registrar's Office to verify by affidavit which is correct. Many states also permit same-day registration and voting with proper ID. In Virginia, where I am an Officer of Elections, everything is handled by closed systems - except paper ballots are used and counted by a scanner. There is no political party registration so voters in a dual party primary have to request a specific party ballot. Every electronic and paper system is verified by 2 or more officers before the polls open and this is repeated once they close. Nobody can leave until all numbers match, and no one has the ability to alter any electronic number. Once everything is completed, electronic and paper copies of the data are certified at each precinct, sealed with signed labels, and taken directly to the Clerk of the Circuit Court and held under seal. The states have somewhat different rules, so what applies in Virginia might not be the same in Idaho. Now, let's return to coins, medals, and other stuff.