RWB

No "meat" to the article. That might imply more promotion than real numismatic value.

Maybe Mrs. Bertha Palmer mentioned the incident in her diary? Where is that....? At tea with insiders to the Board of Lady Managers....?

Alternative interpretations of conventional reality. Every system is constrained by its components. It's practice for thinking of new ways to connect ideas or physical concepts. Also, for exploring behind and within the superficial structures of perception. A simple example: The best structure for a space ship might consist of a glass (silicon oxide and protein) lattice. Mass would be a tiny fraction of other materials since most of the structure is "empty." Rigidity is better than any known alloy, and flexibility allows alter-and-return geometry without damaging the space ship.

Take a coin to the Post Office and send it to yourself via Registered Mail. When it arrives, put it on a table (or some secure place like the cat's poop box). Print the letters N G C on a piece of paper, and place the paper on top of the Registered envelope. You now have "a coin registered under NGC."

[Blue arrow.] The note seems to imply that at least 1 Philippine peso coin was sent to the controller. But $2,07 seems awfully expensive for a coin officially valued at 50-cents.

That merely emphasizes your loss.

This was the cornerstone of coin buying/selling before the TPGs promised consistency, but delivered confusion. Buyer and seller negotiated, usually within the boundary of an accepted grading guidebook. Each balanced their opinions versus price to create personal desirability. "Luster: was just one of those opinion-based attributes, and no one tried to FORCE it into the "grade" or wear.

Nope. The entire incident was completely unknown outside of the US Mint document files, and possibly contemporary coin dealers -- who said nothing (or knew nothing).

AU (real, not phony TPG "AU") but very nicely detailed.

That is left to others. Evidently no one has looked since 1893.

Lee, It should be in my next CoinWeek column.

Sorry. These don't count as real "testing." Nearly 6 months elapsed between the last CuNi 5-cent coin production and the new CuAgMn alloy in 1942. Regular alloy did not return until 1946.

Merely another mutilated coin. Not an error of any kind.

Here's the enclosure, as requested. RWB All of the 1904 and a couple of 1905 boxes are available on NNP at no cost to users.

Maybe those were the intended meanings....

The sticker is not authentication or grading. It merely says "We find this coin desirable and will buy it from you." (At a cheap price, of course.)

The number of Isabella quarter dies made and destroyed in 1893 and 1896 has been discovered. The short item will be in my CoinWeek column very soon.

A fin extends upward from the rim-to-edge junction. Yours seems to resemble a partial collar strike...

Sulfur reacts with moisture to produce sulfuric acid. In cheap paper, the reactions include sulfur dioxide which causes the paper to slowly oxidize (or 'burn'). [See "Evaluation of the Effects of Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) on Conservation of Paper."]

The US Mint and Treasury used good quality paper - rarely the cheap, high-sulfide stuff. All of Saint-Gaudens' studio letter seem to be on similar, light blue linen stock and survive in VG to excellent condition. The original image is much sharper than the one visible above, but it has been folded several times to fit into the Mint's "tri-fold" filing system. There is an abstract and date stamp on the reverse. (The NARA locator numbers at top are my file ID headers added in Acrobat, and are not part of the original.) Additionally, this letter, like most in Mint archives have been in untouched storage for many decades. In that environment, there is little oxygen or moisture, and we find even some lined elementary school writing paper remains in good condition. However, newspaper clippings and some letters are very fragile and are handled with extreme care. When encountered, I scan the image at the best quality I have so that the original can either be protected in separate storage or allowed to crumble. (Years ago I scanned the Anthony de Francisi papers at the Smithsonian. Most of his sketches were on the cheapest, high-sulfur paper and had to be moved using plastic tweezers, and thin slider sheets. Once scanned and given to SI, the originals were put in mylar sleeves and stored in nitrogen-filled archival packing.

If it looks like a coin or acts like a coin it is a counterfeit. The only words are: 1) statement of a legal tender denomination, and 2) "United States of America." Likewise, anything that can function or be used like money, or is representative to be a legal tender (Von Nutthouse fakes) is a counterfeit under the same laws. Composition, date, design, size, weight are all immaterial, although reasonable limits apply. All of the Colorado Counterfeiter's junk are counterfeits. (Defacing a coin for the purpose of impressing a new design or deceiving othersis also a felony.)

Just another awful counterfeit. Put it out of its misery with a hammer.

Saint-Gaudens did not make the reductions - that was done by the Engraving Dept., and was quite a learning curve Soley & Barber.

The following question was asked on another message board. Here's the reply. "retirednow Posts: 309 ✭✭✭✭ June 6, 2023 7:57AM What interest me was not just the article ... but how and when does Roger come up with research ideas. Does he just wake up one morning thinking about when and if Isabella Quarters were struck in 1896? I look for forward to his future book on re-strikes et al ... I have enjoyed reading several of his other books and articles. A tenant of research - any kind - is "focus on the subject, but watch for other things." The necessary documents and information were in a group of US Mint document I was examining. Although these restrikes fit right into the subject of a book I'm working on, I was not looking for this -- and to find this really "odd ball" circumstance was a combination of paying attention to the documents and good luck. That is how I used this example in a presentation to the Northwest Coin Club back in May. (The book on restrike patterns, circulation coins, etc. is surprisingly complicated so it will not be "out" for quite a while.) As for how I select subjects for articles, etc., it's mostly a matter of something unusual, interesting, or a new understanding of an old story. The latter might be well illustrated by the Coin World article on the making of late-date proof Trade dollars -- or indeed by many of my books. There are also limitations -- some subject seem to lack enough factual data to draw the pieces together, or to reach a useful conclusion. I also adopt topics that collectors mention. These are things that might seem commonplace and well known, but where American numismatics has either lost, misplaced, or "invented" information and its sources. (This "source" problem is also why I insist on clear identification of sources and good documentation.) As Yogi Berra once noted, "You can see a lot just by looking." (or something like that).

"Should I brake this lens open ?" That depends on how fast it's going?