RWB

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?

Keller Machine Co and Dietsch Bros. had new reducing lathes. Keller made their own and Dietsch sold the Janvier product to the US Mint. Here's a notebook page showing the cost in 1906. (The 1899 French patent is in my 1st issue of Journal of Numismatic Research (JNR). )

Found it today. This is the letter that really started the Renaissance of American Coinage 1905-1921. Completely unexpected discovery.

Fixed price for two designs: one for gold and the other for the cent.

Adding Saint-Gaudens' original coinage commission acceptance letter. (See separate thread, elsewhere.)

This is the original acceptance letter from Saint-Gaudens to Treasury Secretary Leslie Shaw dated August 11, 1905 and signed. The letter's content is known through copies and Dartmouth College's microfilm, but this is original. (I'll also post on the long SG book thread for continuity.)

Yep. The Treasury Dept was going to display a selection of coining equipment that would go the new Denver Mint after the expo. There was also the Mint's 2 commem gold dollars (ugly trolls) being hawked by loser Farran Zerb-blat. The Bureau of Insular Affairs (War Dept.) sponsored special Philippine coins plus proofs sales of which The Zerber also screwed up. (Denver was not getting a hydraulic coin press - this was one bought for Philadelphia.)

Very occasionally, an adjuster "jumps out" because she complains, or did not play well with others. But I've never seen anything relating to theft. The ladies brought food from home and prepared it for lunch in a small kitchen. (See From Mine to Mint for photos, etc., and a detailed description of adjuster life - written by a female photographer.)

San Francisco Mint February 1904. Table of planchets weighed and adjusted (filed or rejected). The first person, Allen, was only average but examined a new silver dollar planchet once every 8.8 seconds -- 528 per hour. The best adjusters completed almost twice as many in the same time.

Was this a premonition or just a 119-year coincidence?

PS: In a 1905 report on his visit to European mints, Engraver Barber consistently degrades pure nickel coinage and takes a dig at Joseph Wharton.

Gnot.

This letter is one of several indicating that the Mint Bureau continued testing pure nickel for use in coins and small medals. The letter suggests a test using 50-cent diameter brass planchets for a small medal. At higher-than-coin-relief, the hydraulic press tonnage of 130 is reasonable for a single strike on copper alloy. (This is a net 107.9 tons on the planchet.)

NNP now has the following document boxes available for use. The link is: https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/archivedetail/515205 I've added the list below so users can find the specific boxes, mints and date ranges they want. I will post updates as they become available. It's ok to copy or link to this thread on PCGS or other message boards. Box 1 New Orleans Box 2 Carson Box 3 Carson Box 4 Carson Box 5 Carson-Charlotte Box 6 1838-1839 Charlotte Box 7 1840-1842 Charlotte Box 8 1843-1846 Charlotte Box 9 1847-1853 Charlotte Box 10 1854-1859 Charlotte Box 11 1860-1879 Charlotte Box 12 1880-1885 Charlotte Box 13 1886-1896 Charlotte Box 14 1835-1839 Dahlonega Box 15 1840-1843 Dahlonega Box 16 1843-1846 Dahlonega Box 17 1847-1853 Dahlonega Box 18 1853-1856 Dahlonega Box 19 1856-1870 Dahlonega Box 20 1862-1864 Denver Box 28 1835-1839 New Orleans Part 2 Box 28 1836-1839 New Orleans Part 1 Box 29 1839 New Orleans Box 30 1841 New Orleans Box 31 1843 New Orleans

"Plate coins" are usually those used in the book's text. Hence the term "plated" referring to a coin that was illustrated by photo in a book or auction. ("The Dexter 1904 dollar was plated in the Newman-Bressett book.") I wonder what the photos in a cook book are called? Photos on a book cover are commonly called "cover art" since they are merely part of a signular composition.