RWB

Each bracelet took about a dozen of the little "silver fish scales" so it all worked out. I paid 25 or 30 cents each for them as junk from dealers, but I got a lot of value for the money and the girls had a really different looking piece of jewelry.

He had some really good insights, and was always helpful to new collectors. He was the kind of person you like from the beginning -- and miss very much at the end.

At present I have complete, or advanced drafts of 19 sections totaling about 400 pages. I'm still accepting suggestions for subjects, and have a large amount of data to sift through. Here's a list of the sections so far. They are not in final order and I realize the titles might not be very helpful. The comment "new page size" refers to adjusting text and illustrations to fit the 6x9-inch page that will be used. This is the same size book as From Mint to Mint. I might add a USB drive to the package in place of a CD. Mine to Mint 2 builds on the first book, so there is connection but not much repetition. 1 US Mint in City of Washington v10 new page size.docx 2 Metal to Money v05 new page size.docx 3 Engraving v07 New page size.docx 4 Distribution of Coinage v11 new size page.docx 5 Circulation of Foreign Gold and Silver Coins v09-new page size.docx 6 Laminar and Turbulent Die Metal Flow v03 New page size.docx 7 M-R operations v04 Resized.docx 8 Financial language of Mint 03.docx 9 How gold and silver were deposited at the Mints v05.docx 10 Getting a Job at the Philadelphia Mint v02.docx 11 Mint Machinery and Equipment v04.docx 12 Moore-Staford correspondence Questions regarding coinage v02.docx 13 18580701 DM Mint regulations v01.docx 14 Delivering Coins at End of Calendar Year v02.docx 15 Annual Assay Commission v02.docx 16 18470601 DeBow Review Branch Mints v02.docx 17 British view of American Mints 1884 US Mint description-Royal Mint.docx 18 New Philadelphia Mint 1969 v02.docx 19 Supplies v02.docx

Mint and Treasury accounts did not work that way. Plus everything was routinely audited -- literally down to the cent. However, in the 19th century off-metal coppers of many silver and gold pattern pieces were given to favored collectors, and used for Congressional examination for free. There was no accountable cost for the work time and the metal cost was just scrap. (See my book Fads, Fakes and Foibles for how the Mint charged members of Congress for Goloid patterns, etc.) If you read Renaissance of American Coinage 1905-1908 you'll see that Augusta's lawyer played an important role in getting the coin for her and in ensuring the Estate was paid for both designs.

No one got complimentary coins. Mint accounts had to balance and the director spent time during several months collecting from officials to whom Roosevelt had sent coins. Mint contingency accounts did not allow complimentary coins -- all had to be paid for. Augusta got one EHR only because the President ordered one of the two in the Mint Cabinet to be sold to her. The pieces in Barber's personal collection were acquired the same way -- he paid for them.

These were often used for cheap jewelry by drilling a hole near the edge, and tying them on a silver wire or silver thread. (I once had a small bag of 100+ holed pieces. When cleaned and strung together they made nice gifts for girlfriends.) There was a period when the Treasury refused to accept or redeem these while accepting all the older copper and CuNi cents. The Post Office put up a bit of a stink because they had piles of these things taken in for postage, but not paid out. (The public did not like them any more than they liked the dollar coins.)

"Sonic sealed" merely means the edge sealing is performed ultrasonically -- it is not a guaranteed hermetic seal.

This thread might be of interest. https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1087160/new-info-on-the-gm-roller-press-to-come-out-eventually

No. The plastic holders are not sealed or purged of oxygen and water vapor, nor are they filled with an inert gas. Thus, "conservation" is not a realistic reason for spending the money.

It's the thought that counts....but I rather prefer the natural version. There's something about an eagle's "smile" ....

ANA has never been known for accuracy or much scholarship. The term was not used by Treasury - they used the official name as presented in the enabling legislation. Same for the 1875 20-cent. PS: The official legislative name is also why the Morgan dollar was routinely called "standard silver dollar" in mint and Treasury documents.

Snowden did not invent it. The word appears, if I remember correctly, in one of his routine letters then vanishes. A search of my database shows nothing. Breen has no references for his statement, we cannot check it and are best to put it where Breen put his other valuables.

Awww....no, there's not enough clear space on my desk for that, and the walls are already bashed in from head wacking.

Why, why, why.....? You propose to spend $40 on each for a plastic holder for coins worth face value? Who or what is promoting this insanity? End of Rant.... Hate seeing people get pulled into wasting time and resources.

$2,800 in 5/4 condition. This one, about $1,500 to 1,900.

It was and is called a "three cent piece" or "three cent silver." Trime is a modern aberration not used contemporary with the coin. (It sticks to the teeth like oily cheap peanut butter.) The failed silver coin worth 20-cents was called a "twenty-cent piece" and never a "double dime" -- except, in the first proposed 20-cent piece in 1806-7 it was officially called a "double dime."

None of the quarters are from doubled dies.

Greetings! The coin in your magnified photos was not struck from a doubled die. What you see is called "machine doubling" or "mechanical doubling. This is caused by the planchet not properly seating between the dies at the instant the coin is struck. It is very common and has no added value. All of the quarters are ordinary 1964 pieces. They are not "transitional" in any sense of the word and are never called that by coin collectors. Each quarter contains about $4.70 in silver value. They have no added collector premium and sending any to be independently graded would be a total waste of $30 to $40 in fees and postage.

Excellent perception!

But which parking garage? Will there be flush plumbing this time? Will there be a special "Thieves' Holiday" or maybe a razor wire enclosure for members who make and sell counterfeits"? Merely wondering.....

I do too! But the coin is U-G-L-L-L-L-Y !

Here is the internal Treasury Department letter summarizing the bids to strike 27,737 bronze 3-inch award medals for the Columbian Exposition of 1892-93. The winning bidder, Scovill Mfg Company, was still making medals in May 1897!

It's just a cleaned and damaged proof. Poor Ike...first the hair, now his dignity.

Why? It could be preference, like Sandon says, or it could be technical. Details of coin designs are frequently altered to increase die life, improve striking, reduce minting pressure, etc. No one outside the technical folks every know about these.

I don't consider either of those values "heavy hitters" in today's market. No, I don't buy coins in this price range but the TPG's routinely grade coins of this value. This is another illustration of the damage created when condition and "value" and linked during grading of a coin. The coin should be accurately described as it presently exists. The free market will determine its "value" at the time of sale.