Fenntucky Mike

It's over. The last piece minted was this one.

Oak. Stronger and will burn better when the heat and lights go out due to lack of wind and sun.

They probably didn't care as these are just bullion pieces but still I'm a little surprised by this level of ineptitude, even for Pobjoy. I've handled many of these and no others have shown this lack of quality and finish. The first two pieces are from 1985 and are from an unlisted die variety, the third is from 2014. I may need to borrow a pallet.

Here is another from a different year with similar "tool" marks on it. At this point I'm going to chalk this up to poor quality control/craftsmanship.

There are what appear to be die gouges all over these two pieces, it's almost like someone was tracing or laying out the design on the coin. I'm wondering if anyone has seen something similar on other coins and if it is indicative of something like an unfinished die, graffiti, counterfeit, etc.? Gouges are noticeable on the Angel's face, right wing, left torso, waist, left leg, Dragon's left wing, around the inner portion of the chain, etc... The two pieces below were presumably produced from the same die.

I haven't gotten around to reading these yet, both are sitting in my "yet to read" pile of books at home. I was thinking of reading through a couple of short works on Bolton next but may move one of these to the top of the pile.

Change of venue may have helped out as well, it may have went higher if sold here in the states in a premium auction setting.

Sold for €15,000, not sure if that includes the BP. I don't think it does, with BP that would put the final price at €17,700.

$2,055 this morning, close to the all time high set back in 2020.

It's a counterfeit. I'm not very familiar with these other than I've seen this question asked several times. If I remember correctly the consensus was that these are either bullion pieces produced at a later date and used for trade or it's a counterfeit of a counterfeit produced in China. Also, again if I'm remembering this correctly, the assayers initials, FM, used with the wrong date was done on purpose as a way to identify these? If I have time I'll try to find a more definitive answer.

I would absolutely leave them as they are. That is a really neat display, don't wreck it by sticking the dies in a plastic tomb. You can always have them certified later if you're looking to sell or let an auction house make the decision to have them certified or not when the time comes.

Correctamundo.

Refreshed my memory of the problems with the, Mary Gillick, QEII portrait this morning and while the points noted can be indicative of a weak strike it seems that the main issue in causing the loss of detail was die wear. The original Gillick design was first seen on coins of G.B., AUS., CAN., N.Z., S.A., and RHO. & NAZ. in 1953, by 1954 there were sufficient complaints that the master dies were recut and the design slightly altered to help with the loss of detail, the newly altered design was used for all the previously mentioned countries except for S.A. and RHO. & NAZ.. The Gillick portrait was eventually replaced with the Machin portrait in 1964 if I remember correctly. If you look at the '55 proof sets the 1/2 crown and 2 shilling coins typically show loss of detail in the areas mentioned while the smaller coins, denominations, are normally crisp with full detail. This could be due to the larger diameter mater hubs and dies, for the larger size coins, not transferring fully or as well to the working hubs and dies as the smaller diameter ones? This could have been an issue with the circulating coinage as well.

Common for that design, typically associated with a weakly struck coin. I always look for the dress shoulder fold and neckline/collar, and hair part when picking out coins with this effigy, if those points are not visible I'll typically walk. Nice pics.

There are tons of breakaway regions in the former Eastern bloc countries and I collect most of them. One of my favorite pieces of recent vintage is a 2023 note from Abkhazia, a breakaway region in Georgia, I've posted it across the aisle in the past. Russia loves funding new coin and currency for these areas. I have several Transnistria coins but not the turtle, very cool. Side note: Pobjoy mint is currently having it's going out of business sale and there were several turtle coins for pretty cheap last I looked.

Was it normal for the U.S. Mint to number samples in this manner?

The first (100 or so?)coins struck from a new die/s will have no or limited luster until flow lines develop. I've also noticed apparent off-center luster on coins, I haven't given much thought as to why or how this could occur but if I was going to take a guess right now I'd say it was due to the lowest portions of the design, on the dies, being off-center. Perhaps the flow lines could form in different directions on the devices and fields, and/or maybe there is some natural variance to how they form as well. Cleaning or dipping a coin might cause this effect as well, I'll have to take a closer look next time I notice that.

Anyone think that this should get a CAM designation? The obv looks close to full cam, I'm guessing the rev held it back.

That was my thought, that it would exceed the high estimate. Not sure if it will blow past it or not though, €25,000 wouldn't surprise me, especially with the Euro sagging a bit, but I don't follow Cuban coinage much. I've considered putting together a type set or collecting one of the minor denominations many times but hit the breaks after looking into expense. I keep coming back to it though and will probably dip my toe in once I finish up some other coin projects I'm working on. EDIT TO ADD: I took a look at the NGC population report and there have been 33 grading events for this coin type, survivorship would seem to be high if all are different coins. I'm now thinking it will just squeak by the high estimate.

Mmm mmm mmm, I like this coin. I always was a sucker for nice even cobalt blue toning. It's being auctioned off and just thought I'd share a good looking coin. Proof that good things can come out of Philly, the Philly Mint at least. Any guesses what it will hammer for? The USD has closed the gap on the Euro, €17,000 is around $18,500 currently, money is going further now in overseas auctions/purchases than it has in little while. I haven't really noticed an increase in prices, €, either. LINK to the auction and description below. There is a video of the coin if you go to the auction website. Cuba. 1 peso. 1915. Philadelphia. (Elizondo-5). (Km-15.1). Ag. Produced in a low mintage of only 100 examples. It has no marks, imperfections or defects, preserves the plenty luster and a fine veil of patina that, with a tilt of the wrist, reveals soft blue iridescence that elevates the eye appeal of the piece. Slabbed by NGC as PF 65. A similar example auctioned by Heritage Auctions in 2012 was sold for $18,000. This coin is exempt from any export license fee. Est...17000,00. Auction House images NGC images

The denomination, L 500

The image is a pretty accurate depiction of what the coin looks like in hand, it's a real head-turner with full luster.

I bet @J P M could have found you one at a better price.

It's been great seeing all of these tokens surface, although, I'm only tracking and logging tokens I win or want, not all of them. There haven't been too many unlisted tokens that I've noticed but I'm not checking all of them. Hmm, never thought about adding tokens to TC, I'll have to check that out later today and see how it goes. Fortunately, I've been able to pick up everything I've wanted for my primary token collection but those few pieces wiped out most of my budget. That being said, 2023 has been an amazing year for me and my token collection, I doubt I'll have another year like it. Yeah, you'll be better off paying a little extra for the token being auctioned than trying to find a SC token that Tony does not have. Sniping is a good way to go, seems like most auctions I follow end past my bedtime so I typically have to hang a number on an item and hope for the best. Good Luck in the auction!