Henri Charriere

Chiffonnier (ret'd)

Well, it's been over three years now. The distinctive odor is gone now -- and so are my migraines. Thanks for the feedback!

There ought to be a world of a difference between an 1874 $3 AU-53 PL, and one that has been adjudged and decreed to be an MS-61 PL. While I can't put a finger on it, I am unable to dispense with the comment made by Lancek or the contribution made by RWB. I am not at all concerned with the dots under the acorn as noted by ronnie stein, particularly when confronted, as here, with the difficult-to-overlook abrasion on the obverse bottom which suggests glacial moraine that has critically injured the last A in AMERICA. But the MS-61 PL presents its own problems, mainly exterior rubbing which probably left the grader with no choice but to assign the coin a grade on the lower spectrum of the Mint State continuum. Would I cross-grade? No. I am an accumulator who tires very quickly of having to defend a coin from constant praise "but for that problem." (choose one, or more.) I would sell it, as is, and take whatever loss that entails. This is a lovely coin but it isn't the only pebble on the beach. To quote my state motto: Excelsior (Ever Upward). Use whatever money you garner from this sale and use it to pursue a coin that can speak for itself and stand on its own feet.

What about the formaldehyde manufacturers inform you about in small print with stickers attached to wood file cabinets and bookcases? The ubiquitous California Prop[osition] 65 Warning, too, is hardly encouraging: lt reads: "This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm." Of course, you only learn about all this after you've purchased the product and examined the warranties, restrictions and disclaimers of responsibility which accompany it. If simple, largely stationary, furniture items have the potential to do that to your body, what can the emission of gases do to the raw and encapsulated coins contained within them?

Just realized this thread is going on ten (10) years old! In any event, here's my contribution: it is the TPGS' grading rooms that are hermetically sealed not the encapsulated products.

Lovely... proof-like, too!

The Good News is I have been corrected by both the OP and NGC's DWLange and am totally embarrassed. The Bad News is I continue to confirm my rank amateur status regarding anomalies relative to coins I know nothing about. I thank God VKurtB, MAULEMAUL and my army of ignorers who were not around to witness the agony of my defeat. Coinbuf? Sorry, false alarm. At the risk of reinforcing my rank amateur status are you suggesting a feature that has been a standard accessory on every Lincoln from 1918 to date was arbitrarily filled in on some dies and, if so, to what purpose? This is a veritable slap in the face to Victor David Brenner and his progeny. I want a second opinion! Where's Coinbuf???

Is this someone's quaint way of saying I ordered pizza and a great big strawberry shake, for nothing? (I should've listened to Lancek.)

At the risk of reinforcing my rank amateur status are you suggesting a feature that has been a standard accessory on every Lincoln from 1918 to date was arbitrarily filled in on some dies and, if so, to what purpose? This is a veritable slap in the face to Victor David Brenner and his progeny. I want a second opinion! Where's Coinbuf??? P.S. NGC's Coin Explorer addresses only MS and PF Wheaties and Lincoln Memorial Cents; Google is annoyingly non-committal on this issue. Where's Coinbuf?

[Q.A.: Do you think the reverse side of the 1943 would have a larger than normal sized mint-mark over the dome without examining a photo and solely on my say-so? RWB: I believe I would, yes.]

[Judging by the minimal wear on Lincoln's countenance and overall condition, we may be looking at an error -- which still has value to a collector of errors despite absence of a date -- that may very well have been minted in the last few years.]

True indeed.

Unfortunately, I am inclined to agree. When's the last time you saw one or received one in change? And yet, as rarely seen or used as it has been, it is worth little over its face value, if that. I would advise the OP to hold onto it. The only people who appreciate this coin -- and its cousin the "Ike" are children who have never seen one much less spent one. Funny how the so-called "coin shortage" they keep talking about does not include the halves or dollars.

That it is, but I would caution against attempting to abate the abrasions (until the art of conservation has progressed enough to inspire complete confidence). A real jewel, nevertheless.

With all due respect... verdigris is but one form of patina. I would like to suggest the OP, whether a coin collector or not, investigate these further on a search engine such as Google to get a full grasp of what each is. There are many causes of such environmental damage and familiarizing yourself with each will help you understand how and why these phenomena occur and the best course of action to take.

Why not speak to someone at Douglas Winter Numismatics (RareGoldCoins.com) or Stacks-Bowers Galleries (StacksBowers.com) on the West Coast (California) at 800.458.4646, or East Coast (New York) at 800.566.2580, or by e-mail at Info@StacksBowers.com, or StacksBowers.com

Ah... the price guide. Since when is a compilation the go-to authority on all things coin-ish? I have spent thousands on Roosters, and guess what? Not a one has appeared in any of the highly-vaunted price guides of TPGS. It appears a symbiotic relationship exists between Heritage Auctions and N.G.C. It wasn't until I stumbled onto a re-run of Pawn Stars that I inadvertently discovered why. An NGC expert (whose specific specialty is Ancients) Rick relies upon for advice made an off-hand remark to a customer who thought the coin he brought in for examination surely had to be worth much more than the range quoted by the expert who, without missing a beat, informed the disappointed customer, in substance, that Heritage Auctions attracts a world-wide audience which [presumably] makes the prices realized there a far better indicator of Fair Market Value. (If anyone wishes to clarify or refute this, do feel free to offer your take on this.)

A genuine '43, or counterfeit?

I am afraid Lancek hit this on the head. I don't know what this. But I certainly know what it is not. And we still need a shot of that other side -- and the presence of any extant reeding. Guess we will all have to be patient.

[Unfortunately, this is about as far as the Moderators will let this conversation go. Times change, people change. How you feel about this matter depends on how old you are, your knowledge of the state's history and where you were in the 1950's and 1960's. There are whole blocs of people who cannot vote by law in Florida and the shenanigans in Philly whereby voting districts recorded 100% voting for a single candidate are legion. I will return to Mississippi (and Alabama) someday -- but only with my wife in the front seat and my wife in the back. Gentlemen, I must go now before someone asks what any of this has to do with the 1921 Peace Dollar.]

[Having been eviscerated in these columns for examining my coins with a 30-power loupe, it pleases me to no end a fellow member unabashedly admits to using a microscope! With your extraordinary visual aid in tow, comes a mystery... if in fact the break you cite on Monticello's east "wall," is in fact just that, why are there steps leading up to to it much like those at the main entrance? (One day, I hope to get to the bottom of exactly who those ghostly figures are gazing out of the windows of the left portico of Monticello -- or whether it is simply an illusion.) The photographs you have provided to illustrate your point are hands-down the finest I have ever viewed on this site! (I wish some of our seasoned veterans were here to see this for myself.)

I concur. Bailiff, call the next case.

The "right" weight -- despite possible acid etching, serious alteration, and a harsh cleaning! What an I missing here? Maybe it's also had a hip replacement, too. It's almost as old as I am. Tip from a rank amateur: Me. The older a coin gets, the more difficult diagnosing its symptoms becomes. Elsewhere on this site I made mention of all the one-cent pieces littering NYC streets paved with asphalt. I defy anyone to correctly diagnose an "assault by asphalt-embedded coins." And one more thing... there has to be a cut-off date for coins damaged by environmental forces or chemical agents. It may be interesting, but it's irrelevant. Many such coins are essentially worthless.

[Probably one of the finest, most insightful threads ever posted on this Forum -- with at least one follower!]