Sandon

I see no indication that the planchet was "elliptical". The collar appears to have been normally deployed around the entire edge of the coin, as the reeding runs evenly around the edge. I continue to believe that the raised area or "fin" of metal was created by pressure from the misalignment of the die and that the upper part of this thin piece of metal subsequently broke and became partly detached. I suggest that you might want to show your photos of this coin to CONECA and/or Sullivan Numismatics for an expert opinion.

This well-worn coin was likely "cleaned", although the streaky color could have resulted from an improper mixture of the bronze alloy as sometimes happened during that period but as I recall is most frequently seen on "S" mint cents. Some refer to them as having "woodgrain toning" or as "woodies". Speaking personally, I don't find this coloration very interesting even if natural. To my knowledge, it does not command a premium.

For best attention, this topic would have been better posted on the "Ask NGC/NCS" forum for an answer from the NGC staff or the "Newbie Coin Collecting Questions" or "U.S., World, and Ancient Coins" forum for responses from other forum members. The answer to your question is, "yes, for a price." Go to NGC Services and Fees | NGC (ngccoin.com) and see "CrossOver" at the bottom of the list of "NGC Add-on Services". If you are unfamiliar with submitting coins to NGC, you should also carefully review other pertinent portions of that page, as well as the other topics and forms under the "Submit" tab at the top of the page. You will have to sign a consent for NGC to remove the coin from the PCGS holder, with NGC asserting that it will use reasonable care but will not be liable for any resulting damage to the coin, so if you feel more comfortable "cracking out" the coin yourself, you can do so and submit the coin in the usual way. Note that just submitting this one coin will require payment of the $10 per order processing fee and $28 minimum per order return shipping fee, in addition to the grading fee for the appropriate tier, so if you are determined to "cross" this coin, it might be more cost effective to submit it with other coins or submit it through a dealer NGC member.

Welcome to the NGC chat board. As stated by @cobymordet, the dates and mintmarks of "Native American" dollars issued beginning in 2009 are on the coin's edge. (Occasionally, the edge is blank.) These coins continue the obverse design of the 2000-2008 Sacagawea dollar on the obverse but have a different reverse design each year. Coins dated 2009-2011 were made in some quantity for circulation; the 2010 "Great Law of Peace" issue had mintages of 32,060,000 in Philadelphia ("P" mintmark) and 48,720,000 in Denver ("D" mintmark). The mint has only sold circulation quality coins dated 2012 to date to collectors in rolls and bags, and they are included in annual uncirculated coin ("mint") sets. You can obtain information like this and should be able to identify all U.S. coins from a current (2024, 2025 edition expected in April) or recent edition of A Guide Book of United States Coins, commonly known as the "Redbook", available from its publisher at whitman.com. You can find other important print and online resources from which you should benefit as a new collector in the "Basic Resources and Glossary" topic linked above and in the following topic:

Although the photos are better than in your previous post on the Marketplace forum, their resolution is inadequate to get a clear view of the "S" mintmark. The coin is in approximately Very Good condition (a worn grade), possibly with light surface damage. In this condition, and assuming that the coin is genuine and unimpaired, it would have a retail list value of approximately $90-$110. Dealers could be expected to pay between half and two thirds of this amount, less if the coin is damaged or otherwise impaired. The mintmark on a genuine 1909-S Lincoln cent should look like this image from NGC Counterfeit Detection, including the circled little raised dot in the upper loop of the "S": If your coin's mintmark does not closely match this one, allowing for wear, it is likely an added mintmark, which would have no collector value.

As indicated by @Coinbuf, if you want the NGC staff to respond, you need to post your topic in the "Ask NGC/NCS" forum or contact customer service. When I answered your previous inquiry about this matter, I had forgotten that NGC sometimes does not include photos of coins submitted in bulk submissions. See NGC Website FAQs - Verify NGC Certification | NGC (ngccoin.com) and open answer to "Why are there no images of my coin in NGC Certificate Verification?" These bullion issue Mexican Onzas were likely included in such a submission, which could include hundreds of coins of the same type submitted by a dealer at a discounted rate.

This topic exemplifies why it is necessary to examine coins in-hand to grade them. I noticed that the hair detail didn't seem quite full and there was slight flatness on the highest leaves on the reverse, but that is often the case on circulation strike Barber dimes. It wasn't possible to determine whether the coin had actual "rub" or loss of detail from a single set of photos taken head on, and I have often seen the top-tier grading services give lower mint state grades to coins with noticeable "rub". Those who responded gave a range of grades from AU 58 to MS 66, with one suggesting that the coin had been "details" graded due to the hairlines or "slide marks" that I noted. No one got it "right." Here are the Stacks Bowers photos of a 1913 Barber dime in my collection that PCGS graded MS 64, with a noticeable mark or scratch and surrounding area of disturbance on Liberty's cheek. Liberty's hair doesn't seem very well defined either. When actually viewed in hand, however, the disturbed area on the cheek is only noticeable at a certain angle and doesn't look as bad even then. The hair has full luster with no "rub".

Welcome to the NGC chat board. As indicated by the initial reply, your topic would receive better attention if posted on the "Newbie Coin Collecting Questions" forum, as the Coin Marketplace forum is devoted to topics offering to buy or sell coins in accordance with the posted guidelines. I suggest that you repost it there and that you include cropped photos of both sides of the coin. By "cropped", I mean photos that show entirely or primarily the coin and as little as possible of the surface on which it sits. From the present single, small photo, I cannot tell whether the coin is genuine or whether it is one of the many fakes created by adding an "S" to a 1909 cent struck in Philadelphia. I also cannot tell whether if genuine it is a 1909-S (worth $75-$100 retail if the reverse is in the same condition as the obverse) or a 1909-S V.D.B. with small "V.D.B" initials at the bottom of the reverse, which would be worth substantially more.

These coins were either polished with metal polish or plated. Either form of improper treatment will result in an unnaturally shiny surface. Even if the 1940 dime had been struck as a proof, it would not retain a mirror (not "shiny") surface worn down to Fine grade as it is. FYI, an untoned proof "Mercury" dime looks like this 1942 (PCGS graded PR 66):

No. One is quite sufficient. I've never heard of anyone collecting these by their exact appearance.

Toning that is considered "enhancing" or "attractive" is part of this nebulous factor as considered by the grading services, as I understand it.

A coin with a reeded edge that was struck with a partial collar would have a portion of its edge without reeding, in this case the portion of the edge nearest the reverse. See https://www.error-ref.com/?s=partial+collar. This coin appears to have the entire edge reeded. It would be helpful to have a photo of the entire edge adjacent to the "finned" area. I still think that the anomaly is most likely the result of a misaligned (angled) obverse die.

I assume that what you meant to ask was, "Are the half dollars included in 1965 Special Mint Sets different from the 1965 half dollars made for circulation?" The answer to that question is "yes." See pp. 362-63 of the 2018 "Redbook" you indicated you have (pp. 370-71 of the 2023 edition). The pieces produced for circulation have a normal frosty luster when uncirculated, not the satiny or semi-prooflike finish of the coins produced for 1965 Special Mint Sets.

Welcome to the NGC chat board. The outer layers of clad coins are composed of a copper nickel alloy consisting of 75% copper, 25% nickel. (Nickels are composed entirely of this alloy.) This alloy darkens like this when buried in the ground or exposed to certain other unfavorable environmental conditions.

Although it can be very difficult to grade uncirculated coins through photos, I would estimate the numerical grade of this 1907 Barber dime as MS 62. I note a considerable number of hairline scratches on the obverse, possibly from the movement of an album slide. It is possible that the graders added an additional point for the toning, but I would not.

The topic author chose to post photos of the coins as a separate topic, so this thread continues here:

Even though the photos are not cropped as we requested (meaning that they show only the coin and not the surface on which it sits) and are turned sideways, it is clear that your coins were not struck from the obverse die that produced the extremely rare FS-101 doubled die variety and do not appear to be doubled die coins at all. (It would have been preferable for future readers trying to learn about this subject if you had just posted the photos on your original topic and allowed that thread to continue.) Here is the photo of the obverse of a genuine example of this variety from NGC VarietyPlus: Note the crisp, clear doubling on the lettering and the date, with both images at about the same level, with "notching" between the images, quite unlike strike doubling (shallow, step-like secondary images) or die deterioration doubling (ghost-like, indistinct secondary images). On a doubled die coin, the doubling is in the die, so every coin struck from the die will have exactly the same doubling. Unless your coins have characteristics that are an exact match to the coin in the photo, they are not of this variety. (If you think that your coins are a match, please post better photos.) As a new collector, it is essential that you master the basics of collecting U.S. coins, including types, the relative rarities of coins of specific dates, mints, and major varieties; grading, basic authentication, and how coins are made, before you get into more advanced topics such as die varieties and mint errors. Please refer to the following forum topics to obtain print and online resources that will enable you to acquire the knowledge necessary to become a successful collector:

Welcome to the NGC chat board. Please note that the "Coin Marketplace" forum is for offers to buy or sell coins for stated prices and otherwise in accordance with the posted "Coin Marketplace Guidelines". Questions like yours about coins should be posted in the "Newbie Coin Collecting Questions" forum. Your cent is dated 1990, not 1960, and it most certainly isn't a proof. Spotted and fingermarked as it is, it would "go for" one cent.

1965 Special Mint Sets are common enough. Coin World gives a retail price range of $12 to $14 for sets in original packaging as shown by @J P M. You shouldn't have much trouble finding a BU example of the regular issue (about 65.9 million minted) either. The rare so-called 1964 "SMS" coins were so named that out of speculation that they were some sort of trials or prototypes for the 1965-67 Special Mint Set coins, but they are quite different looking, and there is no evidence that they had anything to do with the 1965-67 coins. See 1964 50C SP | Coin Explorer | NGC (ngccoin.com) ("Description & Analysis"). Ongoing research suggests that they were just ordinary strikings from new dies.

It's hard for me to say, as I don't collect this sort of coin. If it is being offered for sale, it depends whether you think it is worth the price. Coins struck from misaligned dies generally aren't worth much if any premium, but the severity of the misalignment, the loose strip of metal, and especially the fact that it is a proof striking add interest. Let's see what some of the other forum members think.

This quarter appears to have been struck from a severely misaligned obverse die and rather unusual for a proof coin that should have been subject to careful inspection. I have a similar looking 1988-P quarter with the same "finned" high rim on part of the affected side but without the loose strip of metal. Do you have this coin or is it being offered for sale online? It isn't possible to offer an opinion as to the coin's grade without in-person inspection, especially when the choice is between "69" and "70".

2021-S proof "Crossing the Delaware" quarter, my grade Superb Gem Proof, in proof set:

I agree that this coin is in the wrong slot. The Administrator, @Ali E, will likely respond next week, but here is another way to ask for a correction of an issue of this sort without using the public forum. While logged in, click open the page for the coin, either in your set or your coin list (My Competitive Coins). Below the description and certificate number you should see a blue link reading "Wrong Coin/Grade?". Click that link and, if your coin is being identified as an ordinary 1997-P nickel, select the option, "The coin description is wrong", enter the correct description into the dialog box that follows, and submit it.

Welcome to the NGC chat board. We cannot assess whether or not your 1969-S cents are of the extremely rare FS-101 doubled die obverse variety without clear, cropped photos of each side of each coin, as well as any pertinent closeups. Suffice it to say that, though not impossible, it would be incredibly unlikely that you have found one, much less two, of these pieces in circulation. Claims of finding such pieces on this and similar forums have invariably turned out to be coins featuring strike doubling, a.k.a. machine or mechanical doubling or other forms of "worthless doubling". See Double Dies vs. Machine Doubling | NGC (ngccoin.com) and https://www.doubleddie.com/144801.html. For photos and a description of the diagnostics of a genuine 1969-S DDO cent, see Lincoln Cents, Memorial Reverse (1959-2008) | VarietyPlus® | NGC (ngccoin.com). Tip: If doubling shows on the mintmark of your coins, they are not of the doubled die variety, as the mintmark was punched into the die separately. Both NGC and PCGS would normally "details" grade and encapsulate a coin that has been scratched. Where did you get different information about PCGS? If it is fairly certain that your coins are actually of the DDO variety, they would likely still be worth thousands of dollars each even if impaired. A major coin dealer or auction house could confirm your discovery and submit the coins to either of these services for authentication and grading. If they are not of the DDO variety, you would be wasting a great deal of money (likely over $100 per coin) on pieces worth only face value.

"They" didn't miss anything. NGC requires the payment of an error attribution fee (currently $18) to attribute a mint error such as a severe die break or a substantially rotated die. The submitter probably didn't want to pay this fee, in which the case NGC does not make the attribution. (The holder style and six-digit serial number indicate that this coin was submitted many years ago.) NGC will attribute a coin as having been struck from rotated dies only if the coin shows at least 15 degrees of rotation. See the recent article Mint Error Coin Chronicles: Rotated Dies Error | NGC (ngccoin.com). Without seeing a reverse view of the coin in its holder, we can't tell whether the rotated die might have been attributable. Generally, "NGC does not recognize as mint error coins those with minor die chips, breaks and rotations, etc., that fall within our interpretation of mint tolerance. The determination of what constitutes a mint error is at the discretion of NGC." Variety vs. Mint Error | NGC (ngccoin.com). As you enjoy collecting coins with these features, it might be better for you that they are not commonly attributed, as sellers would then be more likely to ask for a premium for coins with them. Isn't it better that you can just "cherrypick" what you like from uncertified and unattributed certified coins for a more favorable price?