Sandon

Welcome to the NGC chat board. This seeming detail is an important clue. The coin has likely been coated (after leaving the mint) with a shiny substance such as glue, lacquer, or clear fingernail polish. You might want to try soaking it in acetone or an acetone-based fingernail polish remover. I suspect that the shiny, clear material and the lumpy areas along the edges that superficially resemble die breaks or "cuds" will come off, revealing an ordinary 1974 Kennedy half dollar.

I was going to wait until I could get the album page containing my uncertified three cent nickels from a safe deposit box before continuing this thread, but a development in a topic on the "Newbie" forum prompted me to add the one certified three cent nickel, acquired earlier this year, that I haven't yet featured on this thread, an 1874. The 1874 is one of what I will refer to as the "better common dates" in the series from 1871 to 1876, each with a mintage of less than a million pieces, except for the 1873, whose two major varieties ("closed" and "open" 3) taken separately also have reported mintages under a million pieces each. These better common dates can be found in circulated grades with some searching but can be somewhat challenging to locate in uncirculated grades, especially nicer ones. Although the quality of three cent nickels dated in the 1870s tends to be better than those of the earlier, high mintage pieces of the 1860s, a fair number of these coins still exhibit various striking anomalies, including this 1874. The 1874 issue has a reported circulation strike mintage of 790,000. NGC has awarded numerical grades to 252 submissions, with a corresponding PCGS population of 371. NGC graded the coin shown here MS 64; NGC has awarded this fairly modest grade to all of 64 submissions, with only 31 submissions graded higher. Because the coin exhibits a roughly oval shaped obverse depression around the tip of the coronet, which I am convinced is a "strikethrough" of something lying on the planchet or adhering to the obverse die during striking, I posted the auction photos of it in a thread regarding a damaged Washington quarter that had what the poster described as an "almost hole" from a hard hit by a tool or projectile. @EagleRJO believes that the anomaly on this three-cent nickel may be a planchet flaw. (NGC did not attribute the coin as a mint error, probably because whoever submitted it did not request such attribution.) I agreed to take additional photos of the coin and post them on this topic. First of all, here are the auction photos of the coin, courtesy of Stacks Bowers Galleries: Now, here are photos I took with a digital microscope of the full obverse and reverse of the coin: I took several closeups of the anomaly from different lighting angles and intensities, none of which captured its exact appearance of the actual coin, largely due to the glare that both the coin and its holder reflect back. The first is what I consider the most accurate shot. The others show different aspects of the anomaly. The depression is shiny and lustrous throughout and appears to have been created by something struck into the planchet, not a preexisting planchet flaw. What may appear on some shots to be jagged areas are the sloping walls of the depression, which is somewhat bowl shaped and has slight internal protrusions on the southern side. The proximity of the depression to the point of the coronet, which appears to be unaffected, is likely fortuitous. The edge of the foreign matter (scrap metal?) that produced the strikethrough likely lay just next to the coronet. My vote remains for "strikethrough", although I'm open for any other informed and reasoned opinion.

Thanks for the much better photos. It turns out that the obverse details are also weak and "mushy". The diagnosis is the same--counterfeit. Your "coin" is likely one of the numerous fakes from mainland China that have been flooding the world for about the last 20 years. Below are photos of a genuine uncirculated 1943-S zinc coated steel cent from the NGC Coin Explorer. (There only six known examples of the 1943-S struck on bronze planchets, and there are no photos of one on the NGC website.) Note the size and shape of the "S" mintmark and the crisp, clear details. The mintmark on a genuine bronze piece would be the same, and the details would also be smooth and sharp, bronze being easier to strike than steel.

Welcome to the NGC chat board. When you post photos of a coin, please crop your photos so that they show entirely or primarily the coin and not the surface on which it sits. The first thing I usually tell someone with a purported 1943 bronze cent is to hold a magnet against it. If the coin sticks or is attracted to the magnet, then it is simply a normal zinc coated steel 1943 cent that has been copper plated outside of the mint, as have been thousands of such pieces. However, from what I can see, your coin has an "S" mintmark that is the wrong shape, an odd color, grainy surfaces, and, especially, on the reverse, weak details and unusually wide, flat rims. These factors indicate that the coin is very likely counterfeit. Given these factors, it is unlikely that further evaluation would be worth your time or money, although better photos would still be helpful.

When I have a chance, I will take some of my own photos of this coin and post them on my "Three Cent Nickels" topic on the U.S., World, and Ancient Coins forum. There are many anomalies on coins of this type, though not as often on coins dated after 1870 as on the earlier, higher mintage dates.

I suppose for me the pertinent coin would be a Gobrecht dollar, but a decent looking one has always been too expensive.

Authentication of coins and detecting counterfeits is a complex subject that requires much knowledge, experience, and sometimes special equipment to master. There are many different types of counterfeits, as well as fraudulent alterations of genuine coins, and they have been made as long as the genuine coins themselves. If you are a new collector, it is essential that you first learn the basics of U.S. coins and collecting them, such as through the resources identified in the forum topics to which I referred you in your previous thread. These basics include becoming familiar with what genuine pieces are supposed to look like. Bearing this in mind, you can obtain an overview of this subject at NGC Counterfeit Detection | Identify Counterfeit Coins | NGC (ngccoin.com). As discussed in your previous thread on the "Ask NGC/NCS" forum, the piece you posted is almost certainly a counterfeit of a rare U.S. pattern coin. Patterns are collected mostly by a select group of advanced--and usually wealthy--collectors. They are strikings of coin designs or compositions that were not adopted for circulation, and in most cases only a few pieces were struck. Consequently, they are a prime target for counterfeiters. The PCGS certificate verification information for the genuine piece you included indicates that it is an example of J-1535 in the Judd pattern reference and that this example, graded PR 62, sold for $15,000 at Heritage's (a major numismatic auction house) auction of the Bob R. Simpson collection on September 17, 2020. https://www.pcgs.com/cert/40322938. If you click the included link to the auction catalog description, you will find that there are only three known genuine examples of this exact variety, one of which is impounded in a museum. Such pieces are seldom found outside of the holdings of advanced collectors or the inventories of major dealers, and nowadays most have been graded and encapsulated by a major third-party grading service such as NGC, PCGS or ANACS. (Where did you obtain this one?) Coins lose detail, not from age--there are coins thousands of years old in uncirculated condition--but from circulation wear. (The grading of coins is one of the subjects with which you must become familiar to become successful as a collector.) Such wear generally does not appear mostly at the center of the coin, which rather indicates a weak strike, buckled dies, or other problems in the manufacturing process. In fact, the weak and "mushy" details are one of the factors that identify this piece as a counterfeit. Compare them to the sharp, crisp, and even details of the genuine piece in the certificate. Additionally, the genuine pieces are "proofs", which are special strikings with mirrored fields for collectors and officials. They are carefully made and would not be weak in the centers. Your piece also shows some wear and contact marks that seldom appear on genuine pattern pieces, which were collectors' items that would usually have been cared for from the time they were made. (Your piece also shows evidence of an abrasive "cleaning". Note the whitish appearance and fine scratches in the fields, which are indicative of hairlines from such a "cleaning". Unfortunately, many genuine coins have also been "cleaned".) I hope this helps.

When you post on this forum, please ask a question that identifies just what it is that you want to know about the coin. Otherwise, we have to guess. Additionally, please post cropped photos of the entirety of both sides of the coin, as well as any pertinent close-ups. I'm guessing that you want to know about the clogged "W" in "New Hampshire". This is likely the result of die chips, a minor anomaly that knowledgeable collectors regard as an example of poor quality control rather than a mint error. Such pieces usually carry no premium.

Please re-post this as a new topic in the "Newbie Coin Collecting Questions" forum, and I and likely other members of the forum will be happy to answer.

1815 (5 over 2 as are all) key date Capped Bust Half dollar, NGC graded AU Details, reverse scratches. This is one of my best coins despite the impairment. Photos courtesy of Stacks Bowers Galleries. @powermad5000--The rule for this thread as I understand it is that each coin must be followed by one of the same type or same date, except that a gold coin may also be followed by another gold coin of any type, and a token may also be followed by any other token. An 1827 Capped Bust half can't be followed by a 1966 Kennedy half.

What version of the Redbook are you using? The 2023 (now last year's) standard edition, at p. 229, states in the introductory paragraph on Gobrecht dollars that, "The first obverse die, dated 1836, bore the seated figure of Liberty with the inscription C. GOBRECHT F. . . . in the field above the date." (On p. 230 this version is listed as a restrike.) The same sentence appears on p.859 of the 6th edition (2020) of the Deluxe or "Mega Red" version. I recall that older versions of the Redbook had photos of this variety, but they are usually now regarded as patterns or restrikes. Then it may be fortunate that the coin is counterfeit! Never "clean" any coin that may be worth more than face value! Any abrasive or chemical process used on a coin, even rubbing it with a cloth, can change its surfaces in ways that collectors find very undesirable and can substantially reduce its value. If you would like to learn some basics about U.S. coins and collecting them, see the following topics:

This is not correct. Please check the introductory paragraph about Gobrecht dollars in the Redbook and see my response and photo in the OPs duplicate post in the Coin Marketplace forum. There are extremely rare versions of the 1836 Gobrecht dollar (J-58 and 59) with "C. Gobrecht F." below the base. The more familiar version, J-60, has the name on the base. You are correct, of course, that it and the other two purported pattern pieces are counterfeits. Take a closer look at the photos in your link and compare the fine details (such as Liberty's face) and surfaces of the genuine examples shown there with the crudity of your counterfeit. All coins struck from the genuine dies will be a match in these details. It is also likely that your piece is struck in base metal and will be incorrect in weight, which would be approximately 26.73 to 26.96 grams when weighed on a properly calibrated digital scale.

Welcome to the NGC chat board. Please post inquiries like this on the "Newbie Coin Collecting Questions" forum, where it will receive better attention from forum members, many of whom are experienced collectors. The last coin you posted is a genuine, circulated 1943 zinc coated steel Lincoln cent, of which over 684 million were issued. It has a retail value of about 40 cents in this condition. For about the past twenty years large numbers of counterfeits of numerous issues of collectable U.S. coins and other coins have been produced in Mainland China, which I understand has no laws against such activities. The first and third pieces are clearly crude counterfeits with incorrect and weak details, the first of an 1836 Gobrecht dollar with name below instead of on base, an extreme rarity, and the third of a half dollar pattern. The second piece is very likely also a counterfeit of a pattern. You should show this piece to someone who is experienced with pattern coinage, such as certain dealers who attend larger coin shows. One such dealer is Julian Leidman, whose contact information can be found on his website, www.juliancoin. Here are images from the NGC Coin Explorer of a genuine 1836 name below base Gobrecht dollar (J-58). Note the numerous differences in the details from the one you posted.

Back in April 1990 I purchased a 1956 proof set in its original mint packaging for $33. I wasn't aware at that time of the "Type 2" reverse for proof Franklin half dollars introduced at some point in 1956 and used for proofs through the conclusion of the series in 1963. (Some Philadelphia mint circulation strikes of 1958 and 1959, apparently struck from retired proof dies, also feature the Type 2 reverse.) These varieties were not included in the Cherrypickers' Guide to Rare Die Varieties as late as its fourth edition (vol. II, 2006) and are not included in the 2023 edition of the standard "Redbook", but the two varieties of 1956 proofs are included in the Deluxe ("Mega Red") edition of the Redbook and price guides including those in Coin World (there listed as "Reverse of 1950-1955" and "Reverse of 1957-1963"), the NGC Price Guide, and the PCGS Price Guide, with the Type 1 reverse listing at substantial premiums in each grade over the Type 2. When some time after purchasing the set, though not recently, I examined the half dollar, I found that it had the scarcer Type 1 reverse. The diagnostic point for the two varieties is the small eagle to the right of the Liberty Bell, whose features are less distinct overall on the Type 1 than the Type 2. There are four feathers to the left of the eagle's perch on the Type 1 but only three on the Type 2. While NGC VarietyPlus describes the Type 1 reverse as "moderately scarce", Franklin half dollar expert Rick Tomaska has been quoted as estimating that only about three percent of the 669,384 1956 proof Franklin half dollars issued had the Type 1 reverse, which would total approximately 20,100 pieces. A Guide Book of United States Coins "Mega Red" (6th ed. 2020) at p. 778. If this is true, there may not be very many 1956 Type 1 pieces left in original proof set packaging, as the NGC Census shows a total of 5,483 submissions for this variety (regular, cameo, and ultra cameo combined), and an additional 2,338 at PCGS. (Five to six times as many pieces with the Type 2 reverse have been submitted.) I have no intention of submitting this one. Here are photos of my set with its mint issued envelope, as well as photos of the half dollar, a closeup of the eagle identifying the coin as a Type 1 reverse, and a comparison photo from VarietyPlus of the eagle on the Type 2 reverse. Type 2 comparison photo:

Although it's hard to see in the photo, the inside of the depression is bright and lustrous down to the bottom, indicating that the striking of pressure created the depression. This would result from a strikethrough, not a planchet flaw. It really doesn't extend beyond the field.

Welcome to the NGC chat board. Please note that the "Coin Marketplace" forum is for buying and selling coins. Please post any future inquiries like this in the "Newbie Coin Collecting Questions" forum. Both of these coins are common modern issues made for circulation, and both have wear. They are only worth their face value. The 1999-D Georgia quarter had a mintage of well over 488 million pieces. The date (2009) and mint mark ("P" or "D") of the W. H. Harrison dollar are on the coin's edge; over 43 million were minted at the Philadelphia mint and over 55 million at the Denver mint. Collectors and dealers saved many rolls and bags of these coins in uncirculated condition, and they are only worth a premium in pristine uncirculated condition.

1811 large 8 Capped Bust half dollar, PCGS graded VF 30:

1834 Capped Bust dime, NGC graded "Uncirculated Details, Cleaned", with a very sharp strike: Photos courtesy of Stacks Bowers Galleries.

Welcome to the NGC chat board. Your topic would have been more appropriately posted and would be receiving more attention on either the "U.S., World, and Ancient Coins" forum or the "Newbie Coin Collecting Questions" forum. This forum is dedicated to topics pertaining to the NGC Registry. (The Administrator will likely move it to one of the other fora.) Your opinion demonstrates the proposition that it is impossible to please everyone. When the mint has limited mintages of collectors' issues, they have often been almost immediate sell-outs, and many of the coins have tended to end up in the hands of dealers and speculators, much to the chagrin of many collectors who wanted to obtain a single example and could only do so on the secondary market at an inflated price. Some of these frustrated collectors have similarly declared that they will no longer be mint customers. The mintage of the 2023-S Proof silver eagle will in fact be limited by there being less than two months remaining in the calendar year in which they must be minted, as well as by the ridiculous $80 price being charged, which is nearly four times the coin's current silver value. The "W" mint version will have been on the market much longer and likely have a higher production. I agree that it makes no sense to submit these coins to grading services, as virtually all will be graded "69" or (most commonly now) "70" and are usually indistinguishable from each other. They should simply be graded "Superb Gem Proof' and priced the same. They should be collected in mint packaging for enjoyment and as tangible assets rather than for speculation. Their wider availability may be favorable to the future of the coin market by ultimately increasing the number of collectors.

Welcome to the NGC chat board. Your coin is a lightly circulated 1966 Kennedy half dollar, which is very common, about 109 million having been made, and not of much interest to all but beginning collectors in this condition. However, it is a "silver clad" coin with a net 40% silver content of 0.1479 troy ounce of silver, which is worth $3.24 at today's silver price. See U.S. Silver Coin Melt Values | Silver Dollar Melt Value | NGC (ngccoin.com). Dealers usually buy these coins at a small discount to the silver value.

Very few of the members of these forums are "coin dealers or salespersons". Most of us are collectors, some of whom have knowledge and experience acquired over decades. You are "barking up the wrong tree"! As in all lines of work, there are knowledgeable and honest coin dealers, as well as ignorant and dishonest ones. There are also legitimate differences of opinion that divide both collectors and dealers, such as about the grading of particular coins. You need to learn about coins and then develop your own educated taste and judgment. You should not consider submitting coins to grading services until you have done so. Here is a direct link to the topic mentioned by @cobymordet, as well as to a topic whose first post lists basic resources for new collectors and where to find them: For a listing of dealers on this site, see Find Coin Shops & Dealers | Coin Dealer Locator | NGC (ngccoin.com). I also recommend that, if you insist on buying coins while you are in the earlier stages of your education, you deal only with well-established and respected dealers, such as those who are members of the Professional Numismatists Guild, https://pngdealers.org/. (The PNG site has a member dealer locator, but it isn't working today.) You should also attend such venues as coin shows and coin club meetings, where you can view many coins, including third-party graded ones, and speak with knowledgeable collectors and dealers.

Erin--Do you have a current (2024) or recent edition of A Guide Book of United States Coins, commonly known as the "Redbook"? I asked you this question in one of your first topics and had forgotten that I hadn't received an answer. This essential resource for both new and more advanced collectors specifically discusses the extremely rare 1943 bronze cents that were presumably struck accidentally on leftover planchets, as well as the analogous 1944 cents struck on leftover zinc coated steel planchets (p. 116 of 2023 edition). The following topics will direct you to this and other resources that are important for you to learn about coins and will answer many of your more basic questions. (The second topic was also mentioned by @cobymordet in your "almost hole" topic.)

Such severe damage can be caused by punching a coin with a sharp or pointed object, as apparently happened here, or with a drill. Such damage usually destroys most of any numismatic value the coin may have had. This type of damage should be distinguished from a "strikethrough", a usually minor mint error appearing as a depression on a coin caused by scrap metal or other foreign matter lying on the planchet or adhering to a die when the coin was struck. This 1874 three cent nickel, graded MS 64 by NGC and not designated as an error, shows a strikethrough above the point of Liberty's coronet. Note that no jagged or raised metal appears around the edges of the depression, and the inside of the depression is mostly smooth. Additionally, there is no matching disturbance on the lower reverse opposite the strikethrough, which would be at the right side of the ribbon. Photos courtesy of Stacks Bowers Galleries.

1835 half cent, NGC graded MS 65 RB in older holder, probably BN today: Photos courtesy of Stacks Bowers Galleries.

Actually, I copied and pasted it, perhaps to make sure I got it right.