GBrad

Cool looking opossum on the back though (I think that's what it is....hmmm). Here in the Deep South they make possum soup.  I highly doubt I will ever try any but I would like to shake the man's hand who took it upon himself to first try road kill...... and the same goes for the first dude who thought about eating psilocybin from a cow patty...

This post made me do a little research @JKK into Australian coins.  Any truth to this statement below from Wikipedia? I had assumed the 1943 Copper Lincoln would have held the world record (however different grades may account for price discrepancy) but then again, we all know what assume means....  Maybe I need to be on the lookout for a 1930 Copper Australian Penny.

"The 1930 penny is one of the rarest Australian coins, due to a very small number being minted^[1] and holds the record as the most valuable copper penny in the world.^[2] It is highly sought after by coin collectors, and a 1930 penny in very fine condition can be worth A$45,000 or more."

Welcome to the forum Numis.  You do have a large date 1970 Lincoln but you do not have a doubled die.  This is a classic, and very good, example of machine doubling.  Basically worthless.  I do agree with @Coinbuf about scopes.  A good magnifying glass and a 10x loupe is sufficient enough to discern any doubled dies that are out there, at least those that are of any numismatic or collector value.  

@imperatorcoaticus97…… phew…. Glad I was able to type all of that and find your name….. Please look this up:

WIZARD COIN SUPPLY

They sell the all to well known Saflip  2x2’s in bulk and they are 100% PVC free and are extremely affordable and are excellent for storing coins in which I’m sure others here will agree. They say they are sealable but I haven’t tried to seal one yet (actually I did but make sure your clothes iron is not on STEAM or you may burn yourself…). I’m kidding about the iron and steam but they do claim they are sealable, just FYI. 

Welcome to the NGC forum.  The above answers are spot on.  I'll throw in the mix here that it may be a ruptured platting bubble which would thus cause the corrosion issue mentioned above.  

Pics are way too out of focus to tell anything here. In addition, I don't believe there is a listed or known example of a 1977-D Lincoln RPM.

Edit: There actually is one RPM for the 1977-D listed on coppercoins.com but VV does not show any.  Regardless, your coin is not the listed example on coppercoins simply due to the placement of the MM. 

In @VKurtB's best words, and I quote..... "This makes my brain itch".

On 10/9/2021 at 11:30 AM, Alex in PA. said:

Not his first either by the way. 9-15-2021

I've lost track of one of my comments concerning this handling issue to one of our members in the past, not sure if it was this same member I advised on this but this is absolute death to a nice Red copper coin!!!!!!

On 10/9/2021 at 12:54 PM, ronnie stein said:

Come on Greg, tell us how your 'scootching' that A over to the left a little.   

Shhhhh!!!!! Don't tell ANYONE.....But I bought a lightly used 1998 Lincoln Proof anvil die off of Etsy.....

Your second pic of the obverse also looks to have some roller damage on it too. 

YUP!! That is definitely a 1998 WAM. Great find in pocket change, congrats!!!!  I have been very lucky and I think I have found 4 1998's in the wild..... can't remember.  @ronnie stein could probably tell you better than me how many I have found.....  I've also found one wild 2000 WAM but that dang 1999 still eludes me!!!! ARGH!!!!!!  Good find!

On 10/7/2021 at 2:58 PM, Alex in PA. said:

Gold is often a good choice.  

Thanks Alex.  I love its beauty.  I just looked at the website you mentioned.  Everything that was even remotely close to my price range was sold..... oh well, I'm sure they will have more.  

On 10/7/2021 at 2:50 PM, Coinbuf said:

I will say the I also love gold coins, maybe not quite as much as a beautiful mint red Lincoln, but really close

I can't argue with ya there Chris!  I still do love my Lincs too!!

@Mohawk I didn't think about GC.  I have heard very good things about Ian.  I will check out what they have.  Thanks!

@Coinbuf Thanks for the opinion about the labels.  I was thinking the same thing deep down inside but wanted to ask just to make sure.  

@RWB Thanks for the suggestion on the Quarter Eagle.  I will look into that!

I am not in any hurry and want to do my research fully before I make a final decision.  I just happened to have a little spare money come my way and thought I'd look into buying gold because I adore it whether found dredging in a creek, metal detecting the ground, or in the form of a nice yellow coin! Not sure where the price of gold is going these days, a lot of variable involved now..... If I can find a coin at a respectable price I can also look at it as an investment and something to pass down to my children.  Thanks guys!

On 10/7/2021 at 2:05 PM, RWB said:

Nope.

You might consider an attractive quarter eagle in your price range, too.

On 10/7/2021 at 2:10 PM, Mohawk said:

I'm with Roger.....the different labels don't impact the value at all in most cases.  When you find the right coin at the right price, just snag it regardless of the label.    

Hey guys, thanks for the answers.  For buying slabbed gold, who would be your best recommendation dealer wise? I've looked at numerous different well known online coin dealers and I've actually purchased from some of them in the past, but not gold.  Do you have any particular dealer you would personally buy gold from?

On 10/7/2021 at 1:09 PM, Jblindy said:

Seems to me that eye appeal would be entirely based on a persons individual preferences.

I'm following this thread in which to learn myself, and there has been some good info. already supplied.  Your quote above I personally believe to be one of, if not the most, important aspects of decision making.  At least it is for me now that I have purchased over a half dozen slabbed and graded coins in the recent past.  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder which I have always believed (and price point is too obviously...lol).  I love collecting Lincolns, always have, but I have ventured elsewhere lately and gotten into silver.  Hopefully soon I can get into gold.  Speaking of Lincoln's, Red is usually the norm for high end grades.  However, I find the beauty of some Browns and Red Browns to be just as appealing to my eye on the older Linc's as they age beautifully and acquire a certain look and patina. 

Sure, TPG's no doubt have a set criteria they abide by regarding applying their criteria in a certain manner, but like you seemed to allude to, I believe every professional grader (being the humans that they are) have their own druthers and mentality when it comes to assigning a final grade.  I too have been stumped by looking at Photograde and have been like, "What???".... how could this one go MS68 but yet another one, which looks even better, went MS67...... Sorry to go off on a tangent here but I have been trying to really learn the intricacies of grading which I feel can be very subjective. In saying that, I mean absolutely ZERO disrespect to any TPG service or it's professional graders.  I will still stick with the sheer beauty, eye appeal, and my love of a coin as my first criteria in purchasing assuming the price is acceptable and the assigned grade is worthy IMO. Thanks for allowing me to share my gut feelings.....

Hey all, I am on the verge of pulling the trigger and purchasing my first slabbed gold coin.  It's definitely not going to be a major purchase due to a lack of funds, preferably $350 or less which I know will only get me in the 1/10 oz. range for a very modern coin (most likely a 2021 American Eagle from my research which I really do like the design), but I have ALWAYS wanted to own at least one gold coin before I die.  I will never have the money to buy rare or high end but nevertheless, I just want a gold coin. I simply LOVE gold as I have been a gold prospector most of my life.  It would be nice to have one slabbed but that is not completely 100% necessary even though it gives peace of mind about its authenticity which goes unsaid so I will probably just stick with something graded.  I've been looking at, and slightly overwhelmed, with all of the different labels placed on the slab whether it be from NGC or PCGS.  My question is this: Do certain labels really add value to a graded/slabbed coin such as a designer's signature, etc....that are worth paying extra for?  I'm not talking about a "green bean" sticker, I'm talking about the umpteen different labels available from each respective TPG company.  Thank for your valued and appreciated input!

On 10/5/2021 at 12:02 PM, Mel_in_PNW said:

Thanks for the info.

 The variety of this particular Jefferson is the 2005-D "Speared Bison" as it is commonly known as. Just FYI.

On 10/6/2021 at 5:02 PM, RWB said:

Sandbasted is the correct term. It states what was done, and was in common use until Wally Breen got loose.

Very interesting RWB.  Just to make sure here, you meant to spell it as "Sandbasted" without the l in basted which would otherwise make it read 'blasted' with the l? Used in context such as, "I basted a turkey"?  I'm serious here, just trying to learn.  Thanks.

On 10/5/2021 at 9:05 PM, Lem E said:

Been a little while since I have bought anything with some plastic around it. 

Beautiful coin Lem E!  Plastic or not, that is a very nice Jefferson!  I have actually always, at heart, been an avid Linc collector myself but I have gotten extremely interested in Jeffersons lately.  Good job and a nice pick!

On 10/3/2021 at 6:55 PM, Woods020 said:

It’s a Phrygian or Liberty Cap. The cap itself dates back to the Roman Empire and is a symbol of freedom or liberty. The US adopted it as a symbol of liberty after the American revolution. Several other countries associate the Phrygian Cap with liberty and use it on coins. France being one I can think of, but I’m no expert on anything really and least of which is foreign coins. 
 

I still like this coin at AU 53 by the way 😁

I’ll go with that. Nice explanation!

On 10/3/2021 at 3:53 PM, Mikhail2400 said:

Its that blob of a hat on the back of her head like an afterthought. It stands out from everything else with its lack of detail and its one of the first places to wear from what ive seen.

I believe that is the bonnet. Didn’t look it up to be absolutely sure of what it is technically called but it was a very useful piece of head attire during the time frame of Morgan’s which were worn by ladies. It was donned to ward off hair entanglement. Am I correct on this one @Woods020?  I’m going back fishing now for more crappie and catfish. I’ll check back later…..

On 10/3/2021 at 3:28 PM, Woods020 said:

I’m still DUMB too. Not sure we ever really get past dumb, it’s just varying degrees of dumb 😂

I totally agree with your statement, and I am so badly attempting to overcome the learning curve. The meaning of my D.U.M.B.= Dramatically Understanding My Brainlessness……. (Oh my….. I’m starting to sound like @Quintus Arrius)!!!!! Lawd, help me!!!

@Woods020  @Mohawk Hey…. At least I’m learning what to look for, I’ve definitely had some good mentors here on the forum! This time last year I may very well have said MS….. but, then again, I wouldn’t have even posted back then about a potential grade because I was still D.U.M.B. and trying to learn what to look for. I’ve come quite a way this past year in the grading category and I thank everyone from whom I’ve learned. 👍