Ziemba727

Sandon, Thanks for the comment. Makes perfect sense to me. I can't imagine that amount of weight difference either on a gold coin from that period, especially one with such little wear.

Oh ok, As I’ve never seen one struck, I was assuming if it was off-center, part of the planchet would be lopped off. 
Yes my concern was the authenticity and if it’s slightly less in weight because of a thin planchet, that would be fine. 
The coins edge seems reeded consistently around the edge but I reckon it’s possible to have been altered and sone metal removed and then re-reeded somehow. …although that seems like a lot of work. Thanks again, Bob 

Hi Bob, Thanks for the reply. In your opinion do you think a misaligned die and not being centered when struck (I believe you can see in the photo) be enough to cause that kind of discrepancy?  

I'm curious how much variance can be expected in the weight of a coin. I recently purchased a 1900 $5 gold Liberty which should have a weight of 8.36 grams. I just weighed it and it has a weight of 8.03. Can that kind of variation in weight be expected. It isn't graded and doesn't have much wear. I also checked the weight of a couple $1 Liberties on the same scale and they were spot on. I appreciate your thoughts. Steve

Thanks Lancek. That's would I would have to be guessing, happening before, but the grader felt it didn't take away from "the eye appeal". 

Hi, Thanks for responding. Right, it doesn't look like a nick for sure. Oddly, it appears as if it is part of the surface like a line drawn on it (as it's so straight) but that doesn't make sense at all. It could easily be a physical part of the coin that has become more apparent over time. I probably wouldn't inquire about a regrade, as it's more about the mystery of how and why. Thanks again.  

I started looking at silver eagles over the past few months and picked up a few recently. I was interested in the opinions of forum members regarding one that I picked up slabbed with a MS70 grade. Could a coin have received a grade of 70 with a small mark like this one the bottom of the obverse under the date. Initially, I thought it was a mark on the slab. Or is it possible there was something there that wasn't visible when it was graded and toning over the years made it more visible. It doesn't seem like an "as minted defect" but the coin and slab seemed sealed tight and authentic. I know things happen similar as I've seen other MS70 coins with heavy milky spots and toning, etc. There were no images when I verified the coin. This post really is more about my curiosity. Thanks, I appreciate any responses. Steve

Yes, some of the pouches from around 2000 look like they could be mylar but the ones about ten years earlier earlier are a heavier material, not unlike shower curtain material. I appreciate the responses, everyone.

Is that right. I take it you must have owned one of the early ones. Removing it from a box, the smell was very noticeable? Thanks for the response, VKurtB

Hi, I've been considering picking up some bullion pieces and in addition to the Silver Eagles, I was considering some of the silver Maple Leafs. I came across some of the earlier ones from the late 80s and was curious about the finish. Were the planchets on these polished by hand before being struck? The finish in the flat areas on these usually has a vertical orientation but some seem to stray from this.

Also, I've been looking at a number of images, it seems that even ones that are still in the original mint packaging, take on a lot of toning. Were these early packages from the mint made from pvc? Anyways, I was wondering if there were many members who had some of these older ones in their collections and what your thoughts were on these. Thanks

Thank you all. I appreciate the responses.

2 hours ago, Coinbuf said:

This is my go to storage for my coins, Intercept  as a copper collector proper storage is important.  This may be over kill for your needs but also at that site are similar boxes that are more suited for 2X2's and flips.  For flips 

Right I thought I saw that some time ago but then couldn't find it. I appreciate you posting that link.

I inquired about individual coin holders earlier (I appreciate the responses) but I'm also curious what kind of container forum members would recommend and believe are best for long term storage of coins if they are already properly individually sealed or in flips? Something inert like plastic, ...or wood, cardboard, metal, etc? How much difference do folks think it makes? I've had coins in small tins or canvas pouches and then stored inside wood cigar boxes for a while, but I know that old cigar boxes can sometimes secrete resin (or perhaps nicotine) as I had a watch in one for a couple of years and it made a mess out of it (needed to clean the sticky gunk off with isopropyl alcohol). Anyways, I trust the collected experiences of the members here. Thanks in advance. Steve

Bob, Do most of the cardboard holders use mylar for the windows? 

VKurtB - Thanks for the response. Yes, those are what I have and I agree, you absolutely do have to be patient and cautious when you putting a coin inside. I need to get a better system figured out for doing so. 

Actually I had more of a difficult time getting a couple silver dollars out of 2 x 2 in.flips. It made more sense to carefully open those up with a razor than trying to force them out.

Hi, I'm wondering what forum members recommend for the safe and easy storage of their coins. I picked up a package of the polyester/Mylar Saflips but was curious what other folks use. Not necessarily for display but just to keep them safe and clean (outside of having them graded and placed in a slab). I appreciate the responses. Steve

On 6/2/2020 at 10:29 AM, DWLange said:

NGC began taking photos of all certified coins around 2008.

Thank you for that information.

S.

I apologize in advance as I'm sure this has been covered before but in what year did NGC start taking photos of coins that it certifies. And are all the coins that are certified always documented with a photo?  Just trying to figure out why some certification numbers come up with a photo and others don't. Thanks - I appreciate the responses. Steve

Ouch I bet. Sorry to hear that.

Hi JKK I have one on the way. It’ll be here in a couple of days. I figure if I keep going down this road, I might as well get one. It’ll get put to use. 

I apologize for not having the greatest photos. Different angle of light and it looks like different coin. Anyways, I wanted to provide some different close-ups.

I was wondering what are some of the outstanding characteristics a not authentic Indian Quarter Eagle would have. I've read a number of articles about this group of coins being a favorite target of counterfeiters. Are there any qualities a novice would be able to pick up on? I'm aware of the back of the neck as being an area that could show signs of tooling if someone was trying to pass off a fake. Of course, I'm asking as I have a 1914 D that I'm curious about? I understand that trying to authenticate a coin through photos is a very flawed process but I'll post a couple just the same. Also, is someone better off scanning a coin than trying to take a photo? I'm sure it probably depends on their skill level and the technology available to them. Either way, thanks for any comments. 

Hi Bob, I understand  what you mean. Say I’m new to this forum but when I thought my question was moved to this forum, I thought a NGC admin or employee would chime in.
Would I be better off with an email? You may be with NGC? ...I’m just going by the blue headers I see elsewhere. Thanks again 

Receive a response. The reply in short was, that many of their images are stock images provided to us from the grading service that certified the coin, and because they are sample images they do not show accurate certification/serial numbers.

Which means they came directly from NGC? 

Their main area of business is in modern certified coins and precious metals. I had purchased a couple of small eagles from them in the past and they seemed totally fine and they checked out when I scanned the bar codes. I think they're probably just being overly casual about putting an image up and putting up a 0000000.000 certification number on the slab means, don't take it seriously.They've never seemed to carry much in the way of pre-33 coins. Ha, either way, I think I'll pass. I appreciate all the responses.