Captainrich

Most veteran numismatists won’t hesitate to help new collectors learn about our hobby and I’m no exception. I frequent a lot of coin discussion boards on the Internet and have witnessed the struggles and frustrations of the so-called “newbies” as they begin their journeys into this complex and intimidating past time. From my observations, one of the biggest hurdles that a lot of new collectors face is that age old narcissistic dilemma of “How do I make myself look like an expert when I’m new to the hobby?” If social media has fostered anything, it is the extreme importance for many of having high self-esteem and receiving overwhelming approval (i.e., likes) from the folks they see as peers, even if they may be completely unworthy of such accolades. Well, I’m here to help, because I’ve witnessed some newbies rise to the occasion and prove their worth on the world stage just by mastering a few key phrases that make them look like wise rulers within this vast Hobby of Kings. If you’re a new collector and you are jealous or intimidated by the knowledge garnered from decades of study by seasoned numismatists, just keep the following list of observations handy and use them in your responses to questions and comments on any coin forum. If you see a thread where a forum member uses the word “penny” to describe a U.S. coin, ignore whatever the actual subject matter of the posting is and quickly correct the poster by pointing out that the proper term for such a coin is “cent.” You can even elaborate that the term “penny” should only be used to describe British coins, even though the U.S. Mint often uses the vernacular “penny” in its product descriptions. Similarly, if you see a posting about Buffalo Nickels or Mercury Dimes, do not hesitate to insist that the image on the nickel is a bison and that the subject on the dime is not a Roman God. Even though these particular coins have been referred to as Buffalo Nickels and Mercury Dimes ever since they’ve been in circulation, that doesn’t make it technically right and you need to steadfastly emphasize that conclusion. Moving onto quarters, when the United States entered World War I in 1917, the U.S. Mint covered the chest on the Standing Liberty Quarter with chain mail, indicating that this country was ready for battle. But don’t let this obvious politically motivated design change prohibit you from claiming that it was done solely out of moral outrage by the public over the bare breast seen on the 1916 version of the quarter. Even though nudity has been depicted on coins and medals for centuries, the debunked story of the bare breast controversy is much sexier than the boring WWI explanation. One of the first things a new collector will hear or see in print is “Do Not Clean Your Coins.” It is your solemn duty as an expert to expound this critical knowledge no matter what the circumstance or situation may be. If someone implies in a posting that they may run a coin under a water faucet because they dug it out of the ground, you need to reply immediately with a strongly worded chastisement reminding the person to NEVER EVER clean a coin. Even though some Third-Party Grading services will professionally “conserve” unsightly or dingy-looking coins for a price, you still need to stick to your proverbial guns and shoot down anyone else’s attempt to clean a coin. Speaking of Third-Party Grading (TPG) services, you no doubt have seen the sales premiums recorded for coins with certified grades encapsulated in plastic slabs. Although you very likely have never attempted to send one of your coins to a TPG, that should not stop you from recommending that others submit their coins to be professionally graded. If someone posts an image of a nice-looking modern coin online and requests comments on its condition or eye appeal, it behooves you to explain to the poster that it’s not possible to offer an informed opinion of the grade based on the photograph and you must advise that the coin be sent in for professional grading (even if the cost of the grading service far surpasses the value of the coin). Now let’s say you read a posting where a collector provides an image of a slabbed coin and excitedly explains that it was the final piece needed to complete his/her collection. Chances are the coin is very valuable and rare, since it had eluded the collector for so long. Consequently, you need to find fault with the coin, since it is likely not a high grade - or may even be damaged in some way. Although you may never be able to acquire such a coin, it is important for you to encourage your fellow collectors to strive for excellence in their collecting goals. Sometimes a collector will post an odd-looking or potentially rare coin and ask if other forum members believe it to be authentic. In this case, it is especially important for you to ignore the responses from other members and respond unequivocally that the coin is most definitely a fake. Also, memorize the letters “PMD” (it doesn’t matter what the acronym stands for) and use them to respond to any post inquiring about a potential error coin. Remember: Nothing expresses your expertise more in the collecting arena than telling another collector that their potentially valuable coin is actually worthless. There are many avenues for collectors to locate coins for their collections, including coin shows, coin clubs, coin shops and the Internet. Of course, no source is perfect in all circumstances, so it is important for you to point out any obvious faults and provide caution whenever possible. Remind your fellow collectors that most dealers will rip them off, that most collectors only have junk to trade, and that the Internet is full of scammers. Also, be sure to use derogatory terms like “feebay” and “regretsy” when referring to eBay or Etsy online marketplaces. Although you may have never read a coin book or periodical in your life, that shouldn’t stop you from frequently using the old adage, “Buy the book before you buy the coin,” especially when you want to mentor a young collector. If anyone responds by asking you to recommend a specific book, simply say the Red Book. And remind others that the hobby is intended to be fun and that there’s no need to get offended by satire.

Although I have a complete set of silver Presidential Medals in NGC/PCGS holders that state Coin and Chronicles on the labels, I still think the U.S. Mint should distinguish these medals when they're issued again as part of the current Presidential Silver Medals program. Below is the text of a letter that I sent to U.S. Mint Director Gibson concerning the matter: 11/19/23 Mint Director Ventris C. Gibson United States Mint Headquarters 801 9th Street, NW Washington, DC 20220-0012 Dear Ms. Gibson, I am writing in concern about the U.S. Mint's Presidential Silver Medals program. At the current rate of production and distribution, the silver medal honoring Theodore Roosevelt will be issued in 2025. This will mark the first time that the program will offer a silver medal of a president that has already been honored with a silver medal produced via a U.S. Mint Coin and Chronicles set. A silver medal of Theodore Roosevelt was included with the Coin and Chronicles set in 2013. The purchasers of the 2013 Coin and Chronicles set were thrilled to receive the limited-edition silver medal of Theodore Roosevelt, so it will be disappointing when the same silver medal is issued in 2025 as part of the current Presidential Silver Medals program. Other presidents who have been honored with silver medals in the Coin and Chronicles sets include Franklin D. Roosevelt (2014), Harry S. Truman (2015), Dwight D. Eisenhower (2015), John F. Kennedy (2015), Lyndon B. Johnson (2015) and George H.W. Bush (2021). The George Herbert Walker Bush Coin and Chronicles set is still available through the U.S. Mint catalog, with the description stating, "The Bush $1 Reverse Proof Coin and Silver Presidential Medal are only available in this set!" Consequently, I am asking if it is possible for the U.S. Mint to slightly alter the designs in its current Presidential Silver Medals program for Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson and George H.W. Bush. Perhaps a mint mark or privy mark could be added to these specific medals, in order to distinguish them from the medals previously issued in the Coin and Chronicles sets. Thank you for your consideration. FYI: My current registry set of Coin and Chronicles Set Medals, titled Chronic coinitis, ranks at 14. https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/363197/

Fenntucky Mike and zadok, thank you for your kind words. If you're curious, below is the 38mm bronze medal that was given to the exhibitors in Pittsburgh.

The 38mm clay gambling tokens below won a second place exhibition ribbon at the ANA's Worlds Fair of Money earlier this month in Pittsburgh. The exhibit was titled, "Gaming Chips of Pittsburgh's Max Klein." I'm curious whether any NGC Forum members attending the convention saw the exhibit (the exhibit also contained many other Max Klein artifacts, such as bottles, whiskey glasses, playing cards, advertising trade cards, etc.). Major Max Klein was the leading wholesale liquor dealer in Allegheny, Pennsylvania (now known as Pittsburgh's North Side) during the late 19th Century. He was born in Rhenish Bavaria in 1843 and emigrated to the U.S. in 1859. In 1861, Klein enlisted as a Private in Company F of the First Iowa Calvary. He was honorably discharged five years later as a Major, serving under General Custer. In 1870, he established residence in Pittsburgh and started a wholesale liquor business at 52 Federal Street. He shipped his products, including Silver Age Rye, extensively to the East, West and South, according to the 1892 book "All Sorts of Pittsburgers," by Arthur G. Burgoyne. There were also a lot of illegal gambling halls in Pittsburgh at the turn of the century and Klein did not hesitate to exploit this additional vice. In addition to personalized playing cards, Klein issued gaming tokens in four colors (red, white, blue, and tan).

Here are a few counterstamped seated liberty coins, specifically two halves and a quarter, advertising some "snake oil" type confections. In the 1850’s, druggist Charles H. Goodwin of Exeter, New Hampshire, invented and promoted the concoctions Goodwin’s Grand GreaseJuice (G.G.G.) and Goodwin’s Grand Glittering Globules (G.G.G.G.). Goodwin’s Grand GreaseJuice was for the “embellishment, preservation, growth and beauty of human hair,” while his Grand Glittering Globules was advertised as an “unrivaled breath perfume.” Copyrights for the products were granted in 1855. Goodwin promoted his products by counterstamping a variety of U.S. and Canadian coins and tokens. Many of the varieties have been cataloged in Gregory G. Brunk’s American and Canadian Countermarked Coins and in Russell Rulau’s Standard Catalog of United States Tokens.

We all set goals in our collecting pursuits, and when we successfully reach a goal there is a sense of overall achievement. The NGC Registry sometimes recognizes these accomplishments by awarding a user’s set with the designation of “Overall Achievement.” But usually, a collector’s sense of achievement is solely personal, since his/her set is sometimes lost within the rankings of hundreds of other sets - or the complexities of the set is lost on everyone but the person who built it. For instance, I thought a complete set of twelve U.S. silver war nickels (i.e., “Jefferson Wartime Nickels 1942-1945, Circulation Issue”) was not very challenging, which is demonstrated by the existence of over 400 sets in the registry. Since I already had a few wartime nickels designated as being part of the “Omaha Bank Hoard,” I decided to challenge myself to try and complete a set of just Omaha Bank Hoard pedigree nickels. It took me almost 15 years to complete the set, finally having to settle for a PCGS coin for the 1944-P. The grades on all the dates and mint marks are MS-65 and MS-66 (except for the over-date error), but my complete set currently only ranks as the 161st best set. In this case, my “overall achievement” is strictly personal, because what NGC admin is going to dive into the intricate details of over 400 sets of war nickels? If you're curious about the Omaha Bank Hoard, Mark Borckardt of Heritage Auction Galleries said: "Heritage purchased the Omaha Bank Hoard in its entirety in 2004. The man who owned the coins is very private and doesn't want a lot of details disclosed. I can tell you that the hoard consisted of over 320,000 coins, all in rolls, that were saved by one man starting in the late 1930s and continuing until the early 1970s.” Another registry set, called "21st Century Type Set, Mint State Only," also did not appear to be very challenging. When I first noticed this new collecting category, I didn’t have many current coins from the twenty-first century, at least not in slabs, but I did have a presidential dollar that had a generic grade of “Brilliant Uncirculated,” so I tried to add it to this registry. Boy was I surprised when the coin garnered exactly zero registry points. I thought to myself, “If only this uncirculated coin was graded MS-60, instead of Brilliant Uncirculated, then I’d earn some registry points!” Anyway, my thoughts quickly changed back to “How can I make this set challenging, like I did with the War Nickels?” Then it occurred to me that it might be possible to complete this registry set with all so-called “Brilliant Uncirculated” coins, thus creating the only complete registry set with “zero points!” But this idea has proved a lot more challenging than I originally thought, especially since some of the coin types appear to be unavailable from NGC with the generic “Brilliant Uncirculated” grade. I then tried adding a coin in an NGC “Sample” slab, but it added points to the registry, so I had to delete it. Then I tried adding a coin with the generic grade “Gem Uncirculated,” but it also added points to the registry, so I had to delete it too. These incidents were indeed “Lessons Learned” for me, but I remain determined to find all 17 coins for the 21st Century set and not earn a single registry point in the process! Of course, I named my special set “Zero Points.” At the end of February 2023, I have found 11 of the coin types needed for the “21st Century Type Set, Mint State Only,” which means the set is 64% complete. My ranking against other sets? Funny you should ask… My “Zero Points” registry set currently ranks as the 105th best set. Of course, every time a new user starts a set in this category, even with one straight-graded coin, that person’s set shoots above my set in the rankings. Furthermore, the sets that are ranked just below mine all contain just one coin, graded Brilliant Uncirculated, of course. I still need to locate six type coins, specifically graded “Brilliant Uncirculated,” to complete my special set - and I am finding the hunt to be quite formidable. The coins I currently need are: 1¢ LINCOLN MEMORIAL (2000-2008); 5¢ JEFFERSON, MONTICELLO (2000-2003); 5¢ JEFFERSON, WESTWARD JOURNEY (2004-2005); 10¢ ROOSEVELT, CLAD (2000-DATE); 25¢ D.C. AND U.S. TERRITORIES, CLAD (2009); and 25¢ CROSSING THE DELAWARE, CLAD (2021). My goal is to find as many of these last six coins as possible by the end of the year, and perhaps grab the attention of the NGC staff responsible for granting the “Overall Achievement” designation. Of course, the worse case scenario would be if my set attracts the wrong kind of attention and NGC suddenly begins awarding registry points for the generic grade of “Brilliant Uncirculated.” If you’re curious about my “Zero Points” set, please check it out at: https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive-sets/378118/

Can someone explain to me why no one's "Silver Commemoratives 1892-1954" collection is at 100% complete? The title of the category is: "Silver Commemoratives 1892-1954, Complete Set (144 Pcs)." Lots of folks have all 144 Pcs, which is commonly known in the numismatic community as being "complete," but the NGC Registry tags these 144-piece sets as only 98% complete. When you check for slots that are not filled on the 98% complete sets, the only slots that appear as unfilled are for the four pieces listed as "non-competitive, display-only" (i.e., Columbian Proofs and Norse medals). It appears as though the NGC Registry is requiring at least one "non-competitive, display-only" coin/medal in order to be considered as a 100% Complete set of 1892-1954 Silver Commemoratives. What's up with that? I also noticed that the other TPG registry just requires the standard 144 coins to be a 100% complete set of 1892-1954 Silver Commemorative coins.