EarlyUS.com

On 6/21/2023 at 8:16 PM, jesbroken said:

Well, hello James. Been awhile. So you are a newbie?

Jim

Hey Jim!  I seem to have lost my old account so at least from the perspective of "quality posts", yeah... looks that way!

On 6/3/2023 at 10:51 PM, Henri Charriere said:

Prices range from as low as $20 to $50 to as much as $99. presumably due to date (mine I was told was either 1857, or the 1850's and looks exactly like yours) condition, and source bought from with shipping costs extra, on eBay or Mercanti.

I sold a couple at the last FUN Show and was only able to get something like $12 for each very decent example.

By "improperly stapled", I mean that whomever stored the coin did not use a staple-flat stapler.  They used a normal office stapler which leaves the staple bumped high enough to be able to scratch other coins.  By far, most of my collection is not certified, so I am highly particular about proper 2x2 storage!

Forgot to mention that I attribute this as S-292.  Let me know whether you agree.

On 1/22/2023 at 6:22 PM, GoldFinger1969 said:

Nice !!   Any favorites or special ones among the Liberty's or Saints ? 

My 1923-D is probably my favorite now since it's my highest-graded and most lustrous.

I took iPhotos of this PCGS MS-67 recently:

Roger, sure, I will get you much better pics.  Give me a bit of time as I am heading out of time tomorrow on business.  If you want to credit me: James Garcia, EarlyUS.com (although my website is currently messed up  ).  I will get my macro lens setup and get you images in the 4000x4000 range.

On 5/17/2023 at 3:11 PM, RWB said:

Thanks!

There appear to be more 1947 fakes than 1945 - but it's early in the examination.

Roger, I hereby grant you permission to freely use those photos for your reference or publication in any book, journal or other article.  Also, if you need them, I have 3000x3000 pixel images available for each.  That being said, I photographed them in their original 2x2 flips.  If you need really high quality images, I can extract them and re-image for you (I have a very good camera setup).

I am reviewing a few partial sets of buffalo nickels and found a surprising number with acid dates.  Strangely, the nic-a-date coins often have VG or better sharpness aside from the date being worn off.  Then it occurred to me that if a buffalo nickel wore down below, say AG-3, then surely the date would be gone completely, right?  Or can you post a certified example at FA-2 or PO-1?  Note that I'm generally referring to early dates -- probably pre-1925, as it seems like later issues retained their dates better, though here again, I have never seen a 1938-D in poor, or even fair grade.

As with many numismatic subjects, I just see some chemical properties at work.

Not long ago, I got to catalog this auction listing for nine Boyd's Batteries plus a Dr. Cooper's battery .  One of them came with an original NGC slab insert.

Two counterfeits:

I have added two new images, hopefully in the correct orientation and in better resolution.

My scale weighs the coin at exactly 11.03 grams.

On 5/9/2023 at 7:23 PM, RWB said:

Yes. Identifying contemporary counterfeits will be helpful. Modern fakes from China or Colorado can be identified using new techniques, which will not be discussed.

Roger, I will look for mine.  They are not modern counterfeits - at least not the most modern.  Fifteen years ago, I bought them from a 1990s collection.

Since I work for an auction company that actually sells such items (and not just Morgan dollars - partial sets of just about every series, really), I can speak with a considerable amount of experience.  YES, you can get some really, really nice hits from buying these as long as your seller is reputable.  Some of my very favorite purchases were such items, and in fact, my Peace Dollar set in UNC started out as such.  I bought a set missing the 1921 and 1928 and probably a third of the coins were mint-state.  Of course, there will be some cleaned or otherwise questionable coins as well, but that's why you look at the set before deciding what you are willing to pay.

Roger, could you use pics of known counterfeits as well?  I'd imagine that would be a pretty popular section of your tome.

On 5/6/2023 at 6:59 PM, Henri Charriere said:

Not all U.S. coin series qualify for such consideration, but the ones that do must be in Mint State or Proof condition.

My first thought is to point out that this may be out-of-date information, as there are coins that are circulated which have received a "star" designation.  PMG also has a "star" designation for currency, unbeknownst to many collectors out there.

As many of you know, I collect these by "album variety".  My #1 set is in a Wayte Raymond album, and my #2 set is in a Dansco album (both are two-album sets) but the sets have slightly different varieties required for completion.

Thanks for posting some pics of yours!

I would appreciate any insights on the coin depicted.  The holder seems to indicate it was purchased 45 years ago.  Thank you.

Thanks for the help!  That website helped me definitively identify it as a 1553 dreier.

I have owned this coin for many years and the prior owner bought it in April 1973 (picture is off my iPhone through the original 2x2).  Apparently, a few proof examples have sold at various auction companies, but this appears to be a circulation strike, probably grading around extremely-fine.  For comparison purposes, I've only found an ugly example with similar details that sold for about $175.

Can anyone offer opinions as to attribution and value?

Thanks.