Woods020

One last piece of advice. After you learn the minting process, research error-ref.com which has great information on identifying errors. Learn what causes a doubled die, and common occurrences that may look like one. Also the ANA recently posted a video entitled “oh no it isn’t” (I think that was the correct title) that goes through a bunch of common misconceptions about varieties and errors.

The pictures are too out of focus to give much feedback. I think there is something going on with Liberty, which prompted your question. From the little I can tell it does look like a worn die. This caused the design to “leak” out around the perimeter for lack of better term as the design gets worn with use. If you post clearer pictures we can tell you for sure, but I don’t think it is an actual variety of any kind. To answer your question on how do I know if I have a variety? A good start is to look at resources, such as variety vista (website). Compare what you think you see to known examples for the coin in question (year/mint). It needs to match exactly the listed variety. Then if you do find a match and you think it warrants certification, many of the lesser varieties aren’t attributed. You can look on NGC’s variety plus for the varieties they attribute. A few tidbits of advice I was given as a newbie and admittedly wasn’t as quick to take to heart as I should. 1. Just because it is different doesn’t mean it’s special 2. Varieties aren’t common, atleast the ones that are worth the time. If you are seeing varieties right and left slow down and analyze critically. 3. Learn the minting process. Once you know the process you ask yourself if it could have happened during that process. If it didn’t/couldn’t have happened at the mint it’s post mint damage (PMD) and simply detracts from value. Stick with it. If you want to learn you will be amazed what you will pick up in the next 6 months.

Welcome to the forum! This coin is just damaged. It’s indicative of a coin exposed to high heat/fire. Not that uncommon to see this effect on coins.

Given your line of work I’m sure you can speak volumes about irrational behavior. People are/were convinced the economy is on the brink of collapse and buy when it’s time to sell.

Welcome to the forum. Are these quarters all in good condition, look new, very worn, or a mix? Condition is a key driver in value. A common date can be worth grading if it’s in top condition, and a rare date may not be worth it if it resembles road kill.

Thanks for the context. No one is aware of this or can read your thoughts. So when you ask the forum “but what about this situation with an 1837 Bust Half” you and one other person know what you mean. I will say @Oldhoopster was correct though. You do have an uncanny ability to weave in roosters 🐓 into any topic. You have to be seeing clouds shaped like 🐓 at this point.

ASEs a few weeks ago Were selling more like $40/$42. But it isn’t the government per se setting the premium. It’s the retail market. And it was a self fulfilling prophecy. Concern over the economy, then coupled with a change office, led many to want to invest in PMs for fear of a financial crisis. The more they bought up silver rounds and ASEs, the lower the readily available supply. Naturally if a dealer only has 10 left and demand is very large they start upping the premium. Conversely the dealers couldn’t restock fast enough. First the covid related impacts slowed the ability to replenish. Whether it be shutdowns or logistics it was hard to get stock. Second they depend also on periodic buybacks of private investors, most of which are already in favor of PMs to some degree since they have bought already. These private investors see an increasing market and have concerns over the economy so they don’t want to sell. They want to buy more.

A couple of times you have made reference to this 1837 bust Half. What is the context? I missed something apparently.

Thank you! I have seen several people reference a shortage. I don’t feel it’s as much of a shortage per se, but more price constraints based on the mint due to short term supply chain based cost increase.

It’s great info. And the Pittman act and others are great examples of the government using the mint as a tool for economic policy. My question is more around the current situation. Can the mint buy sufficient supply of silver planchets let’s say currently, or would they be unable because short term supply constraints have caused a spike? The Morgan dollar restrike being an example. Is there an issue buying the planchets at their approved prices because of current market conditions, and is this a potential reason for a delay?

@RWB I seem to remember reading a while back that the mint can only buy materials at “real world prices” and not above. The term may be slightly off but you get the gist. 1. Is that correct or a fantasy item I think I read? 😂 2. How is “real world price” defined? Generally speaking when supply is low prices rise. Basic economics we are all familiar with. Given the pandemic related facility closures, logistics challenges, etc. I assume supply and demand kicked in and prices rose. Largely what is driving the increased premiums for ASEs. If the mint is restricted to a “real world price”, or whatever the term may be I am sure I am butchering it, is that real time? Meaning would the cost limit they could buy planchet material at increase based on current market conditions, or does it lag meaning the mint may not be able to buy enough supply of planchet material currently at an acceptable price?

I can’t speak to these specific contracts, but I am intimately familiar with government contracts for pharmaceuticals and healthcare supplies. There is very clearly failure to supply language in the contracts, and financial penalties associated. There are reasons in the contract that may negate this based on acts of god and such, but generally speaking if we don’t supply the agreed upon amount at the agreed upon time we are penalized. And yes the government does take past performance into account, atleast in my field, for future bids. I am making an assumption this is a general process, but it may be different from my field.

Early proofs can sometimes be difficult to discern because of toning. But shiny and new aren’t what to look for. Proofs should exhibit mirror like fields (flat portions), sharp details, and well defined rims. Sometimes they will exhibit frosting on the devices (raised portion). The best way to learn is to look at a proof you have versus the same coin in business strike. Once you see the difference this will make more sense.

Best of luck. It would be a once in a lifetime experience to find something like that, and I would love to see it be real (or reales in this instance). I’m just skeptical. But I would love to see it be something special.

The first two pictures are of an authentic 1790 Peruvian 8 reales from HA. The bottom picture is an authentic column and wave design 8 reales. I think you can see it doesn’t closely resemble the piece you found. Here is a link that explains very well how to read the information on these coins. I definitely learned something. https://cannonbeachtreasure.com/blogs/news/how-to-read-a-spanish-piece-of-8-pillars-waves-edition

I’ve read on these for a while this morning out of curiosity. I admittedly know very little about early foreign coinage, but I will say nothing on this looks accurate based on many verified examples. Even the symbols on the reverse aren’t in line with how they were minted at the time. This doesn’t even look like a column and waved design. Lastly in 1790-1798 Peruvian 8 reales weren’t the column and wave design. They were in 1690-1698 perhaps? But with how good of shape this piece is seemingly in the year of mintage should be clearly discernible on the reverse, but again this piece doesn’t follow the correct design. This is not even a decent attempt at a copy from what I can see.

I welcome all opinions. I think we could all benefit from a defined usage of the term. Any time a term in a subject as technical as numismatics is nebulous problems and misinformation are soon to follow.

I don’t know that anyone has had a bad experience with him personally. It’s more a debate on if his work is largely counterfeiting and/or damage to coins or is it artistic creation? I have an opinion myself, but lots of people on both sides of the argument. I will say that I fundamentally hate to see an authentic coin altered in any way. Whether it be artificial toning, cleaning, or re-striking. My own personal view. I want it as close to the way it left the press at the mint the day it was struck as I can find it.

There is no perfect answer. The best gauge in my opinion is what coins in similar grade are selling for. Aside from that Greysheet is based off recent sales, but often times the last sale they list is years old. But as far as a simple price look up I think it’s most accurate. Its what a lot of dealers use. They (dealers) pay more blue price if they are buying or less. In summary: 1. Most price guides are inflated. Many largely so. (PCGS/NGC/Redbook). 2. There is a marked difference between market value (retail) and what a dealer will pay. 3. For retail/market price look at recent sold auction results or Greysheet. Remember you will have to deduct costs of selling if auctioned. This also will take into account market shifts as it’s possible other price guides could be low if something gets hot. 4. If selling wholesale/dealer look more at blue book prices or slightly less. Expect about 50% of retail give or take from a dealer. Somewhat situational. Add in eye appeal/CAC/toning/etc. and a coin could go way above others in the grade. A good example is a nicely toned Buffalo Nickel will often times sell or 2x/3x others in the same grade. It’s not an exact science and things are worth what someone will pay for it. Knowing the market is a big step in “guesstimating” accurately. *Greysheet has a phone app if it helps. It’s not the best app I’ve seen, but it’s convenient to click on it on my phone. It doesn’t say they have one on their website that I saw, but a search in the App Store reveals they do.

I attended that webinar live a few weeks ago. It was good. The presenter wasn’t as good as some but it’s good info.

One last thought just to level set expectations. Many world coins are sold in bulk and hold little monetary value. Not to say in the least there aren’t many very sought after world coins, but usually when someone has thousands of ungraded world coins it is likely they are not special. But let’s see what we have as we go.

OK, Welcome to the forum. I am sorry to hear about your fathers passing. We will be happy to help you if we can. I know I speak for many forum members. The good news is it seems you understand the task ahead. It won’t be quick and it won’t be easy, but it will be fun if you want it to be. The first thing I would do is categorize what you have. A potential starting point would be: Sort by nation of issue - sub by denomination or year Tackle one nation and coin type at a time. If you tell us a high level of what you have and where you want to start we can provide rules of thumb for the coins at hand. Based on what you have there may be good guidance we can give on what to focus on. Once you have a starting point we can point you to resources. Pricing is not as easy as you may think, and the best resource is sold coin prices that are analogous. Whether it be eBay sold prices or auction houses like heritage. But let’s start with baby steps. Sort them, pick a group you want to start with, and give us a high level overview. Then we can ask for pictures or give guidance. Best to take it in bite size chunks.

It appears to be a Spanish 8 escudos. I have a suspicion this is a replica, but not my area of expertise. Do you have a digital scale by chance? Can you weigh it to two decimal places in grams? Also a measurement of the diameter in CM would be helpful.

Your brother is correct in that there are plenty available. It only becomes rarer at the highest grades. MS 67 and above they start to get much more valuable, and there are some MS 68s floating around that are a pretty penny (pun intended). So to answer your question look for strong strike, nice surface preservation, and eye appeal.

If you can take some pictures more closely and crop it then people can tell you more. From what I can see it just looks like damage.