Woods020

Unless silver goes up significantly it’s rough to break even if you sell ASEs. After you pay a premium then sell without the premium you will do well to recoup. That goes for raw bullion to slabbed commons. A few exceptions here and there for 70s or scarcer coins like the 2020 v75 or the key date coins. 

Thanks.  I bought the coin because I liked how it looked.  Then I leaned it was an N-10 based on the crack.  From there I was able to further surmise that this coin came from the Randall Hoard that was recovered under a Georgia railway platform from the date, red/brown color and condition.  A good coin can make you want to learn more about it... and so it goes.

Well there we go. MS64. I am so so delighted with this. For months I've been checking photos, and comparing to similar coins that have been graded. I kept coming to the same conclusion, that this was a weak strike and not AU like the majority of people were saying. Especially after seeing the NGC professional photos. I know we often overgrade our own submissions but in this instance I really thought it was MS63, so to see it has been graded MS64 is really great. In the center of the obverse, on regular and strong strikes there are horizontal lines, and on mine there are none. If the higher points were worn, then why would this 'inset' central design be worn? It just did not make sense. Combined with the fact that the lustre was blazing and completely unbroken. I was worried NGC might just think it was circulation wear and not a weak strike, but they haven't and I think this is completely accurate. Hooray for NGC.
 

I’m at a show in Chattanooga TN this weekend, and picked up this beauty today. Nicest 09-S VDB I have ever owned for sure. Pay no attention to my quick cell phone snaps. 
 
@Coinbuf I thought of you when I was walking away with it 

Two new NGC graded coins I recently acquired. The half dime I haven't properly imaged yet. These are for sale :-)

Its all in what you want to collect. If you enjoy them then collect them. Some people do and thats great. They have every right to. Everyone has their own things they like to collect. I dont criticize them in any way. If they like signature labels then Im very happy to see them collect them. Its just my opinion that signature labels are not for me. I dont like paying extra money for a coin over what the plastic its in looks like or because someone wrote their name on it. 

It’s just another way to market the coins. And the dealers love hyping them as well. Personally I don’t want anyone’s signature on my slabs, and not really a fan of provenance unless it’s one of a handful of noteworthy numismatists. 

Two new NGC graded coins I recently acquired. The half dime I haven't properly imaged yet. These are for sale :-)

There is a small, but determined, group of folks who have started collecting slabs and don't care too much about the coin.  The older the slab the better.

...actually Bill has published more than one volume, the first, long out of print, was all encompassing, later volumes r mint specific also out of print except for his most recent n he has more to come...however, his books r onine n free access.....

It’s just another way to market the coins. And the dealers love hyping them as well. Personally I don’t want anyone’s signature on my slabs, and not really a fan of provenance unless it’s one of a handful of noteworthy numismatists. 

It’s just another way to market the coins. And the dealers love hyping them as well. Personally I don’t want anyone’s signature on my slabs, and not really a fan of provenance unless it’s one of a handful of noteworthy numismatists. 

Love those rattlers. Some people are crazy about them. 

Which ones are you looking for? I’ve seen a ton of comems recently. Glad to help you find them. 

Love those rattlers. Some people are crazy about them. 

Yes. One example is the doubled dies we get asked about all the time. A doubled die is a die variety. Now within that die variety you will see different characteristics appear or disappear as the die is used. It may develop die cracks, breaks, and even terminal state defects such as starburst for example. You will see flow lines develop and notice small changes as it is used. So the doubled die is a variety, then the die goes through states of decomposition essentially from new to time to replace. 
 
This is oversimplified but hopefully answers your basic question. 

Well said. And we are all coin snobs if truth be told. And that’s ok. That’s how I want to collect and I will. No one will change that. But we sometimes forget collecting comes in many shapes and sizes. People can enjoy the hobby and never spend a dime on numismatic premiums if they want. They can fill coin boards/books and have a blast.
In fact I have tried, with very little success honestly, to change the narrative with the error crazed crowd. I tell them to hunt pocket change or rolls for the best coin they can find. Those are the ones that might increase in value. Look for MS dimes that are well struck, few blemishes and full bands for example. Create an album of the very best you can find. And when you can upgrade do it. It teaches them to focus on quality, but also learn the basics of how to evaluate quality. 
 
 

That last is a perfect summary of one of our greatest problems around here: People who have known a lot for so long they can no longer conceive of not knowing a lot. They can see only their own perspectives. The idea of not knowing the proper color of a penny is too alien for them to contemplate; thus, anyone who doesn't must surely be illogical, not too bright, etc. Never mind that, unlike mint errors and mechanical doubling and parking lot damage, the color issue is a little more advanced knowledge because it comes not just from seeing pennies, but examining them with a critical eye. Most people out in society have seen a lot of pennies, but few examine them. What is obvious to them, they figure, must automatically be obvious to even the rankest beginner. There is probably a philosophical or psychological term for this inability to see other perspectives, but I'm neither a psychologist nor a philosopher.
Obviously, there are degrees of this. Coin color might be at the high newbie level of understanding. Parking lot damage seems to me pretty easy to diagnose, given that most people have found a penny in a parking lot. Doubling is toward the high end of newbie. Phantom dates and lettering are toward the low, given that they seem to be triggered by a lot of reallywannaseeit (aka pareidoilia, or however it's spelled). Non-numismatic critical thinking will tend to dispose of the low-end ones, such as "I think this is a quarter struck on a nickel planchet." Research and self-education will also help, but for people to get worked up about those, they have to hang around long enough to care. Even then, not all research is created equal. That presented on YT is so consistently awful that "I researched it on YT" is like announcing "I think my proof coins look better with thumb prints."
This intellectual myopia exists in many areas. It's much like the chemistry professors forced by their jobs to teach freshman chemistry, and doing an awful and cruel job of it, because they would rather be dealing with grad students and research. It's this way with many techies: they can fix it, but if you want them to teach you how to fix it yourself, they can't because the idea of not knowing is beyond their recent experience. It's a human tendency.

I can explain it.
I never cared about coins.  They were nothing but a pain in the neck... worthless items that i find on the floor or in my couch cushions.  The buying power is negligible, and all I really knew were coins that I found in change.  After all... all coins in change are the same, right?  
But... then a coin grabbed my attention.  It was a 1943 steel cent.  It was a grayish-white cull coin, and nearly worthless.  But, I had not seen one before.. and I saved it.    Then, I found it was steel and stuck to a magnet... again, I thought it was just the weirdest thing I had seen... and I thought I had something valuable.  Of course I was wrong, but I was interested.  I learned coin roll hunting and started doing that to find more (which I did not, further fueling my impression that the 1943 was rare).  However, I found that I could find a 2017 P penny... again... very neat and different, but worthless.  I didn't know if it was valuable or not, so I saved those, too.  I didn't know about coins, grading, or even that forums like this existed (frankly, I didn't care).
The "coin shortage" occurred, and suddenly I could not get rolled coins to hunt.  At this point I was accustomed to hunting change, and was enjoying it... my little kids enjoyed it, and that made it even more fun.  But now... it seemed to be over and I was disappointed, so I called a coin shop (thinking I would buy rolled coins from them, because I had never stepped foot into a coin shop).
When I got to the coin shop, I was shown a large cent.  I was amazed that a "penny" was this size of a half dollar... and how could something so old be in such great shape (my 1943 cent was the oldest coin I ever saw)?  I was "star struck" by these old beautiful coins.  I asked the price, and I almost fell over.  What?  $1000 for a penny?  These guys are nuts!  But, I never forgot about the coin... and I started reading on them.
Today, I own that 1818 N-10 that floored me in the coin shop.  I also know that what seemed like I was getting ripped-off on price was actually a good deal.  Then I learned that all "MS64" coins are not created equal, and why one 64 and the next 64 can be drastically different in price.
This hobby is extremely nuanced.  Any newcomer will not know these nuances, and many of you will forget more about numismatics than I will ever know.  However, I do know that many collectors start with a coin that they find, and find interesting.  99.999999% of the time it is not very rare or valuable... but, it plants the seed, and the love for coins is one that is cultivated over time.
Hope this helps, as I know that many of the seasoned collectors forget what it is to be new in this hobby. 

It’s just another way to market the coins. And the dealers love hyping them as well. Personally I don’t want anyone’s signature on my slabs, and not really a fan of provenance unless it’s one of a handful of noteworthy numismatists. 

I am not a modern coin collector, however I do not care whose signature is on the label nor would I pay a penny extra for any signature.   But I have no doubt that some collectors would be willing to pay more because of a label signature.

Jfantj,
It’s a good idea for your son to learn how coins are minted. It’s the starting point for any of us. Once you learn the process of how they are made, then when you see something that is off you ask yourself “could this have happened during the minting process?”. Then you can start seeing what is damage because it couldn’t have happened at the mint. Anything that happens the second it leaves the mint is damage. Here are a couple of resources for him to watch. 
 
 

Also if your son is a reader, there are several good books to start his numismatic education with. Looking back I wished I had started with a logical process of learning in sequential order starting with how they are made. Then working into errors and learning about the types of coins I am interested in. If he is a reader two great books for him to learn both some history and the minting process, and also both authors are active on these threads, are:
From Mine to Mint - Roger Burdette (RWB on here)
The History of the US Mint and it’s coinage - David Lange (DWLange on here)
Hope this helps. Numismatics is tough. I have graduate degrees in both economics and statistics and I think this is harder 😂
 

I do not collect by die states, nor am I very versed in them. It does come into play with attributing say bust and seated coinage in some ways. That’s my only consideration of die states though. 

If you do get into bust halves I recently got a new reference book that I really like. It simplifies the Overton book in my opinion. I suggest it. 
 
The Ultimate Guide To Attributing Bust Halves by Doctor Glenn Peterson (5th edition). 
 
 

I have an 1818 N-10 Large Cent that has the same radial die crack all the way around the stars (also part of the Randall hoard).  Good call out.
Bust halves is a series that I am interested-in, but I really don't know anything about (besides I think they are cool).  I know there are many varieties, but I have no idea about die states.  I will have to study this one.
Attribution of varieties was my "gateway" into liking die states - especially the ones where the die is completely crumbing, and still minting coins.
Are there specific die states for gold?  Did the mint let the die states get "terminal"?  While I imagine that there would be die deterioration... I feel like the mint cared more about the quality of the production of their large silver and gold coins... and really showed less respect for the small demonization copper.