TomB

Nice CBHs.

Where is the head thumping against the wall emoticon when you need it?

Holy Smokes! The 1894 is a freakin' tough Barber half dollar! Folks who don't collect this series have no idea how truly difficult this coin is.

That's got a nice look to it and it matches closely my NJ quarter that is in my Dansco 7070.

Okay, let's see if I can get this right this time.

Ugh! I blew my chance by posting my quarter while Sy was posting his WLH!

Washington quarters!!! WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOO!!!

Stunning Norse and awesome CT, Mike.

Of course, John is also killing me with his Pan-Pac, which looks eerily like mine. Did you ever see my Pan-Pac, John?

I guess there are no images I can add to this thread right now.

There's a lot of frosty red on that one, Mike. I like it.

Winston, that $5 Canadian is very cool.

The hit on the eagle is not keeping it out of an MS66 holder, but the luster is.

Lee, that is a spectacular coin, do you want to sell it?

Yes, this is a proof. It's slabbed by PCGS as PF66 and I bought it for the attractive golden orange hue it has in combination with the grey and blue obverse center, which has a light cameo. It's not an expensive coin, but it's nice.

This isn't exactly new as I have had it for several months, but I have never posted an image of it.

Way to go on the Gobrecht, ER, did my annoying whine that you did not have one goad you into action?

It takes a tough man to make a Shield nickel look good.

You can always count on a Washington quarter from me, Bruce. The 1950 coinage is especially difficult to obtain with attractive toning since there were no US Mint Sets issued that year.

I was scrolling down and noticed a worn CB dime and thought to myself-

"I bet goose3 just bought another 1822"

That's an...ummmm...interesting choice of images... Did you notice Bruce has a picture of his sister up there?

Where is the thread with the picture?

I'm glad you have the dime since you appreciated it so much.

I paid as much for the coin raw ($15) as I did to get it slabbed. When are you coming up to see these in person? Here's another.

Lee, the CT is my favorite commem and if your coin looks in-hand like it does in the images then it is truly special.

You're going to pass me in the type set in no time, Victor!

Here's one.

The only thing you did wrong, Mike, was that you didn't sell that coin to me!!! Otherwise, you are fine.

This should be a very useful WYNTK thread for everyone. Since you have invited participation I will list some of my favorite coin books. Obviously, this list will be slanted toward my collecting interests, which should be common theme among many posters in this thread.

1) The greatest numismatic book of all time, in my opinion, and long out of print is Numismatic Art in America: Aesthetics of the United States Coingae by Cornelius Vermeule. This book is a quality hardcover from 1971 that is long out of print but might be found for about $100, if you are lucky. It has no analysis of die paring, rarities or price guidelines, but is simply a wonderful book about the attempted art on US coinage.

2) Official ANA Grading Standards for United States Coins edited by Kenneth Bressett. Each of us should have this book and should use it regularly, especially when considering circulated coinage purchases or when looking at series that we are not intimately familiar.

3) Counterfeit Detection; Volumes I and II a compilation of detailed articles by the ANA that first appeared in The Numismatist. These are from the mid-1980s and are out of print but can be seen on ebay from time-to-time for around $10-$15. They are well worth the investment and give die and physical characteristics of genuine coins as well as known counterfeits.

4) The first edition of Coin Grading and Counterfeit Detection by PCGS. Unfortunately, the second edition of this marvelous book not only is smaller and printed on much cheaper quality paper, but it also appears to be not as valuable a tool for the collector. This is a wonderful book that was published in 1997 and given away to PCGS Collector's Club members, but was later sold for about $35.

5) For early half dollars, the classic reference for variety identification is United States Early Half Dollars and Die Varieties 1794-1836 by Al Overton. Unfortunately, the newly published fourth edition of this classic has the name of his son-in-law as the author, Don Parsley, this is a travesty since the work is nearly entirely that of Al Overton while Don Parsley has updated it since Al's death in 1970. I own both the third (1990) and fourth (2005) editions, but I have found that I do not even open the fourth edition because it has so little extra that was not in the third edition. The first and second editions are clearly not as useful and I would suggest you save your money and buy one of these later editions. You may find these editions on ebay or online through Stack's or Sheridan Downey. Though you should be able to find these at $50-$65, plan on spending at least $35 for a used edition and up to $85 for the new edition.

6) Edgar Souders published Bust Half Fever in 1995 and a new edition, that I believe is greatly expanded and has more information, was published in 2005. This book contains much more history of the time and delves more into how the coins were used, made and collected. The book is terrific. You may find the paper or electronic version on ebay or through Stack's. I believe the second edition is approximately $85 while the first edition, which is long out of print, will likely run you about $115.

7) Contemporary Counterfeit Capped Bust Half Dollars written in 1996 by Keith Davignon, deals only with counterfeits passed off in the channels of commerce, as its name implies. It may be pricey at about $50 for this esoteric niche, but it is terrific, too.

8) Jules Reiver published the ultimate Variety Identification Manual for Reeded Edge Half Dollars 1836-1839 in 1988 but this is nearly impossible to find in print and I purchased my copy after looking for several years and paid about $50. Heritage now offers this manual online and free to read.

9) The ANS publication titled America's Silver Coinage 1794-1891 from the ANS Coinage of the Americas Conference in 1986 is fantastic. The book itself was published in 1987 and can be had for $15. It contains myriad intellectual research articles on early silver coinage.

10) There are also a pair of specialized price guides that are dedicated to the early half dollar niche and include Bust Half Quotes by Fricke and Karoleff as well as Auction and Mail Bid Prices Realized for Bust Half Dollars 1794-1839 by Herrman and Downey Mail Bid Sales by Herrman and Downey. Each of these is $20-$30 and may be picked up through Sheridan Downey.

11) David Feigenbaum (Lawrence) published the best book on Barber half dollars in 1991 and it is titled The Complete Guide To Barber Halves. It is long out of print and was only issued in paperback. The spine breaks easily on this book, which likely means that many users have more than one copy. These sometimes surface on ebay, but are more likely to be found from numismatic book sellers for $20-$35.

12) Just a terrific book about the history of classic commems is Commemorative Coins of the United States-A Complete Encyclopedia by Q David Bowers and published in 1991. It is extensive and very well written. Although out of print, you may be able to find one for $50-$75.