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mpsamus1

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Journal Entries posted by mpsamus1

  1. mpsamus1

    Issues

    By mpsamus1,

    O.K. If it is that important to you that you are right then I'll say it. You're Right. No matter who YOU are. But sometimes, even when you are right you are wrong!
    This is a forum that is designed for coin collectors to share their knowledge and enjoy a little camaraderie as well as have a little fun with other collectors. (Are we having fun continuing with this?!) It is not a place for name calling, much less the wholesale degradation and belittlement of another human being. There is enough of that garbage out in the world...we don't need it here also.
    I agree with Danny and Dennis about Mike's "contest" and I thank Mike for it. At least he is trying to make it better and more enjoyable for us all. The only thing that this has succeeded in doing is giving me a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.
    You both may have a valid point. I don't know and neither does anyone else here. This is between Gold Eagle and Mike and that is where it should have stayed. I am sorry if you both feel as if you have been wronged but we do not need to suffer through your unhappiness and discontentment. A simple apology and an acceptance of that apology would have gone a whole lot farther and would have been much easier for all of us to deal with. No matter who gave the apology or who accepted it. Please keep it off of this message board. We all need to remember that if you can't say something nice then don't say anything at all. Now can we please get back to what we all have in common---COINS!!!
  2. mpsamus1
    I buy them by the bag when my local Dealer gets them in. He buys them for 1 1/2 cents each and I buy them from him for 2 1/4 cents each.
    When I get done with them I turn around and sell off what I don't keep for 2 or 3 cents each depending on what the date mix is. Just recently I bought two bags--about 10,000 Wheats. There have not been very many early dates (pre 1940)in this batch but there have been quite a few varieties so far. I sit in my living room chair in the evenings and go through them while watching TV. Last night I found a 1910-S about VF, and a 1955 double die--NO not the one that is worth thousands of dollars. It's the one with the minor doubling, FS 021.9 in the Cherry Pickers Guide. Every now and then I get a few Indians thrown into the mix Just to keep it interesting. It's fun and I get to play with my coins without having to spend alot of money and when I'm done I sell off the bulk to get most of my money back and keep the better stuff for myself.
    On another note. My son works the front end at a local grocery store until he goes back to college so he has access to the safe so he can give out change to the cashiers. The other day he called me from work and said that one of his cashiers just opened a roll of quarters and they sounded "different" when they hit the drawer. When he took a look at them he saw dates that go back to the 40's and 50's and that they had a bunch of old paper rolls in the safe. I told him that I would be right there! When I got there he handed me 8 rolls of dimes and a roll of quarters out of the safe. I gave him a $50 bill and headed back to my truck to take a look. Every coin was silver! I went back in to tell him what he had found and he asked me if I wanted the coins that were in the cash register drawer. I felt like saying "Duh-Yea"! All totaled I got $79.40 face value in silver that someone turned in to buy groceries with! The worst part about it was that some of the rolls had the word "silver" written on them!
    This is one of the pennies that I have found while searching through bags. A 1909 VDB MS 64 Brown. Not bad for about 2.25 cents.

  3. mpsamus1
    Like I tell the new collectors that ask me what THEY should collect. There is NO wrong way to collect coins. They should find the type of coins that they like and collect those. If that type or series' of coins/collecting is what gives them enjoyment then that is what they should collect. The only catch is
    that they should not expect to try and make money on their collection immediately-today. If they do make a profit now, that's great but to actually realize any profit in our beloved hobby time is required. Time and knowledge, and sometimes alot of both! I also tell them that if they want to have a good collection (one that will be both nice and have a good chance at appreciating in the future) they MUST have a good library! Knowledge is the key!
    I personally did a little consolidating with my collection earlier in the year. I got rid of all of my modern coins. I decided to concentrate on collecting coin that are pre 1946 with the exception of my Lincoln's. That set is almost complete and for some reason I like the series. I am still collecting the early date Washington's and Jefferson's but for the most part everything else has been eliminated with the exception of a few select items like my 1997 Jefferson Botanical issue nickel and a few other better grade coins that I already have slabbed. I have also increased my numismatic library considerably. From now on I want to concentrate on Type coins and Gold although I know that this will limit my ability to purchase coins, especially in quantity and completing a set is going to be all but impossible, but thats Okay with me. I like the the early stuff. I think it is more attractive, a better variety, more limited in availability and the investment potential will be much greater. BUt as I said earlier, there is no wrong way to collect. If the way that you pursue the hobby makes YOU happy then that is the wat that you should form your collection.
    Happy Collecting!
    Mike
  4. mpsamus1
    Here are the Reverse Pic's of the 1827 Overton 137 Bust Half Dollar.
    Here are the reverse pic's of the Overton. The patina on the reverse is not quite as dark as the obverse but the spots are more noticeable. The coin Graded an XF-45.

  5. mpsamus1
    Here are the Obverse Pic's of the 1827 Overton 137 Bust Half Dollar.
    This coin has an R-6 rarity rating which according to the book on Overton's mean that there are between 13 to 30 known to exist. Overall it's a nice coin with good detail. It's got a decent strike considering the reverse dies were recycled from 1825. The overall patina is a little dark and there are a few spots on the reverse in the field above the Eagle. Still, it's a nice example of a coin that was minted almost 200 years ago.

  6. mpsamus1
    The Grading Gods were kind and graded my 1827 O-137 Bust Half!
    Praise be to those that grade as well as those who do the Variety Plus attributions! Most importantly I must thank the Lord for looking out for me. Blessings do come in all shapes and sizes!
    Now that I don't have any more finger nails left because I chewed them all off, my submission is finally on it's way back home! It was an Early Bird submission that was received on the 6th and finally cleared Quality Control yesterday. Of the five coins that were on the invoice, four graded and one didn't make it (an 1846-O 1/2 Dollar with environmental damage).
    The four that did make the grade were an 1846 1/2 Dime (G-6) a very tough date, a 1932-D Washington Quarter (XF-40), a 1934-S Peace Dollar (AU-58), and best of all, the 1827 O-137 Bust half Dollar that graded out at a very respectable XF-45! That makes it the same grade as the one that Heritage Auctions sold in 2006 for almost $14,000. Unfortunately for me, this one is going to go to Heritage also. I can use the money and where I don't collect Overton Varieties I would rather see it go to someone who does--someone who can really appreciate and enjoy it for what it is. I just can't justify keeping it for myself. It will be nice having it for a while but soon it will have to go off to Heritage (unless I get a reasonable offer for it first) to make my life go a little bit smoother. To be honest, it will pay off all of the other coins that I have been buying (and get them graded) as well as put a little money in the bank! If I'm real Lucky I'll be able to add a couple of nice coins to my collection to boot!
    I'm expecting these coins to arrive Friday or Saturday. I'll post a picture (for those of you who are interested) shortly after they arrive.
    Mike
  7. mpsamus1
    Look on the bright side Bruce.
    The cut off date for that other Grading service is 1965. At least you have 10 more years with NGC and their turnaround for the Modern tier is 20-30 days. So, all that means is that you would pay more and still not get it back any sooner.
    Mike
  8. mpsamus1
    I was around during the last great silver/gold rush. My parents owned a coin shop at the time and it was an extremely turbulent time when you were behind the counter.
    You didn't have time to actually do what you were there for--Deal in coins! You were essentially a bullion depository. There were people lined up going out the door and down the street carrying everything with them from coins to jewelery to silverware to anything else they even thought might contain silver or gold and this was all day long from the time the doors opened to the time you locked the doors and refused to let anyone else in! You were so busy that you couldn't take the time to go through sets to remove the collectible coins. Everything went in the same container and went to the smelter! I remember seeing 1932-D and 1932-S Washingtons go to get melted down. I was young and not directly involved with the buying and selling so that was how I got my first key date Washingtons. They were low grade but I bought them from my parents for the price of silver at the time. It's truly a terrifying thought to even think of seeing that happen again because the very same things will happen all over again. I have a roll of uncirculated 1963 Franklins and with the price of silver right now they have been reduced to having little to no collectible value. They are basically worth their bullion value. Common date, lower grade gold coins (AU or lower) have been on the brink for a long time and if you really pay attention to the mintages on some of those gold coins you will find out that some of the common dates are not really so common after all! Those are the type of coins that will ultimately end up going to the smelters---or worse---there will unquestionably be some coins that have a "true" numistmatic value going along with them. That is assuming that any coin can be considered as having "zero" numistmatic value. Personally I don't subscribe to this idea myself but there are many that do. I've seen it happen once. I have no doubts that it will happen again. The combination of the poor economy, high inflation, world unrest, and the unusually high price of silver and gold will bring this stuff out of the wood works and the majority of it will be lost forever!
    It was a sad time for our beloved hobby and will be even more sad if or when it happens again. If you pay attention to what your local coin shop is buying from "walkin" sellers and what they are doing with it, you will see that it's already begun..............
    Mike
  9. mpsamus1
    Overall, I don't think that I've done too bad. Of the twelve coins on the two invoices, two of the coins were body bagged and of the other ten
    The high lights are;
    a 1962 franklin half,with some nice toning, that graded Proof-67 Cameo.
    a 1956 Washington Quarter that graded Proof-67* (My first Star!)
    I had a 1967 SMS Kennedy that I thought would get a Cameo for sure but it got body bagged instead for being scratched. Oh Well. The other four weighed in at rather unspectacular Proof 66's or 67's.
    The other invoice had a 1903 Quarter Eagle that graded an MS-61 (I thought this one was going to get bagged for sure but it made it) and a 1901-S Half Eagle that got an MS-62. I didn't think this one was going to get any better than an MS-61 but that's O.K because I bought it as an AU-58. (I thought it was under graded when I bought it) Two of the others graded AU-58 and the last one was 1927 quarter Eagle that was bagged for improper cleaning. Oh Well again--You win some and you lose some!
    Of the last two invoices, (both of which are in grading now) one has five coins (one of which is that 1827 O-137 Bust Half) and the other four I'm not very optimistic about. I think two will grade O.K. One of them is an 1846 Seated Half Dime. It won't be a very high grade but it is a very low mintage. (only 27,000) The other is a 1934-S Peace Dollar that if you ask me it's an Unc. Let's see what NGC says. The last two coins are a 1932-D Washington Quarter (XF-AU) and an 1846-O Seated Half (also XF-AU), both of which run a better than average chance of being cleaned.
    The last invoice is an economy tier and has 36 coins on it. Nine of them are VAMs-I hope, one is a Lincoln Cent error-I hope again, Four are Lincoln Cent varieties-I hope again. There are eleven Morgans (some with some impressive toning), a few Peace Dollars, a few Nickels and a couple each of Quarters and Half Dollars. What a mix. Like I said before-a true example of my collecting style. The Shot gun effect! I feel like a kid in a candy store with money to spend! I love to send stuff in to get graded but the anticipation of waiting for it to get back home is murder on the nerves! Even though, I'm already putting together another submission and I can't wait to get it in the mail! Any way that you look at it, I'm having a blast!
    Mike
  10. mpsamus1
    And the wait is driving me Crazy!!!! For a change, it?s one that someone else may want also. Up until now I've been finding VAM's in my local dealers Junk box but this time I got VERY LUCKY!!!!!!
    There is nothing else that you can call it but sheer, dumb luck!! It's been one thing to find a VAM that was worth 200 or 300 dollars. With those (for the most part) I know what I've been looking for. This time I bought an 1827 Capped Bust Half Dollar from my local coin shop. I bought it because I thought he had it under graded and I sent it in on this last submission that I wrote about earlier and since I know absolutely nothing about Overton Varieties and the 1827 had 49 different documented varieties (according to the book on Overton Varieties) I figured I would spend the extra seven dollars and see if it was one. The whole idea was that with that many varieties for that year, I might have at least a decent shot at scoring with something that might be at least a little scarce. The submission is in grading now, but they have already done the Overton Attribution and posted it on the web site. This coin was attributed as an O-137 and it's an R-6 on the Rarity scale. The Overton book says that it is one of the two "very rare" varieties for this date. With that in mind I went to the Heritage Auction site and checked their archives and in 2006 they sold one that was an XF-45 for almost $14,000 with the buyer's premium. They also made reference to another one (XF-40) that sold in 2003 for $13,011. I feel like I?ve won the lottery!
    I think that mine will grade out at least an XF-40. Of course that's IF it doesn't get Body Bagged. There were so many of the early Type coins that were cleaned so you never can tell but I pray to the Grading Gods that they see fit to put it in an NGC Slab all of it's very own.
    It just goes to show that you never know what you will find. There are still a lot of good finds out there! For that matter you may not even know what you have in your own collection!
    Mike
  11. mpsamus1

    Response to Rankings

    By mpsamus1,

    I'm one of those people that have several one, two or three coin "sets". I really don't collect coins with the idea that I am going to complete a bunch of sets.
    That is not to say that I don't want to complete a few. I just don't want and can't afford a collection that is based on a bunch of sets. So I buy my coins because, for one reason or another, I like that coin. I like Type coins most of all and again with my budget I can't afford to complete any sets unless of course all of the coins are low grade or worse, so I buy what I can afford and I post them on this site because it is a place that I can share what I have worked so hard to acquire. Besides the fact that this is the only place that I can do this safely and still be able to show them to someone that has a "clue" what they are looking at. The points are nice and I can't say that they don't mean something to me but I will never be able to complete most of these sets and I really don't want to. I collect because I love beautiful coins and if I only have one or two coins for that "set" then so be it. I'm happy and I wish that whom ever looks at my collection be could be happy for me. Happy that I was able to acquire at least one nice example of that coin or series of coins. If this interferes with someone else's rankings on this site then I am sorry but this my collection. Assembled the best way that I can within the budget that I have available.
    This is the latest addition to my Signature set. It is from the Walter Childs Collection.

  12. mpsamus1
    It's "only" 54 coins on four different invoices but I've finally done it!
    I keep reading about all of the submissions that everyone else has been making and it's been driving me crazy. The problem has been that I've been spending all of my money on coins and I haven't been putting enough aside to get any of them graded but now they are off in the mail. And in keeping with my true collecting style (the shotgun effect) there is a little bit of everything in this submission from Morgan and Peace Dollars to Gold to VAM's and Type. there are even some proof's in there--maybe I'll get a couple cameo's in the lot. I can't help but wonder how many are going to come back in Body Bags. I know there are going to be a few. We'll see what happens when they finally get back.
  13. mpsamus1

    Silver Eagles

    By mpsamus1,

    Hello again Everybody! I tend to agree with revenant. I don't think that there is much of a future in high-end graded Silver Eagles either.
    The only ones that I own are for their bullion value. To me there is no comparison between a SAE and a nice high grade or scarce/rare date Morgan or Peace Dollar. Besides the fact that they are intrinsically more attractive, I would go so far as to say that even the common ones are considerably more scarce than any of the SAE's as well as a superior investment. It seems to me that they would have to be. Between coins being lost for one reason or another...Wear, damage, hoarding, melting etc. The last Cartwheel was minted in 1935. The surviving numbers can't be very impressive, especially for issues like the 1893-S and 1894's that had extremely low mintages in the first place. And then when you add VAM's on top of all of this it starts to get very interesting VERY quickly!
    I personally have not gotten in to the Morgan VAMs yet but I am getting a good handle on the Top 50 Peace Dollar VAMs. I just found a 1922 VAM 5A (Scar Cheek) Late Die State in my local Dealers junk box. I bought it for $12.00! That was one of my better finds.
    To date I have pulled 2-1922 VAM 2E's, 1-1922 VAM 6, 2-1922 VAM 7's, 1-1923 VAM 2, and 2-1924 VAM 2's. Almost all will or have graded AU to MS 63 and all have come out of his junk silver dollar box and the most that I have paid for any one coin is about $13.00. That is one of the things that I enjoy about VAM or variety collecting in general. It gives you something to look for in the common date stuff. All you have to do is learn what to look for and who knows what you will find!
  15. mpsamus1
    You would think that would be the case but
    If I am correct the only differences that are considered when grading are the individual series' specific attributes like the wear points or anything else that may be applicable for that series. For example; the wear points and the prime focal areas for Lincoln Cents are not the same as those for Indian Head Cents, however, that only goes as far as the circulated grades. Uncirculated grades are basically the same. An MS 65 coin, no matter what the coin, should have the the same determining factors. The number and severity of contact marks vs. their location to the prime focal areas, luster, strike etc. The only exceptions here are the individual strike characteristics for any given series such as Full Head, Full Steps, Full Bands etc.
    My real curiosity lies in the Colonial and Early American series' like the Flowing hair or earlier coins. How does anyone really know what a true mint state coin is supposed to look like. Are there any mint state specimens left that have full original mint luster left like it just came off of the press? I've never seen one but that does not mean much. There are a lot of coins that I have never seen and many, if not most of those, I will probably never see.
    Mike
  16. mpsamus1

    Re: To Jeremy

    By mpsamus1,

    Grading coins is as much of an art as it is a science. Some would say that it leans more to the artistic side...
    Others may not agree. In either case the best place to start is to get a copy of "The Official A.N.A. Grading Standards for United States Coins", Published by Whitman Publishing and study it. You can start by studying the series' that you collect and then after you begin to feel comfortable with those you can move on to others.
    Sending coins in to NGC has taught me a tremendous amount about how to grade coins also. The key here in to ask yourself "why" and "what". "Why" did they grade that coin an MS 63 and not an MS 62 or 64? What is it that they saw that kept it from grading better or worse? NOT, What were they thinking? Those guy have got to be crazy! Although, sometimes I have to admit, I have thought the very same thing. Individually and collectively or those guy have got a whole lot more experience grading than most of us. Usually I can figure out what or why they graded a particular coin the way that they did.
    No matter what, you have to remember that grading coins, for the most part, is almost completely subjective. Sometimes you can show a coin to three different people and you will get three different grades. Sometimes they will all agree. (Not very often, just sometimes).
    Just remember the keys to learning how to grade effectively are study the grading guide, critique coins that have been graded by reputable graders, and most importantly Experience. Experience is the biggest key of all! You will not learn how to grade coins well overnight. It will take time!
    Good Luck!
    Mike
    This is one that I got right. It's a 1901 Indian Head Cent. It graded an MS 63 Brown. I was told that it was no better than an AU.

  17. mpsamus1
    I Found two more VAM's in the Bargain Bin at my local coin shop today...
    I love it! Some people look at me a little funny when they see me going through all of the common date Peace Dollars, with a magnifying glass, that are in the Bargain Bin but it only goes to show that one mans trash is another mans treasure!
    This time I found two Top 50 1922 VAM-2E Wing Break Peace Dollars. Both will grade in at AU 55/58, they are worth 502 points a piece in the Registry. Not bad for the $22.00 ($11.00 each) that they cost me. (Silver is down so I got a little extra bargain!) NGC has only graded a total of 9 of these so far so I think that I did pretty good.
    Good Hunting,
    Mike
    Here is a picture of them. I still have to get them graded.

  18. mpsamus1
    I personally have been known to get coins slabbed that were worth far less than what it cost me for the slabbing and shipping fees.
    I look at it this way. I enjoy collecting coins. I enjoy looking at the coins that I collect. And when I look at my coins, I like them to be presented in an attractive manner. 2 X 2's and almost all of the other storage options that are available just don't do it for me.
    When I'm thinking about getting a coin slabbed, value is only one of the things that I consider. Some of the other things that I look at are; Is it rare, how attractive is the coin--what is it's eye appeal, how much would the coin benefit from the protection of a slab, would I enjoy looking at it like I do the rest of my coins, am I going to keep it for a long time or am I going to turn it over for a quick profit, is it a filler until I find a better one, is it a lower mintage coin or a variety that has potential to be worth more in the future, is it a coin that has a variety that needs to be confirmed by a "higher authority", sometimes the number of points that it is worth can be a determining factor for me. There are any number of reasons that can be used to justify getting a coin slabbed. The question is which one(s) work for you. I have a set of uncirculated Washington Quarters (1932-1964)that I am working on. The only coins that I am going to get slabbed are those that are pre-1942. The rest of them are going to stay in my Dansco Album. The reason: The value of the coins. Most of the later dates are just not worth it to me to get slabbed.
    Basically, the choice is up to you. It is your collection and the only person that you have to please is yourself. If it makes you happy then get it slabbed. If you are just as happy with it raw then don't waste your money. Save it for something else that you like.
    This is an Indian Head Penny that I had slabbed by NCS. (NGC would have laughed at me if I had sent it to them!) It's an 1867/67 overdate. NCS graded it Fine details, corroded. It's probably not worth a plug nickel but I had it slabbed because I wanted the variety attribution. The picture is not the best but trust me---the coin doesn't look much better. The point is that I like it. It makes me happy.

  19. mpsamus1
    I believe that literally by their very nature and design coins are supposed to be held in one's hand. However...
    With that being said. I believe that some care should be taken when handling at least high grade coins. I personally have about 15 dozen pairs of cotton gloves but I rarely use them except on high grade coins and the very occasional proof coin. But be very careful when you do use them because they can cause you to drop the coins. They tend to make you lose your grip. This has happened to me quite a few times.
    With circulated coins, what's the point? Clean hands should be more than sufficient. Realistically, multiple millions of coins have been around for hundreds or even thousands of years and almost all of those have been handled with bare hands by someone down the line. Even uncirculated and proof coins. After all, You used to be able to walk into the Philadelphia mint and purchase a proof specimen and take it home. Those were the days when coin cabinets were about the only means a person had for storing their collection. Well before any of the modern niceties and necessities that we have now. There were no coin books, climate control, gloves, slabs, 2 X 2's, inert materials or much of anything else. How many of those early coins do you think were handled with bare hands? Even the five 1913 V nickels most likely left the mint in Sam Browns pocket. I really don't believe that he had any 2 X 2's or flips available at the time. By and large, any damage from handling these coins with bare hands would have been done by now. In fact I've seen many many more coins damaged by improper cleaning than I have by improper handling. To illustrate this fact you can compare how many coins have been body bagged by improper cleaning to those bagged by improper handling. Some may have lost a point or two on the grading scale but they are still a viable collectors item. If this is the case then you can always send them to NCS for conservation. Then have them regraded.
    Cotton gloves are a relatively new item in the hobby. When I was younger we didn't have cotton--rubber gloves were the thing to use then. It didn't make much sense to me then and it really doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me now. In the early days up to relatively recent times gloves didn't exist and yes, some damage was done to many coins by poor handling but that was usually done by someone who didn't know any better or didn't care. Now matter how hard you try, those types are here to stay.
    In short. Learn how to handle coins properly. Use gloves when necessary. NEVER clean coins! And don't sweat the small stuff. It just ain't worth it.
    That's my opinion...Yours may be different and there is no problem with that. I'm not trying to upset or offend anyone, this is just what I believe. I'm Sorry if I did.
    Mike
    This is what I consider to be the most beautiful coin ever made by the United States. This example is a 1917 Type 1, MS 62 Full Head.

  20. mpsamus1
    First of all I would like to thank those of you who replied to my earlier query about this coin. It was very much appreciated.
    My submission of seven coins to NCS/NGC are back, the 1819 quarter is included in those. Overall I did O.K. The Bust Quarter was one of those that I sent. After I sent it off I found a copy of "The Early American Quarters of The United States" by A.W. Browning. (Excellent Book). NCS/NGC attributed it as an 1819 small 9, B-3. A. W. Browning says that "This is the most common variety" and "This variety comprises the majority of surviving 1819's".
    Oh Well...I didn't make a great find but I'm still pleased with myself for finding it. After all, I noticed it before my coin dealer and he purchased it first. My eyes are getting better at noticing varieties--the things that are not supposed to be there but can make a coin a rarity and very desirable (at least to some people).
    The rest of the coins had mixed results. Of the six remaining, one was ungradeable. It is an 1867/67, VP-001 Indian Head Penny. It looks like it was a ground find and graded out with Fine details. I sent it in for the variety attribution because of the overdate. I wanted to see if I was right, besides I couldn't stand to see it go without its proper attribution. It probably cost more to get it slabbed than it's worth but it was worth it to me.
    Of the last five. All were graded by NGC. Three were not conserved. An 1871 Half Dime (AU-58), An 1890 Morgan Dollar(AU-58) and a 1912-D V Nickel. The 1912-D was already graded by NGC. I was hoping that if I got it conserved and had the toning removed that it might grade a little higher but that was a NO GO. I was trying to repeat similar results to an 1893 V Nickel that I sent in earlier. It was graded an MS-64 when I sent it in--It came back graded an MS-65. Oh Well again! But on that note. The only answer that you will get for the question that you never ask is SILENCE!
    The Last two were conserved and came out very nice. One is an 1862 Seated Quarter and the other is an 1895 V Nickel. Both graded an AU-58. The Nickel is going to have to go back for a regrade, I don't believe that it is only an AU.
    This is a picture of the 1862 quarter. This is another one of the coins (as well as the 1871 Half Dime) that I got from my friend that sent his coins off to the Auction House. It did't look near this good before I sent it off!
    Mike

  21. mpsamus1

    Finally!!!

    By mpsamus1,

    I sent a submission of seven coins to NCS around the first week of last month.
    Finally it has gotten to quality control at NGC! It still has to go back to NCS before it can be shipped back to me but I'm in the Home Stretch!
    Two of the coins were for a details grade and variety attribution. One of those was that 1819 quarter with the repunched denomination that I had a post on earlier. The other five coins were for conservation and then grading by NGC. So far it looks like all went well. Hopefully we'll see soon!
    Mike
  22. mpsamus1
    I've read some excellent ideas that have been written in these journals about this subject. Here's my two cents worth.
    Coin Chemistry is a great book and should be in everyone's library. Keeping your coins that didn't make it is also a very good idea. I wish I had kept all of my coins that were BB'd. I would have a very nice collection of tampered coins by now.
    I have about 150+ coins that have been slabbed and I would guesstimate that I've had about 10 to 15% of the total coins that I have submitted come back ungradeable. The large majority of those having been cleaned in some manner. I had two that were BB'd on my last submission. But I'm learning.
    Reading is fundamental and I strongly recommend that you read everything that you can on the subject but experience is still the best teacher. Keep the coins that you've had BB'd for something to study at home. Go to coin dealers and shows and peruse through their inventories and try to find every coin that you can that has been cleaned. Don't buy anything...just look and learn. (I know that's easier said than done:)) Questioning the seller/dealer at these places or events is always a good idea. Many dealers have got much more knowledge and experience than most of us and are willing to share that information fairly readily. You can learn from his observations and experience and besides, it's also a good way to find out how honest he or she really is. If you ask him about a coin that you know has been cleaned and he hands you a line of B.S. then you know to move on to the greener pastures at the next table. When you are ready to buy, go by this one saying. "When in doubt..Throw it out" If you even THINK that it MIGHT have been tampered with in some way, pass it up and move on to something else. That goes for any venue in which you use to acquire your coins from your local dealer to Ebay or any other way that you can think of.
    Mike
    This is one my most recent failures. It's a 1920-S Standing Liberty Quarter that was improperly cleaned.
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  24. mpsamus1
    This is another one of my friends coins.
     
    And for those of you who don't know...
    The South had a total of three mints before the beginning of the Civil War.They were New Orleans, Louisiana, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Dahlonega, Georgia. All three mints began producing coins in 1838 and they all stopped production in 1861 with the onset of the Civil War when the Confederacy took control of the mint facilities. Only the New Orleans mint resumed production after the Civil war and then not until 1879. New Orleans eventually ended production in 1909. Charlotte, NC and Dahlonega, GA only produced gold coins with gold that was from mines in those areas. (Most people are not aware that the United States had significant gold strikes on the East Coast before the California Gold Strike in the mid 1800's.) It was cheaper and safer to make coins in the area that it was being mined than is was to try to ship it all the way to Philadelphia, PA. The mint mark for Charlotte was a single "C". Not to be confused with Carson City, NV which had a "CC" for it's mint mark. Carson City did not begin producing coins until 1870. Several years after the Civil War and almost ten years after Charolotte's production was ended. Dahlonega's mint mark was a "D". This one should not to be confused with Denver, CO's mint mark which was also a "D". Denver did not begin producing coins until after the turn of the century in 1906. Forty five years after Dahlonega's production ended. Denver is still an active mint and produces hundreds of millions of coins annually.This coin graded an AU 58 which makes it a rather pricey specimen. At least, much more than I can afford. But it was nice to be able to hold it.Mike[attachment=:name]
  25. mpsamus1
    I had to go to the Post Office to get them but they are finally home. According to the U.S. Mail tracking # the package arrived in town on May 24th at 8:11 in the morning
    and as of today (May 29th) they had not been delivered to my house so I went to the Post Office with a copy of my tracking number in hand and picked it up for myself. They don't call it "Snail Mail" for nuthin'
    This is one of the coins that I was privileged to be able to purchase from my friend before we sent his coins off to the Auction House. He gave me a chance to purchase a few from him for helping him out. This is the nicest one that I could afford. It's an 1837 Bust Half Dollar that graded an AU-58 and it's got some beautiful obverse and reverse toning. I took the best picture that I could but it still does not quite do justice to the actual coin. The picture of the reverse is posted with the coin listing in my set. Of course my "set" only contains this one coin but who's counting?
    Mike
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