EagleRJO

I'm just spitballing too since it didn't really look like just mis-aligned dies. Maybe a strike and then a shift towards the 11 o'clock for a full second strike on the obv, and a strike and then a shift towards 7 o'clock for a full second strike on the rev? Would be good to know the die rotation if any between the obv and rev. But where is a Rota-Flip when ya need one.

Looks at little like an 1837 HT with multiple strikes and not a MAD. Attached is one with a clean strike. Like there looks to be two distinctly different rim strikes near the date on the op's coin.

@RWBYou are dating yourself with that dress pic!

I found a little bit of further info on this coin damage. Apparently these spooned coins are very commonly found with just the edges tapped in a little as people get started trying to make a ring, until they realize how long it's going to take and they give up at that point.

Hmmm, starting out with a denial, instead of just saying "I heard" ... very suspicious. [duck]

I found an article about making the spooned coin ring, which is done with a silver coin like a quarter or half dollar as it's a softer metal. In addition to a spoon, looks like you also need a metal file and a drill which I could see needing, as opposed to just using a spoon. You apparently tap the edges inward with the spoon until it's the right ring size, drill out the middle, and file it down. I couldn't picture it just being done with a spoon. And I agree the dime doesn't have the same "spooned coin" appearance [so I swapped out the dime]. Attached is an example spooned coin ring with the flattening of the edges towards the middle in progress and then the finished ring. The guy who wrote the article said it took him one year to make the ring just tapping on the silver quarter in his spare time, while watching tv, etc. Wow, talk about patience! ... and maybe some ear plugs too.

@ldhairI was able to find some very interesting info on that 1857 Snow-8 Cent. I don't know if it will come out legible as I can't attach a pdf.

I agree with Sandon to stick with reputable ANA/PNG dealers you can visit to check out coins in person, or larger reputable online dealers who post very clear pictures with the listings and that you know are going to be around down the road (like Littleton, Apmex, Pinehurst, Northeast Numismatics, etc.). Also make sure they have a no questions return policy so you can carefully check out the coins in-hand, and return them if not completely satisfied, as pictures only tell part of the story with coins. I would avoid eBay unless you are very comfortable with properly evaluating and accurately grading coins yourself, as there are a lot of impaired or over-graded coins and counterfeits you have to be very careful with unless it's already slabbed. And even if you carefully check raw coins, there is still increased risk you have to be willing to accept. And avoid sites like Etsy and others like the plague. I have dealt with dealers like Apmex and Northeast (as well as Great Collections auctions) for quite a lot of coins without any serious issues, and if I do find something after getting a coin or I'm not completely happy with the coin they will even send me a return shipping label at their expense and exchange it with no problem. Attached is a pic of a listing with just one dealer from a quick check who has the 1921-D in a BU grade (mint state) for a pretty reasonable price as Sandon noted. Note the better quality of the pic with the listing, so you have a little bit of a better idea of the coin you will get. Prices are coming down, so I have been shopping around before I buy coins, and for some more expensive coins on my "want list" I am being pretty patient and just watching prices for now.

How do you make a ring from a coin with just a spoon? Nothing else? I have to check this out some more. Very interesting stuff you find about coins occasionally while looking for something else.

Funny stuff Sandon! That rings a bell with the article I read a while ago. Although, it may have just been something like staff changes or growing pains at the time since they are still around. However, I have seen a number of coins slabbed by them going for less compared to the big boys on sites like GC. And of the ones I had been looking at, while lately doing quite a lot of bidding on Morgans and older half dollars, there were a few that were definitely over-graded. Like an AU Morgan with significant wear on the hair as well as on the eagles' breast and wings that would put it in the VF-XF range without a doubt. I don't just go by what's on a label, for any TPG, which is why I noticed. Granted it's a limited number and I don't have any slabbed by them with an issue, but it was enough combined with what I had read a while ago to put me off. And I honestly don't see how they can take the time and have procedures in place to ensure accurate evaluation and grading, and still remain in business, with how little they charge for just basic grading. Just my two (Indian head) Nickels.

A far as videos on YT about coins I just stick with the ANA eLearning vids, since I know they will be good and reliable, and nothing else. I learned my lesson not to trust anything else on YT a while ago, no matter how reputable they pretend to be. I'm not saying there aren't any other decent ones on YT, but for vids besides the ANA ones, seems like it would just be throwing darts blindfolded and hoping to hit the bullseye [to find good and reliable vids].

I was looking up some possible errors while doing some roll hunting and I came across a type of non-error called "spooned coins" on a coin error site [Non-Errors for Coins - error-ref.com] under "altered coins" that I had not been aware of before. I did some searching and initially got results for something mentioning people "coin spooning" ... oh man, some of the search results looked pretty sketchy, and the visualization of what those search results could be had me hesitant to click on any such links. Well, I scrolled past those and found the attached description for "Spooned Coins" [Edit: changed the dime pic as it wasn't "spooned"]. I am trying to understand why someone would do that, since it apparently takes forever hammering flat the edges of a coin with a spoon. Anyone know more about this and why it was done?

I seem to recall it was ICG who may have been speculated could be on the way out, at least at that time which was a while ago, but I didn't remember specifically so I was trying not to further speculate. Both are still up and running as far as I know, and I have heard that quite a number use ANACS for error coins. I know they also certify the Dan Carr fantasy coins, which I don't believe others do [Moonlight Mint - ANACS Certifications].

Welcome to the forum! It sounds like you are looking to determine if you have some rare, and therefore valuable, raw coins. There are references like the NGC Price guide and the Red Book as others have mentioned to get an idea on mintages of US coins (an indicator of rarity) and values for various grades. I would review the information in the following thread about resources for collectors, which includes getting the Red Book ... {Resources for Newer Collectors], and also read through this thread discussing additional collector resources ... (Additional Resources & Glossary) You will find that value of coins is pretty dependent on grades, which you will have to evaluate for raw coins like the 1910 Indian Head Quarter Eagle you posted. The indicated references will get you started on that, which will take some effort and time to get familiar with for raw coins. You should also go to PCG$ CoinFacts to get pictures of various grades in order to compare with your coins, like the following for one you posted ... https://www.pcgs.com/coinfacts/coin/1910-2-50/images/7941. To avoid spending countless hours going through a bunch of coins there, it's better if you can make an initial grade assessment and then look at ones around that initial grade. It is a little difficult to grade gold coins from photos, but if you take good quality focused photos that are cropped around the coins and post them on this forum, in a new thread for each coin, you can get some help with that as mentioned. I cropped your photos to show you what I mean, which come out very blurry and are not very helpful. Also attached is an example photo from PCG$ CoinFacts to show you how these pics should come out for people to properly help you with grades.

It does look like machine doubling. Are the doubled elements somewhat lower, or have a "shelf" like appearance as it seems to be from the pics, having the coin in-hand?

Agreed. I have also found both of those guys seriously lacking, coins being of lesser value, and having poor sites lacking good info and resources. I had heard one (or both?) may be likely to go the way of the Dodo bird, but I don't recall which ones exactly. That may be accelerated by CAC getting in the grading game.

@ldhair Sounds like an interesting story, that maybe you want to tell one rainy day. I have heard similar rumors of things that happen at the mint during the night.

I am going to chime in here, as this is one of my pet peeves, and completely agree that YT is an absolutely horribly place to get good coin information. The vast majority is inaccurate and sometimes completely wrong info put together by amateurs as just click-bait vids with the sole purpose to get views and make money. A wile ago after joining NGC I posted some info on this board I got from YT (related to coin overdates) I was convinced was accurate, and a bunch of very experienced people piled on to point out how wrong the info was. When I doubled checked the info it turned out the YT vid I saw was completely wrong! There are very few exception to the general rule that YT is a bad place to get info, with one exception being ANA eLearning YT vids which are done by a very reputable organization in the coin world, and presented by top experts in the coin collecting field. They may not be flashy or "wham bam" type vids, but ANA has an excellent reputation and imo have very accurate and reliable info.

I looked at many options, including registry sets and some software, for logging my coins, which are virtually all raw coins so it can get sticky, and ended up scraping some registry sets I started, and just using Microsoft Word/Excel to create my own collection logs. I found the registry sets a little clunky unless you have all slabbed coins, and the layout didn't really fit how I wanted to log my coins, and a lot of software I looked at was really lacking and didn't seem worth it. For the logs I create using Microsoft Word/Excel I include columns for: year, mint, description, condition, grade, who graded it, cost/value, where I purchased/found the coin, and one for miscellaneous info. I also keep photo logs with a nice clear focused pic of both sides using a scope, combined into one image, that is linked in the collection logs. I then convert/print the collection logs to PDF or image files so I can easily access those on my phone wherever I am. I also keep a short handwritten "want list" of specific coins I am looking to purchase or interested in looking at, with just coin, year/mark, and target grade and values. I bring that with me (as well as a picture or PDF of the logs on my phone if needed) when I am looking at coins or making a purchase. The really important thing, no matter what method you use, is to be very careful to accurately log all your coins, and double check as well as update the logs and the "want list" with any purchased coins. I have made one mistake buying a duplicate coin (which luckily ended up being an "unintentional upgrade"), since I have many on my want list and forgot to follow Santa's advice of "making a list, and checking it twice".

@ldhairVery nice, even though it's net graded! Is that your coin?

@SandonI recall reading that you shouldn't use just plain nail polish remover with coins, but I would have to do a little digging to find that info again since it has been a while. I recall it had something to do with possible contaminants in regular nail polish remover. So I stick with a readily available laboratory grade acetone to briefly soak all the raw coins I get to just remove any surface schmutz or finger prints (even though I use cotton gloves) before I slab the raw coins. Particularly for removing any finger prints, due to oils on our hands which can degrade a coin over time. I agree with Sandon that the surface condition and appearance of that 1857 cent is "off", in addition to it also appearing to be cleaned with hairlines, so I would avoid that coin, as well as the 1921-D Morgan. Sandon does have some really nice sets in the registry, and I am pretty jelly looking at some of them. However, I actually found Sandon's "Cleaned" Coins set to be the most interesting and instructive of all his sets, even though he has those other really nice ones. Probably since a while ago I decided to keep my collections as virtually all raw coins, and need to do a careful evaluation of coins in-hand, including looking for any impairments. If something is missed or I end up with impaired raw coins in the collection, the guy I am pointing a finger at in the mirror who was responsible for that mistake says "tough".

I think you will find both of the big boys [NGC & PCG$] with good reputations are similar in cost to have coins graded, with NGC actually being a little more reasonable imo. I typically don’t get average valued raw coins graded by either due to the costs, and typically buy higher valued coins already slabbed, which I look at as being a business decision using a cost-benefit-risk analysis, even though coin collecting is just a hobby for me. But when I do end up buying or finding higher valued raw coins that I want to have graded I would choose NGC. I don’t have any skin in the game, so that's just a personal preference. And they both have good industry reputations to maintain, so you are not likely to find either of the big boys letting "minor" things slide. I'm not sure what some other Cheap Charlie TPGs charge that may not be as "picky and expensive", but you would end up with something not as valuable to other collectors, or as easy to sell. To each his own as the saying goes. 😉

I gotta find me an ole lady who will buy me coins as presents. 😉

Even though the 1996-W Roosevelt dime may not be considered a relatively high mintage coin by modern production comparison, with 1,457,000 coins struck, it is still considered a low value coin. See this PCG$ article which discusses that paradox ... https://www.pcgs.com/news/clad-roosevelt-dime-analysis. And concerning opinions on the coin and getting it graded I think Hoghead nailed it right off the bat as follows: Unless the coin was in perfect or near perfect condition, which from your limited photos it does not appear to be, it would only have a max value of around $30 per Coin World in excellent condition (1996-W Value Coin World), which is why many chimed in basically agreeing with Hoghead.

I understand how you could feel getting a coin back as "details" slabbed, but just snipping one comment early in the thread by @Mr.Bill347 that happened to align with how you feel with just your criticism implies that you couldn't be bothered reading detailed responses to the op and that comment by Sandon, Coinbuf, JustBob and others on carefully examining coins before submitting them and how getting back a details labeled holder can reasonably occur even with the suggested conservation by NGS. You may want to go back and read all the responses that address the post quoted and your concerns.