EagleRJO

I just realized how derailed this thread did get since I'm posting on the 5th page now, but some interesting banter. And the op just wanted number grades posted. 😜

I find historical stuff about coins like the old ledger very interesting. Can I borrow your hard drive.

Yea, I have seen some of those right around $2k even with the further spot price drop. Just nuts, and I think@Cat Bathhit the nail right on the head ... well excluding crossing over to the dark side. I think I will just give it a break for a bit and focus on finishing the Morgan collection filling some of the more expensive holes, and then see where things are at after the winter. That is if I actually have any cash left after the Morgans and winter heating oil living in the northeast.

If you go back a little more to a low point earlier in 2021 that's when I bought most of the gold, plus some silver, which was a wash last month and has now tanked even more over the last month. And it may keep on tanking. Just more tears and anger over what is being done to our economy, and another thing to remind myself not to check until everything recovers ... hopefully sooner rather than later.

VKurtB doing some heavy lifting for all of us so we can make the CHOICE to either save some money over time or have better lighting for a few critical lamps. I'm okay with one bulb in my whole house that isn't the most efficient.

@RWBVery interesting ledger from the Philly mint, thanks for sharing! Seems like you have a digital museum of coins. Looks like the leger data for a period silver dollar is consistent with the data I have including the 1.50" or 38.1mm average diameter and 0.114" or 2.90mm thickness (which was my post typo, corrected). It does look like the weight of a period silver dollar is 0.859375 (0.8594 rounded) troy ounces from the ledger which is or 412.5 grains or 26.73 grams which matches the table data I have, so that 0.899375 entry in the spreadsheet posted previously does look like a typo.

The PCGS article on grading tools I linked before specifically mentions that the best bulbs to use are "75 to 100 watt incandescent".

Well, at least current LED bulbs have a lower wattage for the same 75W/100W equivalent illumination. Now VKurtB's swing arm lamp with those bootleg 100W incandescent bulbs is about to burst into flames!

@VKurtBsounds like you have set yourself up pretty well, and I did see that nice SS increase. Wish I could lock in 401k payouts, then I really would take early retirement.

@RWBThanks for sharing that table! I did notice one typo maybe from transcribing or from the original documents is that a 412.5 grain silver dollar is 0.8594 troy ounces (or 26.73g), not 0.8994 troy ounces. The thickness also looks off as I have a table with 2.9mm, which has been a match with many I have but this may just be an edge thickness spec. Interesting that there are wear tolerances for gold which I didn't know were available. Also, have you been able to discover any tolerances for the diameter (or thickness, but that is not a mint spec) which I have not been able to locate.

Oh boy, here we go again.

I know how you feel about precious metals, but at least the bullion bars and coins I added last year, combined with the bullion coins added not long ago, are pretty much a wash overall. Whereas my 401k is down like 25% to 30% over that same period. But I keep telling myself what goes down must come up (unless it's crypto which can go poof).

@Quintus Arriuswhich long-lost Rooster are you missing? I will keep my eyes open at yard sales and antique stores also. As for "investments" (add a throat clearing also to go with the quotes), beyond the 401k and personal investment accounts I have, I went with gold bullion coins which I thought if I bought at a relative low would be a happy middle ground between some older more valuable coins (nicer, higher spread) and bullion (not as nice, lower spread). Not so much with how volatile things have been, even though I still like the way the bullion coins look and feel in-hand. Well, at least they haven't dropped as much as my 401k. I can't even look at the quarterly statements I get any more. I don't have any more tears left.

Hey Harry, I almost missed your update as you just edited the original post with new info, when most just add to a topic with new info. Sorry to hear that NGC thought the 1885 has questionable toning, which is what several here were also seeing. It is unlikely that NGC will change that based on a third-party opinion that does not work for them as they must guarantee any grade or authentication. Plus, there is not consistent agreement in the industry on any particular toning, so they would likely stick with what their experts are indicating. But you never know and it's worth a shot if the outside expert is willing to do that for you. Also, understood as to why you think in terms of half grades, but both PCGS and NGC utilize the "+" designation, which is different from the "*" designation ... NGC Coin Grading Scale | About Coin Grades | NGC

I didn't know that, so I just checked my swing arm lamp, and it indeed has a sticker which says 60W max. So, it's UL's fault for not testing and listing fixtures for commonly available bulbs.

MS-68 seemed like a pretty definitive number, and thus the question mark with my TPG reference indicative of a query. Man, I have all kinds of trouble telling a 67 apart from a 69 (I'm working on it), let alone pegging an MS-68. Thats why for mint state I try to just put them in a BU, Choice or Gem category for now. And I thought the TPG's were a little more lenient with strike for older coins like they are with Saints. Or maybe that's just for gold.

You know, I bought this tea in China ...

That has got to be one of the dumbest things I have ever heard. I can buy them but I can't use them? Who thought up that winner? And did they change the standards to LED?

The tolerance of the 26.73g weight spec for a Morgan is +/- 0.097 grams (or +/- 0.10 grams rounded) so it should be between 26.63g and 26.83g. Seems normal being a little under as opposed to being a little over and wasting silver, particularly with a little wear. You can also check the diameter at 38.1mm, thickness at 2.9mm and SG at 10.34 (no stated tolerance, so just use the significant figures). If you know the series and it looks legit, but you want to be more cautious you can also go to VamWorld.com and identify the VAM from the date/mark positions and the die markers. It is hard to replicate the die markers.

If I buy these 75W incandescent ones on Amazon will Energy Dept Agents with armored tactical gear and full-auto HK416's rope in at 2 am to confiscate my light bulbs? My measly 12 gauge semi-auto with 00 buck would be no match for that! 😜

Well at least you have one out of 2 down. 😉 I just usually get regular 75W GE bulbs and I just looked and it is LED. I think you can still get 75W/100W incandescent rough service bulbs and I see them on Amazon. That's all we used on job sites a while back, but they are more expensive.

I would immediately trash that stationary light as you can't adjust the lighting to different angles or bring it in close for loupe inspections (unless you have an LED lit loupe, but it's still not the same). Now I understand why you can't grade. [duck] 😜 https://www.pcgs.com/news/tools-of-a-professional-coin-grader Btw, isn't there a big controversy over grading light standards and switching to LED bulbs for energy efficiency, or is that a done deal?

Swing arm desk lamp. I would consider that a "small fixture" and it's what I use. 😉

I agree, but I would still look closely at the condition and grade of the slabbed ones. Particularly for the higher value ones.

Hmmm ... MS-68 quarter in a TPG holder with a weak strike? A really old one?