Raybo55

18 minutes ago, Quintus Arrius said:

You're probably right.  A few years back the $1,000,000 question (the answer to which the contestant, I believe, did not know) on "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire," then moderated by Regis Philbin was: What was the first U.S. coin that bore the legend IN GOD WE TRUST?  Your two-cent pieces are the finest examples I have ever seen up close. Great stuff!

That was the million dollar question? 

Thin market for these " children" but I really love them. short series and they are copper! I really love BROWN copper.

On 9/29/2020 at 4:31 PM, Quintus Arrius said:

Great example!  I've always loved these two-cent pieces.  Look at that artistry!  Look at the flourish on that 2 and the letters with definition!  (No comparison with the generic, computer-generated fonts of today.) Thanks for sharing. First time I have ever been able to see one of these up close in over 50 years.

I have no idea the last time I was here, and I really have no idea the last time that I heard that someone liked 2 Cent Pieces.

On ‎11‎/‎25‎/‎2017 at 6:24 AM, BillJones said:

Personally I have had some very good relationships with coin dealers over the years. You learn to size them up over time. The good ones are the people you look up first at the shows and on the Internet. The bad ones are the last people you see at the shows, and when you do, you go armed with all of the expertise and skepticism that you can muster.

The "bad dealers" are the first to go at a coin show, and I'm talking about the internet scumbags that are just here to rip us collectors off..............

Nice coin Joe!

On ‎4‎/‎15‎/‎2018 at 6:57 AM, ldhair said:

Nice coin, nice date and my series.

Thanks for posting.

On ‎11‎/‎18‎/‎2017 at 7:00 AM, BillJones said:

Nice 1916-D Mercury Dime, Coinman1794!!!

That coin would at least make VF-35 in a main stream holder under the watered down standards for coins like this today. It might make EF-40.

When I was a dealer I had a want list for a 1916-D Mercury Dime. The customer and I looked at the Gray Sheet and came to the conclusion that he could afford a VF. When I started shopping for the coin I found out that what used to be VG is now VF. The lines on the ax handle were not complete on any of the coins I say. I finnally found a VF35 graded piece that I could call VF-20 to fill his want list for a bit of extra money.

I love Bill's expertise.

"When I was a dealer" (Psst......a dealer (most of them. not all) will try to rip you off in a hot second)

If you are buying a dealer is your best friend (my coin was just returned from XYZ grading service as a 64 but I'm positive it's a 65, yea right!), selling is a different story "your coin should be in a 64 holder instead of a 65"

As much as it hurts me I do have to agree with Bill Jones on some of his points.

I just purchased a coin to replace my 1872 PCGS MS63 RB CAC 2 Cent Piece with a 1872 (of course) PCGS MS65 BRN CAC example. The reason being is that the 63 example was dipped and IMHO that is the reason it got the RB designation. I'm not a professional by any means but I will wager that anyone that collects copper would agree with my assumption that my coin was dipped..... a long time ago but it was defiantly dipped. I really did not see the "problem" when I purchased it because I got caught up in the excitement of obtaining an MS 1872 2 Cent piece with a CAC sticker on the slab, or maybe I just trusted the CAC sticker and ignored my instincts?

Lots and lots of coins have been cleaned in the past and the past has taken care of some of the "altered surfaces" with time. I'm now wondering if this has become part of the norm as far as coin grading is concerned.

Guess I have to be more observant in the future and less reliant on the grading services. 

Ray

No such thing as a "perfect" coin IMHO.

In the olden days 65 was the best that the TPGS offered.