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JKK

Member: Seasoned Veteran
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  1. Like
    JKK got a reaction from Coinbuf in Is this a double die error on the date and mint mark?   
    In real life I'm an editor, so I recognize the mentality immediately. Some people come to me seeking honesty about their writing. Others are seeking affirmation of the nice things their mom, sisters-in-law, co-workers, and niece said about their writing.
    My way of handling it is simple. My "ignore" is my reminder that this person is pointless to engage with. I might still read something they posted, but will remember not to spend any time trying to answer them. Same for people who repeatedly post random nonsensical stuff, make clear they are full of themselves, or otherwise indicate that it'd be a waste of time and energy.
  2. Like
    JKK got a reaction from Macquel in Is this a double die error on the date and mint mark?   
    It's as with many things: what looks special at first turns out to be pretty normal. It might be the most common question we get here, and you'd be amazed the lengths people will go to in order to debate with a dozen numismatists of 30+ years as to why they're all wrong. You did it right: clear enough pictures to leave no doubt, clear question, and gaining some learning. Welcome.
  3. Thanks
    JKK reacted to Coinbuf in Is this a double die error on the date and mint mark?   
    This is an effect that is very often seen on the zinc core copper plated modern cents and is called split plate doubling.  The name implies that this is a type of double die however that is not at all true as this is not a result of any sort of doubling at all.  This quote from Lincoln Cents Online does a good job of explaining this; " Split plate doubling usually occurs on the side of the devices facing the rim. It is most commonly found on the mint mark but it can affect any of the raised areas of the coins design.  It is caused by the thin Copper plating being stretched and torn as the coin is struck. Sometimes the edges of the die will catch on the plating, causing it to over stretch."  So when viewing the modern zinc Lincolns anytime you see the silver ghosting around the devices this is what causes that effect.
  4. Like
    JKK got a reaction from Macquel in Is this a double die error on the date and mint mark?   
    Good and bad news. Good news: you aren't just seeing things. The doubling is there. Bad news: it's mechanical doubling, which doesn't obtain a premium. If anything, it would normally lower the value a tad bit, but since the value is $0.01, that puts a floor under it.
    In short, a doubled die happens when the die is created. It has a second image and applies to every coin struck with that die. In mechanical doubling, the planchet has moved, which creates the shelfy look you see on the ghosty D mint mark. Were this a doubled die, for one thing we would probably see other doubling besides on the date and mint, but for another the second image would have profile similar to the first, rather than being much shorter.
  5. Thanks
    JKK reacted to Conder101 in Hi guys! Are these nickels have a higher value?   
    No, but starting in the 1980's the Marianas Islands did start striking (or more correctly licensed with a private mint to strike) Non-Circulating Legal Tender (NCLT) coins for sale to collectors, usually at face value.  There were so many issues that the dropped in price to below their face value for awhile.  The cause a couple of enterprising people to buy up a bunch of them and then bring them to the Marianas for redemption.  They were promptly arrested and charged with fraud against the local government.  (The government only got part of the money from the sales and now they were being expected to redeem them at face value.  A losing proposition.)  Eventually the men were released, and the government put in place strict redemption rules which basically restricted you to being able to redeem no more than one coin per day, and there was a redemption fee assessed as well with pretty much consumed the entire redeemed value.  This pretty much made them Non-Circulating Non-Legal Tender.
  6. Like
    JKK got a reaction from GeorgeII in George II Conservation   
    It might. Before you seal the surface in, though, I'd think you would want to blow off the corrosion. The only coin I ever considered paste waxing was a coin of Magnentius that had bronze disease, which looks like a smurf sneezed on it, and blowing the disease off the coin took me weeks of patient soaking in the right solution. In the end I did not wax it because I was not sure about the roughened areas where the smurf mucous had been, and because I could always go back and do it later but I could never undo it.
  7. Like
    JKK got a reaction from GeorgeII in George II Conservation   
    While it is a very cool find, it doesn't look to me like you are going to remove much corrosion with any means of cleaning. Corrosion is of course a reaction of external factors with the metal, and the result is new compounds that include some of the metal. Over centuries, much metal can be lost, and I think it has been here. I don't think it's coming back. Of course, the flip side of that is that you don't have much to lose by trying.
  8. Like
    JKK got a reaction from RonnieR131 in My deepest fear when it comes to coin collecting   
    So if two of your local coin dealers sucked, that's how you winnow them out. However, I would point out that bullion dealing and rare coin dealing are two different businesses. I agree that what you describe is a bad attitude and reflects poorly on anyone's business, but I've also been the one answering that phone. There are two main categories of people who call in to the coin store: bullion buyers and coin buyers. (Of course, some people do both.) It gets wearisome having the bullion people grumble over the premium and tell you they can get it cheaper somewhere else. The whole thing is purely commodity and not very profitable, and some dealers do it only because they are expected to--and figure if they are going to do it, they should get a decent profit as they reckon it. None of that excuses poor attitudes or customer service, but it might explain them. Plus, the bullion people often come in and want to talk politics or evangelize about their predictions for the future, and it's like being the bartender--you're stuck with them and their pontifications.
    Another problem is that an alarming percentage of coin dealers are socially dysfunctional. When someone recommends a dealer to me I ask: "Okay, so how autistic is he?" It would be wonderful if we could combine good attitudes with certain professions, but there's a significant personality problem in the coin dealership world. If you can't tolerate that, I don't fault you, but it does limit the options.
    I stand by what I said, which is that it's worth finding a good local dealer. If those two are the only ones in town or nearby, then I guess that's that. In those cases there are usually coin shows. There is also probably a local coin club where people will know who's good to deal with and may even have an informal bourse or annual show (ours has both; the bourse is during the social hour, at least when we are meeting in person rather than on zoom). Many dealers only do shows and by appointment, so you would not find them except by meeting them at a show and evaluating them there. That's how our local primary ancients dealer is.
  9. Like
    JKK got a reaction from RonnieR131 in My deepest fear when it comes to coin collecting   
    The biggest problem with online is the tuition involved in sorting out which dealers are reliable to work with. This is why brick and mortar coin shops still exist. Wherever I live, I need to find the best local coin shop and build a good business relationship with the dealer. I buy almost no coins online and I'm not in any hurry to change that.
  10. Haha
    JKK reacted to Just Bob in Reliable coin cleaning information for the newbie   
    I hate it when that happens.
  11. Thanks
    JKK got a reaction from RonnieR131 in Magnifying glass   
    One other good option that's really convenient is a headset with magnification lenses you can lower. I have one of those for when working on a large number of coins. One of the best places to shop for visual aids is the one most people never think of: the local center for the blind. It stands to reason that they would have excellent selections in a wide variety, and it's also nice for one's purchase to support a worthy cause.
  12. Haha
    JKK got a reaction from RonnieR131 in 1964 Matte Kennedy   
    Nice going. You just spoiled a 14-0 perfect streak of OP's posts relative to replies. We were going for 30-0, but no.
  13. Haha
    JKK got a reaction from Hinkle in 1964 Matte Kennedy   
    Nice going. You just spoiled a 14-0 perfect streak of OP's posts relative to replies. We were going for 30-0, but no.
  14. Thanks
    JKK got a reaction from Scigrl35 in Would someone be able to tell me why this would be graded the way it was?   
    It's what I use. It breaks down uncirculated Morgans by grade requirements from 60 to 70, each step receiving description, and shows visuals of the prime and secondary focal areas on both sides. Enormously helpful in determining the impact of imperfections.
    Always do remember: up to MS-68, coins are graded with the naked eye. They might be authenticated using a loupe or microscope, or some visible anomaly might be examined with greater care, or error attribution might be performed, but to give it a grade up to 68 you have to be able to discern a mark or flaw with the naked eye for it to count.
  15. Thanks
    JKK got a reaction from Modwriter in Coin identification and care questions   
    Young eyes are great for sorting out coins.
    Two glass beer pitchers of bicentennial quarters should be deposited in your bank account or, better yet, given the change shortage see if anyone will pay a premium for them. It is very unlikely any are worth more than 25c.
    There are sleeves you can get for paper money, with sizes from little bitty fractional notes to horse blanket 1800s currency. Some currencies don't really have any good fits, though.
    A flip is a small individual non-rigid coin holder. Some are cardboard with mylar windows and you staple them shut around the coin; others are clear plastic with a little sleeve on each half, and you stick the coin in one side and an informational card in the other. The cardboard flips are way cheap. The clear plastic are less cheap but still not very expensive.
  16. Like
    JKK got a reaction from Modwriter in 1964 Black beauty?   
    No one can tell anything from a picture that small and blurry of just one side. Please take photos sharp enough to help you, cropped so that we are not mainly examining black backing.
  17. Like
    JKK got a reaction from Ray, USMC in What you need to know about posting coins for inquiry   
    Oh, for the love of pete. What do some newbie posts have in common with menopause? NO PERIODS.
    Would it really harm people writing twelve lines of text if they were to end some sentences with punctuation and start new ones?
    Otherwise it reads like this except usually there are far more misspelled words because that seems par for the course I know that nowadays people are typing on their phones and with educational standards in the toilet people can barely write anyway but please think about those of us who have to try and make sense of this *spoon* it really gets tiring and you gain nothing from making us struggle to help you this reads so garbage it would surprise me if anyone were still reading it but somehow one needs to get the message across as to how unhelpful this is let's go back to basics sentences are supposed to begin with upper case in English and end with a period question mark or exclamation point it might amaze you how much clearer your writing can be if you will bother to learn that simple truth if you do not then do not be surprised if no one replies to your posts because I for one am not going to shovel my way through this sort of *spoon* any more I have better things to do and I suspect most regulars do as well at least except for one or two who are regulars from under the bridge if you know what I mean anyway by now I trust I have made my point not that I expect it to make much difference in the ultimate outcome.
  18. Thanks
    JKK reacted to Mike from Mercer in Coin identification and care questions   
    Thank you very much for your help, I have learned and am learning more as I go along.  Wife will be happy as I am actually going to work on "my coin mess" that is in various places, stored in whatever all over the house.  Coin flips are on order. Kid is excited about checking out the coins when he comes. I am sure I will repost a lot more questions as we get things sorted out, will post pictures this time!   Again, thanks to you and all for the help and I will be looking for it again when we get moving on our plan. Stay safe.
  19. Like
    JKK got a reaction from RonnieR131 in Would someone be able to tell me why this would be graded the way it was?   
    Nothing to add to what coinsandmedals said; it's what I would have said if they hadn't. The marks are prominent and very much in prime focal areas. On MS Morgans, location matters a great deal. It's a drag that the reverse can't improve the grade because your reverse is rather gorgeous, probably a 64-65 reverse in my estimation, and your piece's surfaces have that beautiful original look.
  20. Thanks
    JKK got a reaction from Scigrl35 in Would someone be able to tell me why this would be graded the way it was?   
    Nothing to add to what coinsandmedals said; it's what I would have said if they hadn't. The marks are prominent and very much in prime focal areas. On MS Morgans, location matters a great deal. It's a drag that the reverse can't improve the grade because your reverse is rather gorgeous, probably a 64-65 reverse in my estimation, and your piece's surfaces have that beautiful original look.
  21. Like
    JKK got a reaction from kenlee47 in Would someone be able to tell me why this would be graded the way it was?   
    Nothing to add to what coinsandmedals said; it's what I would have said if they hadn't. The marks are prominent and very much in prime focal areas. On MS Morgans, location matters a great deal. It's a drag that the reverse can't improve the grade because your reverse is rather gorgeous, probably a 64-65 reverse in my estimation, and your piece's surfaces have that beautiful original look.
  22. Like
    JKK got a reaction from RonnieR131 in I just "Ignored" someone for the first time.   
    Which is why I use my ignore list the way I do: to remind me that at some point I decided I wanted to avoid engaging with or expending effort on behalf of someone, for whatever reason: trolling, illiteracy, stupidity, entitlement, inability to face facts. I may still look at their posts, but having to click just to see them reminds me: at some point, that person showed me that engaging them was only going to make my day worse.
  23. Thanks
    JKK got a reaction from RonnieR131 in Violate the Guidelines and you will be Suspended or Banned   
    We might be able to improve the quality of newbie posts if you would be willing to stick my post from a year or so ago about how to post coins for inquiry. Hint, hint. Seriously, though, that was the goal: to help new posters present themselves and their coins and questions in the most positive light, and avoid common mistakes. Here it is. It was well received and members had many good suggestions. While it has a WYNTK title, member consensus (with which I concur) was that it would be best stuck in the forum where I posted it, the Newbie forum. If I were also able to edit it still, that would be even more wonderful because now and then something new comes up.
  24. Like
    JKK got a reaction from Modwriter in Moeda de ouro 1800   
    I don't read Portuguese but I understood that. There are no 1800 Victoria coins because she wasn't yet alive, but I think you mean 1900. If you would please post correctly aligned and well cropped obverse and reverse photos, we'll tell you what you have. I doubt anyone is going to pick up the phone and call Brazil, unless they happen to live there, but folks here will help you.
  25. Like
    JKK got a reaction from RonnieR131 in In over my head evaluating two collections   
    I would give you the advice most people would. Buy a Red Book, for easy reference and coin composition rather than for valuation. Sort first by denomination, then by type, then by year, then by mint. For each type, use the book to get an idea of which issues are especially valuable, and which types of coins (e.g. Standing Liberty quarters) always get a premium unless trashed. If you have sorted by type, year, then mint, that should be a fairly easy process with you having already done the hard part.
    Then, if you come across something you don't understand, post pics of it and we will help you.
    Oh, and if you imagine you have a doubled die, or you find some little error that you suspect might be valuable, be prepared to hear that it's nothing special. Still share it if you want confirmation, of course, but when people explain to you how come it's not rare and special, you'll learn a little bit, which is all to the good. (If you can believe it, some semiliterates barge in here with such things, are politely told they are not special, and then start big arguments demanding that we agree with their mistaken assessments. Then they start new accounts to continue the argument. It's lamentable. I can tell from your outlook we won't have to worry about that in this case.)