Conder101

I've seen some, they were altered coins, known as "California prooflikes" Coin fields were polished to a mirror finish and then the devices artificially frosted. Usually done on Morgans, but I have seen a few peace dollars as well.

I don't think so. First step in becoming a numismatist is a willingness to learn. I haven't seen Kurt go after anyone who truly shows that trait.

The label says that, but is that where you got it? Otherwise anyone could have just put that into that holder. No they still had to match mint standards very closely or the coins would be rejected in commerce or only accepted at a large discount. Most California Teritorial were made from unrefined gold (They had the same problem as the early mint, low availability of parting acids.) so fineness tended to be below mint standards around 860 to 875 fine. 14 K would only be 583 fine. Weight would be close to mint weight as well. Although there was no local mint making double eagles, double eagle and eagles had been in production at the other mints for some time and the proper weight would have been known, so they what the standards were. The quality of the die preparation for this piece is also well below that of other coins that would be available. A crude surface coin such as this would have been looked upon with suspicion and it is is really 14K would have passed (if it did) at around $10 not twenty. The real Kellogg coins weren't like this. At the Mint in Philadelphia they were accepted at better than $19.80 based on assay.

You had to look through translucent plastic that introduced distortions and no I don't really think you could see the edges. Later when they went to the soft rubber gaskets you could see enough to tell that something was there, but it was like looking through a heavy fog.

That's all it takes to greatly reduce the value of a rare coin. I would. Did you buy it from Ray Burns, or someone else?

So give him a participation trophy. As mentioned the "3" is too far to the right and is the wrong shape. Numismatic pareidolia.

NONE of the TPG's had holders that allowed you to see the edge until NGC created the pronged insert in 2002, and then basically never used it until they "invented" it again in 2009 for use on the President and NA dollars. (AnACS came close behind in 2009, and PCGS third in I think 2010. In both cases they started with the small dollars.) And then expanded it to the rest of the coins over the next two years.

I would say yes.

And how has that worked out?

No, 91.6% gold composition, softer than our gold coins. and yes they are smaller and lighter than double eagles but that won't keep them from getting marks.

Wouldn't matter, once China took over Hong Kong from the British in 1997, they took over the gold reserves as well

With all the raised lumps and pimples on it (and what appear to be base metal showing through on at least three of the stars on the rev) I would say it is a fake. As to weight I think they did try to match the weight of the government coins, but the fineness was usually off. As a general rule the pioneer gold had a melt value less than, sometimes significantly less, than the government coin.

Were going to have to see pictures to believe that. Considering currently there are only 2 known. And last I knew one of those was still in an unopened set.

You also have to consider that to be worth a premium as a "lowball" it still has to be able to straight grade. And once you get down into those very low grades the changes of damage causing it to get a detail grade increase. That is one reason why trying to "artificially wear down" a coin to make it a lowball rarely works. The resulting coin looks unnatural and gets a detail grade. So instead of increasing the value you end up paying for the slabbing and have a coin whose value has actually been reduced.

Because there is no obvious wear. The lask of detail is because the central portions didn't strike up. You are making the mistake of comparing a low relief coin (the 28) with a high relief coin. And the detail loss isn't really the result of a weak strike The strike is fine, the problem is in the design itself. The relief was just too high to be struck up with the standard pressure for dollar coins. Coins struck with even higher pressure fill better, but caused damage to the presses and greatly shortened die life.

It's a money grab, but is it a grab by the TPG, or a grab by the buyers of the coin from the mint who probably requested the special label.

Oh it is getting deep in here. How far are we from the "It's Tuesday" submission label?

Sounds like it should be the state capital in Kentucky, tis Summer the darkies are gay. (Don't shoot the messenger, those are the actual lyrics from My Old Kentucky Home, by Stephen Foster, and it is the state song. Or at least those were the lyrics before the state legislature changed them to "the people are happy". I guess they pronounce it "HaPAY, because at the end of the next stanza has to rhyme with "day". They didn't like the second verse either "The young folks roll on the little cabin floor", because they said it give an impression of poverty. I don't know what if anything they did about that.)

I don't think perfect, edge seem uneven around the sun.

Congratulations you have one of the 513,682,000 dimes that was struck in Philadelphia in 1975. Even in MS-66 it would be worth $10 and would cost $25 to $30 to slab. The reverse is nice but not exceptional, and there is a fairly bad rim nick below ONE. I doubt it would get a 66, and a 65 is $6. If it comes back MS-63 it's $0.60 I don't think I'd risk it.

Well it has the appearance of a reverse proof, but they didn't make reverse proofs that year. So someone has either taken a genuine 2003 ASE, heavily polished it and then frosted the fields, or it is a complete fake coin. I can't tell which it is from these images but I suspect a polished coin. They also erred because on the reverse proofs the sun rays and lettering are also mirrored.

True you can't honor anybody or event involving important people of the time as most of them owned slaves, they all oppressed women and "Native Americans". Not to mention the nasty things done to people who were loyal to their country.

Because NGC offered them more money than anyone else. It was a solicitation for financial payment and it was open to all the grading services, even the fourth tier and fly-by-nights. It had nothing to do with grading ability.

No question fake.

No it just sits either tabled or "in committee" until the end of that Congress. (Each Congress lasts for two years, and is comprised of two sessions. This is because the entire house of representatives is up for reelection every two years. Anything unenacted at the end of the second session dies and has to start over and be reintroduced in the next Congress, if the sponsors chose to do so.) I think the "special enhanced Reverse Proofs" are more legitimate than the Emergency issue" coins that are impossible to be told apart from the none emergency one except for the label on a holder. But they are both just a money grab. One by the government and one by promoters I didn't like this idea when it was first circulated in the spring of 2019, I didn't like it 6 months ago when they tried again, and I don't likr this attempt either. I will not ask my representatives to support it, and if I did contact them it would be to ask them to vote against it if it ever comes up..