Coin World - 8/5/2013 First Strikes

[19Lyds]

The Latest edition of Coin World online discusses the National Numismatic Collection and the attempts to document, digitize and update the data on Modern coins is discussed in this latest CW Issue.

 

Evidently, the researchers have discovered that some of the modern coins sent to the NNS were produced with Special Strikes and are in fact dubbed "First Strikes" in some supporting documentation.

 

Wow! Coins from each of the Mints (Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco) in SP!

 

I'd advise folks to read this one. Especially those of us that like our Modern Coins!

[CaptHenway]

That is a great article! How could this stuff go unreported for 30+ years??

[RWB]

"How could this stuff go unreported for 30+ years?? "

 

Time and money. I ran into the same situation with the 1907 pattern pieces - 2 $10 gold patterns laying undiscovered in the NNC trays for 100 years. No one had looked.

 

[19Lyds]

"How could this stuff go unreported for 30+ years?? "

 

Time and money. I ran into the same situation with the 1907 pattern pieces - 2 $10 gold patterns laying undiscovered in the NNC trays for 100 years. No one had looked.

 

Roger, any possibility that the 1964 SMS Sets from Eva Adams Estate could have been extras intended for the Smithsonian?

 

What I mean, is that those 1964 SMS Coins definitely have special finishes which are not business strike nor proof which just happens to coincide with the coins found in the NNC. Is there a relationship?

[RWB]

So far as I know, the mint did not make any special coins for the Smithsonian. What they did was to occasionally give the NNC early coins of new designs off of new dies. These would have a more satin-like appearance than later strikes, but would not have been specially made. Anyone who got the "first bag" of Ikes might have gotten similar coins. (This is a problem of calling things “special” when there is no documentation to support that designation.)

 

As I understand the 1964 SMS, they were made late in 1964 or early 1965. Almost everything else is conjecture.

 

[19Lyds]

So far as I know, the mint did not make any special coins for the Smithsonian. What they did was to occasionally give the NNC early coins of new designs off of new dies. These would have a more satin-like appearance than later strikes, but would not have been specially made. Anyone who got the "first bag" of Ikes might have gotten similar coins. (This is a problem of calling things “special” when there is no documentation to support that designation.)

 

As I understand the 1964 SMS, they were made late in 1964 or early 1965. Almost everything else is conjecture.

 

Have you read the Article Roger? There is an April 3, 1964 memo from the then curator, Vladimir Clain-Stefanelli, which stated the following:

 

"All these coins are First Strikes, selected in accordance with special arrangements made in 1962 with Miss [Eva] Adams, Director of the Mint."

 

The researcher involved, Jeff Garrett, as well as NGC itself, have photographed and graded these coins as SP coins meaning, special strikes.

 

I realize that the commonly held belief is that the US Mint sent well struck coins to the NNC but from what I'm reading, the coins sent were specially struck "for" the NNC. Possibly from special one time dies? I do not know for sure.

 

What I do know is that, given what was stated within the article, each of these coins should be closely examined.

 

The article lists 140 coins graded by NGC as "SP" which, IIRC, means that these were not business strikes.

 

BTW, samples of these will be on display at the Smithsonian Booth at the upcoming ANA Show in August.

 

 

[RWB]

Yes. I read the article from end-to-end...several times. I can only respond to what was published.

[CaptHenway]

"How could this stuff go unreported for 30+ years?? "

 

Time and money. I ran into the same situation with the 1907 pattern pieces - 2 $10 gold patterns laying undiscovered in the NNC trays for 100 years. No one had looked.

 

Roger, any possibility that the 1964 SMS Sets from Eva Adams Estate could have been extras intended for the Smithsonian?

 

What I mean, is that those 1964 SMS Coins definitely have special finishes which are not business strike nor proof which just happens to coincide with the coins found in the NNC. Is there a relationship?

 

I had that thought.