Coin World on 1861-O 50c found in rolls

[Nutmeg Coin]

There is an interesting article in this week's Coin World available online Monday morning. They said that in a couple weeks they are going to a Saturday online availability to their online edition.

 

The front page story features a collector who opened several bank accounts in New Orleans just to get a shot at all the rolls of half dollars coming through the banks; he said he was finding hundreds of silver halves as well as 40% pieces! Plus he found an 1861-O 50c that had the diagnostics of Confederate production. The article says it should be worth thousands, as an XF "stained". Elsewhere in this week's CW they have an article on other denominations of 1861-O coins up to the double eagle.

 

Also an interesting article on the first major robbery at the SF mint. A new book, "Twisted Tales of Recovery and Deceit" does sleuthing on the missing gold from 1856 when $156,550 plus gold went missing from the Mint. Haraszthy, a mint supervisor was the main suspect, but was acquitted at trial. In 1891 an SF area house in Oakland turned up a stash of $143,000 in gold. Some research found that a mint chief coiner, John Eckfeldt had owned the house starting in 1871 and killed himself several years later. So the case appeared to have been solved.

[123cents]

Great CW article!

[michael]

congrats to the finder

 

 

[johnny9434]

great story and good read

[Calamerica]

Worthy of a bump!!!

 

CAL

[wdrob]

Outstanding finds!

 

I just returned from my local bank where I traded in some boxed and rolled pennies and nickels. I came home with 20 rolls of quarters and I am spending the day searching.

 

After that story, maybe I should have got Half Dollars instead.

 

 

[Bob Flaminio]

After that story, maybe I should have got Half Dollars instead.

I recall back in the late 80s and early 90s that people were aggressively searching half dollar rolls. Back then you could routinely count on getting some 40%ers, and the occasional Franklin and even well worn Walkers and Barbers.

 

Nowadays, I suspect, not so much.

[wdrob]

Yes I remember one occasion where I happened upon quite a few silver halves, quarters and dimes in the late middle to late 70's.

 

I tended to do quite a bit of 'odd jobs' that a boy my age could do to make a little extra money. I think we used to get about .05 cents for every soda bottle that we returned to the small store in Dalton, and I would walk those roads and make a killing (for a kid that is) on all the bottles those folks would throw out of their cars.

 

When we moved closer to Atlanta, I would walk down to a Auto Body Shop and they would let me do odd jobs to earn a few dollars from time to time.

 

Now, the silver - I also would buy candy, gum, etc.. at the convenience store and take it to school and mark it up something fierce. This one boy brought in a bunch of silver coins and bought nearly everything I had at one time.

 

I didn't know much, if anything at all about silver other than the coins had a much more pleasing sound to them.

 

Now that I look back on that I often wonder where in the hell that kid could have got those silver coins unless he swiped them from a relatives collection.

 

Sorry for the ramble ... brought back memories.

 

 

 

 

[CoinZip]

Bill Bugert, a leading numismatic authority on Seated Half dollars, will be presenting "1861-O Half Dollars" at 2pm on Saturday, September 20th at The National Battlefield Coin Show™ in Gettysburg, PA.

[Nutmeg Coin]

I went to a TD bank yesterday asking for rolls of half dollars. The main teller said that all they had were a bunch of half dollars that she could trade me for paper money. Nothing special in the group. So I asked how I could get rolls of half dollars and she said I would have to order $500 in half dollar rolls, that they did not come in lower quantities.