I Like Ike . 2 2

[Ohnoimbroke]

I like Ike . The coin is so big . So much area , space and open flat spaces . I need help picking a Eisenhower dollar . I love attributes . I collect holders too . Ty

[Mr.Bill347]

I’m NOT a fan of Ike! The coin, that is.

I have a number of them but finding one that hasn’t been abused is another thing. The best one I have is a gem proof bicentennial Ike.

[Lem E]

If you are just looking for one decent looking  Ike for your collection then I would say go after an uncirculated 40% silver San Fran piece. Just my opinion. Eye appealing Ikes can be tough to find. Good luck.

Edited September 15, 2023 by Lem E

[Coinbuf]

I've never been a fan of the coin, not much of an artistic design from my viewpoint.   But I have seen a few of the really high-grade coins with intense luster, especially those that have the very light translucent blue tone, that can be attractive.   If you could find one of those in a holder that you like it could be a cool addition to your collection for both the coin type and also perhaps the holder.

[The Neophyte Numismatist]

The tooth fairy gives Ike dollars to my kids for lost baby teeth, so the coin has a special place for me.  

My #1 advice on this coin is "be picky."  All Ikes are common coins, so have fun with your selection and get one you love!

• 40% silver coins will have some of the best strikes and can have very attractive toning
• Proofs have a special finish, and a super-frosted DCAM looks cool on a coin like the Ike.
• Clad business strikes are a real challenge to find nice, and can get very expensive in super-gem grades. 

Enjoy!

[VKurtB]

On 9/14/2023 at 10:27 PM, The Neophyte Numismatist said:

The tooth fairy gives Ike dollars to my kids for lost baby teeth, so the coin has a special place for me.  

My #1 advice on this coin is "be picky."  All Ikes are common coins, so have fun with your selection and get one you love!

• 40% silver coins will have some of the best strikes and can have very attractive toning
• Proofs have a special finish, and a super-frosted DCAM looks cool on a coin like the Ike.
• Clad business strikes are a real challenge to find nice, and can get very expensive in super-gem grades. 

Enjoy!

Correct on all counts.

[Crazy Mtn Coins]

I really did and still do like Ike himself.  When I was very young my Dad was in the highway patrol.  He was assigned as one of the motor guard for Ike in a parade.  Dad was riding a motorcycle alongside Ike’s car when a bee flew up the cuff on my Dad’s glove and stung him.  He lost control of the cycle and tipped over.  He was not hurt but embarrassed. Ike had his car stopped and got out to check on my Dad.

[RonnieR131]

 Interesting story, thanks for sharing. Now go pour that dog another cup of coffee.

[EagleRJO]

On 9/14/2023 at 7:10 PM, Ohnoimbroke said:

I like Ike . The coin is so big . So much area , space and open flat spaces

I also like larger coins, such as the dollar, and I am working on several dollar and half dollar collections sets.  I think you have received some good advice on picking an Ike dollar, keeping in mind the old saying of "know the coin before you buy the coin".

I am just curious as to why you want just one of them, like maybe some kind of type set.  Interestingly enough, formal circulation strike dollar type sets have four or five Ike dollars of the 19 or 20 coins in the sets.

https://www.ngccoin.com/registry/competitive/united-states/type-sets/233/definition/

https://www.collectors.com/setmatch/setmatchdetail?itemtypeid=1&compid=3694

Edited September 15, 2023 by EagleRJO

[powermad5000]

May I recommend a Bicentennial Ike?

[EagleRJO]

Not really a fan of the bicentennial Ikes, with a more barren reverse that has an unimaginative design copying a bell from the Franklins and an enlarged moon from other Ikes.

If I was going to get just one Ike it might be an earlier date "brown box" proof silver Ike, like the attached certified by NGC.

https://www.ngccoin.com/news/article/131/

Edited September 16, 2023 by EagleRJO

[powermad5000]

On 9/16/2023 at 1:56 AM, EagleRJO said:

If I was going to get just one Ike it might be an earlier date "brown box" proof silver Ike, like the attached certified by NGC.

I see....like this.....

 

[Halbrook Family]

What is the difference between the brown box Ike and the blue envelope Ike?

[EagleRJO]

On 9/17/2023 at 2:35 AM, powermad5000 said:

I see....like this.....

No, a "brown box" proof silver Ike actually came in a mint sealed package within a wood grained brown box like in the pic I posted above.

On 9/17/2023 at 8:47 AM, edhalbrook said:

What is the difference between the brown box Ike and the blue envelope Ike?

See this from Coin Week ... https://coinweek.com/what-is-a-1971-74-eisenhower-dollar-brown-pack-worth/

[Mr.Bill347]

I have an antique dealer near me with about ten brown box Ike’s 

[Halbrook Family]

What to look for when buying a brown box? Not that I would send it our for grading but how to pick out a 70?

[powermad5000]

On 9/17/2023 at 9:31 AM, EagleRJO said:

No, a "brown box" proof silver Ike actually came in a mint sealed package within a wood grained brown box like in the pic I posted above.

The one in the slab came out of a brown box. I decided to have it slabbed because the brown box and OGP was taking up too much room in my SDB.

[powermad5000]

On 9/17/2023 at 11:12 AM, edhalbrook said:

What to look for when buying a brown box? Not that I would send it our for grading but how to pick out a 70?

What to look for when trying to find a 70 is a perfect coin. Not a single flaw anywhere on it. Good luck when trying to find a 70 in the Ike series. I don't think there was too high of a concern at the Mint at the time to make sure they were perfectly handled. I looked at some of the census reports. Some dates do not have a 70 in the census figures.

[EagleRJO]

On 9/17/2023 at 3:29 PM, powermad5000 said:

The one in the slab came out of a brown box. I decided to have it slabbed because the brown box and OGP was taking up too much room in my SDB.

I would leave it in the brown box if it was just that one Ike, but yea I can see that being a space suck with multiples.

Edited September 17, 2023 by EagleRJO

[powermad5000]

The one I posted is the one from the brown box. I only had one brown box. But I have over 500 slabs and three currency keepers which are cramming the SDB to near max capacity. I figured these are not big dollar significant coins in the market so my thought was it would be ok to crack that one out of the OGP. I would never crack out a GSA Morgan or anything like that.

Edited September 18, 2023 by powermad5000

[Halbrook Family]

I went to my local  coin shop the other day. Thanks for some good advice. They asked how I was paying cash or credit and I said who would use a credit card to buy coins? They gave me a couple extra silver coins for using cash.  I bought the two remaining blue envelopes I was missing. 1971 1972 I had 1973 1974. I still need 1976. Already have the clad 1977 and 1978. They have a stack of Brown boxes. Is there really a difference between the blue and brown ones? Is one a uncirculated and one a proof? I believe the blue envelopes were $15 each and the brown $20 each. I bought two blue envelopes and they gave me a free silver 90% half dollar. 

[Sandon]

On 9/18/2023 at 9:34 AM, edhalbrook said:

Is there really a difference between the blue and brown ones? Is one a uncirculated and one a proof?

   The coins in the mint issued blue envelopes and soft plastic sheets are uncirculated (circulation quality strikes), and the mint sold them for $3 each in the years of issue. The coins in the large brown boxes with a gold seal and housed inside in a hard, rectangular plastic holder as shown in @EagleRJO's photo above are proofs with mirror surfaces and usually with frosted devices and were sold by the mint for $10 each. The differences in the coins should be evident to you. The packaging also states whether they are proof or uncirculated.

[powermad5000]

@edhalbrook, the photo I posted in this thread of the proof in the NGC holder is from a brown box. The photo below is one from a blue envelope. I kept the blue chip from the OGP. You should be able to tell the difference between the two easily from the photos I have provided in this thread.

 

[Halbrook Family]

Yes I see. The one has a mirror like image and the blue envelope a more dull appearance. Box is proof and envelope is uncirculated. And there is 4 years of the box? 1971, 1971, 1973 & 1974 and all are S. The 1976 proof came in a little box with the Half & quarter. Getting every Ike would not be very hard. Or would it? Getting the 1971 and 1972 clad in mint shape I guess would be the hardest. Sorry if this is a stupid question but what is the difference between a ms 63 and a ms 65? One would also have the few varieties to get as well to get a complete set. 

 Another question I have when you guys are going to stores and to shows you take a magnifier with you right? Here is my 1972. You can't really see it with the naked eye so much but there is a light scuff mark on his cheek. Those are things that would get the coin graded down of course. I probably should take my time in the future and look a coin over good before I purchase it. It's great hearing you talk of your own coins. Had I taken my time and a magnifier I could have gotten a much better one. 

[powermad5000]

On 9/18/2023 at 9:29 PM, edhalbrook said:

Getting every Ike would not be very hard. Or would it?

Actually it would not be hard at all unless you are going for the top grades for each year and mintmark and for the Type 1 and 2 varieties. The Ike series didn't catch on too well with collectors so there isn't a high demand for these thus their prices are quite reasonable until you get into the top end MS or top end Proofs. You can put together a full set of these in great shape with all the dates, mintmarks, proofs, and varieties for about $1,000 unless you are going for those really high end specimens. It also isn't a long lasting series meaning it had a limited run of years so that also helps when trying to put together a full set.

On 9/18/2023 at 9:29 PM, edhalbrook said:

Sorry if this is a stupid question but what is the difference between a ms 63 and a ms 65?

There are no stupid questions. The only thing that is stupid is not to ask a question and then just assume you know something without obtaining the proper knowledge from someone who does know the answer or finding out from a book written by an expert. Differences in grades once into the MS range usually involve extremely slight amounts of wear, or typically more related to the amount of distracting marks or impacts from other coins on the surfaces. A 63 typically will have a larger number of distracting marks than a 65. Coins at 65 usually have very few marks on them.

 

On 9/18/2023 at 9:29 PM, edhalbrook said:

Another question I have when you guys are going to stores and to shows you take a magnifier with you right?

I will NOT examine any coin for either purchase or for TPG submission WITHOUT having carefully looked over said coin with either my magnifier or loupe. It depends on the room and lighting as to which I use. Either are fine for examining coins, but for my eyes (I have worn glasses since I was 8), sometimes one or the other helps me see better. 

 

On 9/18/2023 at 9:29 PM, edhalbrook said:

You can't really see it with the naked eye so much but there is a light scuff mark on his cheek.

Actually, I can see a couple marks on the cheek in the photo you provided. Yes, those will negatively affect the grade of that coin, which otherwise looks to be in really good shape with clean fields and a good strike. I also see a mark on the neck, and also a rim hit near the 9. In addition to the minor abrasions on the nose and chin common on these coins. (Once you start to look more intensely at a coin, many things start to become apparent. It takes focus and training yourself to examine all things about a coin.) I could only venture to say those marks would bring that coin down to a 64 or 65 grade.

Edited September 19, 2023 by powermad5000

[Henri Charriere]

On 9/19/2023 at 12:52 AM, powermad5000 said:

..... Differences in grades once into the MS range usually involve extremely slight amounts of wear,....

A Mint State coin, by definition, exhibits NO signs of wear whatsoever.

(I have, over the years, been forced-fed "cabinet friction", dings, lacerations, bag marks, keg marks, abrasions, incisions, and the like, but I draw the line at "wear."  If I am plumb wrong, I shall forthwith relinquish my "Rising Star" status -- and membership, no doubt to member N.N.'s eternal delight, not to mention the moderators.  

[powermad5000]

On 9/19/2023 at 8:04 PM, Henri Charriere said:

A Mint State coin, by definition, exhibits NO signs of wear whatsoever.

I understand the definition completely, but then how does one explain on a Morgan dollar, say, that is MS 61 where the hair above the ear is missing the squiggle through it because it is worn down smooth? That squiggle is something I look for when assessing Morgan dollars. Another example would be a Trade Dollar in MS 62 where the eagles claws on the reverse are missing the "wrap" details because they are worn down but those details are evident on an MS 65 Trade Dollar?? The top photo is the reverse of my MS 62, the bottom is the reverse of my MS 65.

 

Edited September 20, 2023 by powermad5000

[ldhair]

I collected Ike dollars many years ago. It was a lot of fun. Learning to grade them took a while. I even built grading sets of the silver and the business strikes in PCGS slabs. The grading standards are a bit different between the two. The silver issues are held to a higher standard. I became pretty good at guessing the grades. 

One day at work a lady friend of mine brought me about 10 rolls of Ike's. She just wanted face value and I bought them. Her and her husband had been searching rolls for years and saving the nice ones. They did a great job. I could not believe the quality they had saved. Many came back from PCGS as MS-65. I made good money selling them on Ebay. I still have a nice collection put away. 

[EagleRJO]

On 9/20/2023 at 12:27 AM, powermad5000 said:

how does one explain on a Morgan dollar, say, that is MS 61 where the hair above the ear is missing the squiggle through it because it is worn down smooth ... Trade Dollar in MS 62 where the eagles claws on the reverse are missing the "wrap" details

Perhaps the TPG considered these a result of a weak strike or worn die, which can sometimes be mistaken for wear.

https://www.pcgs.com/News/tips-from-the-pcgs-grading-room-december-2012/

https://www.numismaticnews.net/collecting-101/weak-strike-or-worn-die

[Sandon]

   Although I'm not an avid fan of this series, the 1971 Eisenhower dollar shown below was the first coin in my collection, with the possible exception of a few circulated wheat cents that I no longer have.  In or about April of 1971 an aunt's father gave one of these first year of issue coins to each of the youngsters at a family gathering, including me. I had just become interested in coins around that time and have kept it ever since.