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Post by elmerfudd on Nov 12, 2021 2:22:09 GMT
I've been thinking about starting a thread on numismatics and finally did it. I'll post to it whether anybody else does or not, but are there any other numismatists out there?
The first post I make after this one will probably be related to leprosy (a/k/a Hansen's disease). Numismatics relates to a lot of things.
No politics. Political enemies will be treated just like normal people.
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bama beau
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Post by bama beau on Nov 13, 2021 1:31:19 GMT
I've been thinking about starting a thread on numismatics and finally did it. I'll post to it whether anybody else does or not, but are there any other numismatists out there? The first post I make after this one will probably be related to leprosy (a/k/a Hansen's disease). Numismatics relates to a lot of things. No politics. Political enemies will be treated just like normal people. My grandfather got me started collecting coins as a child. My interest has waxed and waned, but other collectors agree that I have some nice coins. I especially like bust halves and quarters in XF+ condition, as well as liberty walkers, AU+ for less common, uncirculated for commons. I have all of the Lincoln cents in high grade, as well as most Indians. I have some rarities as well, the best probably being a Fugio cent. I hope to pass the collection along to one of my grandchildren. |
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Post by elmerfudd on Nov 13, 2021 2:29:50 GMT
Now that's some nice stuff! There are some pretty pricey Lincoln cents, esp in high grades, like the 09S VDB, 14D, and 31S. And a full set of walkers with the worst being AU+ is pretty valuable as well. Bust halves and quarters in XF+ are nothing to sneeze at, especially if you have one or more of the earlier years. Without seeing them, just based on your description, I would agree you have some nice coins.
I do have a Fugio cent, but it's got a plugged hole. Made it really inexpensive for the relatively high grade it is.
My interest has waxed and waned as well. I no longer collect anything because I am at that age where getting rid of stuff is more important than getting more stuff. But I still have what I have, and my collecting interests are somewhat eclectic. I don't collect sets. A BU 1909 Lincoln looks just like a BU 1909s VDB Lincoln, but the S VDB is worth about a hundred times what the 09 is. So I focus on type sets.
I also have interest in odd or curious coins, and coins that lead into learning more about the history behind them. That's really what numismatics is - history.
Many years ago I ran up on a United States Peso. When I say many, I mean like 50 or so. And yep, there really was such a thing. There were other denominations as well, all fully United States coinage, all minted either in the United States or a United States mint in Manila, Philippines. That got me interested in a Philippine US territory/commonwealth type set, which is not a very expensive thing to accumulate.
Both the Red Book and Blue Book have info about these. Collectors will know those terms, but for non collectors who are interested just gahoogle Red Book Coins and/or Blue Book Coins. These are great books. If you're only going to have one, get the Red. The Red has color pics. The difference is the Red purports to give retail values and the Blue wholesale.
But don't rely on those values for either. They are "projected estimates." Their worth lies in determining relative values to other coins of the same series or even just other coins. Not actual values, but relative. If one shows a value of $100 and another $10, that means the first one is probably worth ten times the other one, but neither is likely worth what that books says. The books usually are wrong on the high end. But not always.
Many a novice has showed up at a coin dealer and been offered a sum much lower than he was expecting for a coin he hoped to sell. He might say to the dealer "But the Red Book says it's worth X." To which the dealer might say "Send it to them and see what they actually offer you, why doncha. Also, I gotta eat and pay rent, you know."
Nevertheless, anyone contemplating collecting US Coins should definitely get a Red Book. The motto in coin collecting, for fun or profit, is "first the book, then the coin."
My hobby enjoyment comes from learning from the coin and then sharing what I learned. But nobody wants to listen to that crap. So I post it in various internet forums for people to read or not as they see fit. If they read, great. If they respond, greater. But I have done the part I enjoy regardless.
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Odysseus
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Post by Odysseus on Nov 13, 2021 9:49:20 GMT
I cannot say I'm much of a coin collector. I have a jar of old pennies somewhere, and a time about half the size of a coffee can with a layer of coins on the bottom. But I rarely sort through these and frankly I have so much other stuff to do that any thought of organizing/tabulating them is dead in the water.
But, do what makes you happy, as long as it doesn't hurt anybody.
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Post by elmerfudd on Nov 13, 2021 15:38:34 GMT
I cannot say I'm much of a coin collector. I have a jar of old pennies somewhere, and a time about half the size of a coffee can with a layer of coins on the bottom. But I rarely sort through these and frankly I have so much other stuff to do that any thought of organizing/tabulating them is dead in the water. But, do what makes you happy, as long as it doesn't hurt anybody. that's the nature of hobbies. one does what one enjoys. I tried golf one time. rented clubs on a course in south Alabama. Gulf Shores. I and two brothers in law. None of us had ever played before and none of us has ever played since, and I am the youngest of the three. We played nine holes. that was all we could stand. I had the best score on one hole, being one under par. But in nine holes, we all had over 100 strokes. also cost us a few bucks in lost balls. the one under par I had: I teed off. Ball went like a gunshot, never getting over ten feet above the ground seemed to me, but I must have hit it right in the sweet spot on the club but my swing was obviously way off. It actually got close enough to the green that I chipped it up on the green and I was able to putt it in. 3 strokes on a par 4 hole. I thought heck, I might turn pro. But at the end of nine holes, we all hated it and swore we'd never do it again. And we've kept that promise. I do have other hobbies (for lack of a better term) besides numismatics, though. |
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Post by Mercy for All on Nov 18, 2021 17:11:55 GMT
I cannot say I'm much of a coin collector. I have a jar of old pennies somewhere, and a time about half the size of a coffee can with a layer of coins on the bottom. But I rarely sort through these and frankly I have so much other stuff to do that any thought of organizing/tabulating them is dead in the water. But, do what makes you happy, as long as it doesn't hurt anybody. that's the nature of hobbies. one does what one enjoys. I tried golf one time. rented clubs on a course in south Alabama. Gulf Shores. I and two brothers in law. None of us had ever played before and none of us has ever played since, and I am the youngest of the three. We played nine holes. that was all we could stand. I had the best score on one hole, being one under par. But in nine holes, we all had over 100 strokes. also cost us a few bucks in lost balls. The goal of the game is to play as little of the game as possible. |
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Post by elmerfudd on Nov 18, 2021 17:21:46 GMT
that's the nature of hobbies. one does what one enjoys. I tried golf one time. rented clubs on a course in south Alabama. Gulf Shores. I and two brothers in law. None of us had ever played before and none of us has ever played since, and I am the youngest of the three. We played nine holes. that was all we could stand. I had the best score on one hole, being one under par. But in nine holes, we all had over 100 strokes. also cost us a few bucks in lost balls. The goal of the game is to play as little of the game as possible. I've mastered it then. Haven't played any since about 1979. |
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Post by elmerfudd on Nov 18, 2021 17:23:40 GMT
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Odysseus
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Post by Odysseus on Nov 18, 2021 19:28:53 GMT
OK, just curious: what does golf and armed robbery have to do with coin collecting?
Not that it matters. Just wonder if I've missed something important.
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Post by elmerfudd on Nov 18, 2021 20:56:01 GMT
Nothing. You'll never miss much in this thread.
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Post by elmerfudd on Nov 19, 2021 20:07:46 GMT
From today’s newsletter from Numismatic News, an august publication to which all numismatists should consider subscribing: Stack’s Bowers Galleries has sold the famous “Hawaii Five-O” specimen of the 1913 Liberty Head nickel to a private client for a price exceeding $4 million, the firm announced Nov. 8. Recently on display at Stack’s Bowers’ table at the Long Beach Collectibles Expo in October 2021, this 1913 Liberty Head nickel ranks as the second finest of the five known, only three of which are in private hands. The other two are permanently impounded in the collections of the Smithsonian Institution and American Numismatic Association. The example is graded PF-64+ by Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC) and awarded a green sticker by CAC for superior quality. The 1913 Liberty Head nickel is among the most famous and prized of all U.S. issues and is regarded as the King of 20th Century Coinage. It is, in fact, a coin that should not exist, as the Liberty Head series ended in December 1912 and was replaced in 1913 by the Buffalo design. It is not known exactly how the 1913 Liberty Head nickels were created, but the most popular theories suggest they were struck as a favor to a wealthy collector, struck to be exchanged for ultra-rare coins needed for the Mint’s own collection, or simply struck for the amusement of a Mint employee. This nickel was featured in a December 1973 episode of the television show “Hawaii Five-O,” one of the most popular programs of the era. It was this episode, and this exact coin, that was responsible for making the 1913 Liberty Head nickel famous among non-collectors. However, even prior to its television appearance, this specimen had already amassed an impressive pedigree, one that can be traced back to the legendary collections of Colonel E.H.R. Green, Eric Newman, Fred Olsen, Los Angeles Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss and King Farouk of Egypt. A 1913 Liberty Head nickel has only been offered at auction on 15 occasions since the five coins were discovered around 1919, and Stack’s Bowers Galleries has a long history of handling these treasures throughout their 85-year legacy. The firm set a public auction record for a 1913 Liberty Head nickel with their sale of the Eliasberg example in 2018 for $4.56 million. This “Hawaii Five-O” specimen is also an old friend of the firm, as Stack’s Bowers Galleries sold it three decades ago in their 1993 Reed Hawn sale. Prior to this 2021 private sale, it was last sold at public auction in January 2014 for $3.29 million. End of article More on the nickel en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1913_Liberty_Head_nickelOne of the owners of all five known specimens was the son of Hetty Green, the witch of Wall Street, who was so tight with a dollar she allowed her son’s leg to be amputated because she wouldn’t spend the money to save it en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hetty_GreenIf the wiki sounds interesting, and I can’t imagine it doesn’t, this book will really be interesting: The Day They Shook the Plum Tree by Arthur H. Lewis |
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Post by elmerfudd on Nov 20, 2021 20:01:44 GMT
those coinstar machines where people dump loose change and get about 88 cents on the dollar are good places to visit. Every time I walk by the one in my local Kroger I look in the reject slot. There's something there maybe 25% of the time, usually bent coins or corroded coins, but occasionally some neat stuff. Like today: a 1958D 90% silver Roosevelt dime, average circulated, a small ding or two, silver bullion value is $2. a 1944D 75% silver Philippine 20 centavos, United States of America (during the commonwealth period), silver bullion value is $2.32. But the 1944D 20 centavos is in pretty good shape, I'd say very fine, so it actually has some collector value above bullion value. according to ebay, it ought to be worth $30, but I wouldn't pay that for it. I'd sell this one for that, though. I know a guy who found a silver 3 cent piece in one of these coinstar machines. It was in incredibly poor condition, being over 150 years old, but was recognizable. mine is in better shape than this one: www.ebay.com/itm/233393310852?_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D1110002%26algo%3DSPLICE.SOI%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D235467%26meid%3D452756c34e364f09bb520f565b960cde%26pid%3D101196%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D233385243975%26itm%3D233393310852%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2047675%26algv%3DPromotedSellersOtherItemsV2WithMLRv3&_trksid=p2047675.c101196.m2219&amdata=cksum%3A233393310852452756c34e364f09bb520f565b960cde%7Cenc%3AAQAGAAACAMoH2UwehD4ztsD9IhcCEkYp4u8vqWWpPD%252FM%252F6gRYlVfecocGz82qyzPzvo3iEOSAxbNUVfIP%252BKVO94ygl%252F6LbvAz9LOKt7j3Ln2wTMW8Ub2cf5Pgnwh936iXyVS4u46flbm79Jss7pvP2trg3wMsJPJlYgTahDWJ9hhpKB%252FveXAc%252B2Ztqwdp9OSxWwNfwXw5k4TcOgcqrCGT83fAcjvdfvaS3ocK3Y%252B1rR8Zha3zDYxzUabk8yrfGQf2JZtmQGDF7l9uq%252BXLMTDcf6G7Nsn3xh6VdcpnNme1cvcUtXL0ijmGnlcCSyAnCmSUFXDMxZLgGSaR4w5tbx%252BNy87vMnxd8%252B9NAqnW4Btf7gR%252FZD54ZmBFqDvz0fEQu9rnwlf%252BVt5jwPJY7k8ZM3MiovkgOsaOgF4U7lNjugMw7Oo0ufnd3NG8TfGSuEUkIYOMNAUFe1IJGt4Yeb4%252FD8IQy7XAW5Ea5sxcKbESh0Xs4Qwr2VecxJyYems3tPBpufPhsz8XwhaUQz5ycyB7%252FfHhridh72sepECKHbXnMIiHDGvzaHFlPt9bRMiRhkSRcbfzawLtssUExIbF3lmoDANeZ8DaaPIQyqLczNtdXWOuLQKOc0WpTIerwuiC9ZY4jGEm6UdksrEICt4bim539VCvKBSaf2yFLvW6PRuuyn0a65fZpw7Hg74%7Campid%3APL_CLK%7Cclp%3A2047675www.govmint.com/1851-1853-3-cent-silver-piece-vf-trimeI've found quite a few other foreign coins, most of not much value. This 20 centavos is probably the most valuable foreign coin I have ever found. I have found more than a few silver US coins, and they're currently worth about 19 to 20 times face value. so take a peek in the reject tray when you see one of those things and post what you find here. Attachments:
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Post by elmerfudd on Nov 23, 2021 2:38:42 GMT
today's take at the coinstar - a clad dime and two lincoln cents, one pretty beat up. 12 cents. but if that happened 30 times, it gets to real money. enough to buy a Big Mac.
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bama beau
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Post by bama beau on Nov 23, 2021 3:09:08 GMT
today's take at the coinstar - a clad dime and two lincoln cents, one pretty beat up. 12 cents. but if that happened 30 times, it gets to real money. enough to buy a Big Mac. I remember down times in my early to mid 20s when I'd head to the bank with a couple hundred dollars and ask for all half dollars to take home and sort through. I sometimes found good stuff, and sometimes quite a bit of it. It was the 1980s, and I traveled from Clearwater/St. Pete all the way up to Crystal River as part of my business. If I went by an older, local bank and asked to buy half dollars, often what I got were uncounted rolls of halves turned in by elderly people, or by their help or kin. Some even had the names and addresses of the previous owner on each roll. If I only had $20, I'd only pick up some pennies. $50, dimes. $100, quarters. It didn't pay the rent, but there were times when we found full rolls of multi-face value coinage. Plus, my wife always liked counting money. So there you go, it was like a night out for her (w/apologies to Andrew Dice Clay). |
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Odysseus
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Post by Odysseus on Nov 23, 2021 4:03:17 GMT
Ever seen a zinc penny?
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Post by elmerfudd on Nov 23, 2021 15:17:47 GMT
short answer: yes
long answer: pennies (really cents, and there is a difference) in the US have been about 98% zinc since the middle of 1982. Copper plated zinc. 1943 cents were zinc plated steel. There very well may be some cents minted from blanks that had not been copper plated, but I kinda doubt it. If there are any, and it can be verified they actually were struck from blanks that had not been conpper plated, they'd likely be fairly valuable.
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Odysseus
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Post by Odysseus on Nov 24, 2021 9:20:32 GMT
So, what's the value of a 1943 all zinc penny?
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Post by elmerfudd on Nov 24, 2021 15:12:32 GMT
So, what's the value of a 1943 all zinc penny? I have no idea. Never seen nor heard of one. The 1943 issues were all low quality steel plated with zinc. Those can found in circulated condition fairly inexpensively - a roll can be had for $15 or so, maybe a buck or two more, which works out to 30 cents + for each one. Also, a neat gift for kids at Christmas, especially boys as all boys like coins, is a set like this: www.littletoncoin.com/shop/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&catalogId=29555&productId=37989&referralCode=WRB&gclid=CjwKCAiA4veMBhAMEiwAU4XRr4155JKHldVKJ1S7el96gSmfoQaW6VwejO3GhngS7BgpyNncrHTU1xoCI5kQAvD_BwEThis is not me plugging Littleton. It's a great company, but generally anything they sell can be found elsewhere for less if one just digs a little. But it describes a neat set with historical info. The cents are reprocessed to look uncirculated but they're not uncirculated. I think a circulated set of unprocessed would be cooler, and those can be found, too, with the same historical info. Anybody wants me to look around PM me. |
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Post by elmerfudd on Nov 24, 2021 15:24:24 GMT
another cool war time coin set is this. because nickel was a strategic war time material, 5 cent pieces were made of 35% silver beginning with 1942 through 1945. Some Denver and Philadelphia coins were made of 25% nickel and 75% copper in 1942 before the change, and all after 1945 through today are 25% nickel and 75% copper. The change to silver was marked by a large mintmark over the dome of Monticello, and was the first time a P mintmark was used for Philadelphia. A set of average circulated coins housed in a holder like this can be found for twenty to thirty bucks. Attachments:
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Post by elmerfudd on Nov 28, 2021 0:25:09 GMT
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