A pair of elite collections, one brimming with toned Morgan dollars and the other with an exceptional array of silver and gold type coins, will be among the top attractions in Heritage’s Long Beach Expo US Coins Signature® Auction September 12-15.
"The Puccini Collection of Toned Morgan Dollars is really extraordinary," says Todd Imhof, Executive Vice President at Heritage Auctions. "Some shine a spotlight on colorful obverse toning, and some on stunning reverse Morgan ‘toners’ … and it also is extensive, basically the first truly complete toned Morgan dollar collection that includes all major varieties for both the obverse and reverse sets. It represents an extraordinary opportunity for collectors of toned Morgans."
The collection, which honors the memory of the consignor’s beloved Bichon Frisé that was named after the consignor’s favorite opera composer, features 488 lots of multi-colored beauty, including a magnificent 1881 Morgan Dollar, MS66 PCGS. The coin is not scarce in MS66 as a date, but it is so spectacularly toned as to be essentially unique, with comparable toned pieces rarely being scene in any grade. Such is the core theme of the Puccini Collection: some coins are challenging dates and varieties, but all are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities with regard to their colorful patinas. Other top offerings in the collection include, but are not limited to:
- A 1901 Morgan Dollar Doubled Die Reverse, VAM-3, AU58 PCGS
1901 VAM-3 Morgan Dollar, AU58 - An 1883-O Morgan Dollar MS64 PCGS. CAC
1883-O Silver Dollar, MS64 - An 1879-S $1 MS65 PCGS. CAC
1879-S Morgan Dollar, MS65
Another important collection in the auction is the Duffy Family Collection, which boasts a bumper crop of silver and gold type coins in collector grades.
Among the top selections from the collection is a beautiful 1795 Capped Bust Right Half Eagle, AU55 PCGS from a small original production run of just 8,707 during the first year (although it is likely more 1795s were struck in ensuing years, since at the time, the Mint continued using coinage dies as long as they were serviceable). The example offered in this auction represents the scarce BD-6 variety, of which it is believed no more than 60-80 survive today in all grades.
From the same collection comes a seldom-seen circulated example of an 1879 Flowing Hair Stella, PR50. Flowing Hair stellas are exceedingly popular among collectors. The denomination, widely believed to have been created by former Chairman of the House Committee on Coinage, Weights, and Measures, and Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Austria-Hungary John A. Kasson, the idea for this denomination actually came from Philadelphia lawyer and inventor William Wheeler Hubbell and his influential sponsor, Alexander H. Stephens, Chairman of the House Committee on Coinage, Weights and Measures, who championed the proposal in Congress.
A 1796 Capped Bust Right Quarter Eagle, AU50 PCGS from the Duffy Collection, with no stars on the obverse, is from a tiny mintage of 963 pieces, and the No Stars motif was abandoned later in the year, making it a celebrated one-year design type that Ron Guth called "one of the most historic and important U.S. gold coins" and Q. David Bowers calls "the rarest U.S. gold design." This coin represents the extremely popular BD-2 variety, with Normal Arrows that extend only to the end of "N" in "UNITED" on the reverse. John Dannreuther estimates the BD-2 dies were used to strike 897 pieces of the first-year mintage and the surviving population of the BD-2 variety is 100-125 examples in all grades.
A fourth prized offering from the Duffy Collection is a 1796 Draped Bust Quarter, B-2, AU55 PCGS from a total mintage that year of 6,146 coins, of which a number of high-quality specimens — like the impressive Choice AU coin offered in this auction — were preserved.
Also from the Duffy Collection, a 1907 Rolled Edge Eagle, AU55 PCGS is a gorgeous example of the second-rarest issue in the entire series. The Rolled Edge coins were meant to solve the problems of their Wire Rim pattern predecessors but fell short; for example, the Rolled Edge coins usually were softly struck in the centers, and Mint Superintendent John Landis did not care for the design, which was soon abandoned in favor of the No Periods motif. This impressive Choice AU specimen is one of just 50 examples that were not melted before distribution.
The featured collections in the auction are exceptional, but they did not produce all of the event’s top lots. Consider:
An 1895 Morgan Dollar, PR67+ Deep Cameo PCGS. CAC is a breathtaking Superb Gem coin, of which no business strikes are known. It is possible that as many as 12,000 circulation strike Morgan dollars were produced in 1895, but if they exist, their whereabouts are unknown. Meanwhile, just 880 Proofs, including the one offered in this lot, were struck, many of which are not available to the collecting community.
An 1864 Quarter Eagle, MS60 NGC is one of the four rarest circulation strikes within the Liberty Head series and remarkably rare in Mint State. With a reported mintage of just 2,772 pieces that does not naturally reflect the number of existing 1864 specimens, a total estimated to be less than two dozen in all grades, with just four certified Mint State pieces and the remaining examples in lower grades. The offered coin is the finest 1864 circulation strike Heritage has handled, and the first non-Details piece seen at Heritage since 2017. It is one of just 60 to earn a grade of 60, with only two carrying finer grades.
An 1861-S Paquet Reverse Double Eagle, AU53 NGC is an exceedingly important coin, named after Anthony C. Paquet, an engraver at the U.S. Mint who was active from 1857-64. He produced many designs for medals and a few for patterns, but the reverse of this double eagle is his most famous. Paquet was tasked with creating a new reverse for the double eagle in 1860.
After it was determined in early 1861 that the design would wear too quickly, and although dies already had been shipped to the California facility, Philadelphia Mint officials sent a telegraph to the San Francisco Mint to return to the standard reverse.
According to Doug Winter’s doubleeaglebook.com: "This telegraph appears to have taken a considerable amount of time to reach the mint and by the time it had, $385,000 worth of the new reverse 1861-S double eagles had been struck and released into circulation."
That equates to a mintage of only 19,250 coins, of which only a few hundred are estimated to have survived.
One of the truly intriguing lots in the auction is an Ephraim Brasher Countermark, VF30 on a 1760 Great Britain George II Half Guinea. Brasher is the most famous of all early American regulators, and one of the most instantly recognizable names in all of American numismatics. Renowned for his New York-style Doubloons, Brasher belonged to an important class of silversmiths and goldsmiths in the colonies … and also was George Washington’s next-door neighbor on Cherry Street in New York when the city briefly served as the nation’s capital.
The Bank of New York regularly employed goldsmiths and silversmiths, like Brasher, to test foreign coins received at the bank in routine commerce, weighing each coin as it was deposited, and adding a plug of gold to any found to be outside the allowable tolerances, after which they stamped the coins with their hallmark to indicate that the coins were acceptable. An incredible survivor from the early period of colonial numismatic history, this is the only the second 1/2 guinea host for an EB stamp locatable by Heritage experts.
Images and information about all lots in the auction can be found at HA.com/1377.
About Heritage Auctions
Heritage Auctions is the largest fine art and collectibles auction house founded in the United States, and the world’s largest collectibles auctioneer. Heritage maintains offices in New York, Dallas, Beverly Hills, Chicago, Palm Beach, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Hong Kong and Tokyo.
Heritage also enjoys the highest Online traffic and dollar volume of any auction house on earth (source: SimilarWeb and Hiscox Report). The Internet’s most popular auction-house website, HA.com, has more than 1,750,000 registered bidder-members and searchable free archives of more than 6,000,000 past auction records with prices realized, descriptions and enlargeable photos. Reproduction rights routinely granted to media for photo credit.
My kind of a collectable, here’s my humble contribution!.. However after looking at my $1 stash, roughly 20% are naturally rim toned, with only a few being in the rainbow category. Both of the big-2 TPG’S were a bit lax a few years back towards the subjective interpretation and authentication of AT(Accelerated Toning)of coins with chemicals. Nowadays they are much stricter with toned coins and call out the enhanced coins if they catch it, then body-bag the coin to penalize.. They’re big business and can be quite expensive. A couple of mine, and I think the coin above, cost 1.7… Read more »
Rick,
Nice! I’d bet it looks great in hand out on the bourse in all the lights. Show us some more candy bro. You’re on deck.
Thanks for the Great Photo.
Spectacular toning! What sellers want for these, I ‘m not willing to pay; but, dang they sure look good! Thanks for the show!
Rick,
A wonderfully evocative example of the intersection of coinage, art, history and nature.
Beautiful. Thanks for the pic.
Thanks REB
Rick,
I had been unaware of the existence of Accelerated Toning prior to being informed about same by your comment above but considering the various shenanigans taking place and the wide array of value-enhancing scams that are perpetrated in the world of coin sales I’m not exactly surprised that the likes of this bit of chicanery is a thing also.
Coin Toning(a fancy word for tarnishing)… Accelerated/Artificial coin toning(AT) goes hand-in-hand with shenanigans, value-enhancing scams, perpetration, and chicanery. You nailed it Sir. It’s an art form in a way, or coin doctoring in another way. It is also legal so buyer beware! And buy what you like! Many, many coins are gifted with the lucky break of being naturally toned in one way or another. Spending decades near or against the inside of a canvas bag, a musty old wood hutch, a paper coin roll, or a certain coin album sometimes yielding a lustrous, kaleidoscope of delightful hues giving that… Read more »
Here’s one of my rim toned “oil slick” perimeter type coins below.
It’s a former NGC MS65(w/CAC Gold), that crossed over to PCGS recently and upgraded to an MS66. The cross was a risky ‘grade from scratch’ option that I had them perform, and it paid off. The toning is legit, and not a peep about it…
There is a difference in that rim compared to the PCI coins as seen above on eBay….Click photo x 2 for hi-rez….
Rick,
I am very impressed by how fastidiously you attend to both maintaining and when possible enhancing the quality assessment of your coins.
Kaiser,
VinnieC had said that I’m a “cherry-picker”, but I’m not quite there, not enough experience. E1 yes for his albums, ASE’s etc., me not as much! I’m more in line with being a “fixer-upper” of coins. It keeps me interested, engaged, and it’s a learning experience. Not all fixer uppers are successful I’ve learned, but some are winner keepers! It’s fun to try regardless. Also, as with many things, it helps to start off with finding a quality coin quietly hanging out in the background(cherry-pick I guess?)…
“You get what you pay for” is always a consideration as well.
Rick, As Paul Giammati’s character in The Holdovers remarked to a student who said he couldn’t fail his final exam, “Don’t sell yourself short”. Those are my precisely my own sentiments, but in a decidedly more positive and upbeat way, regarding your ability when it comes to both the upkeep and upgrade aspects of your clearly prodigious coin collecting abilities. There will always be those who are able to do this or that in a different way, some of which may be judged to be superior in one way or another, but I don’t believe that’s sufficient cause to in… Read more »
Rick, Thank you so very much for your exceedingly thorough and helpfully straightforward explanation of the ins and outs of Natural and Artificial Toning and the role in the difference between these two diametrically opposed realities played by various shady characters of the criminally (a judgment call, I suppose, because as you pointed out this practice of Artificial Toning is technically within the legal realm, albeit, I believe, ethically highly questionable) inclined sort. As for the link you provided to the ebay seller of “Toned” coins that are all “certified” by the now-defunct PCI, I would have to state categorically… Read more »
Thanks Kaiser, I’m no expert on the “subjective” subject, as there’s just too much out there to absorb, but some basics are helpful.
NGC, PCGS, & CAC have their limitations as well, but I’m sure they have many resources at their disposal for authenticating toned coins.
Even if in doubt about the origin of color on a coin, they will often ‘punt’ and call it a day…
PCGS will denote “Questionable Color” along with a details grade on the holder…
https://dyn1.heritagestatic.com/lf?set=path%5B1/1/9/0/5/11905691%5D&call=url%5Bfile:product.chain%5D
While NGC will flat-out call it “Artificial Toning”…
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/H2gAAOSwnsFgEF9J/s-l1600.webp
Rick,
You’re very welcome, of course.
Upon reading your most recent comments regarding toning it occurred to me that at some point in the numismatic past an all or nothing decision had to be made, and not one of Natural versus Artificial Toning but rather as to whether the Naturally Toned Coins would be judged to have both an appearance and price advantage or on the other hand to be saddled with a decided deficit and/or handicap in both of those categories.
Rick,
“They’re big business and can be quite expensive. A couple of mine, and I think the coin above, cost 1.7 times the price of a white coin, yikes!”
I hadn’t previously known that toning could so very substantially improve on the value of a coin. Coincidentally, it also explains why artificial toning would be so popular with scammers, considering the greater ill-gotten gains made possible by same.
E1, no problem and like I said, only a few rainbows in the stash.. Great Collections stores my goodies , so they get the credit for the pic.
Yes Sam, this one was 3 times it’s valuation compared it’s tone free sisters in the grade. Ouch but worth it to me at the time!
Nothing rare about it, except for it’s unique patinas…
You’ve seen this one before….
But I’m not sure you’ve seen the reverse!
Again, nothing rare, but the MS67+ is no slouch!
Zoom in on his eye, and that wing, good color,
Great stuff I think….
Wow, Stunning!
The Eye, great pick up point for the strike.
At least I learned something new today before calling it a day.
Thanks Rick
Thanks my pleasure, do I detect his tounge inside that beak? Great detail..
Gotta run…
Rick,
The eye was a surprise. Truly a great detail I hadn’t taken any notice of prior.
Same here Kaiser. It’s the first time I had seen the fine details of the eye. The purple over yellow highlights it further.
“Here’s looking at you, kid”….
Rick,
An extremely auspicious combination of the sharpness of the clean and clear strike serves in parallel with the contrasting hues of this particular colorization to create a uniquely highlighted focus on the detail of the eagle’s eye the likes of which I’d never seen before.
Rick,
I see you’re a fan of unforgettable movie lines also. Outstanding!
Rick,
I especially find the “half and half” effect of this one particularly intriguing.
To clarify an ambiguous remark, I meant that half of the Morgan has no toning while the other half does and it makes for a very special contrast.
Music to the Eyes. Amazing Brilliance and Color.
E 1,
“Music to the Eyes.”
Delightfully descriptive. Kudos!
And finally, the outcast of the bunch, revealing its ‘dark side’ personality traits, yet providing comfort to “The Monster Toner or bust” crowd!…..
Here is another beautifully toned example. One of my favorites. Stunning! But nothing could be finer than that 1896 above.
Mother nature is by far the greatest artist of them all.
I had a feeling that one wouldn’t last.
Rick,
The cool blue toning of this Morgan conveys an almost other-wordly beauty.
Her name is not Morgan! It’s Jennifer
While I am as enchanted by comely damsels as the next guy I am also well aware there are local girls who can match or surpass these popular icons by way of feminine pulchritude. If that perchance makes me a particularly wet blanket, so be it.
Of course, this might just depend on the time of the day or the mood I’m in. After all, things change.
Rick,
“Great Collections stores my goodies”
Does this mean you keep your coins in a vault at that enterprise?
No, poor choice of words.
They store all of my winners & losers, auction specifics and photos, watched items, recent/all ended auctions, invoices, and so on. Much longer than eBay specifics(eBay @ 3 mos+/-)…
They must have a ton of storage in the cloud or wherever?..
Rick,
Thank you very much for clarifying that. As you well know I’m for all practical purposes a self-contained coin collection operation, meaning simply I don’t tend to interact with any outside agencies other than the US Mint itself, which explains why I wouldn’t be privy to what kinds of professional services are provided by various numismatic organizations.
By the way, what happens to whatever’s stored in the cloud when it rains?
Rick,
I would hardly discount the rarity of the patina itself. After all, not all coins sport rainbows.
So I know this is a little extreme (possibly weird) I absolutely am smitten to walk around and find coins. There are some appliance facilities in my area that do washers and dryers for apartments. On their loading docks and their loading area parking lots they are always loaded with coins. (I just landed a 1958 Franklin just laying on the ground!) My reason for saying all of this; the coins that get stuck I. Easier are famous for rainbow toning (I suspect laundry soaps) Don’t judge me – I’ve found some nice coins – I’m always looking – everywhere… Read more »
The coins “that get stuck in a washing machine”….
Tony@GA,
Just as long as you don’t stuck in there, you’ll be fine.
Tony@GA,
Upon a further reading, I kind of like the way “the coins that get stuck I” just seems to peter off into a sort of nothingness to nowhere sense of unreality.
Tony@GA,
A really great story, especially so because it is somewhat out of the ordinary.
By the way, “weird” is a subjective term and doesn’t apply to anything automatically.
I never roll searched until the early 1990s when I went to the bank to get quarters for our quarter/half neighborhood poker game. On a whim I asked for both quarters AND halves this time. When I opened the rolls of halves, they were ALL WALKERS!!! Much to my delight I was a winner that night before even one card was dealt. Needless to say, none of those Walkers made it into any pot :-).
Even more delightful was the fact that the teller still had a couple more rolls on Monday when I returned to cash in the quarters!
Now that’s a WIN!
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!
DaveSWFL,
To quote from The Princess Bride, “Inconceivable!” What a stunning bonanza!
Agreed. Yet never to be duplicated :-(.
But that was the start of my half dollar roll searching. Many, many silver Kennedys and much fewer Franklins up until about 4 years ago. Now silver in roll searches is a rare experience.
Fun while it lasted!
DAVESWFL,
You found silver Kennedy Halves and Ben Franklins in rolls from the bank? This can’t be considered anything but unbelievably outstanding luck! But like so much else, it is apparently yet another good thing that eventually had to come to an end.
It was fun Dave, It’s been over 10 years for me since the half hunts. I would pick up a 50C box along with a few 1C boxes every couple of months and it was exciting to get those halves! No Franklin’s, and mostly 40% Kennedys. I think my best box was 1-90%, 3-40%, and a beat up clad proof. Free silver is great silver! Back then the bank had a coin counting machine, and a smile to help you out buying or returning a bunch of coins. Times have changed and like VinnieC highlighted some of these modern tellers… Read more »
Here in SWFL there are lots of “kids” turning in Dad’s collection not knowing there’s value in those rolls in the closet! Sometimes rolls of wheaties and once a roll of buffalos.
It’s a good idea to find out who is the head teller at your favorite bank, get on a first name basis, and remember to NEVER return rolls of halves to that bank.
DaveSWFL,
I’m beginning to envision a whole new side or even full-time business for anyone who has the time, energy and patience to act as a sort of go-between for collectors in their dealings with banks in regard to procuring rolls and returning loose coinage. A “making money where money is to be made idea”. Why not?
Rick,
Might also part of the less forgiving attitude of these tellers be inspired by pressure they are getting from above to only engage in activities and behaviors that directly benefit the bank. Providing collectors with coin rolls from the bank’s stash, so to speak, doesn’t fit in with today’s culture of having fewer employees do more work.
Kaiser,
Amen, brother. Our local branch now has only 3 people in it (at most). I’ve been in when there were only 2. The bank won’t allow a singleton alone. I’d have to agree from a safety viewpoint, but you’re spot on with the observation of “fewer employees do more work”.
Sam-I-am,
Here’s the irony, my friend. In bad times the work force is thinned out to help save money for the company, while in good times the labor segment is squeezed to earn more money for the company. Are we beginning to see a bit of a pattern here?
‘Free silver is great silver’…Has anyone ever received free silver from the mint via an extra silver coin or two in an order?
Craig,
By that do you mean accidentally as in an erroneous packing incident or intentionally so as some sort of bonus or reward?
In 25+ years of ordering – Never, not once received anything extra…. And if I ever did, I would call customer service and make sure I paid for it.
Reap what you sow principle for me
Tony@GA, I can most definitely relate to your principles, and in a personal way at that. A few months ago I used the self-service checkout at the local supermarket as I always do. I didn’t realize until I got home that I had inadvertently by-passed the pay station function. I immediately drove back to the store to remedy that at the customer service booth at which point they requested the store manager’s presence. As soon as he had heard the entirety of my story he called all the store’s employees together to make an announcement to them that someone who… Read more »
Great story and this is precisely the kind of acts that set the tone and culture for a better society – a better place to live.
Chivalry sir! Hat is tipped to you good sir!!
Rick,
Here’s what you wrote in the above comment:
“It’s been over 10 years for me since the half hunts.”
Here’s what I thought it said upon first reading:
“It’s been over 10 years for me since I went half nuts.”
I immediately realized I had been projecting that thought!
DaveSWFL,
If I ever opened a Roll of Half Dollars and found it to consist entirely of Walking Liberty Halves the term “ecstatic” wouldn’t even come close to sufficing.
And I also admit – in the vein of getting more than you ordered –
I’ve not been opening my boxes from the mint in about the last 3 years…… who knows what’s in there!?
Tony@GA,
If I could keep myself from opening a Mint delivery for 3 hours it would be a miracle.
Kaiser, E 1, et al.,
You may recall a few articles back, I told a story of my Grandmother’s $2.50 1915 Indian made into earrings, in which one of the pair was lost. Here is a photo of the remaining coin, removed from the clamp-style earring fixture.
The coin looks to be in fantastic shape! A real beauty!!
Sam-I-am,
I’m not surprised there is so much enthusiasm for this coin on our site; it’s amazing!
And then the reverse – AKBob, you might appreciate the eagle. It’s one of my favorite renditions.
Nice Coin Sam. One of my old favorites. The incused design is a classic.
I would slab it just to make sure its weight is spot on. But very desirable.
Thanks Sam!
Sam-I-Am, you would be correct, I really like this particular Eagle! I have been wanting some of these for a very long time and once the Flowing Hair is released and I figure out how many I want, I’m kinda hoping I’ll have extra money for some Pre’33 gold and these Indian Gold coins are near the top of my list. I’ve slowed down selling, only cause I needed a break but I’m going to be back at it soon and I’ve got some high end silver coins I’ll be selling and turning into more gold coins. Thank you for… Read more »
AKBob,
The more silver you are able to turn into gold the closer you come to being named recipient of the extremely prestigious award presented to the most successful Modern Day Alchemist of the Year!
Sam-I-am,
The stunning combination of the heroic obverse and the proud reverse is a virtually unmatchable “package”!
Thank you all for your kind comments! I have some other photos (pardon the cell-phone quality) y’all might enjoy…
I bought this set from the Mint
Sorry, I picked the wrong photo! Here’s the obverse of the proof set; the orangey shading is reflection from my shirt. I took the pic on the hood of my car!
Sam-I-am,
Doesn’t matter, Reverse or Obverse, those are fabulous looking coins from either side not to mention they make a gorgeous Set!
Sam-I-Am, thanks for sharing the background story and pictures of your 1915 $2.50 Indian Head gold piece! This design is one of my all time favorites and hope to add at least 1 to my collection someday? Perhaps a $5, to increase size do to eyesight, not being what it once was. Thanks again for posting coin pics you’ve taken recently!
Sam,
The 1915 Quarter Eagle had a mintage of 606K and has an MS63 value of $1,200. Also, in 1915, they produced a 1915 Sandblasted proof version with a mintage of 100 and a PR63 value of $15,000. This coin is a good candidate for certification.
E 1 and Sam-I-am,
Merely as a purely and completely fantasized, just for the fun of it, and admittedly numismatically inapplicable exercise, the result of a strictly mathematical comparison of the ratios of the two dramatically different mintages of on the one hand the 1915 Gold Quarter Eagle graded MS63 (606,000) and on the other hand its counterpart the 1915 Gold Quarter Eagle [sandblasted] Proof PR63 (100) would result in an entirely fictional but nevetheless rather impressive relative value of $7,272,000 for the latter Proof coin.
Best wishes for a Happy Labor Day!
Because I had these 50c coins as inspiration!
Sam-I-am,
That is without a doubt one of the all-time classics of Numismatica Americana!
Footnote: I have a long time habit of making up words and phrases as needed; hope that’s okay.
No problem, Kaiser; you follow common linguistic practice, so I can deduce your meaning!
Sam-I-am,
So glad to hear you don’t have a problem with this little quirk of mine. I like to play with the English language not because I disrepect it but quite the opposite in that I believe it lends itself so well to being “stretched” for purposes of enhanced expressiveness. Unfortunately, my native German doesn’t as a rule really allow for that sort of conversational elasticity.
Sam-I-am, I hate to say but they look cleaned and rubbed to me, given that outside along the rim is so dark compared to Columbus. From what I understand, it would likely not be graded but instead receive a Details label.
Major D and Sam-I-am,
Without in any way taking a position on whether or not these coins have at any time been cleaned, especially since I lack even the semblance of any expertise to attempt to make such a call, I do want to say that it certainly appears that in days long past at least the average coin owners would have much less compunction about cleaning their coins than they do now. Times change.
and the reverses thereof…
Sam,
The nation’s very first commerative coin. I have one myself.
Cheers
Sam-I-am,
I can’t recall exactly how I first became aware of this coin but I do remember it made an instant strong impression on me and it’s been one of my favorites ever since.
Kaiser,
Thanks for the positive comments! I bought the 1992 Columbus Proof Set specifically to go with the 1893 half. My Grandpa Young supplied the latter, and I just wanted to have the modern set to match it. You’ve now seen 2/3 of my gold coins! The third one is a 1991 (last year of roman dates) 1/2 oz. AGE. Wanted the 1oz, but couldn’t afford it at the time. I’d be happy to pay those 1991 prices today!
Sam-I-am,
You are most welcome, but honestly the pleasure is mine thanks to all of your thoughtful sharing. That Columbus Commemorative, in addition to being our nation’s and Mint’s first has, at least in my estimation, remained one of the most impressive to this very day. Regarding gold coins, I have none over the 1/10 oz. weight and only three of those, so our holdings in that regard are somewhat equal with you holding a bit of an edge, my friend.
They are cool coins. I have one of each year they were minted, 1892 and 1893.
Here’s some info on the mintages: World’s Columbian Exposition Half Dollars 1892 – 1893 – APMEX
Major D,
Many thanks for the link to what is a very interesting and informative article!
E 1
What are your thoughts on grading/slabbing any of these coins I’ve posted photos of? Obviously, the 1893 halves are circulated to some extent – would it be worthwhile to grade them? I hate to break up/crack out the 1992 proof set, unless it would significantly affect the value. Your honest opinions are welcome.
Sam-I-am, there are 55,867 of the 3-coin proof set but overall, 79,730 of the gold proof, 385,241 of the silver proof and 390,154 of the clad proof minted. I’m a big fan of the design with the space shuttle and have a few. Myself, I’d keep in the set/OGP. Historical Coin Sales Figures: 1992 Columbus | U.S. Mint (usmint.gov). I’m interested to hear what E 1 and others think of slabbing.
Sam,
I concur with Major D on the 3 piece proof set.
The 1892/3 Columbian Halves sell for $300-500 in MS65 and the mintages were very high. Those Columbian coins do not appear to be MS grade. So, I would pass on slabbing those.
Sam,
If you are a big fan of the 1893 Columbian, there are some nice ones on eBay.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/387086528255
E 1, Major D, et al.,
Thanks for the frank opinions on my coins and potential for slabbing. You have confirmed my own theories on said coins. Slabbing is not free, after all, and I see no point to spend good money to prove that a coin is substantially less than perfect.
Thanks again, everyone! This is the type of community response that convinced me to start posting here.
Sam-I-am,
We are very fortunate to have such willingly helpful numismatic encylopedists as Major D, E 1, CaliSkier and others on board here who, by sharing their vast troves of knowledge, can assist us in dealing with every manner of question about and/or problem with coins.
My bad for having neglected to include Rick, a veritable font of all manner of numismatic knowledge useful to us on this site!
No expert here, no trove, but instead I’m better described as the old “Jack of all Trades” person. Fun to learn though!..
As far as a copy/paste guy? Nothing special either!
And thanks for your kind words Kaiser.
Rick,
You’re most welcome, my friend, and what I said in that regard was not meant as flattery but rather stated as simple fact.
It is good to hear that so much about collecting is fun for you especially since if it wasn’t fun it likely wouldn’t be worth it.
Sam-I-Am, I gather from taking a peek on PCGS, even if you sent in the 1992 PF $5 gold and you were lucky enough to receive back a PF69 or PF70, PCGS has that coin currently valued, below spot melt. For any curious the PCGS CoinFacts page is linked below. PF70 works out to $725(est.)/coin or $2,900/oz. Of course you paid much less, at the time of purchase, however unless selling to a private party, being graded might not make any positive difference? If selling to a LCS or bullion dealer, you’d likely be offered a price, even if slabbed,… Read more »
Cali,
Thanks! It seems to be the consensus here to keep these 1992 Proofs in the OGP (which was my inclination to begin with). Even to my untrained eye, I could tell the 1893 Columbus coins were noticeably worn, and likely cleaned. I’ve been that route before, so I’ll hold off & keep them raw just for my enjoyment.
While all the other Precious Metals are at the very least holding their own the Secret Society of Silver Squishers is once again at it pushing My Precious back down again.
130 Sheeps worth of Silver coin found! From Archaeology News’s online magazine, dated May 20, 2024, by Dario Radley, titled: “17th century coin hoard unearthed in Wettin, Germany” PS The 130 sheep, references the value of the coins at time of being stashed/hidden.
https://archaeologymag.com/2024/05/17th-century-coin-hoard-unearthed-in-germany/
CaliSkier,
Thanks for the heads up on that particularly interesting and historically significant coin find. I love reading about these incredible discoveries of very old and/or even positively ancient coins not just all over Germany itself but throughout the continent of Europe in general. It does make one feel inclined to speculate as to what exactly happened to the owners after the burying of these bags (or other container) of valuable coinage that made it impossible for each of them to recover their stash.
Rick, thanks for your take on Natural vs Artificial toning and the link to all of those PCI “Super Toners”! While perusing I thought for a moment there was a slabbed “Digital Currency” coin? Then after noticing it was an actual coin, I really wondered who would think that a coin matching or resembling “Smurf” colors, would think that as being genuine long term acquired tarnishing/toning? That seller may have had a couple that were original, however the vast majority were definitely, “Artificially Enhanced”. However, in all fairness, after the past few threads, seemingly many coin aficionados don’t appear to… Read more »
CaliSkier, “However, in all fairness, after the past few threads, seemingly many coin aficionados don’t appear to be necessarily against, “Artificial Enhancements”, at least of the female persuasion.” I know, why out of everything you’ve presented to us in your entire very informative commentary regarding the issue of artificially-toned coins would I choose to react to this one particular “outside the numismatic realm” observation? Because, I suppose, like Christoph Waltz in Django Unchained, “I just couldn’t help myself”. Anyway, my humble but firm opinion is that an artificially toned coin for all of its faults will still be a lot more authentic… Read more »
My warped mind disagrees – as long as the fairer sex is not enhancing for profit!
DaveSWFL,
While I have no need to hide my genuinely enthusiastic admiration of the spontaneously warped mind, I nevertheless cannot get behind the concept of ABE (Artificial Breast Enlargement) since it inevitably results in the sporting of mammary implants that resemble nothing less than globe-shaped decorative lightbulbs. Those sadly peculiar-looking ancillary structures have very little if any connection to the shape of a natural female breast whatsoever.
Let me guess on a whim Kaiser?
That instead you are a fan of the 40’s & 50’s sadly peculiar-looking ancillary structures that have very little if any connection to the shape of a natural female breast whatsoever–The Bullet Bra!
Rick,
Love the photo, the concept not so much. So let’s review: We’ve now covered conical bras and beach ball boobs, so let’s see, precisely where does that leave us. I know, normal natural breasts that come in all shapes and sizes. Whoa, that is radical!
To keep you abreast of my mindset, please recognize that not all enhancements are in the chest! Down here in SWFL, facial enhancement is a HUGE business and when we’ll done absolutely add to the beauty of many of the female sex.
TMI – I’m more of a leg man than a breast man
Cali, “Wonder when or if dipped coins will possibly suffer a similar fate as “Artificial Toning”?” . When warranted, I am a fan of dipping silver coins with unfavorable toning. Specifically, coins with PVC. I am also of the opinion that all silver coins should be dipped “Only Once in their Lifetime.” This as a means of removing process oils and active foreign contaminants from the surface of the coin. Contaminants accumulated during the minting process, which may have unfavorable effects on the coin decades later. This is considered preservation, conservation, or restoration. I also make it a point to… Read more »
E1, thanks for breaking down how you approach, conservation/dipping. I know that getting rid of any PVC, would be highly advised, to say the least. I know that the TPG’s dip/clean, conserve and hopefully are as careful as you seem to be. Anyhow, again thanks for taking the time to describe in detail, your approach to the process!
E 1 and CaliSkier,
Is it possible that TPGs treating dipped coins submitted to be graded and slabbed with the same cautionary approach as applied to toned coins would result in many of the former receiving “Dipped” and “Details” labels?
Kaiser,
I have never seen a label that said “Dipped.” I have seen “Residue”, “Details”, and “Harshly Cleaned.”
Cali,
You’re welcome.
E1,
You have an image of something interesting above.
I have an image of something interesting below.
What do you say, should we combine our images to create something even more interesting? Keep us posted my friend!
Rick,
I’ve picked up a couple of Walkers since that photograph. I’m still working on that guy. You will be the first to know when it is done. It could be a couple of months out.
Cheers
I was also looking at my BU Franklin Album set last week and decided to replace one coin – just to make the entire set a superb gem set. Below is the reverse of the coin I purchased. It is a PCGS MS-65 FBL. However, do you think it would receive an FBL designation from NGC? Also, NGC has FBL, FLP, and FDPL. Have you ever seen an FLP?
Yes, I believe that NGC would recognize all of the lines, albeit a close call at left center. I’m not familiar with the other acronyms. And without looking it up, I’d like for you to spill the beans!
A partial guess of mine would be that the PL = Proof Like?
Another guess would be that the FLP has something to do with the object that the Bell is attached to–wild guess, only because I vaguely recall the mention of that ‘wood thing’ holding up the Bell…
Let’s have it boss!
PS E1: Today the very observant on-site coin news tattletale has seen to it to remove your pic of Jen-Jen exposing her abs! Yet simultaneously allowing see-through tops & undie pics coming from Kaisers favorite shopping site–Etsy!
A fresh, new article coming off of a long weekend? Nope, Nada. Wouldn’t want to do that, censorship is much easier lol.
Way to go coin-news!?
Rick,
“Kaisers favorite shopping site–Etsy!”
Who wouldn’t be enthralled by a site that allows (encourages?) the sale of common picked up off the dirty sidewalk mangled rusty Lincoln cents for prices in the thousand of dollars?
As for the other major issue of the day, perhaps Jen sued the site for indiscrete use of a very poorly photoshopped picture.
Kaiser,
I think a cease and desist notice would have to go out first. However, the admin for this site is very proactive and most likely took it down upon returning from the holiday.
Rick and E 1,
I’m always happy to see evidence of and therefore realize I’m not alone in being unfamiliar with what seems like a good number of the clearly popular numismatic acronyms used in discussions here on CoinNews.net., such as “Also, NGC has FBL, FLP, and FDPL. Have you ever seen an FLP?” No, but I did happen to see NRBQ give a rollicking free concert in Boston’s Fenway (the neigborhood Garden, not the baseball Park).
Now you have it….
It should be here in a day or so and you know what I am going to do with it.
Cheers
So, I guess no NGC FPLs (Full Bell Lines Proof Like) have shown up in your neck of the woods? I can’t even imagine an FDPL (Full Bell Lines Deep Mirror Proof Like).
“Have you ever seen an FLP?”
E1 I think that line threw me off yesterday! Thanks for the acronym lesson though. I’ll bet they look stunning–the FDPL-wow..
PCGS only has 2 PL examples, so not many of those exist it seems.
Rick,
I think I will be keeping an eye out for those FPLs and FDPLs.
Nice coin! Problem free with original mint luster. No dipping that coin?! If it had circulated, it was brief. A mini semi-key at less that 10m coins I’ve read…
Of course, we’re going to need photographic evidence of it’s journey from the slab to the album Sir.
Rick,
I purchased it as a no dip candidate.
Copy that on the photo. Ocular Proof – yes.
Rick,
Here you go again with the beautiful coins, and Walking Liberty Halves at that. If I was an envious person, I would be beside myself right now, but since it appears I’m all alone, it doesn’t appear that is the case.
Kaiser,
That would be the E1 Walker Album photo I borrowed from him & re-posted to get an update–it worked!
I’m quite envious of the E1 albums, and 100% great with that!
Furthermore, I would have no problem ‘attempting’ to emulate the E1 Album building technique that he uses. It looks to be the best way to build a stunning Gem Set–choosing exactly what coin you want for each hole. And each coin being an authentic, high quality, professionally graded coin to boot. Hobby engagement & enjoyment at its best I say! Kudos E1….
Rick,
Slabs have their purpose and albums have their purpose too. The albums are best for the building, conserving, screening, and balancing process required for a complete high-end set. However, there will come a time much further down the road when that complete high end beautiful album set becomes too valuable and then it all gets CACed by somebody else. Also, not all of the coins in my albums are cracked out. Only just a few. Usually, it’s the difficult coins where grade is hard to distinguish. My goal is always “Gem” and that equates to MS64 thru MS66.
Cheers
Thanks for the explanation, makes total sense when you put it that way.
Since grading coins was common practice decades before the modern TPG craze came along. You, as a Gem album builder, are an experienced independent grader yourself no doubt. And there’s your due recognition right here, right now!
Thanks Boss!
The truth hurts, 2, 2024 Uncirculated Sets received and opened. Don’t look with magnification unless you’re willing to see the many flaws. I’m no grader and collectors are lucky, I don’t work for NGC, PCGS or CACG. Without more experience, knowledge, etc, I’d give the coins in my sets an overall rating of MS62-MS65 at best. There may be a couple of MS65’s but I doubt it. Nicks, scratches, dents, even a large set of “fang marks” from Dracula in one of George’s and Kennedy’s cheek and neck! My expectations are obviously(?) a bit too much, for what we should… Read more »
CaliSkier,
Sorry to hear about your rather serious disappointment with the quality of your 2024 US Mint Uncirculated Uncirculated Coin Set; you certainly deserved better than that!
E1, I’ve heard of folks intentionally placing silver coins into certain Albums for natural toning to eventually come out. Even “hot spots” within the album & pages that tone coins differently, or quicker than other areas of the album. But people are not patient anymore, who wants to wait 30 years for those toners? Anyway, great take on how you handle old silver coins, especially mentioning the impurities during the minting & packaging process and the PVC issue facing a lot of the old coins. Makes a lot of sense. I’ve got a brand new Silver Medal I recently sent… Read more »
PS: I sent 2 Medals in, the other one is a 70✓. Looks like 50/50 quality is the Mint odds at the moment!
Rick,
While those odds are not in any way auspicious by way of receiving the actual quality desired, they do mesh with the chances yielded by the traditional coin flip.
Rick,
I have the Great Brittin bullion release. It has a calcium dit on Britania’s helmet. That’s ok though, as I purchased it to be a stocking stuffer. But, the design is cool. I’ve enjoyed it and now I will pass it on.
Rick,
Sure enough, there does appear to be a bit of a rather thinned out but still clearly visible part of the Milky Way arrayed in the night sky between the trees. Sorry that happened to you, my friend, and it makes me feel very ironically fortunate that I don’t own any powerful enough visual aids capable of achieving that level of magnification.
That’s the breaks for me Kaiser, Try to click the image twice for that zoomed image. Probably on it’s own page as well. The touch screen fellows will get quite the clear zoom. Anyway, while I’m a fan of cloud nebulas, I don’t like them on my coins. E1 calls them a calcium dit, and that’s a good description. I’m officially done with proof Silver coins & Medals unless bought already slabbed. Maybe a very special Silver coin Mint raw later? We’ll see. No more Mint sealed boxes for a TPG to see the flawed coin before I do(above L&B).… Read more »
Rick,
The bad news: there are some very tiny spots on that beautiful coin that shouldn’t be there.
The good news: the spots are so small they can only be seen with the use of magnification.
That being said, the idea of forgoing silver proofs from the Mint might not be a bad idea.
Rick,
Yes, the album can act like an old oak whiskey barrel. A curing medium.
E 1,
We can melt down the cured silver, let it cool, drink it all down and eventually turn blue. I’m not sure what hue the body adopts from drinking liquid gold.
Kaiser,
OK Let’s find out. You go first.
E 1,
Too late, my friend. A man by the name of Paul Karason beat us to it.
Of course, that still leaves open the contest for first person to turn gold, or does the girl from Goldfinger count as the winner of that?
I would say urinalysis and blood work required.
E 1,
I believe there might also have been an episode of a TV series of this genre that featured a female tennis player being murdered on the court with the use of skin-sealing lotion.
H’mmm
Happy Hour!
E 1 and Major D,
No offense, but as a Friend of Bill W. I’ll sit out this celebration.
Wonders never cease!
I received my uncirc’s today. I ordered multiples in hopes the Jefferson D nickel will be valuable.
Nonetheless and here is the news – all normal boxes EXCEPT one package was in white thin plastic as is a Amazon order – no padding – just my uncirc boxes inside and easily squeezed the boxes – ZERO PROTECTION!
Anybody else get this type of packaging? Has always been the brown boxes….
And before you ask – Yes it’s from Fulfillment Center Irving Texas
Tony@GA,
Whatever else can be said about this latest Mint product, the one thing I know for sure is that this was the fastest delivery of any of my Mint orders I’ve ever received.
Tony@GA,
Here’s a question I forgot to ask before. Did you order some of those Uncirculated Sets separately or is that just how the Mint chose to ship them? I say that because whenever I put in an order for multiples all of the products come in one box.
Trying to show picture – this is a first
Here is the picture of this – flimsy and zero support other that the coin folder sleeve itself
Looks like an eBay package. That would be a first for me if it came from the Mint like that!
Rick,
Wouldn’t it be bizarre if the Mint were getting all of its product from ebay now and repacking it into their own boxes at the distribution center in Texas?
I cut my subscription down to just one and it came in the same type of padded envelope. I’m leaving mine unopened in the sealed cardboard box, which has colors (red and blue on a flag design) for the first time.
I think that we’re going to need some photographic evidence of this so called “(red and blue on a flag design) for the first time” business that you’re claiming sir….
Nevermind–found it! …I’m good with it!
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/hR0AAOSw6~tm1zP6/s-l1600.webp
Rick,
The “boxes within the box” photo reminds me of youtube coin site unpacking videos. I know, somebody needs to get a life. 😉
Major D,
Uh oh. Actual colors on the “plain brown wrapper”? Does that seem like it might be a precursor to a price hike or what!
Tony@GA,
It seems the Mint was one Set short of fulfilling your order so they got help from ebay.
Tony@GA,
If Amazon’s shipping practices are an indicator, this is the current reality of packaging.