Coin Talk

A new type of U.S. Mint® collecting that I have been pursuing specimens with a primary emphasis on ownership/gifted by a President of the United States.

President Johnson -to- Congressman Stephens -to- DrDarryl (the number of -to- indicates I achieved two degrees of separation from President Johnson).

Bonus point 1 for the original White House letter signed by President Johnson.

Bonus point 2 for the specimen identified as "...among the first Kennedy half dollars...".

Bonus point 3 for the March 24, 1964 date (it's the first day of issue of the John F. Kennedy half dollar).



Bonus point 4 for original White House envelop.



Bonus point 5 for obtaining a letter of provenance from the estate of the original recipient (redacted for privacy).


Bonus point 6 for finding another example gifted to Senator Medcalf....

Since this came up in another discusson, I thought I'd repost it here. Maybe put it on the FAQ board, if it meets approval.

OK, here you go- several paragraphs and some extra commentary about a simple technique that can be performed in far less time than it will take you to read this post:

The LordM "No Tools" Slab-Cracking Technique

Essentially my technique consists of inserting the top portion of the slab (the part where the label is) between two fixed, immovable, and sturdy surfaces like a gap between the boards on a porch or deck, and then pushing the slab with one's foot to "bend" it, exerting pressure in one direction. The placement of the slab between the boards means that while you're exerting pressure on it, you're "bending" it until it snaps in two, breaking off that top portion where the label is....

Went to my first show today - the Central States show. Figured I'd give my experience as a first timer. Wanted to go Thursday or Friday as everyone says those are the best days but just couldn't get out of work so went today. Most of the dealers were still there this morning but almost all said they were packing up around 2:00. Everyone but one said they were having a good show but said it was pretty dead today (again I have no experience to compare to so will have to take their word that it was dead today seemed fine to me!).

First thing I did was go to the Heritage table because a friend said the Sunday online auction had lot viewing until noon. They told me there was no lot viewing only pickups so I wasn't thrilled about that since I spent hours putting together a list to check out in hand. Mentioned that at the first table I stopped by and he said "they're still doing lot viewing this morning go upstairs and look" and sure enough I went upstairs and was able to view the...

Richard The Lionheart

AD 1189-1199


Born in 1157 in Oxford, Richard was the fourth child of King Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine. Richard was said to be tall, skilled in combat, and politically cunning. He also possessed a violent temper, not an uncommon trait in his family. A betrothal was arranged between Richard and Alice of the Vexin (daughter of Louis VII of France), but the marriage never took place. At one point the Pope himself intervened and ordered that the marriage take place, but to no avail. Various reasons have been put forward to explain Richard’s apparent unwillingness to marry Alice, amongst them it has been suggested that Richard was homosexual. In addition to never being married to Alice, Richard maintained a close friendship with Philip II of France during his early years. Arguing against his homosexuality is the fact that Richard had mistresses and sired at least one illegitimate son, he also eventually married Berengaria of Navarre, although...

This is something Mark posted years ago. It helped me at a time that I had more money than brains. It made me think more and make better decisions. It also pointed out many mistakes I made at a younger age.
Thank you Mark for letting me share this here.

After collecting coins off and on for years as a child, I have been involved in numismatics on a full time basis, since 1979. During that time, I have run my own coin dealership, worked for Heritage on three different occasions, been a buyer for David Hall, worked for Pinnacle Rarities and was a grader at NGC for seven years.
And, as I like to tell people, numismatics runs in my blood, literally – numismatic pioneer B. Max Mehl was my grandmother’s uncle. I am proud to have that numismatic connection and always do my best to honor it.

I created the list of collecting tips below, in order to help collectors enjoy and benefit more from our wonderful hobby.

1.Buy/collect what YOU like. But keep in mind that when it comes time to sell,...

One of the oddities in our hobby is the concept that a coin can be "unlisted," in other words, not documented in the major catalogs. For those who collect Roman imperial coins, that means the volumes known as..."Roman Imperial Coins" a series of books that started publishing in the 1920's and ended (I believe) in the very early 1960's, or thereabouts. Updated editions have come out for Volumes I and II, which included many types unknown to those writing the initial volumes.

How something is defined as listed or unlisted can depend on how much detail is in the reference work. This concept is addressed in Doug Smith's article, " 'Unlisted' Denarii of Maesa & Elagabalus?" In my almost 20 years in this hobby I have only come across one sestertius for which the references were completely silent - in other words a reverse scene completely unknown to RIC. This was a sestertius of Caracalla, sold a year or two ago by the European company Pecunum. The reverse showed a figure with an ax...

Maria Magdalena of Austria

Work of Guillaume Dupré, 1613


Lead, 97.2 mm Ø, 77.3 g

Obverse: Bust of Maria Magdalena facing left, with elaborate hairstyle, wearing open ruff, intricate lace collar, and jewels. Around, MAR · MAGDALENÆ · ARCH · AVSTR · MAG · D · ETR (Maria Magdalena, Archduchess of Austria, Grand Duchess of Tuscany). Under truncation, GDP 1613 .

Maria Magdalena of Austria (1589-1631) was the youngest daughter of Karl II, Archduke of Inner Austria, and his wife Maria Anna of Bavaria. She married Cosimo II de' Medici (1590-1621) in 1608, and together they would have eight children. Cosimo II succeeded his father to become Grand Duke of Tuscany in 1609 until his passing. His mother, Christina of Lorraine, and Maria Magdalena would then act as regents for the new grand duke, the ten-year-old Ferdinando II. Pollard notes that Maria Magdalena was portrayed in similar court dress and...

Hey all, these past few weeks have been been unusually busy for me and I've been driven into veritable lurking mode here on CT. Even though my coin activity in general has been close to zero (which is good since my budget is well into negative territory!), I wanted to share this recent arrival from an auction win back in March.

I've admired these Lokrian staters ever since I started collecting Greek coins and they've always been right at the top of my want list. This example has a really beautiful, high-relief head of Demeter, but it was probably the intricate decorative details on the inside of Ajax's shield on the reverse that really sold me on it. I wish my pictures were better, because it is truly gorgeous in hand .

As always, please share 'em if you've got 'em!


LOKRIS, Lokri Opuntii
AR Stater. 12.09g, 24.9mm. LOKRIS, Opous, circa 350-340 BC. BCD Lokris-Phokis 60; McClean 5433; HGC 4, 992 var (control). O: Head of Demeter left, wreathed...

This coin is the one I had hinted at in the “Post Your Favorite Coin” thread. I was extremely excited to be able to buy it, and I was quite surprised for one to simply fall into my grasp like this one did. What you are looking at is a gold-inlaid knife cast by Wang Mang between 6 and 9 AD. The inscription reads “Yi Dao Ping Wu Qian,” or “One Knife Worth Five Thousand.” Since it will readily fit into your hand, you might be surprised how something so small can be worth five thousand of a monetary unit (likely Wu Zhu). However, there is a reason for why this is, which I will explain below.



I am sure most of you have at least heard of Wang Mang, but I would guess that few of you are familiar with the details of his story. If so, then there is no time like the present to read about this fascinating tale. I find the lore surrounding Wang Mang’s rule to be some of the most fascinating in all of world history as it began with brilliance and good intentions but...

A couple of hours ago during lunchbreak on this sunny day I took the bike to visit my very first ever floor auction and this is what I took home with me:



IMP CAES D CAEL BALBINVS AVG - Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Balbinus right
CONCORDIA AVGG S C - Concordia, in long dress, seated left on throne, holding double cornucopiae in her left and patera in her outstretched right hand
Sestertius, Rome, 22 April - 29 July 238
30 mm / 18,53 gr
RIC 22, BMCRE 18, Cohen 4, Sear 8494



Chosen by the Roman Senate against Maximinus Thrax in a unique feat after the failure of the Gordiani Africani, Decimus Caelius Calvinus Balbinus and his colleague Pupienus Maximus were doomed by their mutual antipathy and growing unpopularity with the Army and the city plebs, who wanted a successor with a pedigree, namely the young Caesar Gordian III.

According to Edward Gibbon, "Balbinus was an admired orator, a poet of distinguished fame,...