Coin Talk

Unlike the Greek monetary system which was based around the value of silver and gold, the early coinage of Rome was based on bronze. The progression and maturation of Rome’s currency was chronicled by Pliny the Elder, who described the earliest bronze currency as “aes rude”.

While it allowed for wealth to be portable, it didn't fulfill all of the critical aspects of coinage, as it was only traded by weight, needing to be cast or broken into irregular shapes without being assigned a specific unit of value.

Eventually, these were refined into rectangular bars named “aes signatum”, which featured images and inscriptions, bringing them closer to actual conventional coinage. However, making change still required the bars to be physically broken into pieces. To further improve and optimize trade, the coinage was refined into cast bronze in a disc shape, known as “aes grave”, learning from the concepts...

PCGS describes the Full step designation as follows:
Jefferson Nickels. MS60 or better, at least five complete steps must appear on Monticello. Any steps that join or fuse together, whether created that way or subsequently damaged, cannot be considered for the Full Steps designation.

Now, I understand that. But upon further inspection/comparison before I send one of mine to them, I have found that a lot of their coins designated as FS do in fact have minor flaws on the steps. I was checking out the 1946 S FS nickels on PCGS coinfacts and even on their featured coins, they have minor step issues. Check out the pic below(1946 S MS66FS) all the way to the left of the stairs. So this raises my question of, how strict are they about the FS designation?


Below is a picture of mine. What do you guys think? Sorry for the bad picture. Regardless how the picture looks, the steps are completely full, except for that nick right in the middle....

This will be a multi-part series introducing some helpful tools that will make finding the coins you want easier, faster, automated, repeatable, and removing as many false-positives as possible with your auction searches.
Part 1: eBay Advanced Search Query

On eBay, there is searching, and then there is searching. I for one, can't even image wading through thousands of auctions without knowing how to used the advanced eBay search and filtering. Here are the basics:

Quotation marks: Searches for the exact word or phrase
Parentheses around keywords separated by commas: Act as an OR operator
Minus sign (-): Acts as a NOT operator

These can be strong together, with multiple instances of each, but there is a max of around 100 characters that the eBay search box allows for, after that it will get truncated and ignored, or sometimes there will be an...

PHOENICIA, Byblos. Uzzibaal. 350-335 BC*
AR dishekel, 13.3 gm
Obv: Three hoplites with shields in war galley left, roaring lion's head on prow, waves below galley; hippocamp left below; Z O (N O?) in field
Rev: Phoenician inscription*; lion attacking bull left
Ref: SNG Copenhagen 132, BMC 26.95, 4.
acquired August 2014

*Notes

• The date of this issue varies depending on source and ranges from 400 to 335 BC.
• Various references translate the inscription to ‘zb‘l mlk gbl (Ozbaal, king of Byblus).

Masters of the sea


Positioned at the easternmost Mediterranean, Phoenicians capitalized on the waterways and were renowned for their seamanship. Keeled-hull ships allowed them to sail the open seas and as a result, the Phoenicians developed a flourishing sea trade and unmatched naval power. You might consider them the world's first traveling salesmen.

Phoenician colonies...

Chopmarked Coins: A History; the silver coins used in China 1600-1935 by Colin James Gullberg (iAsure Group JEAN Publications, June 2014, 187 pages, 8-1/2 x 11, color ill., $40 + S&H). Order from the author Colin Gullberg <chopmarknews@gmail.com>.

For most collectors in most times and places, these were just damaged coins, worth less than unmarked coins in the same grade. For merchant sailor and numismatist, Frank M. Rose, they became a passion. For over 25 years, his 1987 work, Chopmarks, stood alone. Now, it has a worthy companion.

This is a narrative about collecting, a history of economics in China, and an overview of a huge, unexplored area of numismatics. It is the tip of the iceberg.

Gullberg illustrates the history of western silver coins in China with examples from his own collection, the Rose collection, and several other sources such as the British Museum, and Stacks Bowers. Coins are arranged by their initial year of issue. An example...

What You Need To Know About: Wear
By Jason Poe

This is the fourth in an extended series I am writing about the basics of grading. Whereas contact marks are far more important on higher grade coins (especially Uncirculated coins, which by definition have no wear), the level of detail remaining becomes much more important as a coin passes through circulation. For people just entering the hobby, terms like Uncirculated may have already lost you. Don’t worry! I’ll explain it all here in this article.

To begin, coins are divided into two broad categories: Uncirculated and Circulated (I use capitals here for emphasis). The dividing distinction is that the first have no wear, the second have wear visible. Coins displaying any wear, even if only the slightest trace of rub on the highest points of the coin, are called circulated. It also doesn’t technically matter where the wear came from – whether it’s from actually changing hands in circulation or from sitting in a velvet coin...

I really looked forward to the Chicago ANA show this year, especially since I hadn’t set up a coin show since the Long Beach show in June. I had also signed up for the PNG pre-show for the first time and was anxious to get some great “early bird” buys. Here is me so happy to be going to the Chicago ANA!







FRIDAY



Since my hubby drops me off on his way to work, I arrived at the John Wayne airport a couple hours before my flight and sailed through TSA with no problems.

This was my first time travelling to an ANA World's Fair of Money, but I did attend the 2009 show in Los Angeles which was not far from home.

I had been vacationing with family in Missouri and had planned to end the trip to the Midwest by driving up to Chicago to see some family and friends and also to go to the big show.

Anyways, I did have a good time at the show, despite all of the craziness surrounding the gold Kennedy half release and the few greedy dealers who made all dealers at the show look like scum. I was able to sell several coins I brought to the show and I also bought a few cool pieces too. Will not be including details/photos on that though as I don't want to be spamming the forum.

Here's a shot of the lobby just before the show opened up at 10am on Tuesday 8/5. And another shot of ANA President Walt Ostromecki giving the opening remarks.


...

This is likely the first show report that I have ever written prior to coming home, but the events of the last week seemed too important to wait until my travel plans allowed me to get settled. Please also note that this is probably the first show report where I complain loudly and note that these complaints are my opinions only and may or may not echo the opinions, feelings or sentiments of other dealers or collectors. This is especially important to keep in mind since I share table space on the Numismatic Americana table at larger shows even though Thomas Bush Numismatics and Numismatic Americana are two independent proprietorships.

Before I write about the show, I will write about the gold JFK sales that took place during the show. Truly, this is why the current show report is being written so soon after the show and not later after all other work is completed. At this time I am still in a state of disbelief that the decision makers within the ANA and the US Mint could allow...