And the nickel sold for............?

I was the bidder upper at 2,699,999 million.

 

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Doggone sniping software let me down again!

 

Here is mine.

 

Condor was that an auction or private treaty?

 

The article I read may be wrong, but I think they said that the expected amount it was supposed to fetch was $2.5 million, but it actually
sold for almost $3.2 million.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/04/26/nickel-1913-liberty/2115307/

 

I don't believe it's a slam dunk that it was the first silver
dollar struck. Earliest die state yes, strong strike yes,
specially prepared planchet yes, for presentation to
someone, probably. But why one? Am I suppose to
believe that in 1794 there was only one aristrocrat
in America whose butt needed kissing? I'd rather have
the copper trial strike.

 

Ok then, is there ANOTHER early die state, strong strike, this high of grade silver dollar we know exists? If its not the first, then its probably the earliest existing one, which in my book is the same thing effectively. I don't care if they struck an earlier one but it was melted in 1806. Doesn't really help me if I want the finest example of a 1794 dollar, right?

I have never been crazy about offmetal strikes personally. Still, ignoring value, would you rather have the offmetal 1794 or an illegally minted nickel fantasy piece?

 

I don't dispute that it's early die strike. Early
does not automatically mean first. And if, as
suggested, it was a presentation piece , I don't
believe it was 1 of 1 for presentation.

I'd much rather have the fantasy nickel. It's bogus
past is still it's past. It's still history.

 

I take that back. For ten mill I'd rather have the
Brasher punch on chest. That most likely really
is unique.

 

E BRASHER punch on a CHEST is NOT a UNIQUE coin to many outthere too... NOT UNIQUE!

 

Punch on wing I believe is the unique one, not the punch on chest.

I am sure Conder will correct me if I am wrong though.

Sorry if I am simply down on the 1913 LHN. I just find them hinky, since they were made illegally. If it weren't for the PT Barnum type of coin salesman that was B Max Mehl, no one would really ever have heard about them save for pattern collectors. By making them "famous and valuable" we simply are encouraging theft and law breaking in my eyes.

 

It's listed in the Redbook as unique. Have others surfaced?

 

It's listed in the Redbook as unique.

 

The 5 million was a private sale from Legend to an unnamed collector.

I don't even buy that that 1794 was a presentation piece. I think the die had probably been polished to strike a presentation coin and the current coin is just showing the results of that polishing. I still can't buy that if you are creating a high prestige presentation coin that you would use an underweight planchet that had been holed and plugged, then had a file scraped across it because the plugging had made it overweight. You would pick through the planchets and find a good one that was within spec without having to be adjusted and then you would polish and strike it.

After the presentation piece was struck you would strike other coins and that is where the twice worked over planchet came from. After striking a few more (one?) the die cracked or clashed or something and had to be dismounted and then remounted tipped resulting in the left hand side weakness seen on most specimens.

 

Thats a lot of change for a counterfeit nickel. Before I have to defend that, here's an exert from the Oxford English Dictionary: ( to imitate or feign. to make a fraudulent replica of.)
Guy

 

Like I said maybe I am wrong. Listen, if you prefer a private merchant token versus one of the first US silver dollar coins then that is your right. Everyone has different tastes. I would take either, or maybe 1000 other US coins, over a 1913 LHN. That is my taste though, so I don't begrudge anyone else their preferences. If I were President, though, I would probably look at issuing an Executive Order ordering all five confiscated, though, since legally they never could have left the mint in my view, since they were never authorized to be produced.

 

I just checked CoinWorld Almanac which is a
bit more up to date than my 2002 RedBook.
Almanac also calls punch on chest unique.

Note to Aunt Bee-they really called it breast.

 

Ok, but its still just a token.

 

I have to re-read my Garrett book. I remember Bowers
talking about a mint director who was essentially running
his own fantasy strike business out the Pa mint.
Maybe Condor remembers his name.

 

I thought it was traced back to a mint employee who had longstanding ties to a certain Philly dealer, "supplying" him with loads of items over the course of many years. I didn't think it was a mint director, but I agree with you Conder will be the font of wisdom on this.