ddddd's top 10 of 2024

As 2024 concludes and 2025 approaches, I once more bring back the tradition of showcasing the top 10 additions of the year. As you will see, the main focus this year was eye appeal and color. There is no particular order to the list besides the first six being from Great Collections (and I am using their excellent photos). The next coin is a TrueView photo and my own photos make up the final three.


1987-S Silver Eagle PCGS Proof-68 DCAM
...lovely rainbow colors adorn this Eagle, particularly on the reverse; while I sold some of my Eagles this year, I could not resist adding one I really liked (and this one helped make it easier to let go of some others).




1887 Morgan Silver Dollar NGC MS-64 ★ (Battle Creek Collection)
....this Morgan I did not win when it came up in 2023; in 2024 I was determined to get it and was successful (for a little less than it brought the first time!). There was some controversy on Instagram concerning if this coin was truly a Battle Creek but that did not bother me. I liked it and am glad to have it.



1880-S Morgan Silver Dollar PCGS MS-65
...another Morgan for me! This one is semi-PL and lustrous-just what I like to see from an early "S" mint. The two sided color is great as well, especially on the reverse.


1922 Peace Silver Dollar NGC MS-64 ★ (Binion Collection)
...going into the year, I did not own a toned Peace Dollar. Well I changed that! An added bonus is that it came with the Binion Collection pedigree!


1991 Silver Eagle PCGS MS-68
...this is the second of two Silver Eagle additions. I really liked the pattern combined with the bright colors.


1974-S Eisenhower Dollar Silver PCGS Proof-69 DCAM
...while I have owned toned Ikes before, none have been "keepers" (ended up selling the few over the years). This one has found a spot in the collection with its bright colors and high grade (for a toned coin, it is more common to see 65-68 and not 69).


1961 Franklin Half Dollar PCGS MS 65
....a date that is less common for color (it came after the cardboard years), this Franklin was an eBay find. I am glad to have it as part of the set!


1988 Dan Carr Peace Dollar Medal Anacs MS 67
...this was an ANA Show purchase from a dealer that had a handful of Carr pieces. Over the years, I have focused on Carr items that are toned. This one fits the bill and complements my other Peace Dollar addition.


2024 Kazakhstan Silver Proof Kokbori

(note: the photo shows two coins but it is the proof that is part of the top 10)

....Starting in 2023, the Kazakhstan Mint decided to rebrand their bullion coin and go with a new design. They chose the popular Kokbori-the first coin from the totem animals series that began in 2018. The 2023 saw some small mintages. The bullion numbers are not published but the silver proof 1 oz was only 100 total pieces and the gold proof 1/10 oz was 40 total. With such small mintages, prices have been high and I was not able to pick any up. Fortunately 2024 provided a better opportunity. The bullion examples are more readily available (I paid $57 for a 1 oz silver-well over spot but more reasonable than the $100+ for the 2023). The proofs are also more attainable. The 1 oz silver has a mintage of 640 and can be found for under $200 (compared to $900+ for the 2023). An interesting addition to the proof coin is a hologram feature which can be seen when you rotate the coin under light.


1986-S Statue of Liberty Commemorative PCGS PR 68 DCAM
....last but not least is this super colorful modern commemorative. It was a Central States addition; while pricey, this is among the best color I have seen on these coins. So it came home with me.

 

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Some stats on where the coins came from:
6-Great Collections auctions
2-coin shows (Central States and ANA)
1-eBay
1-direct from a seller in Kazakhstan

 

TPG breakdown:
6-PCGS
2-NGC
1-Anacs
1-raw

 

I like the rainbow colors. The Morgan dollars are my favorites.

 

That Binion Peace Dollar is so nice that David Hall might even approve!

 

Thanks! And I'm the same when it comes to Ikes. That is why the previous several examples did not stick around. This one is much better than those though.

 

As you might have guesses, I like rainbow colors too. Morgans also tend to be the coins with some of the best colors out there.

 

That would be something!

 

I love toned Morgans, too! Two online friends, Eric Tillery (k6az on the old rec.collecting.coins newsgroup in the early 2000's) and Jeff Curtis got me into them - bastards! You gotta be careful, though - there are lots of ways to create toning.

 

I like the rainbow top 10. Although some of the rainbow ones have some help getting to that stage, I'd like to acquire a Morgan for 2025. I attempted to purchase a sedately toned one but it disappeared in the mail.

Whatever causes it, natural or not, I really like the 'monster' toners.

This is about the closest thing I have to a bona fide rainbow toner, from an old collection.

 

That's cool-toned and ancient!

 

Much appreciated!

 

I like the Kazakhstan pieces. Were those actually minted in Kazakhstan or do they source them from somewhere else?

 

Kazakhstan has their own mint and they make their own coins. In fact, Kazakhstan also makes coins for other countries (Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Belarus are just a few examples I have seen over the years...although those countries don't exclusively use Kazakhstan; they have used other mints, including those in Russia and Poland).

 

1885-O Morgan Silver Dollar NGC MS-63 ★ (Great Falls Collection)

....and a bonus #11...this Morgan was picked up after my top 10 list and it was just too nice not to include! An eBay find I wasn't planning on, but after staring at it and debating, I figured I should buy it. Good thing that I did because the colors are fantastic and it's another collection pedigree to add to my Battle Creek plus Binion.

 

I owned a lot of Great Falls Coins including the 007 from a neighboring submission that is an EOR toner like yours. The Great Falls coins were stunning, different than Battle Creek, many more with semi-PL surfaces.



Here is a link to my old custom NGC Registry Set:
Rainbow Wars Part 1 (A battle of the pedigrees)