Hello. I'm sorry to be the guy that posts a very basic question that he should have looked up on Google But I did! I honestly tried. It is very difficult searching for the letter "s" and getting usable results. I have a few coins that were passed to me and I'm trying to educate myself about them. I tried searching for one on eBay to get an idea of its value and I found one that was very near identical... but not quite. My coin: 1901 $10 PCGS MS62 Their coin: 1901-S $10 PCGS MS62 What's the "-S"? Is it more desirable? Less? While I have your attention... also in that listing, they seemed to go on about the "old green case" that it was in. Mine looks identical. Is the type of plastic enclosure really worth anything? Does it matter that mine is chipped? (the case that is, not the coin - it has a raised lip on the front surface and a 1/2" section is chipped off. No affect to the contents). Just for interest sake... I also have a 1923 $20 MS 64 (NGCoA?) in a hard plastic case as well as a 1973 Krugerand that's just in a small plastic envelope (ie. I can easily pull the coin out and handle it). Thanks. - Steve
I seem to be the first reader/responder so I'll gladly help with part of your question. The "S" is a mintmark...location that the coin was made. In this case, San Francisco. D is for Denver, and no mint mark or P is for Phili. There are a couple others, but those are the main ones. I can't answer your graded coin plastic container questions as I know nothing of them. I do recommend not handling the Krugerand as the oils on your skin could very well destroy the coin's surface and potential value. Hope this helps.
Hey, thanks dimeguy! I appreciate the quick response. Ok, so its Phili... good to know. Curiosity did get the better of me and I did handle the Krugerand when I first got it. I suppose I should look up "cleaning" now Though I would suspect because it isn't in an enclosure that its probably just worth the material value? Cheers.
Welcome to the neighborhood. The "S" is a mintmark and it means that the coin was struck in San Francisco. If there is no mintmark, the coin was struck in Philadelphia, and an "O" means that it was struck in New Orleans. One of the early slabs PCGS used is often referred to as the "OGH" or old green holder. The chip on your slab may be just accidental damage, but it may also be that someone tampered with it to replace the coin with one of a lesser grade or even a counterfeit. It's hard to make an accurate assessment of any of your coins without seeing photos. I am not a collector of gold, but there are others here who can help you. Chris
welcome to coin talk, if you got questions these guys got answers. Did you have a relative pass on and they sent you some coins? I think coins make a good keepsake to remember someone by.
Good info Chris, thank you. I'm no expert in coins, but looking at the damage I'm comfortable that it was accidental. It is nowhere near the seam, nor is it anywhere near the coin. Not impossible though, I suppose. Fair enough! Thanks Chip! It was left to us from a relative that passed on. However, they didn't hold sentimental value for her - they were simply an investment. Coins haven't been anything I've had interest in... though I must admit this is all very interesting as I'm learning! I have perhaps a dumb question. Say the value of a coin is $2000 and the gold value of it (by weight) is $1000 right now. Now say in 5 years the gold value is $500 (half), would it be logical to say the total value is $1000 (again half) or would it be more logical to say its $1500 ($1000 "collector" value and $500 gold value)?? - Steven
Now that is not a dumb question, I am a novice, just been learning about coins in the past year, it seems to me that coins are their own sort of marketplace, and that while bullion price can push gold coin prices up, they are not totally dependant on spot prices, bullion is one factor that can effect the prices, it is another stream of demand that can push prices up, but usually bullion value will most effect the more common higher mintage number coins, those coins that are rare remain rare wether gold is 500 or 2000 an ounce, and there are enough collectors that are seeking to buy those coins to keep the prices up.
Steven, First of all, no question is dumb when you are trying to learn. A simple answer to your question is that the numismatic value of a coin is based more on rarity and condition, and fluctuations in the price of the precious metal will not change that fact. Chris
Welcome to the neighborhood. Just so you know, the only dumb question is the one that you dont ask. You did the right thing. You tried the get the answer yourself and when you could not, you asked the question. this forum is great like that. Many many people who know a ton of things are willing to help even on the "dumb" stuff. Once again, welcome and look forward to helping you learn
Welcome to CoinTalk s_mack, I see you've got your answer. Something I would always recommend to a new collector is to start buying books. It seems that the most knowledgable collectors also seem to have a good numismatic library. To get you started look for "A Guide Book of US Coins" by RS Yeoman. Also called The Red Book, it is available everywhere for about $15 or less. Lots and lots of good information on all US Coins. Only one caution, don't put too much stock in the pricing quoted, you'll soon learn that there are more up to date sources for pricing. Again, Welcome
As a matter of clarification, not all coins with a 'D' mintmark were struck in Denver. During the years 1838 to 1861 the branch mint in Dahlonega, GA struck gold coins with a 'D' mintmark ($1, $2 1/2 and $5 plus one year - 1854 - a $3 coin). The Denver Mint first struck coins in 1906 and struck (and continues to strike) all denominations of coins.
A little trick for you when using a search engine for info about coins. First of all only use the Advanced Search function. Only use the line that says - this exact wording or phrase: . And make sure that the very first thing you put on that line is this one word - coins. Then hit the enter key. Then when the new page pops up, before you do anything else, drop clear to the bottom of that page and click on - Search Within Results. When the new page opens you will get a single dialogue box. In that box type in the one word that you want to search for. If you wish to use more than 1 word, then be sure to put your phrase into quotes " " - both begining quote and ending quote must be there. Then hit the enter key. Probaly 80% of the time whatever you are searching for will be at the top of the page that opens. And almost certainly on the the first page. And I keep my number of results at 10 per page. This method has rarely failed me.
