A 1/2 oz. gold coin is more money than someone would spend on a novelty. I guess the bottom line question is on the order of what you want to...
Well-maintained presses can last a Very Long Time. The first steam press was made in 1836 and still works. (OK, it's been converted to...
If you strike pewter, you don't need as much pressure. Take a look at the ANA's "mini mint." During the summer seminar, we took the class I was...
Look through all the 34-S's in 64 you can find on Heritage and compare with the one on eBay. The eBay coin looks lustrous and flashy, which is...
Saint-Gaudens and Dupre even have the same haircuts, although Pisanello did medallic portraits while Dupre was a painter.
I'll grin from ear to ear when I say that I think the laser frosting to the devices is hideous. It's like taking a decent picture and then using...
I'm not looking forward to these, and not because I don't like the designs. The mint has the capability to execute coinage with fine detail that...
The reverse looks correct for VAM 6, but there are other possibilities as well. The obverse of a VAM 6 has a small, vertical mark through the tip...
Assuming the camera isn't super heavy, $50 will get you a cheap, 57" tripod from Walmart, a couple gooseneck desk lamps (white shades, not brass,...
Thought I had a 7th edition sitting around here somewhere, but all I have handy is a 1st edition (1977 -- line drawings!) and a 5th edition...
Authentic, cleaned VAM 195. Common variety. The broken D is from a broken hub, not overpolishing. Same for the broken star point on the...
I have lots of advice regarding this, but first I need to know how much money you want to spend, and what camera equipment you already have.
6th Edition (2007), p. 33: "The purpose of the Official ANA Grading Standards for United States Coins is to provide standards for grading coins....
This is not necessarily true. The ANA grading standards shifted several years ago to become more aligned with market grading. All we can say for...
If it looks more neatly cut than those shown on the Heritage link, chances are it's not authentic. These are big, 2.5 ounce chunks of a soft...
And here I was hoping to see a previously unknown 1815 quarter.
I would call that a time lapse of heavy corrosion, not toning. For all I know, the edges were filed to expose the zinc and the coin embedded in a...
You can't easily compare a 55 doubled die with other MS64 coins of the 1950s. The nature of the strong doubling combined with the aging obverse...
The gouges are the two little spikes you circled in the 4th picture. It looks like you do have doubling on the 82.
Look through the VAM 3 series again. Yours should match one of those based on the gouges between the eagle's left wing and body.
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