Good morning, I am new to the coin collecting world since my ftaher has past away leaving me a big box of coins and paper money. The problem is a bought a coin book and it was not too much help. Example is I found a coin 1861 confederate states of america 1/2 dollar not in too good of shape. It has the shield on both sides . I tried surfing the net to find out about it with no luck. I have stopped at a local coin shop by the manager I spoke too was extremly rude. Also I have an 1929 not folded $50.00 bill with a red seal from Chicago. What does the Brown seal means and where can I find out the worth. I also have 5 consecutive order 1988 $ 20.00 bills that are smeared in the back from the mint and many other coins and paper. Can any help me with the above and also does anyone know of and good books. I also live in Elmhurst ILLNOIS which is 25 miles from Chicago. Does anyone knwo of a good dealer I can take these coins too. Thank you in advance, John
Hello John and welcome to the forum. You said you purchased a book - which book was it? The offical Blackbook price guide for currency should help you out some. It explains grading and what the different seal colors mean, in addition to giving you an approximate worth. It is easy to find and inexpensive (I got mine for $9.xx new from Brent Krueger who sells online). Do you have any pictures you could post of these two items?
Thank You For The Reply, I'll Have To Go Home And See Which Book I Got And Let You Know. I Will Also Take Pics So That Would Help , Thanks Again, John
I wondered why I couldn't find it anywhere. It was driving me crazy. Everything I read said that the seal should be brown. Are there other varieties for that year besides the brown seal?
As far as I know, they are all brown seals, but if you're talking about varieties, National Banknotes have a multitude of varieties.
I figured there would be a number of varieties (there seems to be a lot of varieties with just about everything in this hobby-even if they haven't all been discovered yet.
In the next sentence, he says the Chicago note is a BROWN seal. Maybe he called it RED the first time by mistake? "Also I have an 1929 not folded $50.00 bill with a red seal from Chicago. What does the Brown seal means and where can I find out the worth." 1929 notes from major cities like Chicago, New York, etc are fairly common and trade for slightly more than the face value and up depending on the condition. I just sold a $20 Chicago in xf for $33. Any that are not from Federal Reserve banks, such as the "National Bank of so and so" or any from a small rural town are almost always a bit more desirable. Hope this info helps. Nick
Good reasoning, Nick. He probably does have a Brown Seal. Just a comment on the "Ink Smear Error" notes, They are collectible, and having five in consecutive order, would make them even more so. I don't know the value, but I'm sure that condition would be a major determining factor.
I would like to thank everyone for their help. I have bought a couple more books and they seem to help. I found another coin store near my place of business. I was refered by someone who collects to go to this place. I have started to go through some more coins and I have been gaining interest in this hobby. Thank again .... John
That's great news, John Sounds like you're using a lot of common sense. The books will likely be a good investment. Good luck.
