Today, I was able to buy a coin lot with a little bit of hodgepodge in it. Definitely some interesting coins in the mix including: 1 Large Cent (1856) 57 Indian Head Cents (ranging from 1890-1909) 6 Wheat Pennies (1931, 1941, 1943 Steel, 1943D Steel, 1945, 1946) 12 V-Nickels (1892-1912) 5 Buffalo Nickels (1913 Var II, 1916, 1923, 1936, Dateless) 8 Jefferson Nickels (1938, 1938D, 1941, 1942, 1942P, 1943P, 1948, 1949) 2 Barber Dimes (1909, 1911) 2 Mercury Dimes (2x1944) 3 Roosevelt Dimes (3x1946) 3 Washington Quarters (1932, 1934, 1945) 1819 Capped Bust Half Dollar 1853 Seated Liberty Half Dollar 1900 Barber Half Dollar 2xWalking Liberty Halves (1945, 1947D) 4xFranklin Halves (1949D, 1950D, 1951, 1957D) 1952 Carver/Washington Commemorative Half 6xMorgan Dollars (1883S, 1884, 1884S, 2x1921D, 1921S) 3xPeace Dollars (1921, 2x1922) 1904 Phillipines Half Centavos The condition of most coins are heavily circulated but there are a few decent ones. Quite an interesting mix. Here are a few pictures of select coins: I'm somewhat knowledgeable about coins and I use my RedBook to determine mintages/rarities/varieties but I'm not an expert. Anything stand out from my list for the coin experts out there? Thanks.
My two favorites are the 21 Peace Dollar and of course the Bust Half. The high relief Peace Dollar is one of my favorite designs of the 20th century. Could you take reverse pictures of the two. I'd be happy to attribute the Bustie for you.
Thanks for the comments. Yes, here are the pics you requested: Also, I see that there are 2 varieties for the Capped Bust. Would that be a Small 9 over 8 or a Large 9 over 8. I'm leaning towards small 9/8.
Your Bust Half is an O-101, R-1, though it is a common variety it does command a very slight premium because it is an 1819/8 overdate. I would grade it G-6. It is very difficult to tell from the photos whether your 21 Peace Dollar has been cleaned or not but either way it has the details of a mid grade VF. Sounds like you have a very interesting lot of coins. Jesse
I too appreciate the simple beauty of the Peace Dollar. The reverse of the '21 looks like it has verdigris on it, but can't be sure from the pictures. Looks like you got some great types in the lot. Have you considered filling a Dansco 7070?
I am not sure what verdigris is...can you enlighten? Also, what exactly does "high relief" mean? I didn't know this coin had it until I realized that all 1921 Peace Dollars did. Yes, I have just decided to start putting type coins aside to fill an album. However, DanscoAlbumStore.com is out of stock. I inquired about it and the company said that they are updating the album but is not sure of the timeline of its re-release. Regardless, I am putting US Type coins aside for when I can get an album.
Verdigris is a chemical reaction on the coin. It generally turns green. It looked like there were some green spots on the Peace Dollar. I'm sure someone can explain High Relief better than I can, but in lay men's terms I'll give it a try. The Peace Dollars original design had high relief and it was difficult to mint. The difference in height between the fields (lowest point) and the highest point on the coin, generally her hair above the ears and on the reverse the eagle's feathers are the high points. The gap was just too much for the dies to completely mint the coin. They added pressure to the minting process and the dies were breaking. I'm sure there were other things going on as well, but I'm trying to give you the 30K feet view. That's why the hair above the ears on Peace dollars is rarely complete. So for 1922 they reduced this gap and were able to produce the coin; however, there is still a problem with getting a complete strike.
