Hello there! Looks like it's been over a month since I last posted so I figured it was time to post an update. Over the Holidays, I visited my family in Maui. Was a great trip and while there I even stopped by one of the island's coin shops. Most of the coins seemed overpriced or average, but there was a 1947 Philippines General MacArthur set that really caught my eye: Here's a close up of the 50 Centavos: And a close up of the Peso: I just really liked the toning on these coins and they were priced barely above the silver melt value for the set. I think they are worth several times that based on their overall eye appeal so I was happy to get them. Once I got back to California, it was back to the weekly bid boards at the local coin shops. Over the past month, I've been lucky enough to score several deals. Some were items that were just different and unique and others were just deals based on price. One item that was pretty neat was a small chain which was made up of U.S. and Canadian Half Dimes. It is made up of 7 different coins and measures about four and a half inches in length. Most of the coins are from the 1870s, but one of the U.S. Half Dimes is an 1853 with arrows. The winning bid was barely above the silver melt value so I thought it was a steal: Another cool piece I got was a really beat up Seated Liberty Silver Dollar with a small hole right through the date. Even with that hole, when I tilt it just right I think I can make out the date as 1855 or 1856. The best part of the coin and the reason I bought it was the reverse. The reverse of the coin was smoothed and engraved like is done with popular love tokens. However, this example seems to be some sort of badge or tag for a railroad baggage agent. I never seen anything like this before and I know love tokens on Seated Dollars are less common than other coins. I also thought it would be fun to try to research more information on this piece so I made sure I was the winning bidder: Hope to post some more cool finds again soon!!!
The Philippine coins have some excellent toning, you plan on getting them slabbed? The chain is pretty cool but holed coins of any kind make me cringe, lol.
I thought about maybe getting the Philippine coins slabbed, but it's not cheap to get them slabbed. PCGS now requires all older World coins to be submitted through their Secure Plus service. That said, I've seen some of these MacArthur coins with decent toning go for several hundred each once slabbed. I saw one of the 50 centavos with similar toning, but only on one side, graded MS64 I think, go for over $300!!! Given that, I just might send them in for certification someday, especially if I decide to sell them. But for now, they'll stay in that same old beat up holder and continue to tone I'll keep an eye on them though as I don't want them to over-tone!!!!
I'm a new reader of your blog, but have enjoyed what I've seen! I really like the look of the Phillipine coins, some very pretty toning.
