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Generic Lad

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Everything posted by Generic Lad

  1. Generic Lad

    Million Dollar Penny

    Rare coin investing has really taken off in the past few years due to the recession because the traditional ways of investing (real estate, stock market, treasury bonds, CDs, etc.) have either been rather risky/unstable (stock market), have been losing value (real estate) or don't keep up with inflation (CDs, treasury bonds). The use of NGC/PCGS/CAC have really taken a lot of the risk/knowledge part out of the equation, the trend has been up, up, up with coins with less than 20 known examples and condition rarities (although condition rarities can quickly become common) and so its been attracting the wealthy.
  2. So apparently eBay is now changing it so you can't advertise basic numeric grades in the listing unless your coin is certified via NGC or PCGS. And, your coin has to be certified by either of those two grading companies to sell a US coin over $2,500. Of course this means that anyone thinking about starting a grading company won't be able to sell on one of the largest marketplaces for coins and smaller but still reputable graders such as ANACS and IGC along with numerous grading companies not based in the US can't market their coins on eBay as graded. I simply cannot see how this will be of any benefit to sellers or buyers on eBay.
  3. Generic Lad

    Where to get bulk hammered?

    That's an idea, I frequently visit his site and perhaps he has some lower grade scrap stuff he'd be willing to sell. He's got some lovely coins but they are all out of my price range, I did find a nice Cnut penny that if I find an extra few hundred lying around I want to get Buy Englands striking history it will introduce you gently and in a readable way to hammered.It is a Rotographic book and a bargain. I think that will be my next book to get, I'm currently waiting for an older version of Coincraft from Amazon (got it for less than $4!) and after that I think I'll get that one, I've heard good things about it.
  4. Well, it wouldn't be true for US coins because only dead people are able to be featured on coins (and bills) and prior to 1909 no historical person appeared on any circulating coinage. And it is up to the artist to decide which way the bust is facing most of the common circulation coins face left (half dollar, quarter, dime, older nickel) but others face right (penny, SBA dollar, Susan B. Agony dollar, Sacajawea dollar) and others are shown more face on (presidential dollar, newer nickels)
  5. Generic Lad

    US dollar coins

    Yes, this has always confused me, I can get $100+ face value of Eisenhower dollars at a bank and no coin dealers will buy them from me, but yet circulated Ike dollars creates bidding wars and they go for a healthy premium. Either way, they are easy enough to get rid of at face value and perhaps one day I'll get a silver dollar in the lot. I can dream at least!
  6. Generic Lad

    US dollar coins

    There are 4 major types of dollar coins "circulating" in the US (over here we hate them all so we don't ever use them ) The oldest is the Eisenhower dollar and it rarely circulates because people think that it is rare, but occasionally you can find them in banks. It is the large "silver dollar" sized dollar coin but circulation issues contain no silver (however, special proof and uncirculated coins were struck in 40% silver). The next oldest is the Susan B. Anthony (or agony dollar as I often call it) it is a small sized coin with a reeded edge in copper-nickel clad showing a really ugly woman on the front. The second most recent one is the Sacajawea dollar which features an American Indian woman on the front and an eagle in flight on the reverse. Recently, this was changed to be a different design from American Indian culture and the date and mintmark were moved to the reverse of the coin. And the most recent is the presidential dollars which feature various presidents on the obverse and the statue of liberty on the reverse. The year and mintmark is found on the edge of the coin, if it hasn't already worn off from circulation. If you want uncirculated examples of presidential dollars, just go into any bank, most are more than happy to get rid of the abominations!
  7. Since it was dug it is possible it is just a lot of silver pitting. Weight would tell for sure but I'm not sure what William III sixpences are supposed to weigh.
  8. Generic Lad

    1000th member?

    I've been here... Lurking. Really haven't had the time/cash to get anything exciting coin wise, just finishing up midterms this week, then spring break! I bought a detector (Ace 250) and it came in the mail the other day, but haven't really had much time to even take it out of the box! Hopefully I'll find lots of gold coins! (Unlikely... but I can dream at least!) So should be able to take it out and see what all I can dig up, hopefully something a bit older than modern clad junk. Either way, should keep me busy for a while.
  9. Generic Lad

    Ebay's Worst Offerings

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/1970-GREAT-BRITAIN-PROOF-SET-HALF-CROWN-ORIGINAL-PACKAGING-/120860034413?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c23d1c56d How not to take photos and price your common proof sets... It looks like a 2 coin proof set in the main listings! All the silver colored coins look like they aren't even there! Bad photography and bad pricing combine to make an anti-listing.
  10. The past 2-3 weeks I've noticed an abnormally large amount of wreath crowns on eBay, the bad part about eBay is a creative enough seller can post pics of a genuine coin... then ship off a fake... While eBay does nearly always side with the buyer on disputes such as that... If someone doesn't realize its a fake, it can get into offline circulation fairly quickly.
  11. Generic Lad

    Edward VIII coins

    On larger coins it does seem like there's lots of spare space. It seems unusual that Edward VIII went for such a traditional design on his gold coins, considering he wanted a (radical) re-design of all the others with the exception of the penny. Personally, I think a shield design or even a radically different design (such as Victoria's Una and the Lion) looks better on larger coins like Crowns and 5 pound gold than St. George slaying the dragon.
  12. Generic Lad

    Edward VIII coins

    Yes, I think the Brass 3d was released in many different forms/designs and given out to people who run vending machines. The idea was to come up with a thickness and size that was easy enough to use in coin operated machines but distinct enough that it wouldn't be confused with a coin either higher or lower in value. http://www.mcsearch.info/search.html?search=&view_mode=0&c=7&a=232&l=&page=14 Shows one of the early design Edward VIII threepenny bits for sale (about the 6th one down) and it still realized $24,000 despite it being quite ugly. I think the use of St. Edward's rings on the silver 3d and 6d were made to show that Edward VIII was a sort of spiritual successor to Edward the Confessor, despite the huge differences between them! I've always found the story of Edward VIII's sets to be a sad one, once he abdicated he tried to get one from the Royal Mint but his brother denied his application and so he never owned the only British coins to bear his image.
  13. Generic Lad

    Should i sell my collection

    I wouldn't sell unless you really, really needed the cash. You can assemble a quick (non-gold) type set for US coins quite easily and for very little money as long as you aren't too picky about what you consider to be a "type" because some of the early large cent varieties can sell for quite a bit, and quality because with US numismatics worn specimens are quite common of some years but high grade pieces are nearly unheard of. This is especially true of the entire "Barber" set, worn examples sell for bullion, but AU or better coins sell for quite a bit more, even in common years. But a quick type set (half cent, large cent, Flying eagle cent, Indian Head Cent, Wheat cent, Lincoln Cent, Lincoln bicentennial cent, Lincoln Shield set, Two cent piece, three cent nickel, three cent silver, Bust half dime, seated half dime, shield nickel, V nickel, buffalo nickel, Jefferson nickel, westward journey nickel, newer Jefferson nickel, bust dime, seated dime, barber dime, mercury dime, Roosevelt dime, twenty cent piece, bust quarter, seated quarter, barber quarter, Standing Liberty quarter, washington quarter, various state/national park quarters, bust half, seated half, barber half, walking liberty half, Franklin half, Kennedy half, Morgan dollar, Peace dollar, Ike Dollar, Susan B. Anthony Dollar, Sacajawea/Presidential dollars) is going to be cheap relatively speaking. Your biggest expense is going to be Bust coinage in a reasonable grade, the twenty cent piece, and the half cent, the rest sells for bullion/face value with the exception of some of the earlier nickels which sell for a modest sum in mid grades. The Red Book is essential (~$15), the "Cherry Picker's guide" is useful if you want to collect die varieties (~$40). The Red Book's prices though often don't match dealer's prices, especially with lower-end coins or unpopular coins (Susan B. Anthony Dollars). eBay might be a good bet if you don't have any local dealers, but look for dealers first, I usually can find cheaper US coins at my local dealers than eBay. Keep an eye out for fakes, don't buy any Seated Liberty Dollars or Trade Dollars off of eBay (or at flea markets) unless they have been slabbed and you have looked up the certification number. Fakes are /everywhere/ for those 2 things. Morgan dollars have been faked too, but since it is such a common coin it is unlikely you will run into one of those, Trade Dollars and Seated Liberty dollars are much rarer.
  14. I don't know that much about sovereigns (yet) but I'd say to test that brooch, its possible it might be gold even if it isn't marked. Even 9ct gold still has good value in this market as scrap.
  15. Generic Lad

    Best looking portraits on coins?

    Just wondering what you all think are the best executed portraits on coins (either real or fictional). For me it would have to be either the Gothic portrait of Victoria like on the Crown/Florin or Queen Jadwiga on the 1932-1933 Polish coins. What about your picks?
  16. Generic Lad

    Best looking portraits on coins?

    Yes, I too struggle to get excited about debased coinage, most of my post-1920 coins are American for that reason (and the fact that they had great designs up to about 1947...) The modern Gold and SIlver Britannia bullion cons are quite nice, mind... See, the thing I don't like about the Britannias is that they have such an absurd premium. Amazing design and I picked them up every chance I could back when my coin shop treated them like generic bullion... Since then they've matched prices to what they sell for online... But really, the high premium makes them too annoying to use as an investment. An Eagle I can buy for ~$35 with silver at $34 an ounce, some more exotic bullion I can buy for ~$36-37, interesting mid-grade "junk silver" like standing liberty quarters, mercury dimes, walking liberty halves, Morgans, etc. for ~$36 an ounce if I shop around. But a Britannia, even a common date sells for $46+ when silver is $34 an ounce. Depends where you buy them from I guess! BTW would love to be able to get Silver Eagles for only $35, they're much more than that in the UK, but then silver coins and bullion incurs 20% Value Added Tax here (unlike gold). On Coinvestdirect (who I have used in the past for bullion coins purchases) these are the current prices (including UK VAT at 20%) per coin: Silver Britannia 2012: £30.74 ($48.17) NB: the Royal Mint shop charges an outrageous £58.50 plus p&p! Silver Eagle 2012: £28.64 ($44.88) Silver Philharmonic £28.02 ($43.91) There's not a huge difference, though I still I wouldn't buy Britannias in bulk as investment bullion though, in the past I tended to go for Austrian Silver Philharmonicas for that purpose (when they were £16.50 each, not now) or Silver Eagles (nicer coin, but a little more expensive and arguably bullion is bullion...). I did buy a single nice 1998 Britannia (which has the classic design) at the London Coin Fair recently for £30, which is more or less what you would pay for single Silver Eagles on eBay in the UK, so I thought was a decent enough buy. Hm, interesting, over here (at least in my state) coins are generally tax exempt, no matter if they are gold or silver, and even at the places that don't recognize that rule (flea markets, some antique stores, etc.) sales tax is rarely more than 7% and 9% if you are in a larger city. And of course generally buying things online make things sales tax exempt, unless you are in the state where the store was located. Some places online sell Eagles for absurd premiums, but I've got 2 local coin dealers (one specializes in coins the other specializes in jewellery) that sells Eagles for about $1-2 over spot. Of course proof Eagles are quite pricey (but nice!) and run anywhere from $50-80 depending on the year and quality. I haven't really been able to find many "exotic" pieces in stock in stores, Eagles are everywhere, Maple Leafs are fairly common, you see a Britannia once in a blue moon, you can find a lot of Australian coins but they have absurd premiums (higher than Britannias in some cases!) and, in my opinion, worse designs. Libertads are available every now and then. Pandas are scarce, but you can find them if you are willing to pay the premiums. But Philharmonics along with St. George the Victorious (Russian Bullion coins) are nearly unheard of. I think I've found a gold Philharmonic at one of my local dealers once (but of course I didn't have the cash on me to buy an ounce of gold ). You can find most of the rest of them online, but due to shipping and handling along with online dealer's typically higher prices, I don't buy coins for investments online. Collection, yes. Investment, no.
  17. Generic Lad

    Gothic Florin on eBay - opinion

    Lovely coin, but I agree with you on the second lion, does appear worn or a bad strike. There also seems to be weird toning (or lack of toning) on the rim, particularly on the obverse. Of course it could just be how the coin was stored. Not a bad example, but honestly I'd get a piece I could look at before spending ~$500 on a coin without seeing it in person.
  18. Generic Lad

    Best looking portraits on coins?

    Yes, I too struggle to get excited about debased coinage, most of my post-1920 coins are American for that reason (and the fact that they had great designs up to about 1947...) The modern Gold and SIlver Britannia bullion cons are quite nice, mind... See, the thing I don't like about the Britannias is that they have such an absurd premium. Amazing design and I picked them up every chance I could back when my coin shop treated them like generic bullion... Since then they've matched prices to what they sell for online... But really, the high premium makes them too annoying to use as an investment. An Eagle I can buy for ~$35 with silver at $34 an ounce, some more exotic bullion I can buy for ~$36-37, interesting mid-grade "junk silver" like standing liberty quarters, mercury dimes, walking liberty halves, Morgans, etc. for ~$36 an ounce if I shop around. But a Britannia, even a common date sells for $46+ when silver is $34 an ounce.
  19. Generic Lad

    Gothic Crown, showing it off!

    Amazing! Wish I had the cash right now to buy it... But its just /slightly/ out of my price range
  20. Generic Lad

    Best looking portraits on coins?

    While not a portrait, how did this end up being an official Royal Mint product? Really? Rules of soccer on a coin? Not to mention that apparently the rule has since changed. When I saw it on eBay I thought that surely it had to be some commemorative issue from the Isle of Man or something... But... Wow. Terrible is the only way to describe that!
  21. Generic Lad

    Help with value double eagles

    Gold is a tricky metal to photograph, and different angles will make different points of the coin appear a different color and differences in detail. Honestly, these coin are prime candidates to get graded. Yes, if they do turn out to be fakes it would be disappointing, but when you potentially have a coin worth several thousand dollars it isn't worth the gamble not to have them insured and valued by a professional. It is best to have them slabbed by an American third party grader because even if you don't want to sell them, it is a lot easier to have them insured if you say that you have a 1921 double eagle graded AU 58 by NGC/PCGS with certification number XXXXXXXXXX than it is to say that you just have a 1921 double eagle.
  22. Generic Lad

    Ebay's Worst Offerings

    At least he didn't list it as a US colonial coin where dug British coins go for quite a bit despite being worn flat, nearly unreadable or contaminated with bronze disease. Of course you do get a few gems in there, early US coinage produced in the colonies, evasion halfpennies and the like. But for the most part, its well worn common coins (or tokens) http://www.ebay.com/sch/Colonial-/528/i.html?_trkparms=65%253A1%257C66%253A2%257C39%253A1&rt=nc&_catref=1&_dmpt=Coins_US_Individual&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14.l1581&_pgn=3
  23. Generic Lad

    Best looking portraits on coins?

    Yes - just what *was* the US Mint thinking when they tried to foist the Susan B. Anthony dollar on the American public?!? They were facing a hard job anyway trying to convince people to use a dollar coin instead of a note in the first place, so what do they do, put a coin out with a portrait so ugly no one wants it in their purse/wallet (though of course there were other reasons that people didn't like the coin, such as its similarity in size to a quarter). Okay, I know she did much for civil rights for woman in the US, but she doesn't look great on a coin. BTW have you seen what the other proposed design for that coin actually was? It was actually a rather nice Flowing Hair rendition of Liberty, proposed by United States Mint Engraver, Frank Gasparro, see: http://koinpro.tripod.com/Articles/1977LibertyHeadDollar.htm I can't help thinking the coin would've had more success if they'd gone with that design! The reverse is better too... Yes, the pattern coin was so much better. The entire coin was a disaster, an ugly reverse and the same reverse used on the Eisenhower dollar! I must say though, I do like the reverse of the Sacajawea dollar (at least before the US mint decided to make yet another meaningless politically correct "commemorative" series), though the obverse is bland and the edge lettering is poorly executed. I find it rather sad that the US mint has gone from producing amazing coinage in the form of the Morgan Dollar, Peace Dollar, Indian Head Cent, Standing Liberty Quarter, Buffalo Nickel, Mercury Dime and Walking Liberty half dollar to the Eisenhower Dollar, Susan B. Anthony Dollar, Washington Quarter, the far too numerous state/territory/national park quarters, the ugly and terrible presidential dollars, the Franklin half dollar (which, I suppose I don't mind so much since they are all 90% silver...) and the Lincoln cent. There has been such a backsliding when it comes to coins since about the 1940s. Despite the fact that technology has advanced, the US mint instead decides to make low relief coins out of worthless, nearly unusable metal on the dollar coins with poorly designed edge lettering. On a thicker coin it wouldn't be a problem (like on the 1 and 2 pound coins) or if they made it raised (like the old Victorian crowns) but carved edge lettering in such a thin coin is worse than useless. Of course, I don't think things will get any better if the modern commemoratives are anything to go by and with the possibility of changing to even worse metal (steel)... I don't have much hope.
  24. Generic Lad

    Copies of coins

    I too have bought a forgery in thinking it was genuine, it was a Trade Dollar dated 1873-S so I figured, common date, selling for around melt, how could I go wrong. It looked a bit worn too. It wasn't until after I got home that I realized... the die rotation was wrong for a US coin! I did buy an interesting Japanese yen forgery (knowing quite well that it was one) for a few bucks at an antique mall, its an interesting curiosity.
  25. Generic Lad

    Help with value double eagles

    These look like valuable US coins.I wouldn't always advise this but get them slabbed (third party grading) by PCGS or NGC.Under no circumstance touch with bare hands apart from the edges.DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CLEAN. I agree, get those things slabbed before you sell them. Even if TPGing is expensive, $50-100 is a drop in the bucket compared to the benefits you'd get from authentication, grading and slabbing those coins. Make sure you get them slabbed by either PCGS or NGC, avoid cheaper TPGers because they don't have the same reputation. Of course this goes without saying but get the 1921 insured! The 1914 is fairly common and really only worth melt (which right now is $1663.03, which is higher than the Red Book pricing) But the 1921 is a rare date and is worth quite a bit. I'm bad at grading, and even worse at grading gold so I'm not going to say what I think its worth, but once you get the 1921 slabbed (and might as well get the 1914 while you're at it) you will be able to have a better understanding of what its worth and you can start looking at full insurance and if you want to sell, look for auction houses.
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