Just Under the Wire

Do you have a Canadian coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

Just a few hours before the new year I found one last coin and wouldn't you know it I get a Canadian coin. It's a nice one all shiny but a bit scratched.

Type/Country: 1 Cent / Canada
Year: 2007
Mintage: 938,270,000
Metal: 94% Steel, 4.5% Copper, 1.5% Nickel
Value: $0.01 in F
There is a less common Copper-Plated Zinc variety but it's still the same value.

That brings my 2008 finds as follows:

Most Non-U.S. Coins Found(Top 3)
18 Canada
2 Bermuda
2 Great Britain

Oldest U.S. Coins Found(Top 3)
1890 One Cent
1940 One Cent
1941 Five Cents (2)

Oldest Non-U.S. Coins Found(Top 3)
1952 Canadian One Cent
1960 Canadian One Cent
1966 Canadian One Cent

Most Valuable Coin
1890 One Cent at about $3.00

Most Valuable Currency
2003-A $1.00 Star Note at about $50.00

While I only found two notes worthy to keep they had much more value than every coin put together which was 52 coins at less then $20.00 for all.

Do you have a Canadian coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

Classic and Timeless, Literally

Do you have an old coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

This will probably be my last two finds of the year. I may spend some cash on Monday but the chance of getting anything good is slim. Finding two older coins at the end of year is always nice. It gives me a boost to continue searching my change and annoying others by searching their change.

Last year I ended the year finding a 1927 nickel I think it is the last scramble to buy gifts, people tend to use every last nickel.


Neither coin is in great shape the dime has all the lines on the torch flat with no separation. This is the main grading point for Roosevelt dimes. As for the nickel the front is so faded that the date is completely worn flat. There is a product called Nic-a-Date that uses a simple dilute phosphoric acid and detergent to remove layers of dirt but in this case I doubt it would work.

Here's the stats for these coins...
Type/Country: 10 Cents / United States
Year: 1946
Mintage: 255,250,000
Metal: 90% Silver, 10% Copper
Value: $2.66 in Fine

Type/Country: 5 Cents / United States
Year: Unknown
Mintage: Unknown
Metal: 75% Copper, 25% Nickel
Value: $0.50 in AG-3

Dateless buffaloes are still collectible since they have such a great look and can be made into other thing like jewelry or art. Of course the dime will always have a premium value despite grade because of the silver content. One year ago these dimes were going for $1.00 so its a good idea to keep an eye on silver values if you want to unload a lot of these coins.

Do you have an older coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

Not Coins but Close

Do you have a non-coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

Fake coins are surprisingly hard to find in your change, I guess the mechanized, computerized, and human filters keeps our change fairly legit. That said i did find a quarter size slug made of aluminum in my change. It fooled someone enough to pass it me as a quarter.

Then on the street which has been stingy to give up anything larger then a dime I found these three cash coins tied with a ribbon. A quick Google search shows them as some sort of Feng Shui good luck charm.
Two quick problems arise.

• Are they real or replicas?
• Is this real Feng Shui or just a gimmick?
  

My knowledge of cash coins is limited and these maybe real but since it looks like every other cast-cash-coin I can't tell(in terms of size, shape, & feel: symbols & patina can be faked real well). I'm assuming fake. My knowledge on Feng Shui is even more limited.


From this Ebay link I see that these maybe-fake-coins can make it that "you will never run out of cash; " and other greatness. Of course as long as the right side is facing up.

These coins along with the slug have no real value although $3.99 seems about right for a never ending cash supply. Currently I'm trying to verify this claim so if I end up with an unlimited supply of money I'll let you know if need to get your own.

The slug can pass certain computerized machines that don't use weight as a criteria of authenticity. I never tried putting it in machine so I can't verify this claim.

Do you have a non-coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

It's All About the Queen

Do you have a coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

Automatically when I see Queen Elizabeth II on a coin I think it's Canadian. It's a force of habit seeing how many Canadian coins I always find.

Well 2 out of 3 times I'm correct and the third time is something random. This random coin was a nice quarter size ten pence from Great Britain.


The Queen is the most coined image in the world and has gone though several makeovers for each stage in her reign.

The ten pence is 24.5 mm in diameter meaning it's the more common circulating edition. There is a 28 mm one sold only in sets worth more. Shrinking money is a common way to save on metal( and cost), Mexico is the latest country hoping to try this on half their coins.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 1 Cent / Canada
Year: 1960
Mintage: 75,772,775
Metal: 98% Copper, 0.5% Tin, 1.5% Zinc
Value: $0.03 in F

Type/Country: 10 Pence / Great Britain
Year: 1992
Mintage: 1,413,455,000
Metal: Copper-Nickel
Value: $0.10 in VF

Type/Country: 1 Cent / Canada
Year: 2002
Mintage: 716,367,000
Metal: Copper-Plated Zinc
Value: $0.01 in F

Do you have a coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

Please Don't Over Spend

Do you have a coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

This news story came across the my nightly news and it is one of the main reasons I started this blog. Buying coins is a treacherous game if you don't do some research. Several scam artists in Long Island got $60 million from the unaware.

9 To Be Arraigned In Long Island Coin Scam

ROB HOELL REPORTING via WPIX.com

November 24, 2008

COPIAGUE, N.Y. - Three brothers, a brother-in-law, and six others were rounded up by U.S postal police in raids that happened early Monday morning.

The Long Island men are accused of running an elaborate scam by defrauding hundreds of senior citizens across the country.

Officials say the group operated out of a Copiague store front, and other Long Island locations, aggressively telemarketing elderly men and women mostly in the Mid-West. The senior citizens were tricked into investing their life savings into what they believed were rare coins.

"Many of the seniors were told that these coins would increase in value and that there were investors lining up to buy the coins from them," said U.S. Postal Inspector Allan Weissmann.

Postal inspectors say the men were ripping off seniors for the past seven years to the tune of $60 million.

Michael Romano, along with his brother Joseph who has yet to be arrested, are said to be the masterminds behind the ruthless scam that emptied bank accounts and shattered dreams.

People who work near "All American Coin" on Montauk Highway in Copiague tell us they always suspected something wasn't on the level.

"Nobody was allowed in," one nearby worker said. "No customers off the street."

Postal inspectors say victims were over charged between 80-90% of what the coins were really worth.

"When they called to find out when they would be able to sell their coins, they were actually convinced to buy additional coins," Weissman said. "They were told this is what the investor wanted, so they would buy more coins and be in debt at an even high rate."

Postal inspectors say a woman in Chicago who recently passed away was scammed out $1.5 million dollars.

When I quote prices it is the amount that you would pay if you wanted buy the exact same coin. This is not a buyers price and can often vary in value depending on where you live. I use the word "about" to let you know this is an educated guess.

I understand times are tough and you want to make some quick money but coins are generally not a great investment especially under $10,000. I love finding coins because I lose nothing plus when I buy it's for enjoyment.

Ask here, ask at a forum, just ask before getting thinking you're about to score the big one.

UPDATE:

BY CARL MACGOWAN |carl.macgowan@newsday.com

HOW THE SCAM WORKED

What the defendants are accused of:

INFLATING COIN VALUE. The men are accused of telling buyers that the coins (often Benjamin Franklin half dollars) were in better condition than they really were. Coins were often worth 10 percent of what buyers were told.

SELLING 'WASHED' COINS. Chemically "washed" coins look like they're in mint condition, but have less value.

TARGETING VICTIMS. Police say the men identified customers as "whales" - those to whom they could sell hundreds of thousands of dollars in overgraded coins. One woman paid $478,622 for coins worth $52,691.

HIGH-PRESSURE SALES. Convincing purchasers to buy more coins by saying they had investors lined up to buy them at higher prices. But when time came to resell the coins, the defendants would say the investors had "backed out."

One victim, identified as John Doe No. 2, paid about $350,000 for multiple rolls of coins, a federal complaint said. An independent appraiser later assessed the coins' worth at between $15,000 and $25,000.

Do you have a coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

This is a Post

Do you have a coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

I'm still here answering questions just not posting much. Apparently getting a master (or is it masters) in engineering is proving tougher than I expected.

So I leave you with a statue I pass every once in a while.

Photo courtesy of the fine folks at http://www.newyorkology.com/archives/2008/11/mta_plans_23_pc.php

Do you have a coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

Die Clash Re-run

Do you have a die clashed coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

This is an update on an older post, mostly because I have little free time. Still it is one of my favorite coins.

A die clashed coin occurs when the die strikes with no coin in the middle. The design of one die is transferred to the opposite die. It may occur once or several times, it may also be light or heavy. The ideal is heavy and once but heavy several times is good too.

Here is the one I found a decade ago but didn't realize what is was until years later. I just kept it aside until I found an error book to confirm what I had.

Here is the obverse can you see where it clashes?

Adjust the orientation to see the clash easier.

Find the reverse image from the U.S. Mint official website and lay it on top over the clash outline.

Looking at the actual reverse and you can see the clash of obverse. A straight line under the AM in AMERICA is the bottom of Roosevelt's bust. Looking carefully you see more of the bust outlined.

When comparing the obverse to overlay you can match point by point all the leaves and words that were clashed. One thing that is not easily seen from the picture is that the clash is not singular. There are up to 3 clashes slightly off from the original. It is easiest to see on the clashed-"L" it has three distinct tails.

This all means that the die clashed at least three times before another coin was pressed.

While I can't get a definitive value from other collectors I can guess it is between $1.00 and $10.00 ungraded. This is just the standard book value.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 10 Cents / United States
Year: 2000P (II-G-5, Heavy Die Clash)
Mintage: 1,842,500,000 (unknown how many clashes exists)
Metal: 91.67% Copper, 8.33% Nickel
Value: $10.00 in only because of the multiple clashes(Although this one maybe less.)

Do you have a die clashed coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

Not a Dime

Do you have a foreign coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment / question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

Just a quick update. I have not searched through any more coins instead I'm throwing them in a jar until I have more free time.

One exception was this ten cents I just got back in my change. It came from a bank so you think the nice lady would have noticed it's not an American coin. Of course I don't mind but one thing is a teenage cashier giving me funny money but a mature teller seems odd.

For a second I thought oh that's nice she knows I collect but I never talked to her except to confirm that I want larger or smaller bills.


Not too bad because Bermuda currently has 1:1 exchange rate with the U.S. dollar so this coin is still worth $0.10 even in less then very fine condition.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 10 Cent / Bermuda
Year: 1996
Mintage: 1,000,000
Metal: Copper-Nickel
Value: $0.10 in VF

That is a Bermuda lily on the reverse in case you just had to know.

Do you have a foreign coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment / question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

Silver Proof 2008

Do you have a proof silver coin set and want to know its value? Leave a comment / question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

My final coin purchase for the year, as far as I know. The 2008 Silver Proof Set was the last of annual sets to come out and is also the last of the 50 state quarters.

Sure the territorial quarters are coming out in 2009 plus the 2009 new cents but until then we must enjoy the last 14 piece set. Again the price is at the $44.95 high plus a flat shipping fee of $4.95. Sent via UPS which is annoying since everything else was sent by regular post office.

Nothing special except for the the Kennedy half-dollar, and the Roosevelt dime, all struck in 90 percent silver. What I mean is no errors or bad surprises with these coins.



Here are the stats...
Type/Country: Silver Proof Set/United States
Year: 2008-S
Mintage: 763,887
Metal: Normal proof type except for the quarters, dimes & halves.
Value: $75.00 in box ($15.00 increase as of 2012 values)

Looking over last year's silver proof set I noticed they didn't put the Presidential Dollars in a separate box, I guess they're being environmentally friendly.

Do you have a proof silver coin set and want to know its value? Leave a comment / question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

Out The Bedroom Window

Lights are nice but buildings would be better.

Ten years ago you could see the tips of the Twin Towers from this window and the entire Empire State Building from my front windows.

By now so much new construction has all but blotted out the New York City skyline still the Empire State Building is shining bright. What is missing was what most considered the ugliest towers in NYC. Yet the love and hate relationship for these 7 buildings know as the World Trade Center only rose to minor snobbish whisper. Until...

19 Muslim attackers in a pro-religious anti-American stance decided Washington D.C. and New York must pay. These attackers were not poor or oppressed they simply were doing evil. Knowing like most do that this is the true American heartland they struck a blow that hurt. Inspired by the events of September 11, 2001 still now more Muslims, extreme right-wingers, online conspirators, and others plot to bring more terror to Americans.

The fact that there hasn't been another major incident in America is not by chance it is because we were also inspired by that day. Inspired to stop anyone who wants to be a martyr. Inspired to keep this part of the world free. Inspired.

Silver Time on a Dime

Do you have a dime and want to know its value? Leave a comment / question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

It has been quite a few years since I found an American silver coin in my change. I found some Canadian silver dimes plus I bought a few silver coins but since October 2005 I have not found American silver.

That mini drought has ended with the most common of Mercury dimes or Winged Liberty Head if you want to be more accurate. This 1944 piece is from the war years but as with most war year coins it was produced in excess. Most Mercury dimes averaged 35 million minted per year, including all mintmarks. Occasionally they went above 50 million but starting in 1938 as World War II loomed the mint increased production reaching a peak in 1944 with over 250 million. They reached another peak in 1946 but those were in Roosevelt dimes.

Although mistaken for the god Mercury the obverse is actually Lady Liberty with a winged cap to symbolize liberty of thought.

Here's the stats for this dime...
Type/Country: 10 Cents / United States
Year: 1944
Mintage: 231,410,000
Metal: 90% Silver, 10% Copper
Value: $2.66 in F-12 (a metal value of $2.66)

Do you have a silver coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment / question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

Almost Rare

Do you have a cent and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

So I'm going through my penny jar and stumble upon a 1972 cent. I always look closely at these because of the famous example Doubled Die 1972 worth about $700.00 in MS-65. That is when I saw it a definite doubling.

Now a doubled die or hub doubling occurs when the blank die is being made in a hubbing process. Before 1997 the hub will make several impressions on the die and during one of these impressions it would shift slightly and leave a doubling on the die. This die then gets used to make coins and the image is transferred to each coin. It should be found by mint employees and the batch recycled, but a few escape.

Back to my find I rush to view it under good lights and a higher magnification, at the same time I already started make plans on how I'll sell it and pay bills. To my dismay it wasn't the famous version.

Of course the coin look normal in the pictures above. I got my camera out for the next set of images.




The images were not the best but trust me they are not flat and easily identified as doubled dies.


Here are some scanner images.







You quickly notice three things.

1. This is not machine doubling because the secondary impression is not flat.
2. There is some verdigris damage.
3. This not the famous 1972P-1DO-001 worth hundreds.

There are eight varieties of 1972 doubled die cents and only one is valuable. This one is the 1972P-1DO-008 meaning it has one doubling on the obverse(1DO), and it is the eighth distinct variety found(008). This is the most common of all the varieties and unless perfect not worth much.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 1 Cent / United States
Year: 1972 (1972P-1DO-008)
Mintage: 2,933,255,000 (unknown how many of each type exists)
Metal: 95% Copper, 5% Zinc
Value: $0.20 in G-4 (Although this one maybe less.)

I wish I could get better pictures but with my point and shoot camera it is really difficult. Plus adjusting the scanner settings is very laborious.

Do you have a Doubled Die cent and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

Austrians speak German

Do you have a Euro cent and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

Not to be outdone by fellows collectors kestrelia and James UK who seem to find Euro coins on a regular basis, no jealousy...seriously, I just found this nice Austrian coin in my change.

It is my first non-U.S. change find in three weeks. This leads to a beginning of more coin finds but less time to blog about it. The new semester just started meaning I'll spend more and get more change. The bad part is it will be small change.

For those who never took engineering here are this semester book prices $121.75, $157.50, $145.00, and $47.75 and that's used.

If I find a rare coin I will sell it so fast it would break v = 331 m/s + (0.6 m/s/C)•T .

Back to my little Euro from Austria only the third Austrian Euro I ever found. I like the EIN, very unique among Euros.

Joining the Euro currency trend in 2002 most of those coins were actually minted in 1999 but there is no way to tell the difference.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 1 Euro Cent / Austria
Year: 2007
Mintage: 111,900,000
Metal: Copper Plated Steel: 94.35% Steel 5.65% Copper
Value: $0.10 in XF

Do you have any Euro coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

1998 Wide AM

Do you have a variety cent and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

While going through my pocket change I scan all the coins for any defect, error, or variety. I commonly I find machine doubling or minor die cracks but I have found this one variety several times.

The 1998 Wide AM is a United States cent that has a reverse normally used on proof coins. It is barely noticeable. Starting in 1993 they moved the A and M in AMERICA closer together (almost touching) for circulating coins. Only proof coins have the A and M a little spaced.

It is easier to notice on the little FG initials on the right of the Lincoln Memorial. For circulating coins it is farther apart while on proofs it is almost touching.

Confused enough here are the pictures to help.

Both types next to each other.

This is the Type II or Wide AM.

This is the Type I or Close AM.

On the second image you can see the slight gap between the A and M while the F is almost touching the memorial building.

On the third image you can see no gap between the A and M while the F is far from the memorial building.

This also exist in 1992, 1999 and 2000. Reports of 1993 and other years and mintmarks are rare but seem to be real. Depending on what type it will have different values for all grades.

This is the third 1998 Wide AM I found, I thought I found a 1999 but I misplaced the coin.

Since the discovery in 2002 the values has fluctuated because it was thought to be rare but so many were found that it lost value .

In MS-65(Mint State-65) :

• The 1998 Wide AM in 2003 = $35.00
• The 1998 Wide AM in 2004-2005 = $30.00
• The 1998 Wide AM in 2006-2012 = $10.00
  

The lesson is sometimes selling early is a good thing.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 1 Cent / United States
Year: 1998 Wide AM
Mintage: 5,032,155,000 (unknown how many of each type exists)
Metal: 97.5% Zinc, 2.5% Copper
Value: $0.20 in VF-20 

Type/Country: 1 Cent / United States
Year: 1998 Close AM or Normal Strike
Mintage: 5,032,155,000 (unknown how many of each type exists)
Metal: 97.5% Zinc, 2.5% Copper
Value: $0.01 in EF-40

Do you have a cent error and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

Coined at the Museum 2

Do you have a coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

They added a new penny squishing machine at the the American Museum of Natural History each with four designs. I've managed to get the other twelve they cost 50 cents plus the penny to make. It's best to use all copper coins because the ones that are plated will tarnish over time.

That said I didn't have all coppers so one is zinc exposed. I need to find a pre-1982 penny and re-squish that particular one. The four new design were inspired by the movie Night at The Museum.

I do like the Easter Island head the best but it's so curved it was hard to scan.

The reverse are blank some penny squishing machines do both sides.

Of course as long as the machines are working they will no value above $0.51. I know there are about 100 machines spread around the New York area but I am not into collecting most of them but I did want the ones from the Yankees Fest last month but I missed out.

If your interested in finding some in your neighborhood worldwide look here Penny Collector Location.

Do you have a coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

Charlton Coin Book 2009

Do you have a Canadian coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment / question and I will do my best to find out the history and price for you.

I can admit it I like the coin books as much as the coins themselves. Something about the history and vast information all in one place is great. Keeping up with the trend I upgraded my 61st edition of Canadian Coins with the 63rd edition.

The first thing you notice is the dramatic increase in value. For example...

• 61st Ed. One cent 1982 in MS-63 Red/ Circulated = $1.00 (Canada Dollar)
• 63rd Ed. One cent 1982 in MS-63 Red/ Circulated = $5.00 (Canada Dollar)

This seems to be an adjustment of graded values not an actual market price. Most values remain the same for modern common coins but a few older coins have loss value.

Another part is the the new mint mark is now called Maple Leaf Logo I have been calling it either mint logo or RCM (Royal Canadian Mint) logo.

Here is the book A Charlton Standard Catalogue Canadian Coins 2009 the cheapest place I found was again Amazon because of the free shipping it was just $15.96, spiral bound is the best.

Pictured right out of the box.

One thing that makes this book superior is that the variety images are all black and white photographs. Varieties are very difficult to see in color pictures so black and white really shows through plus they circle the exact spots so you know what your looking to find.

A few color images would be nice especially with the new colored quarters. The book has increased by 36 pages to 458. Mostly because a huge ten cent variety section.

All in all it is highly recommended A Charlton Standard Catalogue Canadian Coins 2009.

Do you have a Canadian coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment / question and I will do my best to find out the history and price for you.

From The Mint: Part 2

Do you have a proof set and want to know its value? Leave a comment / question and I will do my best to find out the history and price for you.

The second half of my U.S. mint purchase were the annual sets. I got the Proof Set and the Uncirculated Mint Set which contains two sets. The sets are 14 coins from each branch of the mint. The proof coins are from San Francisco and the mint sets are from Philadelphia and Denver each of which has a face value 0f $6.91.

The cover of the mint sets are of each city of the coins origin taken at sunset.

You'll notice I still don't have the silver proof set because it is not yet available. They sell the quarters and dollars proofs separately but I rarely get those.

Another noteworthy thing is that two of the coins are not actively circulating. The Sacagawea Dollar and the Kennedy Half-Dollar. Not issued for circulation is the standard line used for these coins since 2001. There are some exceptions like for vending machines that a small shipment gets released but rarely for banks.

Does this mean it's impossible to find one in your change? Nope. I found several and these were from the Metrocard vending machines but some were in my normal change. I can only guess that collectors buy them by the bag full sift out the high grades and return the rest into circulation.

Front of 2008-S proof set.

Back of 2008-S proof set.

The red mint set is from Denver. (Obverse)

The blue mint set is from Philadelphia. (Obverse)

Reverse of each mint set.

Here are the stats...
Type/Country: Proof Set / United States
Year: 2008-S
Mintage: 1,405,674
Metal: Normal proof type.
Value: $85.00 in box ($5.00 decrease as of 2012 values)

Type/Country: Mint Set / United States
Year: 2008-D, 2008-P
Mintage: 735,683
Metal: Normal circulation type.
Value: $60.00 in box ($5.00 increase as of 2012 values)

Do you have an uncirculated mint set and want to know its value? Leave a comment / question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.