Friday, January 28, 2011

2010 Canadian Quarter

Do you have a quarter from Canada and want to know its value? Leave a comment

Canada has shiny quarters. Their circulating coins are considered proof-like since they reflect like a mirror. When you get them close to year of issue they stay shiny. Of course once in circulation they scratches are more noticeable.

Still I find it fascinating that I can get one of their seldom seen 2010 quarters before one from my own country. I have even seen a 2011 Canada quarter out in circulation. Also due to the Winter Olympics of 2010 you see more hockey/sports quarters than caribou quarters.




Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 25 Cents / Canada
Year: 2010 RCM Logo
Mintage: Not yet known.
Metal: 94% Steel, 3.8% Copper, 2.2% Nickel
Value: $0.25

Do you have a coin from Canada 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.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

1996 Panama Dime

Do you have a coin from Panama and want to know its value? Leave a comment

Maybe it is not technically a dime but close enough.

Un decimo de Balboa is also better translated to One Tenth of a Balboa.

Only my second Panama find since I started this blog. Apparently last time I did not even write about. It was a 1982 Un decimo de Balboa. Nothing to special about 1/10 Balboas but there gaps between minting years. They go from 1985 to 1996 to 2001. I guess they are not that popular.


On the obverse is the national coat of arms under the REPUBLIC DE PANAMA and above the date.
On the reverse is an armored bust of Vasco Núñez de Balboa facing left VN DECIMO DE BALBOA around.

I always find it weird when the bust side of the coin is not the head.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 1/10 Balboa / Panama
Year: 1996
Mintage: 21,000,000
Metal: Copper-Nickel Clad Copper
Value: $0.10 in Very-Fine

Made at the Royal Canadian Mint although it has no mintmark. So wait is this another Canadian find?

Do you have a Panamanian 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.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

1948 Canada Cent (Var. 2)

Do you have Canadian cent and want to know its value? Leave a comment

Finally a Canadian cent with a little more of a story. Varieties among Canadian cents often involves the denticles. Although Firefox's spellchecker thinks denticles is not a real word it is a numismatic term. It refers to the tooth-like design elements that you see in on the inside if rim of  certain coins. They kind of look like fence posts to me but they already have a name so I will not change it.

Denticles are very small and are often overlooked. They are a part of the original design and should always be in the same place relative to the entire design. When they are not it is because the design of coin was slightly modified and that is a variety, sometimes due to low and high relief changes, sometimes due to changing the master die or matrix.

That is what happened with this coin it has three varieties all involving the denticles.


Sure it looks like any other old Canadian cent with King Geroge VI on front and the maple leafs on the back. Plus there is a quit a bit of verdigris all over the coin.

What to look for in this year, and maybe in every other, is the size of denticles and where the last A in GRATIA points.


Just because I am familiar with denticle size I know these are the large variety, but if they were small they would look more like spikes then teeth.


Then the A. It should either point to a denticle or point in between one. This is where photo software can help. After blowing up the image you can then draw a straight line from the center of the A and not strain your eyes to see where it points.

Yup, turns out mine is the least valuable the 1948 "A" points to large denticle, this is the second listed I call it Variety 2.

Variety 1 is the "A" points to small denticle. Worth the most, five times normal.
Variety 3 is the "A" points between large denticle. Worth slightly more than Var. 2.

Type/Country: 1 Cent / Canada
Year: 1948 Var. 2
Mintage: 25,767,779 includes all varieties
Metal: 98% Copper, 0.5% Tin, 1.5% Zinc
Value: $0.05 in G

Have not discovered anything new this year, still going through December finds.

Do you have a cent from Canada 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.

Friday, January 14, 2011

SideBar

Honestly I am not obsessed with coins I just happen to be in a bar where someone else had some pennies and a glue gun.


Tuesday, January 11, 2011

2000 Bermuda Nickel

Do you have a coin from Bermuda and want to know its value? Leave a comment

Here we go again a new year and the still showing last years finds. Granted I have not found anything significant in my change. In past years it took until mid-February to find anything good. I can only assume everyone overspends in December and they stop shopping until it gets close to Valentine's Day.

This Bermuda find follows a pattern of Bermuda coins found in December. Well if the universe is trying to give me a hint on where to travel next Christmas I am starting to understand. 

 

The obverse has Queen Elizabeth II, the older effigy with the tiara.
The reverse has the Queen angel fish. The fish is partially poisonous to humans, does not breed well in captivity, and native to the entire western Atlantic Ocean but most common around Bermuda.

Here's the stats ...
Type/Country: 5 Cents / Bermuda
Year: 2000
Mintage: 1,000,000
Metal: Copper-Nickel
Value: $0.30 in XF

Side note: I may test out more labels let me know if it is too much.

Do you have a Bermudian 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.

Tuesday, January 04, 2011

1953-A $5 Star Note

Do you have a bill  and want to know its value? Leave a comment

This was my last find of last year but I thought I should move it to the front of the line while I have a bit of time. It also happened to be my best find of 2010. Got some last second gifts at a gift shop and the lady on line paid with this bill not caring to spend it on junk gifts. While the cashier did not even check if it was real but quickly passed it on to me. I was surprised no one else cared that this was a blue seal older note.


This is a silver certificate from the 1953-A it is also a star note. One more thing some sharp eyes may notice is on the obverse at the top left and center are some black line. On the reverse on the top right is a green line. Those are the positioning or alignment marks. These marks were used to line up the original 12-subject sheet to be cut to the exact dollar dimensions. This bill is slightly off-center so the marks are visible. Go ahead click each image and see for yourself, I will wait for you to comeback...see told you.

Although it has a slight faulty alignment this was common in these types of notes, from what I understand it does not add much value.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 5 Dollars / United States
Year: 1953-A
Date Printed: July 1957 - January 1961
Printings: 12,960,000
Run: *15120001A - *2808000A
Value: $55.00 in this shape

The condition is crisp and without bends or folds. Unfortunately the scanner did some auto correction and took out all the stains and yellowness. I am using a new scanner not my older-better model. To make sure this bill was not ironed I held it up to a strong light and checked every inch for thin light-lines that would indicate it was folded once. Pressing a bill is fine while iron is considered deceptive and possible destructive.

Do you have a note 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.