Jeff G. writes: Can you tell me about 1898 American silver dollar, with eagle on back upside down compared to the ladies head that is on the flip side.
All U.S. coins are struck with “coin” orientation, that is the coin has to be flipped from top to bottom for the other side to be upright. Many world coins and many medals are struck with “medallic” orientation, that is, the coin has to be flipped from side to side in order for the opposite side to be upright. Many people have suddenly noticed this because they are really looking at the new quarters and so believe that the opposite side is upside down. Check any other U.S. coins and you will see the orientation is the same.
Full rotated reverse modern coins at one time were thought to be impossible because of the method by which the dies fit into the coin press. Apparently this was disproved with the discovery of the rotated State quarter reverses. It is unclear whether this is due to the type of presses being used or because of workman error. More than a half-million coins are struck from a die pair, making these kinds of errors less than rare.
Don’t confuse rotated reverses with the normal orientation of United States coins. Most rotated reverses will not be exactly 90 degrees off but varying amount from as little as 5 degrees to 45 degrees.
Tony S. writes: I have a 1943 Nickel (P)hilly Mint, in good condition. It appears to have a “crack” on both sides where the metal seems to “peel” away from the coin. It looks like it could have been damaged in production. Is this possible? Should I have it checked out by an expert?
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I have what appears to be a “blank” penny. It has no markings on it whatsoever and it seems to have a slightly raised edge. If I were to compare it to a date of a true penny, I would say somewhere in the teens (looking at size and color).
When the coin metal strip is being rolled out to the proper thickness, dirt or gas or another foreign substance may become trapped in the surface of the metal. When the coin blanks are cut and the coin minted, the lamination often peels off the coin’s surface leaving a depression or crack in the surface of the coin. This error may decrease or increase the numismatic value of the coin depending on the severity and the kind of lamination. See more on Laminations.
The cent you mentioned sounds like a blank flan that escaped the coin press. If it has a rim, it is known as a Type II blank and has been through the upsetting machine that creates the rim. Blanks before this process are called Type I and have no rim. See more on Error Coins and Error Coin Values.
Allan W. writes: How much does the value of a coin affect the grade it receives? I have several common date Morgan dollars graded MS66 and recently purchased an 1892CC dollar in MS64. The MS64 dollar has fewer marks and distracting features than any of the MS66 coins. Is it possible that this coin is simply undergraded or did it receive a lower grade because there is a big jump in price between an MS64 and an MS65? This question is raised after reading an editorial in Coin World about a 1944 copper cent that was graded AU55 after previously grading EF40 three times with the reason given by the grading service that the higher grade was justified based on what the value of the coin should be.
The Coin Doc’s philosophy has always been to buy coins that please you no matter what grade is stated on the holder. It is true that each date and mint mark of Morgan Dollars is different and it is difficult to compare grade between dates. For example, the best MS 65 1904-P will never look as good as its graded counterpart 1881-S. How well the dies were made, the skill level of the mint workers at that time, the state of repair of the machinery, the striking pressure ordered, all come in to play in the appearance of the finished coin.
It is also probably true that the major grading services grade by price. PCGS and NGC are fully aware of the wide price differentials that exist and apply very strict standards to coins with a large spread between grades. Very rarely will they grade an “almost there” better date coin at the higher grade. I noticed that it’s very difficult to get 1883-S and 1884-S Morgans graded mint state. Collectors and dealers often joke that these two dates were simply struck in AU. However, similar condition common date pieces are very often graded MS60-62.
You can play the re-grade game if you wish but you may just be giving the grading services yet another donation. See: Should I get my coins re-graded?
Susan L. writes: At a garage sale I recently purchased some coins. One of them is the size of a penny. On the one side it has a liberty head, with the word “liberty” across the headband. On the other side it has a lady sitting on a chair, next to a table. It has the words either “keep your temper” or “keep your teacher” on it. It has no value on it, which make me wonder if it was a monetary coin, or some kind of commemorative coin. I can’t seem to find any information about it, and wondered it you could help.
There are many civil war era cent size tokens that were used by merchants to alleviate the coin shortage then. When the tokens first appeared they looked very much like the Indian cents that were in circulation beginning in 1859. They would have the words ONE CENT on the back. The U.S. government took a dim view of these tokens which bordered on counterfeiting. To avoid the wrath of Uncle Sam, the tokens evolved into advertising or political tokens that were passed as one cent. There are many to collect. Some have the names of the stores that issued them and others have nonsensical themes, at least to us, many years removed from the meaning of the humor or “joke” on the token. They range in value from about $5 on up depending on the type, message, store and condition.
A similar shortage existed in the 1830’s and tokens from this era are called “Hard Times” tokens. They have a completely different character. My favorite political token from this era are the “Am I not a woman and a sister” and “Am I not a man and a brother” anti slavery pieces. You have a good find! Congratulations.
Greg H. writes: My daughter was going through her pennies. She saves coins as all my children do. Any how I don’t know the answer to this one. She found a 1987 penny the looks like it was stamped from the same material as a dime. Looks like it is silver. Is this possible or is this some kind of counterfeit item? Looks neat. It’s not mercury on the coin, I have seen that before. Could it be maybe someone plated it? It slightly worn and I see no copper so I don’t think it is plated any ideas? Well thanks for any input.
It sounds like you have a cent struck on a dime planchet (blank). Dimes, by the way, are struck from a copper-nickel sandwich (There haven’t been silver dimes since 1964). This kind of error is prized by collectors and usually brings in the range of $100-$150 for an example in uncirculated or about uncirculated condition. If you look closely, you will see the edges of the cent design are flattened out. The dime flan is a little bit too small and is stretched by the cent die to fill the collar that holds the coin in place.
It is also possible you have a plated cent. I’ve seen many of these and I imagine they were used for some commercial promotion. In any case if you have access to a gram scale try the following:
If the coin is really a 1987 cent it will weigh 2.5 grams. If the coin is a cent struck on a dime it will weigh 2.27 grams
S. M. writes: I would like to know if the 1995 Lincoln cent with the double die has a mint mark. Also, on the 1984 Lincoln cents that has a double die (Lincoln’s ear lobe), is there an easy way to distinguish it? Thanks, we are in the learning process.
A Doubled Die is a incorrectly made working die. Only the coins made from that die will exhibit the defect. The 1995 Lincoln cent doubled die was only in use at the Philadelphia Mint and has no mint mark.
The 1984 Lincoln cent doubled die has a strong doubled ear lobe. It would have to have this diagnostic to qualify. You could use a 1984-D cent for your model for the “normal ear” die.
Shachar W. writes: i have a 1896 mint M silver dollar and a 1900 silver dollar of unknown mint (can’t make out the mint sign) I was wondering how much are they worth.
I have received many questions pertaining to Morgan and Peace dollars that are common dates and in average quality or lower. There are plentiful supplies of these coins and they are bought in sold in bags of 1,000 in the market. These are not the pristine uncirculated coins that collectors search out but simply a super bullion item that has more silver value than numismatic value.
Though newbees to coin collecting are incredulous that an old coin could have so little value, it indicates that they are bringing to this age old hobby preconceived notions of what constitutes value and how coins are evaluated. Check out your local coin show. It’s a good place to begin a numismatic education.
Sandy D. writes: I was wondering if you could tell what organization laid and dedicated the cornerstone for the Carson City Mint?
Abraham Curry was responsible for getting Congress to authorize the building of the Carson City Mint in 1863. He eventually became its first superintendent. A mint was desperately needed to produce coinage for a booming western expansion. It wasn’t too bad for Carson City either.