Rory C. writes:I checked in your FAQ area for info on an 1866 3 cent piece. I found where you mentioned them but not a typical value. I have one, that according to a traveling coin and gold buyer, is in good to fine condition. It has not been cleaned and has been sealed for at least 40 years. He offered me $18.00 for it. I did not know if this was a good price or not. I cannot find a mint mark on it, does this mean it is from the Philly mint? I realize that you cannot judge it without seeing it, but an estimated range would be nice. Thank you!
If it is a 3 cent silver (the design has a star on one side) and its in good to fine condition, the price that you were offered is fair. Don’t forget that grading is very important, higher grade pieces can bring substantially more. Get a second opinion before you sell it. Yes,the coin was made at the Philadelphia Mint.
L K. writes:Â Requesting info on a coin which reads “Remember the Maine” on one side and “Cuba Shall be Free”.
The medal that you describe is one of many pro-Republic items that were made to promote victory in the Spanish American War and create a Free Cuba. These items include the Souvenir Pesos of 1897 and 1898 and everyday items like cigarette lighters engraved with a similar legend as above. It seems that collectors of Cuban coins don’t limit themselves to just coins. Cigar labels, paper money, postcards, steam ship menus, advertisements, political propaganda and hand written books by famous Cuban writers, painters and poets all seem to be included. These items always have a ready market in places where Cuba collectors gather.
As far as value, I’ve seen the above token in brass and in nickel. They usually bring between $10 and $20.
Bob M. writes: Dear Doc, I recently purchased and 1801 bust silver dollar that had been holed and then repaired sometime in the 1930’s. The coin is in very good shape and the repair looks very professional except for the difference in coloration where it was repaired. I paid 60 dollars for the coin. My friend thinks I am nuts what do you think. Sincerely Bob.
First you should ask yourself why anyone would put a hole in something as valuable as an 1801 silver dollar. The coin is quite rare. Only about 54,000 1801 dollars were minted and many of those were melted or destroyed early in the 19th century.
Even the worst “dog” would be worth sixty dollars but beware there were many “holed” pieces like you described, fabricated in Asia for Jewelry purposes. They found their way into unsuspecting American hands during the Vietnam War. I once saw several dozen “1804” dollars from the same source. Just to be sure, I recommend sending the dollar to the American Numismatic Association to get it authenticated. If it’s authentic, congratulations!
American Numismatic Association
818 North Cascade Avenue
Colorado Springs, CO 80903-3279
719-632-2646
American Numismatic Association
Isaac S. writes:Â How do you determine the difference between type I and II SBA 1981 proofs.
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Ah, this is the “broken punch” story. All the dies are made in Philadelphia and so were the mint mark punches. Mint Workers punched in the mint mark by hand just before the dies were put into service. About three quarters through the run of 1979 Proof Sets, the mint mark punch that had been in service for many years, broke. If you look at the coins made from dies using this punch, the mint mark appears as more of a blob than a letter “s”. In the haste to make a new punch and get the proof sets production going again, they sent a punch that probably wasn’t annealed properly. The rest of the run of 1979 proof sets have a distinct “S” but the ends of the “S” touch and the holes are very small. These are respectively 1979 Type I and 1979 Type II proofs. These mint marks appear on the other proof coins as well.
In 1981, the poorly annealed punch was still in use, but again broke giving rise to yet another mint mark variety. The type 1981 type I is the same as the 1979 Type II. The ends of the “S” on the 1981 Type II has separation from the body of the “S” There is a lot more space in the holes of the “S” and the holes are more “U” shaped than round.
Jason S. writes: IÂ recently found an 1897 silver dollar. It is not in top condition, but I still know that it is worth some money. I would like to know how much it is worth.
The Morgan Dollar dated 1897 was minted in Philadelphia (no mint mark), New Orleans (O), and San Francisco (S). Average circulated pieces are only worth about $23 and this only because the century dollars are popular and they have a considerable silver value. The date is only valuable in Almost Uncirculated grades or higher with the 1897-O being the rarer of the three
An uncirculated ’97-O would bring anywhere from $300 in MS60 to many thousands of dollars in gem grades. The reason for the great disparity in price is the scarcity of uncirculated pieces. I guess there weren’t many collectors of this coin in 1897 to preserve them for posterity. The same fate may befall our own copper nickel Washington Quarters that everyone believes are common. In the future, they may be as scarce in uncirculated grades as the 1897-O Morgan is today.
Jeff T. writes: I understand that in 1952, certain pennies were accidentally released which were stamped with only half of the penny visible and the remainder of the circular coin showing a crescent of plain unprinted copper. I have this misstamped penny. Could you give me an idea of its value? How about a 1750’s King George ha’penny from colonial times?
The weakly struck coin you described is not limited to 1952 and may be the result of improperly set striking pressure or the result of being struck through some foreign material. The cloth used in polishing the dies might be the culprit. These kinds of errors are not unusual and their value usually falls in the $2-$10 range.
As for your halfpence: This British denomination was the most common coin used in Colonial North America. There are several private and American state imitations of this coin but they were minted after 1781 and were an attempt to address the severe coin shortage that existed in Colonial America in this period. Earlier pieces circulated in both Colonial America and England. A Geo II halfpence in average circulated condition would bring less than $10. ‘Just goes to show that age doesn’t equate with value!
Wayne E. writes:
I recently found an old coin in a small container with some other items. Its smaller than a dime, silver, and on one side has a star encircled by “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA”, and “III” in the center. What is it?
You have a silver three-cent piece. These coins were the smallest United States silver coins ever authorized by Congress. They were used initially to purchase postage stamps and to alleviate a terrible coin shortage. The coin was minted from 1851-1873 and includes three different design varieties. All were made at the Philadelphia Mint except for one issue minted at the New Orleans Mint in 1851. There is also a nickel 3 cent piece that was created to replace the silver 3 cent coins. They were a mainstay of small change from 1865 to 1889.
Bernard B. asked the following:Â I have a 1947 dime. I would like to know how much it is worth. Thank you
To all that have a few circulated U.S. 20th century silver coins lying around the house, this one’s for you!Â
Precious metals were part of the intrinsic money system that existed in the world prior to the current era. By the early 1960’s the silver value in dimes, quarters and half dollars reached or surpassed their face value and the public began to hoard them. To counter a growing coin shortage, the U.S. Congress passed a law removing silver from all circulating coins except for the half dollar. That coin remained with a reduced amount of silver (40%) until 1970 when it too began to be minted in base metal. The first base metal dimes and quarters and 40% half dollars were minted in 1965.
Virtually all the silver coins were withdrawn from circulation by the Public. Though a small part of the supply was melted, most of these silver coins still exist in large quantities and are used as a vehicle for holding silver. These coins are bought and sold in $1000 face value bags by bullion houses and coin dealers. In each bag are either, 10,000 dimes, 4,000 quarters or 2,000 half dollars. There are virtually no rare dates to be found in these bags. And so what is the value of your 1947 dime? At about $20.00 silver, $1.40.