Joe C. writes: I have a number of proof sets which are now in U.S. Mint cellophane all have COA. Would it hurt collectability to remove them from their cellophane and put them in an airtite display case ? Makes em look nicer.
I do not think that removing proof sets from the original film reduces their value. Look at all the slabbed proofs that are encapsulated. It doesn’t seem to hurt their value. There will always be collectors that consider original packaging vital but often the original packaging doesn’t preserve coins very well.
I once opened an original box of 1936 proof sets that had never been removed from the original mailing. The owner had simply taken the mailing box that contained the proof sets and put them in a safe deposit box. It was like opening a treasure chest. Unfortunately, many of the coins were toned to black. The presence of so much sulfur paper had an adverse affect on the coins.
If you do place the coins in holders, be careful not to touch the surface of the proofs, fingerprints will certainly devalue the coins. You might consider non-powdered latex gloves (usually available at your local pharmacy by the box) to handle the coins successfully. You might also want to preserve the packaging separately from the coins and passed that material on when the coins are sold.
Saving the original packaging may be much more important for a specific group of coins: the Proof U.S. American Silver Eagle and the Proof editions of U.S. American Eagle and Buffalo gold coins. These have been highly promoted for inclusion in government approved retirement plans (401Ks, etc.). However, the “rules” (or whatever) require that the coins be in original Mint packaging, including the COA (Certificate of Authenticity). While these coins are frequently taken out of their packaging and “slabbed,” current “Dealer Buy Price” premiums favor the coins as they came from the Mint.
Mike F. writes: I have a Buffalo nickel coin that is 77mm in diameter. It is dated 1913 with the S under the five cents. Is this an actual coin since it is so large? If it is not an actual coin for circulation, what is it and where did it come from?
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Bill W. writes: I have a Limited editon commemorative one pound Silver Eagle. Proof, mintage 10,000 diameter 3.5, fineness .999 silver weight one troy pound, edge reed, specificatons set by “Continental Mint” Yr. 1991. Any idea what it is worth?
Both these “coins” are essentially bullion items. Their value lies in their precious metal content.
U.S. 5 cent nickels are 21.2 mm in diameter. There were no other sizes made. This is a medallion made to compete with the U.S. Mint’s issue of the 2001 Buffalo dollar (38.1 mm) that is similar to the the original Fraser design. The U.S. Mint product is dated 2001.
U.S. silver Eagles are 40.6 mm in diameter and weigh 31.101 grams. This “limited edition” 12 troy ounce behemoth was similarly produced to take advantage of its resemblence to the smaller, official U.S. Mint coin.
There are many bullion issues made by a private companies that have absolutely no association with the United States Mint. Recently the Mint has sued such companies that appropriate U.S. coinage designs, for copyright infringement. Often when these items are advertised, the ad is constructed in such a manner that people are led to believe that these medals are official issues with a limited mintage and might have future potential.
The market considers these medallions to be bullion items with no other value. This is not to say that someone might be impressed with this presentation and pay a premium to purchase it from you, just that there is no market premium above the silver value.
Note that the term “proof” is not a statement of grade (condition) but a method of manufacture. Proof coins are graded in a similar manner as mint state coins.
See the CoinSite Metals Page for current silver prices.
Ray O. writes: I have a mint condition US dollar bill that has the serial number printed on the back side and no serial number on the front. I also have the dollar bills with the serial number before and after this one which are on the correct side. I received these bills from a bank in a bundle of 100 bills in sequencial serial number order (i.e. new bills). I also have the band that was around the bundle but it’s not in good shape. My question is how rare are these bills and are they worth much as collector items. I put them away once I saw the miss print and have tried to keep them in perfect shape with minimal handling. Any insight to what I found would be appreciated. Thanks, Ray O.
You have a “third printing error” – overprint on back.
U.S. currency is printed three times. The first printing is the back of the note, the second printing is the front, and the third printing (called the overprint) consists of the serial numbers and Treasury seal. Your sheet went into the overprint press reversed and the third printing was put on the back instead of the front.
Current market value for this type of error is approximately $100.
Ignacio A. writes: I am a Spanish translator working on a translation of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s tales, and I was making some investigation on a certain paragraph:
“Finally, he puts into his hand, at parting, a shilling of the Massachusetts coinage, stamped with the figure of a stubbed pine tree, mistaken by King Charles for the oak which saved his royal life”. (“Sir William Phips”)
I think the date of the story is 1652, if it might help. The idea is that I would like to briefly explain the story of the stamped image so the Spanish readers can understand the passage. Maybe you can help me or tell me some resource where I can investigate that. Sorry for the disturbance, I know this is not exactly a collector’s question, but I have been navigating for hours and I’m kind of desperate. Thanks. Ignacio A., Madrid
The author is referring to the Massachusetts Pine Tree Coinage (1667-1682). These coins were issued by the Massachusetts settlement in lieu of official coinage from England. The term “shilling” refers to a English coin denomination (12 pence= shilling – 20 shillings=1 pound). The central design of the coin featured a crude Pine tree (Pina arbol?)
The date of the story can’t be 1652 as the chronology of Massachusetts coinage is:
Also see: 1652 Massachusetts Pine Tree Shilling – Large Planchet
Andria writes: Hello there, I have several “Morgan Silver Dollar” pieces that I’d received from grandmother as a child. The dates range from 1878 to 1885. In showing them to my daughter, one in particular struck my curiosity because of features it has that were not found on the others. On the 1878-S, w/Convex Breast and 7 feathers, it has an inscription of “L51” to the left of “Lady Liberty’s” mouth. What does this mean? I am very curious of their worth, if any. I plan on “handing” them down to my child as well. Thank you for your assistance.
The term “L51” does not exist on any Morgan Dollar dies, nor is it a design feature. Counterstamps on coins are common though this is done outside the mint and is unique to that specific piece. Stamping coins with advertising or political messages is a common pursuit and has been done extensively throughout history. What better way to get your message across then to use coins that are passed to thousands of people in a relatively short time.
Collectors of medals and tokens (exonumia) enjoy collecting counterstamped coins if it can be determined what the relationship the counterstamp has to contemporary events. Could “L51” be someone’s catalog number in their collection? A good mystery to solve!
As far as value, counterstamped coins usually bring less than similar examples in the same grade unless the stamp has some overwhelming historical importance. Collectors consider counterstamped coins to be damaged.
Charles S. asks: Please give an explanation of the error on this Federal Reserve note.
This error was caused by a fragment of paper that was struck to the plate when the back (1st printing) was printed. The value of such an error depends on the size of the fragment and the grade (condition) of the note. I estimate that a small fragment printing error on this VF example would bring about 20% over face value.
Robert B. writes: I’m looking for information on a commemorative coin my Grandmother had. The coins is 8 sided, one side has a Eagle with wings open, the wording on it is Thompson’s Restaurant California 1856 to 1906. On the other side it states that the coin is of the same size and waight as the 1851 $50 gold piece, that were of $300 value at the time, I’m guessing 1906. The coin looks to be made of Gold, but we have not had it tested.
Advertising tokens made up to resemble $50 gold pieces from the U.S. assay office in San Francisco were and are fairly common, especially in the western United States. Exonumia collectors enjoy collecting these tokens as they are historically interesting. It is doubtful that this token was struck in gold as advertising tokens were made to give away. $50 in gold (slightly less than 2 1/2 troy ounces) in 1906, would have represented about 8 weeks salary for an average worker.
You can check for gold content by performing a specific gravity test. This is non destructive and, if minted in gold, will allow you to determine the actual fineness.
Henry H. writes: I have looked at many web sites trying to find a answer but can not so far. I received some paper money from my Aunt. One is a $1.00 federal reserve note in an envelope with this note on it ” Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Texas, Encircled K assassinated on Nov. 22, 1963 at Dallas Texas Series 1963 , 4-11’s=44 age 44. Is this really a collectors item and of any value?
Some people have tried to create a mystical association with the series 1963 Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Texas bank notes. The letter “K” (first letter of Kennedy’s last name) in the serial number prefix and on the Treasury seal simply represent the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Texas. The number “11” is the Federal Reserve Bank number and appears on all four corners of the note. Notes with “22” (Kennedy was assasinated November 22, 1963) in the serial number were even more in demand. These notes predate Kennedy’s assassination and the series date is coincidental. Other denominations of 1963 Dallas Federal Reserve issues also exist.
The note does bring a premium in uncirculated condition but not because of the Kennedy connection but because they are scarce in new condition (retail value: about $3.) Circulated examples are currently worth face value.