Tag Archives: Apmex

Holiday Numismatic Gifts

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Inspire love of the hobby in your children, nieces, nephews, grandchildren and friends by gifting them one or more of iconic designs by the U.S. Mint, all for under $150.

With Christmas, Hanukah and the New Year nearly upon us, you may need to do last-minute shopping at a nearby coin shop or via the internet with trusted sellers on eBay or numismatic companies like APMEX. And don’t forget the U.S. Mint.

We’ll start with the Red Book, a must-have publication for any new hobbyist. Experienced collectors can use A Guide Book of United States Coins to research these gifts below so that you can share their numismatic stories and histories.

You can get this reference book for under $25 from eBay, Wal-Mart or Whitman Publishers.

Also, don’t forget the Mint by considering its holiday gift giving products. Many such products will cost more than $150. But others for less that amount may make nifty gifts, including Christmas ornaments, which sell for $35.

Now let’s consider some of the Mint’s most popular coins.

1909 VBD Cent

Experienced collectors can include a note explaining why this coin is a must-have in any collection. The “VDB” initials stand for the coin’s designer, Victor David Brenner. But government officials were concerned that they were placed in too-prominent a position and gave Brenner too much notoriety. You can snare one at APMEX for $99 in uncirculated red condition.

There is more history associated with the Lincoln cent. Research and share it and why 1909 was the first year of this coinage.

1864 Large Motto Two Cent

You can find several examples graded by PCGS, NGC and ANACS for under $150. When you search for this on eBay, choose the low price filter and include the grading company initials with “1864 Two Cent Large Motto.”

The genuine example above was selling for under $65.

In your gift card, research and then tell the story of the motto “In God We Trust,” which first appeared on this coin, which indirectly conveyed that the Union would win the Civil War. But there is much more to this legacy. In 1956, Congress declared it the official motto of the United States.

Cite the various mottos of America beginning with the Fugio cent and what they mean about our country.

Buffalo Nickel Types I and II

You can find these two types for under $50 at APMEX. Hobbyists buying these as gifts should refresh their numismatic knowledge by researching the three Indian chiefs that formed a composite of the obverse. Even more fun would be telling the tale of Black Diamond, the model buffalo at the Central Park Zoo at the time.

The Buffalo nickel, designed by James Earle Fraser, was part of the U.S. Mint’s effort to make coinage more appealing and symbolic.

Also relate why there are two types. Hint: The raised mound on Type I caused the denomination to wear off prematurely. This introduces new hobbyists to varieties.

Mercury Dime Roll

The Mercury Dime, another coin by Adolph A. Weinman, showcases Lady Liberty with a winged Phrygian cap, making her resemble the Roman god Mercury. Research that ancient deity.

You can get a roll of these from APMEX for under $150.

If you give this as a gift, be sure to explain the value of silver and how you can use the Red Book to find values for each year in the roll, explaining mint marks and other features of this iconic dime. It introduces new collectors into roll hunting.

1917 Standing Liberty Dollar, Type I and II

This coin must be age appropriate because Type I features a partly naked Lady Liberty. I leave it to you to explain why the original bare-breasted design was considered too controversial at the time, resulting in her wearing chain mail in Type II.

Nevertheless, the devices, shield and portrait of Lady Liberty by Hermon A. MacNeil are among the most elegant designs. Research how MacNeil beat famous designers like Adolph A. Weinman in a U.S. Mint competition. That was quite a coinage feat!

Walking Liberty Half Dollar

You can purchase the 1945 date in uncirculated condition from APMEX for under $50. You can also find “Buy It Now” BU examples on eBay graded by PCGS, NGC or ANACS for under $100.

In your gift card, research and describe the symbolism of one of the Mint’s most beautiful designs, featuring Lady Liberty marching with conviction toward a new dawn for the American republic.

Morgan Dollar (1878-1904, 1921)

You can purchase an uncirculated common date Morgan for under $50 at APMEX. When you give the Morgan as a gift, make sure it is not holdered. You will want your recipient to feel the heft of this 90% 26.73 gram silver coin.

You can also research the person on whom Lady Liberty is based, Anna Willess Williams, a Philadelphia school teacher and philosopher. She agreed to be a model for designer George T. Morgan only if her name was kept out of the newspapers. As you might anticipate, it wasn’t.

MEMORABLE MOMENTS

A holiday coin gift has two dates: the one on the denomination and the holiday year in which it was given, inspiring memories as you share your research and instill the love of numismatics in your relatives and friends.

Oh, yes. You might also subscribe to Proxiblog.org and/or purchase Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding or Basic Coin Design, all of which help sponsor this educational coin site.

Rainbow 1958 Mint Sets

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Unscrupulous sellers knowing the value of naturally toned coins sometimes swap out those gems and replace them with the same year/mint examples of lesser value. Usually you can tell what sets have been tampered with, either because of the stark toning contrast or wrong packaging, as in these examples:

The best way to check if your set contains the wrong boards is to go to the APMEX coin site and see the distinct packaging, whose paper or cardboard are responsible for specific toning patterns, sometimes unique to the impurities of the planchets of a particular year.

Of all the years, the high mintage 1958 Double Mint Set is among the most desirable because of the stunning natural toning, especially the Denver silver coins that have distinct rainbows with these shades of red, blue, green, gold, yellow and magenta:

The 1958 Philadelphia coins often have a purple/blue/magenta/amber toning, as in this example:

So when I see an eBay set with artificial coloring, like the one below, I know immediately not to buy, bid or otherwise inquire about the double mint set. Can you spot the chemically treated coins?

Let’s take a closer look:

Another red flag are partial sets. You have to know the mintages. Some sets feature 18 coins (1956), and others 22 coins (1955), 28 coins (1947-49) and 30 coins (1951-1954, 1957-58).

A few years ago you could find original toning in the 1958 and other double mint sets containing these mintages:

  • 1947 (5,000)
  • 1948 (60,00
  • 1949 (5,000)
  • No 1950
  • 1951 (8,654)
  • 1952 (11,499)
  • 1953 (15,538)
  • 1954 (25,599)
  • 1955 (49,656)
  • 1956 (45,475)
  • 1957 (32,324)
  • 1958 (50,314)

Retail prices for the low mintage sets (1947-49, 51-520 can range in the hundreds and thousands, as long as they have not been tampered with or doctored.

But the 1958 set with the largest mintage remains among the most desirable because of the rainbow tones. That is why unopened original sets command high prices, as this example:

In addition to selling and buying coins, APMEX has a useful post about detecting artificial v. natural toning:

APMEX warns against:

  • Toning that has bright colors, as you would find in a box of crayons.
  • Toning that appears to “float” on the surface, rather than having greater depth.
  • The toning that appears yellow-brown or smoky. (This indicates the use of cigar or cigarette smoke, common among artificially toned coins.)
  • Toning that occurs over hairline marks.

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1976 Bicentennial Quarter Errors and Varieties

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The 1976 Bicentennial Quarter is one of the most sought-after modern coins being collected today, and that fact increases the value of any variety, error or design deviation on any of the clad Philadelphia/Denver and silver San Francisco mints.

The most valuable of errors, really a variety because all coins of the 1976-D were struck that way, is the doubling especially noticeable on the “R” of “Liberty.” Let’s focus on that first before we list some of the possible errors you might find on this popular quarter.

PCGS has labeled this double die FS-101, and depending on the condition of the coin (to be discussed later) on the Sheldon 1-70 scale, you might hit the jackpot if you can find one.

A lesser double die is the FS-102 variety:

To see if you have found one of these, again compare the “R” in “Liberty” and you will note that the FS-102 variety lacks a clear double die on the left stem of the letter “R”:

PCGS explains the error in this video:

The DDO is so rare that PCGS has only holdered fewer than 60 of this type. However, it estimates that 850 are out there. So you still can find one.

Even lower grades like this coin bring high premiums worth hundreds of dollars:

When searching for these varieties, you might turn up the fool’s gold of machine rather than hub doubling. Machine doubling happens when a loose die bounces slightly. The DD is flat and not part of the letter. Machine doubled coins do not bring premiums but buyer’s remorse.

You can read more about machine doubling at the John A. Wexler website.

Note that earlier I said “any” error or design deviation. That means you need to know what to look for, including such terms as cud, broadstruck, lamination, misalignment, filled/repunched mint mark and so on. Before you search for these, consult Proxiblog’s illustrated glossary.

Some common errors found on 1976 Philadelphia/Denver Bicentennial quarters include misaligned die, struck through grease, off center strike, filled mintmark and rotated collar.

If you find a high grade DDO/filled mint mark Bicentennial quarter, you really might have struck it rich with this variety/error combination.

To estimate the grade, consult the PCGS Photograde website:

High grades on Bicentennial quarters without any errors also bring high premiums, often in the hundreds and thousands for MS67+, MS68 and the rarest, MS69.

You are not going to find those high grades in pocket change. The best places are rolls and US Mint products. Those depicted below are available from the coin company APMEX:

That brings us to condition issues. Value decreases if a Details grade is given to any error, variety or design deviation of the Bicentennial quarter. That means damage, cleaning, artificial coloring and other issues that deny a numerical grade.

Be especially wary about these issues if bidding on a raw coin. Amateur sellers typically just post a face value coin, call it a DDO and ask for Buy It Now/Best Offer prices in the hundreds. Here’s an example of a cleaned face value quarter that this seller wants $440 for:

If you do not know how to grade or find errors, only bid and buy holdered Bicentennial quarters from PCGS, NGC, ANACS and CAC.

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You can find more information about grading, varieties, errors, bidding and buying on eBay in my new book, Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider buying or gifting the work for a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist blog. Thank you.

Fabulously Toned Peace Dollars

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While many new hobbyists are searching fruitlessly for the clickbait 1943 copper cent, the 1982-D Small Date 3.1 gram cent, and the 1992/1992-D Close AM, veteran collectors are scouring coin albums of estate auctions to find toned Peace dollars, which sell multiples times their values when holdered by a reputable company.

This is a somewhat new phenomenon.

In 2009, PCGS co-founder David Hall insisted that any Peace dollar with “rainbow colors (blue, red, green, etc.) is absolutely artificially toned. While not very scientific, my approach to toning on coins is to remember the colors I saw in the 1960s and 1970s and if a new look appears, it’s artificial to me.”

Until about 10 years ago, I, too, believed that statement. Most PCGS and NGC toned Peace dollars were gray, spottily streaked or tarnished. Slowly, however, raw uncirculated 1922 Peace dollar in particular started to tone in beautiful light or spotted colors.

This one, in 2018, sold for $8,812.50. Its retail value then was about $550.

Morgan dollars, of course, tone beautifully across the series (1878-1904/21). I investigated that years ago in an article for Coin World, noting that planchets of Peace dollars likely had fewer impurities than Morgan dollars.

It seems that those scant impurities are finally triggering patina, especially 1922 samples. Here are a few 1922s from my private bank-boxed collection.

Now it is possible to find any year of the series (1921-35) with some or even spectacular toning. The 1926-S also is a frequent toner:

The problem now are coin doctors of various skills heating, chemically treating and otherwise sulfurating Peace dollars. All you have to do is search “rainbow Peace dollars” on eBay, and this is what you might find:

Note that no Peace dollar, or silver coin, for that matter, looks that carnival splotchy color.

If you are looking to purchase an uncertified toned Peace dollar, pay particular attention to the colors and patterns on previously holdered ones by PCGS and NGC. Do a search. Certified examples should have the blue, gold, orange, blue and red colors of the ones featured above.

The coin dealer APMEX has good tips to discern fake toning:

  • The toning has bright colors, as you would find in a box of crayons.
  • Toning appears to “float” on the surface, rather than having greater depth.
  • The toning appears yellow-brown or smoky. This indicates the use of cigar or cigarette smoke, common among artificially toned coins.
  • The toning occurs over hairline marks.

The hunt for naturally toned coins, especially Peace Dollars, is more satisfying than the search for ultra rare errors. And those dollars show much better too to friends, club members and Facebook coin groups.

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