Too often numismatic writers give the impression that they always win in online auctions, but all of them will fail on occasion, including me. That is what this post is about. Perhaps my examples here might inform you about issues that often result in cleaned or damaged coins after they are sent in for holdering. […]
Confusion with NGC “S$1” designation
In my browsing of online auctions, I have seen the “S$1” designation, which means “Silver, $1.” This is sometimes confused in NGC labels as an “S” mintmark. In fact, the 1886 Morgan dollar above was listed on eBay as 1886-S. The seller also misidentified the “S” in his description. This has been a relatively rare […]
NGC and toned Silver Eagles: An update
Take a look at this beautifully toned American Silver Eagle, which just sold on eBay for $224.72, a bargain, in my view. Typically an American Silver Eagle with such rainbow toning and PCGS TrueView sells for $300-plus. That’s OK. Someone got a great coin. I should know, because it was mine, consigned to Great Toning […]
Revised “Yellow Book” a must-have guide for all collectors
The revised and updated edition of Whitman Guide to Coin Collecting includes the basics from previous editions along with pertinent new information for both newcomers and experienced numismatists. In this review, we’ll cover in depth the content for new hobbyists, but we also want to address the numismatic experts early in this critique. Too often […]
Resubmitting or living with grades
In my opinion, these beautifully toned Roosevelt dimes received low grades, MS-63 for the 1946-D and MS-62 for the 1947-D. You can go to the certifications and expand, and you’ll see more small marks on the cheek of the 1946-D than on the cheek of the 1947-D, which got the lower of the two grade. […]
Testing the PCGS Restoration Service
This is one of my most expensive coins, in an old green holder tucked in my bank box, with surfaces that might justify a few higher points on the Sheldon 70-point scale. But it has unsightly toning, justifying the MS-61 grade. The eye appeal is substandard. Here’s the upside, however: If a lightly worn key date […]
Crossover crack-outs at NGC
The photo above constitutes the gist of this post concerning cracking out coins and submitting them to NGC, to see what difference, if any, a world-class holdering company assigns to coins in lower-level slabs. NGC is one of the top companies because of its consistent grading standards. I admire this company for many reasons, especially […]
What kind of hobby is this?
Take a good look at this Morgan roll with a Carson City dollar on one end and an equally brilliant 1879 Morgan on the other (not depicted). Better still, the roll looked like this: An original bank roll from Carson City, Nevada! … indicating to the inexperienced collector that every coin therein would bear this […]
Dismantling a Roosevelt dime collection
Last year I won a stunning set of Jefferson nickels and wrote about it for Coin Update, explaining the process to dismantle a set (i.e., removing high-end coins for holdering). The process involves identifying toned coins, which command a premium, then checking for rare varieties or mint errors, and finally, selecting coins based on eye […]
How do late ANACS slabs stack up with modern PCGS?
Viewers of Coingrader Capsule know we test modern holdering companies, especially against the widely held half-truth / half-myth that early graders were more conservative than those of today. You can view several posts about that in Coin Update. Here’s one of the first that I did in 2011, titled “Old Green Holders” [ain’t what they […]
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