Ratia is remembered in Finland as both charismatic and very creative which led to her substantial commercial success in Finland and internationally. The colorful and innovative styling of Marimekko clothing initially attracted significant American attention when First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy bought several designs and wore them during her Husband’s presidential campaign in 1960.  2012 also marks her 100^th birthday anniversary.

The obverse of the coin is the work of artist Kari Markkanen and depicts a candid and informal front-facing portrait of Armi Ratia positioned towards the left half with the text “Armi Ratia 1912 - 1979” to the right of the portrait. A series of wavy lines or stripes representative of some of Marimekko’s well-known textile designs is seen behind the portrait. The reverse motif is designed by Maija Isola and includes a series of Marimekko’s trademark flowers with the center flower depicted in vivid magenta and orange color. The coin’s face value of 10 €URO is seen just under the colorized flower and the text “SUOMI FINLAND 2012” is seen just above along the rim, the mintmark of the Finnish Mint is placed after the year.

The coin is struck in both proof quality and in Brilliant Uncirculated with a mintage of 20,000 pieces for each. Struck in sterling silver, the coin has a weight of 25.5 grams and a diameter of 38.6 mm.

The coin will be available from the 4^th June at the Mint’s outlet shops in Finland and by ordering directly on their website at: http://www.suomenrahapaja.fi/eng

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Collectors (first party) typically think their coins are in better condition than do buyers (second party); so we rely on third-party graders to give us their best objective estimates. In that role they become numismatic referees. Like those in the sports world, their reputations are based on consistency.

Yes, coin grading is a subjective exercise--to an extent. Grades from top companies shouldn't be off by more than a point or two.

Every now and then, though, collectors get grades that seem overly subjective, to the extent that they want to do something about it.

Both of the top grading services have outlets for that. If you disagree with a grade, you can resubmit the coin and pay the appropriate fees. I usually send the coin to the rival grading service. This way, I get an education for my fees, ascertaining the fine points of slightly different grading practices.

Both NGC and PCGS accept crossovers from the other. NGC will only consider crossovers from PCGS while the latter company will consider crossovers from any slabbing company. (“We want all the best coins in PCGS holders," PCGS President Don Willis said.)

Recently I won in a Proxibid auction a 1932-D and a 1932-S Washington Quarter. I wanted these in NGC holders as I was considering beginning a set registry of quarter dollars with the company. The pictures below show how the Proxibid auctioneer (a coin dealer, by the way) described each coin ("almost uncirculated" for the 32-D and "uncirculated" for the 32-S).

NGC graded both of them XF45. Click to expand any of the photos.

I was disappointed in the grades, but more so in that both coins received the same designation when the 1932-S was clearly the better coin. While both had luster, and the 32-S had more, the breast feathers of the 32-S were distinct whereas the feathers on the 32-D were fainter and more worn.

In making decisions whether to resubmit a coin, I usually rely on PCGS Photograde Online. This is an easy to access free resource with quality pictures.

Using it, I believed my 1932-D should have graded AU50-53 and the 1932-S, AU55-AU58.

That's a pretty bold statement. NGC and PCGS are top-rated because of consistency. Seldom does one company give a higher grade than its rival, although PCGS has done that once out of a dozen or more of my submissions. (It does happen.)

I'm writing this post at on April 6, 2012, the day that PCGS received my crossover submission. Of course both companies do not know Coin Update will publish this post (but NOT until PCGS reports its grades).

By the way, I wrote "ANY" on my PCGS submission form rather than "CROSSOVER" because I wanted to give the graders as much leeway as possible in helping determine who was right--the Proxibid auctioneer (first party), your columnist (second party) or NGC (third party).

That makes PCGS the referee.

Have you ever sent NGC coins to PCGS (or vice versa) because you were disappointed with a grade? If so, tell us what happened.

We'll tell you what happened with these coins as soon as we receive the PCGS grades.

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Established in 1862 as the Museum of Fine Arts, the National Museum in Warsaw is one of Poland's oldest and biggest art museums. It houses items of Polish culture from various eras as far back as the reign of King Stanislaw August Poniatowski to the present. Besides Polish art, the collection features European paintings by Dutch, Flemish, Italian and French artists, all adding up to a rich and comprehensive collection of art history from Antiquity to date.

Struck by the Mint of Poland, the striking and sleek obverse which is the work of Ewa Tyc-Karpińska depicts a stylized image of the Egyptian god Anubis, represented as a reclining dog and facing left. Under the dog are the commemorative years "1862 - 2012". The text "150 LAT MUZEUM NARODOWEGO W WARSZAWIE" is positioned around the rim from left to right and also placed under the primary design. The reverse of the coin is more traditional with its inclusion of the crowned eagle, the national insignia of the Polish nation. The denomination of 10 Zlotych is positioned just below the eagle and the text "RZECZPOSPOLITA POLSKA 2012" placed above.

The coin is struck in sterling silver to proof quality with a weight of 14.1 grams and a diameter of 32 mm. A mintage of 45,000 pieces has been authorized.

For more information on this and other coins issued by the National Bank of Poland, please visit their website at: http://www.nbp.pl/homen.aspx?f=/en/banknoty/kolekcjonerskie/2012.html

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The first issue of the modern era was the 1982 George Washington Half Dollar, issued to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth of the first President. The design by Elizabeth Jones featured Washington on horseback on the obverse and a view of Mount Vernon on the reverse. These coins were struck in 90% silver, representing the first 90% silver coins to be produced by the US Mint since the 1964-dated circulating coins. Both proof and uncirculated versions were available with a maximum authorized mintage of 10 million. These coins remained available for sale until the end of 1985, selling more than 7 million pieces.

The first copper-nickel clad composition commemorative half dollar was issued in 1986 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty. The maximum mintage was even higher at 25 million pieces, although pricing was lower due to the lack of precious metals content. Across proof and uncirculated versions, this issue sold nearly 8 million pieces, which still represents the highest overall sales for a modern commemorative issue.

In the following years, half dollars would be issued within programs to celebrate the bicentennial of Congress, the golden anniversary of Mount Rushmore, the 1992 Olympics, Christopher Columbus, the Bill of Rights, World War II, the World Cup, and the Civil War Battlefields.

The 1992 Columbus Half Dollar was interesting in that one century prior, the US Mint had issued the first early commemorative coin to mark the 400th anniversary of the explorer's discovery of America. The 1993 Bill of Rights Half Dollar is noted as the only modern commemorative half dollar besides the 1982 George Washington issue to be struck in 90% silver. The 1995 Civil War Half Dollar often generates stronger interest from collectors and features a design by Don Troiani, an artist noted for his depictions of battle scenes.

From 1995 to 1996, the US Mint issued four different commemorative half dollars for the Atlanta Olympics. In a similar situation to the gold and silver Olympic coins of the same program, the overload of issues resulted in some collectors passing on the offerings. This resulted in relatively low mintages for the 1996 Swimming and 1996 Soccer Half Dollars, which have traditionally been viewed as key issues.

Modern Commemorative Half Dollar Mintages

Following the passage of legislation by Congress limiting commemorative programs to only two per year, the number of issues declined and the use of the half dollar denomination became less frequent. Only four commemorative half dollars have been issued in the last 15 years. These have been included in the programs for the Capitol Visitor center, First Flight Centennial, the Bald Eagle, and the U.S. Army.

The 2008 Bald Eagle Half Dollar fared the best in sales with more than 300,000 pieces sold across proof and uncirculated versions. The 2011 Army Half Dollar represented the other extreme, with just over 100,000 pieces sold. Some have heralded the uncirculated version of the Army Half Dollar as a new key date, since it represents a fresh mintage low. This issue is also noted as being extremely difficult to find in the top grade of MS 70.

The US Mint will be issuing the next commemorative half dollars in 2013 as part of a program to honor the United States Army 5-Star Generals. This will be followed by another half dollar issued in 2015 to mark the 225th anniversary of the US Marshals Service.

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The new coins are dedicated to the Sea of Galilee, also known as Kinneret, situated in northeast Israel in the Jordan Rift Valley, caused by the separation of the African and Arabian Plates. At 211 metres (693 ft) below sea level, it is the lowest freshwater lake on Earth and the second-lowest lake after the Dead Sea, which is a saltwater lake. The Sea of Galilee is fed partly by underground springs although its main source is the Jordan River which flows through it from north to south.

The set consists of three coins, two silver coins of 2 and 1 sheqel and a gold coin of 10 sheqels and the design on all three is uniformed. Struck at the Mint of Finland, the obverse design is the work of artist Michal Hamawi and depicts a view from the west Coast of the lake with a sailboat and palm trees with wild flowers. In the background is the coastal shore of the Golan Heights. The text above the primary design reads “SEA OF GALILEE” in Arabic, English and Hebrew.

The reverse of the coin is the work of designer Meir Eshel and includes the coin’s denomination represented by a numeral positioned to the upper left half and the text “NEW SHEQALIM” in both English and Hebrew. To the right of the denomination, is a stylized representation of the Sea of Galilee consisting of the outline and a series of wavy lines symbolizing water. The text “INDEPENDENCE DAY – 2012” and “ISRAEL” are also positioned around the primary design also in English, Arabic and Hebrew. The national crest of a menorah surrounded by olive branches on either side is placed towards the top and in between two text legends.

The gold 10 Sheqalim coin is struck to proof quality (mintmark “מ”) in .917 fineness with a weight of 16.9 grams and a diameter of 30 mm. A total mintage of just 555 pieces has been authorized. The silver 2 Sheqel coin is struck to proof quality (mintmark “מ”) in sterling fineness with a weight of 28.8 grams and a diameter of 38.7 mm. The mintage is authorized at 2,800 pieces. The one sheqel coin is struck to proof-like quality (mintmark, star of David) and is sterling silver with a weight of 14.4 grams and a diameter of 30 mm. A mintage of 1,800 pieces has been authorized.

The series can be purchased in combinations of three coins, two coins or individually. Special pre-order prices for the coins are in effect until 31^st May 2012. For more information on these and other coins offered by the office of the Israel Coins and medals corporation, please visit their website at: http://israelmint.com/?section=571&product=4179&lineItem=2731

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The Kennedy Half Dollar was introduced in 1964 and features a bust of President Kennedy on the obverse designed by Gilroy Roberts. The reverse features the Presidential Seal as designed by Frank Gasparro. Since 2002, half dollars have not been produced for general circulation, but have only been produced in the limited quantities necessary to fulfill demand from collectors.

Available products include a 200-coin bag and two roll set. The bags, which contain 100 coins each from the Philadelphia and Denver Mints, are sewn shut with an indication of the mint marks, date, and face value of the coins. The price is set at $139.95 per bag.

The two roll sets contain one 20-coin roll each from the Philadelphia and Denver Mints. The coins are contained in custom designed wrappers which include US Mint branding, the date, mint mark, and face value of the coins. These are priced at $32.95 each.

Orders for either product may be placed online at http://catalog.usmint.gov/

Production figures for the year to date indicate that the US Mint has struck 1.8 million half dollars at the Denver Mint and 1.7 million half dollars at the Philadelphia Mint.

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Hello. I received the coins today. They are for my wife for Mother’s Day. The set you sent is the "mint" set, not the "proof" set as described. I would not have paid this much for the regular mint set. If you could contact me with your email address, I could send a picture showing the difference. Please send your email or phone (text) number outside of this eBay constraint so we can communicate normally. Thank you, Tom (pseudonym)

First, I knew that they were all proof sets. Second, I was not about to enter into a direct conversation with this or anyone over an eBay purchase, so I sent this in reply:

Dear Tom,

The set you purchased was in a block of 9 sets, of which I still have some. I compared one of them to another set which I purchased with the envelope, clearly labeled with 'P.S.' for Proof Set, and they looked identical. I also compared the set to another in my collection from the same year whose envelope is labeled with 'U.C.' for Uncirculated Mint Set, and the edges of the plastic packaging for the UC sets were colored blue for Philadelphia and red for Denver.

What I sold you was a proof set, as the photograph clearly shows that the edges of the plastic package is uncolored. I hope this has cleared this issue, and I hope your wife enjoys her new coins.

This was not received well, as his next email spells out:

No good. Plastic means nothing to me. I bought coins! These coins are not proof and I know that you know it. Go on eBay and look at the "mirror" look of proofs if you still don't know. I could have bought the coins you sent me on eBay "buy it now" for 27 dollars no ship cost. This is clearly a rip-off. I noticed you did not send your contact info. This must be resolved or you can be sure of a negative feedback. Reply if you wish to avoid this. I am a 100% perfect eBay-er for 14 years. People will notice!

I did not want an unhappy customer, but I also knew I was in the right, so I did more research, searching the Internet and eBay for examples to settle this issue.  I sent this email to hopefully settle this situation:

Tom:

First, let me apologize for the statements regarding the color stripes: upon further research, the US Mint started using that method in 1959.

Second, during that same research, I found this, which I will quote from "A Guide Book of United States Coins 2013" by R.S. Yeoman:

"Uncirculated Mint sets sold only by the Treasury from 1947 through 1958 contained two examples of each regular-issue coin. These were packaged in cardboard holders that did not protect the coins from tarnish."

I found an example of such a mint set online: http://mintsetguide.com/1957-mint-set/

Also, here is a link to an active eBay auction for a 1957 mint set:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1957-MINT-SET-BU-/120912684184?pt=Coins_US_Individual&hash=item1c26f52498#ht_2863wt_1177

To compare, here is an example of that year's proof set: http://proofsetguide.com/1957-proof-set/

The coins in the photograph for this auction are of a 1957 Proof set, matching the image of the third link above. I hope that you can see that the coins I put up for auction, and that you successfully bid on and won, and that you now possess, are a proof set.

If you have any further doubts, I would suggest that you locate a local coin shop and ask their opinion. I strongly believe that their response will match with what I have told you.

Once again, I hope your wife enjoys the coins.

I waited all day for Tom to send another email, either to extend his negative rant or acknowledge that he was incorrect. In the end, I received neither, only a positive feedback with the message, “Thx”.

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The coins include the commemorative obverse commissioned for the official £5 crown also issued in gold, silver and cupro-nickel. Designed by Ian Rank-Broadley, the Queen is depicted in the robes of the order of the Garter and wearing Queen Mary’s tiara (wife of King George V) given to the Queen for her wedding. Inspired by the Royal Great seal of the Queen, the reverse of the coin, also designed By Ian Rank-Broadley is exceptional as it shows the Queen on a classically-designed throne complete with wreaths of olive branches positioned above the Queens head. An inscription in Latin is placed around the primary design on either side which reads “DILECTA REGNO MCMLII – MMXII” translating into “I reign beloved 1952 – 2012”.

Specifications for both the gold and silver coins include a pure gold or silver alloy (.999 fine) of five ounces (156.2 grams) and struck to proof quality. Both coins have a diameter of 65 mm and the face value of Ten Pounds. The mintage is also symbolic of the occasion as the silver coin is set at 1,952 pieces, the year of the Queen’s accession, with the gold coin authorized at only 250 pieces. A custom presentation box and specially commissioned book along with the Royal Mint’s certificate of authenticity completes this product.

For more information on this and other coins offered by the Royal Mint, please visit their website at: http://www.royalmint.com/shop/u/ukdj5ozs?tab=detail#productdetails

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The US Mint began sales of the 2012 Proof Set on May 7, 2012. This came after earlier offerings such as the Birth Set, America the Beautiful Quarters Proof Set, and Presidential $1 Coin Proof Set, which incorporated many of the coins included in the full annual set.

Through the reporting date of May 14, 2012, sales for the 2012 Proof Set have reached 243,494. This represents a slower start compared to the 2011 Proof Set, which reached sales of 253,144 during a shorter five day debut period. Looking further back, the 2010 Proof Set had debuted at 296,379 units and the 2009 Proof Set had debuted at 437,178. The apparent decline in interest for the US Mint's traditionally most popular product seems to be an ominous sign.

Sales were slower for 15 out of 18 of the available gold numismatic products when compared to the prior weekly period. The United States Mint utilizes a flexible pricing policy for these coins, which allows prices to be adjusted weekly based on the average market price of gold. In all likelihood, a price decrease will be implemented for this week, around mid-morning on Wednesday.

The complete US Mint numismatic product sales report appears below. The figures are compiled through May 14, 2012. The first number column represents total sales through the reporting date, and the second number column represents the change in sales since the last report. Products with sales followed by an asterisk (*) are no longer available from the United States Mint. Products listed in bold make their debut on this report. Currently available US Mint products can be found online athttp://catalog.usmint.gov/

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Struck by the Pobjoy Mint in the United Kingdom, this stunning new coin features a side portrait of the Queen wearing St. Edward’s Crown which has been produced with the highest relief that has ever been produced on a coin.  The engraving process of high relief for a design which appears on a metal surface is usually reserved the production or striking of a medallion rather than that of a circulation or collector coin. The technique, which requires a greater degree of striking pressure also results in a design which appears much sharper and more detailed with the appearance of a portrait looking more life-like and animated.

The obverse of each coin features a unique double effigy of Her Majesty, the first is a portrait of The Queen as she appears on current coins while the other is a portrait of Her Majesty as she appeared on coins at the beginning of her Reign.

Available in proof quality Piedfort Silver (.999 fine 2 ounce total weight) with a relief of 4mm, and in Proof Piedfort Gold (.999 fine 1 ounce total weight) with a relief of 3mm, each beautifully engineered coin has been struck to the highest quality and is a fitting tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in her Diamond Jubilee Year. The silver piedfort coin has a diameter of 38.6 mm. with a total mintage of 2,012 pieces. The gold piedfort coin has a diameter of 30 mm. and a total issue of 1,952 pieces.

For more information on this and other coins produced by the Pobjoy Mint on behalf of Ascension Island and other countries, please visit their website at: http://www.pobjoy.com/ukworld/page.php?xPage=index.html

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