wabnoles

And how exactly do you define "cleaning" marv? Conservation is not a term relating to improving appearance... that would be restoration. Coming from someone who is not an ancient coin collector and who deals exclusively with modern coinage, I have always heard that a cleaned coin is considered a damaged coin. Unlike fine art, where the showing of wear on a painting takes away from its visual appeal and its value, many coin collectors view the wear and patina of age on a coin as generally more appealing. For this reason coin collectors imo fall more within the realm of antique collectors than art collectors. Modern coins classified as "cleaned" generally fetch lower values. If you do not know what the heck you are doing, leave the coin alone.

Yeah I like those coins and own about three or four of them (every beginner should have a Bicentennial dollar and/or half dollar)... you could probably see some dealers who will sell them for $1.50-2 or a little more depending on condition but you would hard pressed to get much more than legal tender for them. Keep em for show.

The general consensus is any cleaning done to the coin is considered damaging and detracts from the value.

Well I think exceptions can be made to that... there are a number of coin shops or places that sell coins (such as pawn shops) that I know have bad reputations of exploiting customers both in what they'll pay for items and what they'll sell them for. I am just joining a coin club here in town and have found a number of hobbyists such as myself who are often looking to sell or trade off a couple items here and there. The money I drop on their stuff I feel much better about.

Unless you have the S mint 40% silver coins, the Ike dollars are basically worth $1

Cool thing... I actually bid a little higher than that and was surprised at getting it at the price I got it at... the dealer has shipped the item

Thanks. Would there be a way to determine if something is a die variety rather than an error?

Thats about as close as I can get

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Germany-Empire-1907-A-Funf-5-Mark-Very-Nice-Condition-/00/s/MTIwMFgxNjAw/z/Cr4AAOxyCSRSGSQn/$%28KGrHqRHJEUFH9ZkkOZ0BSGSQmZWDQ~~60_57.JPG

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Germany-Empire-1907-A-Funf-5-Mark-Very-Nice-Condition-/00/s/MTIwMFgxNjAw/z/r7AAAOxyJmhSGSQi/$%28KGrHqZHJBwFIMBrVtB,BSGSQhSEBw~~60_57.JPG

Hey there everyone... I won this 1907 Prussia 5 mark on ebay. The coin has some surface knicks on it, but all in all is still relatively ok. My concern is I got it for $18.50 when the melt value of such a coin is $19-20. Should I be happy or concerned? Here's the coin I got:

I bought a Peruvian sol from the coin show and it wasn't until upon closer inspection I noticed something. I noticed that the "S" in sol is a little misaligned. I had a poket scale I used when I was there and I took it out of the protector and weighed it alone later and it was exactly 25 grams in weight so I am confident its a real coin. Would this be considered a minor error?

perhaps this post is best fit for the error forum

I bought a Peruvian sol from the coin show and it wasn't until upon closer inspection I noticed something. I noticed that the "S" in sol is a little misaligned. I had a poket scale I used when I was there and I took it out of the protector and weighed it alone later and it was exactly 25 grams in weight so I am confident its a real coin. Would this be considered a minor error?

I got two dollar sized silver coins: an 1869 Belgian 5 francs and a 1916 Peruvian Sol (thanks for the heads up on that btw Art). Also got a 1904 Panama 10 cent, a 1923 French Indochina 20 cent, a 1923 Japan 50 Sen, an 1896 Peruvian 1/2 Dinero, and two Barber dimes.

Why would your mom be disappointed in a 1893 gold $5 she was given? A coin like that I would get graded. I inherited a 1910 Prussian 20 mark gold coin and had it graded at a 58, which put it in the $300-400 range.

Do you have a photo of the reverse?

Cool deal... I'm looking to add some dollar sized silver coins to my collection. I am going to a coin show in a couple days.

I have come across that guy before.... everything he sells is a "metal detector find". It always strikes me as both suspicious and hacky whenever the seller tries to push across this story with the items to make it look like he is just some amateur who has no idea what he is selling. Such deceptive tactics should hardly be awarded with your business.

You mean DeBeers hasn't tracked him down and killed him yet? lol

I also buy coins several times a month on ebay. To follow up some of the points already made by others, one thing I refuse to do is buy from India, China, Indonesia, eastern Europe, etc. because there are just so many fakes coming out of those areas that its best to just snip it in the bud and do your business elsewhere. Also, always do your research before you bid (know what you're bidding on... buying things over the internet offers that advantage because you're not really going out of your way to do this research) and never bid on mulptiple items unless you are fully prepared tot take on the potential debtload.

Hey everyone I have been eyeing for a while buying some dollar-szed silver coins and am looking for some suggestions. I already have the usual Peace and Morgan dollars so am really wanting to venture into foreign silver coins. Anyone have any favorites? Anyone know of places to turn to to find a listing of these larger 25 gram+ coins? Thanks.

To follow up a little bit on ccg the Iraqi coin on the upper right is a 1931 (1349) 50 fils and it is .500 silver. At 26.5 mm, it should a little larger than a standard US quarter. Hard to tell what yr the two 2 rials are since the reverse are upside down.

From the sound of what you're describing the Edward VII and Alexandra coin is indeed a commemorative souvenir token as those were rather common coin types especially in Great Britain

thanks for sharing