ikaros

Very nice. I have to admit these Soviet coins are tempting.

I find them fascinating for several reasons. First is the deliberate effort by Soviet authorities to make them uninteresting to coin collectors, which they considered a "bourgeois" hobby. And paradoxically, that makes them interesting, at least to collectors like me.

Second is the strange array of denominations of kopeks: 1, 2, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 50. I can't think of anywhere else that had a coin representing 15% of the base currency. The others are all common -- even the US once had two, three and twenty cent pieces, but we never had a 15c piece. I'm sure there's an equivalent somewhere, but nothing common that comes to mind.

First load of pictures!

To the "SCIENCE!" collection (it really works best if you say "SCIENCE!" like from the Thomas Dolby song -- I could subtitle this collection "She blinded me with coinage!"), a 1999 Romanian 500 Lei commemorating the 11 August total eclipse of the sun:

To the "In Soviet Russia, coin collects YOU!" collection:

1932 20 kopeks

1936 2 kopeks

1943 5 kopeks

ND (1967) 50 kopeks commemorating the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution

1987 1 ruble, Konstantin E. Tsiolkovskiy

Gonna have to do this in stages, because I really overdid it today at the coin show. We'll do it by groups.

The SCIENCE! collection: 1999 Romanian 500 lei commemorating the solar eclipse that year

The British collection: 1977 Jubilee Crown

The "They were handing these away for free" collection: 2009P&D "Presidency" cents, 2010P&D Shield cents.

The "In Soviet Russia, coin collects YOU!" set: 1932 20 kopek, 1936 2 kopek, 1943 and 1969 5 kopek, ND (1967) 50th anniversary of the Revolution 50 kopek, 1987 Konstantin Tsiolkovskiy ruble.

The Poland collection: 1935 2 grosze, 1967 10 zł. General Swierczewski, 1969 10zł. 25th anniversary of the People's Republic, 1971 5 groszy, 1971 10 zł 50th anniversary of Silesian uprising, 1973 20 zł, 1989 2 zł, 1990 100 zł.

The Jefferson Project: 1939S T1, 1940, 1947, 1947D, 1956 proof, 1957 proof, 1965 SMS with hint of frost on Monticello, 1966 SMS, 1967 SMS, 2010P, 2010D.

The Birth Year Project: Colombia 20 & 50 centavos; Cyprus 100 mils; Denmark 5 kroner; East Germany 10 pfennig (mm: A); West Germany 2 pfennig (mm: J); Great Britain half crown; Iran 10 rials; Ireland half crown; Jordan 1 fils; Netherlands 25c; Netherlands Antilles 1/10 gulden; New Zealand halfpenny, penny, threepence, sixpence, shilling, florin and half crown; Norway 1 øre; Pakistan 25 paisa; Portugal 50 centavos; Russia (USSR) 1 kopek; Sweden 1 krona; Switzerland 1 franc; Yugoslavia 2 and 5 dinara.

Photos eventually. Oy.

Secondly:

A nice Elizabeth I threepence with a lovely portrait.

Indeed! That's a terrific piece!

Have you considered Capitol Plastics mounts? I have always liked them and have a Roosevelt set in one for 30 years with no obvious problems.

Oh, those are nice. Pricey, but nice. Worth thinking about it, yes. I'll have to write and ask what slots are specifically in there, though -- I don't want holes for 43P/42 or the doubled-die '39 that I have no intention of filling. Thanks for the heads-up!

Oh, ikaros! You skipped! My heart is broken!

I figured it's better to do them later and right, rather than now and inadequately. Soon, though! They will happen soon! Certainly before I get out of the 1940s!

Besides, ain't that a drop dead gorgeous 42P? I decided if I was going to skip, it would be for something reasonably dramatic.

Time to deviate from the calendar. the 39D and 39S were a little too rich for my blood this week (gonna have to save up), so I decided to skip forward a little and grab some silver.

The 1942P is just absolutely blast white:

And the 1942S has got some lovely toning going on:

As always, more next week!

The project progresses.

Went back and got that toned Jeff. Better images when I get back to town (these are just quick scans), but this should give some flavor of it:

The toning is all the way around, great magentas and blues with a couple hints of green and gold. The reverse is a nice strong strike, with almost no toning at all.

Since the 39D and 39S are going to hit a little harder, I'm slowing down a little here. Just the 1939. I believe it's a T2; I have a hard time seeing the difference between the two. It's starting to go gunmetal blue around the rim, with a hint of rainbowing on the reverse between the 5:00 and 7:00 positions, and might tone out like the one above.

So far, so good!

All the more reason I think there should be a coin care/storage dedicated subforum. I'd love to see the out-of-the-box ways people store their coins, ways other than flips or slabs.

Oh, I'll be sure to let y'all know what happens with the acrylic.

I expect to leave something in there for several months minimum -- maybe as long as a year -- before I'm willing to trust the good stuff to it. Probably ought to make one to hold several different issues at once so I can see how it affects the different metals. If it turns up clean, or promotes favorable toning, I may have me a little side venture.

For my Peace dollars, I have them in hard plastic individual cases. Makes them a little easier on the eyes than plastic flips or slabs... and they're cheap!

I've thought about that as one route. Ultimately, I'd like some way to display them, not just put them in a box and pull them out once in a while to look at. I'm toying with the idea of casting sheets of acrylic, drilling nickel-sized holes in one, and making a sort of 'sandwich' of the three of them. What I don't know is if the acrylic cast I have is safe for long term storage, and that means sacrificing at least one nickel and at least one silver piece to make sure. That, I can do -- better to lose a recent common date even if BU, than a high-grade 1939-D.

I could always seal them inside acrylic blocks, like paperweights -- but that would be a crime too gruesome to commit.

Great project. I think that you'll find some of the "common" date Jeffersons are a challenge to find in truly GEM UNC condition.

 

I'll certainly enjoy watching your progress on this one.

Yeah, finding nice sharp details on some of the '60s issues may be tricky, but it'll be fun, too. But yaknow, a '64 that's a little soft but has that 'glow' will do just as well, I think. I just want a coin I can look at and go "Ooo!"

I still haven't decided where I am on certain varieties. I mean, do I want a both a 1939 rev 38 and rev 40, or just the nicest 1939 I can find regardless? Errors hold no interest for me, so that keeps me out of the financial trouble a 1971 No S proof would bring -- although if one came along at the right price at the right time, I wouldn't say no.

Boy, I'm still thinking about the toning on that other '38 though. I'm probably gonna go back and get it just for the pure eye appeal of it.

Woo!! What a project! I can't wait to see you at the end!

Presuming I remain employed more or less permanently, it's my goal to add at least one coin a week, or when I get to the 'cheap' dates, at least $20 worth of purchases. Once I clear the war years, there really aren't any high-dollar dates, so it might go fairly quickly.

What I still haven't decided yet is how to display it. I don't want to leave them in their cardboard flips, but I'm not sure I want to put them in a folder, no matter how 'archival' the cardstock is. I'm open to suggestions!

In the words of Ambassador Kosh from Babylon 5, "And so it begins."

I have resolved to build a collection of Jefferson nickels in no less than MS-60 condition, and if at all possible, do it from the beginning and work my way forward. I am not interested in 'Full Steps' designations -- if I need a loupe to see the difference, it's not a difference that's worth the premium to me. I just want nice uncirculated Jeffs with plenty of eye appeal.

Jeffersons were my gateway drug. When we were selling antiques at a flea market every Sunday back in the mid 1970s (back before flea markets were all Amway and Herbalife and Beanie Baby dealers), there was one coin dealer who (wisely) pointed me at Jeffersons to start with. It's a great coin for a twelve-year-old: you can collect them out of pocket change, and back then, the series wasn't even 40 years old yet, and there really are no killer dates, no semi-permanent holes in your collection, spots you won't fill without a minor lottery hit at least.

But I never did them *right*. Sure, I salvaged coins from change, bought a few, but it's a series that you don't need to be wealthy to do in regular uncirculated grades. Even the early proofs aren't out of reach.

Day One: 1938. I was presented with a dilemma straight out of the gate, as the two Philly Jeffs battled for the privilege of spending their retirement with me. One was a gorgeous clean with miles of eye appeal, possibly even slightly under-graded. Allen's 'BU' generally means MS-63 and this one had I think a legitimate shot at -65. The other had some of the most spectacular rainbow toning I've ever seen on a Jeff, in an unbroken circle around the bust. They were the same price; in the end, I plumped for the non-toned one because I thought it was undergraded -- and what it lacked in colors, it more than made up for in lustre. I may still go back and get the toned one, just because the colors were so stunning, but until then, here is Jefferson Project Coin #1: 1938 in BU:

The 1938D also presented a choice between a regular BU and a toned BU. The toning was a nice even goldish smoke, but again, I thought the untoned was a marginally better coin. Thus, Jefferson Project Coin #2: 1938D in BU:

The 1938S presented no choice at all -- they had but one, an MS60 that doesn't quite have the fire of its siblings, but does have tons of detail and a gorgeous goldish cast to it that just might tone out very nicely indeed. So, Jefferson Project Coin #3: 1938S in MS60:

Next week... 1939. Probably going to slow down to one coin at a time to get through those. I can pick up speed later when I get to more common (and less pricey) dates.

Okay, that Barber could very nearly turn my opinion on that series. And that Alexander piece is a stunner.

1559 Poland Half Groshen

Doggone it! Now you're two for two on things I want!

I know a lot of collectors credit Lincoln cents as their introduction series. I wonder how many folks actually started because of Jefferson nickels like Finn.

 

Nice nickels everyone.

I got started on Jeffs rather than Lincolns when I was 12 -- probably because it was something I could collect from change, from the beginning. I mean, I've gotten '39s in change before. With Lincolns, by '75, Wheaties had pretty much disappeared, and even then you didn't see much before the 40s. I think that's why the coin dealer at the flea market we sold at every Sunday pointed me in that direction -- it was something a 12-year-old could collect without running into a brick wall like the Lincoln's 09S/S-VDB or 14D or... well, you know.

Funnily enough, I'm about to abandon collecting them from change and start getting only MS60 or better at my LCS -- I'm not going to deal with FS, though. I can't tell the difference between MS60 and MS65, much less MS65 and MS65-FS. Even at MS60, there aren't really any killers lurking out there -- especially since I'm not particularly interested in doubled dies or overstruck dates or mint marks. If I decide to go for those, I can live with AU. Even the older proof issues are reasonable, really.

What I don't want are the poor dears trapped in tombstones. Not that I'm gonna take them out of their holders and play with them, but jeez. I don't need the markup from the professional grading, and I may want to find a unique way to display them.

Here is my favorite Jefferson nickel, though it's not legal tender:

I do so love Schlag's original design; it's so much more visually interesting than the circulation design. Might be nice to see it rolled out for the 75th anniversary of the design in '13.

I like it! I always have this "thing" for well-circulated coins with natural patina.

Especially when their high-grade big brothers are a painful kick in the wallet.

I was pleased that the date wasn't completely eroded away, and there's still detail in the recesses. I about had a stroke when my dealer said he had a '17 at very fine for $52 and immediately asked after it... he of course meant VG. Oh, well...!

I think I've said before, one of the things I like about well-circulated coins is I don't feel paranoid about just *looking* at them. I mean, an MS-60 1917 SLQ, and I'd be afraid of breathing in the same room as it!

And with this coin:

...I complete my 20th Century US type set (excluding gold and commemorative halves).

It's kind of a weird feeling, having a book with no holes in it... and now, I start upgrading everything. It may stop, but it never ends!

Scans of the kopeks and other things to come later.

Okay, bulk silver at a premium price. But you know I had to get it.

Grateful Dead "Steal your face" skull logo It has a little gold toning around the edge, number 83 of 5000

I have got to get me one of those (he said, poking in belatedly).

It is funny you mentioned that because the past few days I have gotten several 1965-69 Washers that are nearly BU. See above, early stuff is coming out of the woodwork because people need to spend it.

Well, actually, I meant 'washer' in the sense of flat and featureless... Just imagine how some of the SLQs would've looked if they'd been struck as deeply as they used to. Mmmm.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's what's going on -- people are spending whatever's at hand because they need to. Sad in one way... but lucky for us in another.

Now that I'm working again, I have cause to get lots of quarter rolls to feed the buses and snack machines. Of late I've noticed a lot more early clad quarters in surprisingly good shape -- easily VF to VF+, with that gorgeous deep sculpture that's so horribly missing from our modern washers examples. I guess people are circulating anything that will spend until the economy really gets going again...

yea, thats good, never seen farthings so low, guess i'm spoilt by the stuff my dealer has in his 25p farthing box lol

The George 5 & 6es are usually in decent condition; I often see fine and sometimes better. The Eds, not so much. And this was the first Vickie I've seen in the bin, so I don't really have much to judge by.

Evil Twin picked me up after work on Friday, we stopped by the coin shop on the way out to his place, and he loaded up on low-grade copper for 'pocket litter' for his steampunk outfit. I filled a few holes in my 1963 set, added an Eddie farthing, and seriously upgraded the Liberty nickel in my type set, thusly:

Her predecessor was on the G/VG line.

interesting farthings, sadly though i have never seen a viccy in such low grade before O.O

Well, that's what 20c will get you from a chest full of miscellaneous foreign coins.

Now that I'm working, I can think about upgrades. Still, I like a coin that I can handle without feeling guilty sometimes.

New arrival in the mail today -- a coin of the self-proclaimed "Aerican Empire" from 2009. It has a value of 42ƺ, and is numbered #37 of the 100 minted, becoming also the smallest mintage issue I own. There were six left when I contacted them of varying numbers. I chose #37 for literary reasons: when Douglas Adams was writing the Hitchhiker's Guide, it was going to be either that or 42 that would ultimately be The Answer. I therefore have The Other Answer.

I'm generally not much on exonumia, but this was kind of a cool piece -- too much so to not have.