bobh

just picked this 1916 barber dime up, it's been cleaned still a nice coin despite that

Nice one! It is very hard to find high-grade examples of this series.

Are you sure that it has been cleaned? From the patina in the field, it doesn't look like it. Probably just honest wear.

Here are some recently acquired Russian coins.

1796-EM 5 Kopecks (Paul I overstrike on earlier cipher series of Catherine II): There is so much hidden detail in this coin, although it is not immediately obvious at first that it is actually overstruck and not just the result of clashed dies and double striking. Please go here to see about 20 different aspects of this fascinating coin!

This one and the next were from the recent Auction 69, Leipziger Münzhandlung H. Höhn (lots 1057 + 1060). The 1900 coin is particularly pleasing:

1897-*, 50 Kopecks (Paris mint)

1900-FZ, 50 Kopecks (St. Petersburg mint)

A few odds and ends here:

HAWAII: 1883 dime (ex Künker auction 175, lot 3105). It has a few rim dings but is otherwise a very high-end XF:

Texas 50c Commemoratives

Both of these were in the recent C.B. Slade Estate auction by Stack's. They are both in PCGS holders graded MS-66.

1935-D:

1936-D:

Booker T. Washington + George Washington Carver 50c Commemorative

1953-S (bought raw on eBay; very nice UNC coin for only $26!):

Morgan Dollar, 1888-O (VAM-4, "Hot Lips" variety). This is in an ANACS holder graded VF-20, also acquired from the C.B. Slade Estate sale. Price not bad at less than $100 for this grade! The question is, though, is it really VF-20 or just an overgraded but high-end F?

Recent Russian coins in my next post...

Today, I went to see this coin in person (lot 1352). I can verify that the weight is correct (8.60 grams -- using my scales, accurate to 0.01g). However, the mintmaster is (A.P). Since Alexander Redko was not director at the mint until sometime in late 1901, this is obviously not possible as a normal issue.

The edge lettering looks very good for the most part. However, the letters "Н" and "И" are a bit strange. On all genuine coins of this type I have seen with lettered edges, the Cyrillic "N" (i.e. "Н") is styled to look very similar to the Latin "N". As a matter of fact, I assume that they used the same letter punch and just mounted it backwards. Here is a variety of 1896-* rouble which has the word "ЗОЛОТНИКА" misspelled as "ЗОЛОТННКА" (illustrated by Yaroslav Adrianov in his catalog):

On the coin in the Hess-Divo auction, the "N" looks more like a Cyrillic "Н", but so does the "И"! Also, they seem a bit wider. Other letters look OK to me. If it is a fake, it is a very convincing one!

On the 1899-AP ten rouble coins we have discussed here, the weight was off by about 0.2 g. On this one, the weight is correct, and it probably is therefore made of gold since the diameter and thickness seem OK (couldn't really measure this, since the coin is not mine).

1900 is not a rare year for this series, so the question remains: Why do a fake of this year if gold is the metal used? Could it be a later-date Soviet restrike? The mintmaster initials look OK to me -- not re-engraved from (А.Г). But I didn't look under a microscope. Or is it just another fake?

The next lot in the auction, 1901 ten roubles, has mintmaster initials "A.P", by the way. Since I already have one of these, I won't be bidding on it, though.

Back in May, I was lucky to win these from the Stack's auction of coins from the C. B. Slade Estate (lots 2282 and 2285 -- both are in PCGS holders graded MS-66):

These are the auction pictures from Stack's, not my own -- I had the coins delivered to my Mom's address in the USA to save on postage and VAT taxes to Switzerland, where I live. I go back about 1-2 times per year on the average, usually to see my Mom on her birthday (she just turned 88 ), and on each return trip, I take up to $300 worth of coins with me because that is the limit allowed for Swiss residents before they charge 7.6% VAT when entering the country.

I'll be posting pictures of the coins I DID bring back with me soon!

According to the description, the mintmaster initials are not the usual (Ф.З) on this coin:

http://www.sixbid.com/nav.php?lot=1352&p=viewlot&sid=296

Although the coin is not in very good grade, it doesn't look fake to me. I plan to go to Hess-Divo this week sometime and look at this coin in person. And I will take my scales with me.

If the mintmaster initials are not as documented in all the references, this would have to be a fake. Could be that it is just a normal coin with a bad description; could also be that the weight is wrong, although the description says 8.6 grams.

What do you think?

Interesting information. Oddly enough and although most collectors collect Dimes, not a real lot of books out there on that coin. At coin shows I see books on just about everything on Earth in the way of coinage. But no books on Dimes. There is a book on the market on Mercury Dimes but so far never seen one at a coin show, coin store nor book stores.

Mike had an earlier thread about dimes here where he lists 7 or 8 books about different dimes series:

http://www.coinpeople.com/index.php?/topic/24618-assembling-a-dime-collection/

What do you think?

It looks like an altered 1976 to me.

Compare the inner left line of the "0" in the original with your coin ... the original is fairly straight, whereas the same line in your coin is definitely tilted to the left.

S.I. Tchizhov (1870-1921).

Note about activity Moscow numismatics of a society for the first 25 years of his existence

Moscow, 1913, 56 p.

 

Load: http://depositfiles.com/files/d6s6geklg

Name: Tchizhov_S.I._Note_about_activity_Moscow_numismatics_of_a_society_for_the_first_

25_years_of_his_existence.rar

Size: 12.11 Ìb

Спасибо большое - очень интересно!

Pedantic note: It's a Denga (or at least a Novodel of a Denga)

Quite right ... it's even in bigger letters than the NGC description!

I just purchased 2

Excellent purchases!

That Siberian kopeck is absolutely spectacular!

(PS - nice website you got, too!)

Done, bobh:

 

Bobh's poll!

Thank you! It will be interesting to see how it turns out.

As you can tell from some of my other coins, I certainly do love toning if it is attractive. However, how many of you would honestly prefer to have the "BEFORE" rather than the "AFTER" in your collection?

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Dipping can be beneficial in certain cases. I believe this was one of them. Maybe we could take a poll? (Except I'm not sure how to set it up... )

THat has to be one of the prettiest columbian halves I've ever seen!

Thanks ... here's another one in the upcoming Ponterio auction (Baltimore), not mine:

http://sixbid.com/nav.php?p=viewlot&sid=222&lot=3393

Just to keep the thread alive -- I don't think this actually qualifies as a coin, though:

MARILYN MONROE - 24 Carat gold-plated

Morgan dollar, 1879-S (PCGS MS-65):

Morgan dollar, 1897-S (ANACS MS-64):

There are a few more, but this will do for now.

Booker T. Washington, 1947-D (I think this one might have PVC damage to the obverse):

Booker T. Washington, 1948-P (PCGS, MS-65):

Buffalo Nickel, 1936-S (PCGS, MS-64):

More in next post...

USA

1953-P Washington-Carver 50c commemorative (in a PCGS old green rattler slab, MS-63):

1954 Washington-Carver PDS set (P and D are in NGC slabs graded as MS-64, the S coin is raw):

More coming up...

Some of these have been accumulating at my Mom's in Texas. Just got back from a trip there, and here are some of the coins I was able to take back with me. Others which I won from Heritage auctions are still there, so I am using the Heritage images for those until I can get them to Switzerland:

RUSSIA

Denga, 1730 (Oops, I forgot to photograph the edge!):

Denga, 1752 (tough year):

More in next post...

2 of my missing morgan's

 

1901-S VAM-10 Doubled Ear 10 III23 · C4a (Doubled Ear) (189) I-3 R-5 Obverse III23– Strongly doubled bottom outside of ear and hair above ear. Eyelid doubled below it. Distinctive crack through the date can be found on late state specimens. This one does have die crack LDS

 

And a GSA 1885-CC VAM-3 CC Tilted Left 3 III2 1 - C3b (CC Tilted Left) I-2 R-4 Reverse C3b - Large V CCmint mark tilted left right C almost touches ribbon.

 

Congratulations, Mark -- especially on the nice 1885-CC, which must have cost you a pretty penny (or dollar or two)!

These are also interesting ... go to this link, then enter "spintria" in the search box ("Suche in Auktionen") and click "Suche starten":

http://www.gmcoinart.de/index.php?area=auc...alt&AuID=93

For the most part we only have a few decades left before we run out of sequentially numbered coins...and as for the Gregorian calender, we will only be off by a few days each year won't we? I don't recall the predecessor being that different.

I think you are right ... especially considering that the year on the coin doesn't necessarily correspond to the year when it was struck.

Awesome coins ... but what do we do when we get to 1582?

(That is when the Gregorian calendar was initiated, BTW).

So I've wanted David Bower's "The History of United States Coinage: As Illustrated by the Garrett Collection" for a long long time. I'm talking since back in the late 70's/early 80's. A week or 10 days ago Frannie had me looking for some stuff on Amazon. They had a sweepstakes you could enter by putting something in your "wish list". So I searched for the Garrett Collection and found a bunch of them. Prices were all over the place. Picked a seller with good feedback and a book in very good condition. Put it in my "wish list". Went back the next day and bought it. $15.68 plus 3.99 for s&h. Rather good, I think.

 

Book comes in today's mail. It's in great shape. Obviously used but never abused. Top it off -- book is signed with a dedication to James Ruddy by David Bowers. WOW! To me that makes it extra special.

Great catch, Art!

Cool find bobh! I remember when I was in Geneva for a weekend back in 1995, I got a 1946 10-rappen coin in change which I saved. For the 1967 50-rappen, isn't that the same as a silver 1/2 Franc?

That's right!