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‘’@TimNH said:
I see coins on GC come up over and over with the same overpriced starting bid, and they never sell. I've been watching auctions for 1793 copper for years and the same crusty junk keeps getting put out there. I love GC overall but this does clog things up.
I agree, that's one of the few things that I could criticize. You see the same re treads "auction" over and over as the starting bid gradually declines. Many times, this is caused by the consignors unrealistic expectations and too high of a starting bid, then once it goes stale, its stale.”

And, it’s not just “crusty junk”. I saw a pattern coin come up earlier in the year that I personally believed was overpriced (as I was the underbidder at the Heritage sale at a much lower price and the coin was reappearing at GC). I made an offer for the coin after it failed to sell that I believed was fair. The consignor obviously passed and that is fine. But, then why allow the coin to come up for auction 3,4,5x (or 8x) times again and again at the exact same price? I totally lost track at how many times the coin has now made reappearances at the exact same opening bid). It makes no sense to me that is in GC’s best interest. Am I missing something?

Wondercoin

Recent eBay purchase that I’m really enjoying. Regardless of the QC qualifier, I believe in this one as NT. I think the remnants of the thumbprint tells the story of the coin being pushed into an album or one of those cheap cardboard framed 20th century type sets, that also would explain the toning pattern on the reverse. Fun coin regardless.

So what coins that you know or believe to be naturally toned got bounced back by a TPG? And good redemption stories from a subsequent regrade attempt?

I mentioned I bought four new IHC’s @ the Tampa show today. I posted 3 of them on the toned copper thread. The fourth one is here:

MS 64BN CAC. It’s the S-8 variety & pretty rare. Not in Red Book. On the rev the upper right point of the shield is connected to the denticles by a die line. The left side is well away.
On the bottom rev, the ribbon ends & arrows are heavily polished, so they seem shorter. There’s a die chip beneath the bottom arrow point.
On the obv, all the letters show extra outlines. Cool coin!

Orrrr the oils reacted different than the rest of the patina during the accelerant process. Toning is funny, when you like it one can always make up a scenario that makes sense to them how it’s “legit”

That said it is worth repeating. it isn’t really NT (natural) or AT (Artificial), it’s market acceptable or not market acceptable. That coin is too wild or atypical for PCGS to consistently endorse with a straight grade. Copper nickel simply needs some juice to look like that, trying to ascertain how it got that juice be it intentionally or accidentally is a fools errand.

I’ll play slightly differently, this came back cleaned. I think it deserves a straight VF grade despite the old dip. Lots of lightened cir coins in straight holders.

I've actually tried this to see if I could fry the NFC tag. I set the microwave to only go for 2s and it did indeed kill the tag. It also left an obvious burn mark on the label, and filled the part with the coin with smoke, so I don't recommend trying this. If you want to kill the NFC tag try one of these instead: https://nfckill.com/products/nfc-kill?variant=17691329101881

I didn't see any sparks come off the coin, a washington quarter, or notice any damage, but its been a few years, maybe I'll check and see if its toned at all since then. You have to have a hard corner to make sparks - thats why a fork will spark but a spoon wont.

Today two of these coins I submitted to our host last month had these grades posted:

Line Items Cert # PCGS # Description Grade Region

3 1 50895349 146048 1966 50C SMS DDO FS-104, CAM SP66CA USA
4 1 50895350 146048 1966 50C SMS DDO FS-104, CAM SP66CA USA

The population report shows a total of 5 graded CAM.

2 in SP65 CAM, 2 in SP66 CAM (maybe mine) and 1 in SP67 CAM

I am very happy with these results. True View photos will be posted to this thread when they are available.

The most in-depth published research on this subject was in Don Taxay's The U.S. Mint and Coinage: An Illustrated History From 1776 to the Present. Taxay wrote a 15-page chapter "Congress vs the Mint" which summarized efforts by Congress, starting with the 1794-95 Committee on the Mint which was led by Elias Boudinot prior to his appointment as Mint Director, going though subsequent congressional criticism of the Mint, and finally the 1802 Bill to abolish the Mint. Taxay's book can be purchased used, it is not very expensive.

Most of the congressional action was based on operational cost and inefficiencies of the Mint, along with political differences on monetary policy. Taxay's work could be expanded on, including other uses for the Mint such as the fabrication and engraving of federal revenue stamps 1797-1802, used to help finance warships for the Quasi-War and First Barbary War. Chief Engraver Robert Scot also wrote a letter on March 4, 1802, to Treasury Secretary Albert Gallatin requesting an exclusive contract for copper coinage in the event of Mint abolishment, "That I may be vested with the exclusive privilege, according to law, of coining cents of the United States." An excerpt is in Taxay's book, the full letter is published in my biography of Scot.