Show us your $4 Stellas ! Letter requesting set added.

RogerB

Four dollar gold Stellas have a prominent place the the Guide Book of US Coins, although no one has been able to explain why. But, since it's there, the Stella must be a coin we all collect and search for at coin shows and dealer junk boxes.

Here's a chance to post photos of your Stellas in gold and other metals. Also, tell us about the ones found in miscellaneous collections, junk boxes, grab bags and under the sofa cushions.

Here's one I don't happen to own....
J-1636 1879 Flowing Hair Stella, gold plated copper. (This is plated not gilded.)

Also, does anyone have an original bank-wrapped roll of these that they discovered on ebay?

bkzoopapa

jack Klausen plated several copper patterns of gold coins back in the 1960-70s

291fifth

@RogerB said:
Four dollar gold Stellas have a prominent place the the Guide Book of US Coins, although no one has been able to explain why. But, since it's there, the Stella must be a coin we all collect and search for at coin shows and dealer junk boxes.

Here's a chance to post photos of your Stellas in gold and other metals. Also, tell us about the ones found in miscellaneous collections, junk boxes, grab bags and under the sofa cushions.

Here's one I don't happen to own....
J-1636 1879 Flowing Hair Stella, gold plated copper. (This is plated not gilded.)

Also, does anyone have an original bank-wrapped roll of these that they discovered on ebay?

I don't have a bank wrapped roll of them but I do have a mint sealed bag that I use as a doorstop.

CaptHenway

Look at how the font of UNITED STATES OF AMERICA so closely resembles that of the Liberty nickel! I'll bet you could nickel plate one of these and pass it off as a five cent piece!

BuffaloIronTail

@CaptHenway said:
Look at how the font of UNITED STATES OF AMERICA so closely resembles that of the Liberty nickel! I'll bet you could nickel plate one of these and pass it off as a five cent piece!

I love reverse logic!

Pete

northcoin

@RogerB said:
Four dollar gold Stellas have a prominent place the the Guide Book of US Coins, although no one has been able to explain why. But, since it's there, the Stella must be a coin we all collect and search for at coin shows and dealer junk boxes.

Here's a chance to post photos of your Stellas in gold and other metals. Also, tell us about the ones found in miscellaneous collections, junk boxes, grab bags and under the sofa cushions.

Here's one I don't happen to own....
J-1636 1879 Flowing Hair Stella, gold plated copper. (This is plated not gilded.)

Also, does anyone have an original bank-wrapped roll of these that they discovered on ebay?

I believe there is one in a landfill somewhere. Perhaps its owner, who posts here regularly, could post a photo of the landfill for all to share?

boiler78

BryceM

Here's a photo of the one Fred used to own. If you can't see it, look closely on the right side, about 1/2 way down.....

For those who think a photo like this trashes up the place...... I'll take it down in a day or two.

fiftysevener

@boiler78 said:

Seems like PCGS just sometimes forgets to add the Cameo at the end or does it really not matter in the grand scheme of things.

pocketpiececommems

Does anyone own a holed one

bronco2078

Remind me monday to run to the bank and grab my roll from the sdb

RogerB

If "boiler78" ever displays his collection, he'll have to provide bibs to absorb all the drooling collectors.

Smudge

@RogerB said:
If "boiler78" ever displays his collection, he'll have to provide bibs to absorb all the drooling collectors.

Pavlov's dog comes to mind. I will need a beach towel.

Swampboy

I Love!!!! Stella’s

Alltheabove76

From ebay.
https://images.pcgs.com/TrueView/35377771_max.jpg

AUandAG

Here's mine below.

bob

MWallace

@BryceM said:
Here's a photo of the one Fred used to own. If you can't see it, look closely on the right side, about 1/2 way down.....

For those who think a photo like this trashes up the place...... I'll take it down in a day or two.

Cruel.

KindaNewish

I payed $4.50 for one of these at an Olive Garden in Holmdel N.J. last month.
Sadly, it's long gone.

jdimmick

Bryce,

that's actually quite comical. Id leave it up, based on fred's commentary he pretty much realizes its gone, and now can probably get a laugh out of it.

Boiler , very nice coin. Would always have liked to own one of these, but would want a nice one, and unfortunately out of my price range. I would have to liquidate too much to cover one.

SeatedToners

@MWallace said:

@BryceM said:
Here's a photo of the one Fred used to own. If you can't see it, look closely on the right side, about 1/2 way down.....

For those who think a photo like this trashes up the place...... I'll take it down in a day or two.

Cruel.

Wait! Did one of these actually get thrown away??!

Lakesammman

I know a guy at work who claims he got one as a Xmas present/tip as a paperboy about 50 yeas ago but it's in a SDB in Chicago so he's never had a chance to show it to me. He says it's XF - he told the lady it was way too much for a tip but she insisted.

Here's mine. Boiler - you need to get your money back on that True-View!

BryceM

Oh, maybe cruel, but from the tone of Fred's other posts here (a search makes it easy to find a few) I agree with what @jdimmick said.

Sorry for the gauche post. I really love Stellas and have oogled a few at lot viewing and at dealer tables. The ones posted here are exceptional.

lkenefic

@SeatedToners said:

@MWallace said:

@BryceM said:
Here's a photo of the one Fred used to own. If you can't see it, look closely on the right side, about 1/2 way down.....

For those who think a photo like this trashes up the place...... I'll take it down in a day or two.

Cruel.

Wait! Did one of these actually get thrown away??!

Yep... that's my understanding. .. in a landfill in Yorba Linda or some such place...

kiyote

Like a lot of us, I can’t see the mention of four dollars Stella’s without thinking of Fred. He has my 100% sympathy.

HoledandCreative

@pocketpiececommems said:
Does anyone own a holed one

I wish, am still looking.

MrScience

Legal tender! In the Republic of Liberia....

MWallace

@lkenefic said:

@SeatedToners said:

@MWallace said:

@BryceM said:
Here's a photo of the one Fred used to own. If you can't see it, look closely on the right side, about 1/2 way down.....

For those who think a photo like this trashes up the place...... I'll take it down in a day or two.

Cruel.

Wait! Did one of these actually get thrown away??!

Yep... that's my understanding. .. in a landfill in Yorba Linda or some such place...

The story is told by Fred here:
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/comment/11780538#Comment_11780538

jmski52

The closest I ever got to owning one of these is when I would see them in an ad in the back of comic books back in the 1960s.

Traz

Here’s mine. didn’t know at the time but a well respected dealer was the under on this one

lkenefic

@MWallace said:

@lkenefic said:

@SeatedToners said:

@MWallace said:

@BryceM said:
Here's a photo of the one Fred used to own. If you can't see it, look closely on the right side, about 1/2 way down.....

For those who think a photo like this trashes up the place...... I'll take it down in a day or two.

Cruel.

Wait! Did one of these actually get thrown away??!

Yep... that's my understanding. .. in a landfill in Yorba Linda or some such place...

The story is told by Fred here:
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/comment/11780538#Comment_11780538

Thanks for the link!

RogerB

Nice coin, Traz!

Anyone know why these are in the Guide Book as part of the regular series of coins? They are pattern pieces and not actually coins.

Zoins

@Alltheabove76 said:
From ebay.
https://images.pcgs.com/TrueView/35377771_max.jpg

Here you go:

Timbuk3

Yup, heard about that !!! :'(

BeefCurry808

Theres 2 different kinds of collectors, those who can afford it and then those like me who couldnt

Regulated

@Lakesammman said:
I know a guy at work who claims he got one as a Xmas present/tip as a paperboy about 50 yeas ago but it's in a SDB in Chicago so he's never had a chance to show it to me. He says it's XF - he told the lady it was way too much for a tip but she insisted.

Here's mine. Boiler - you need to get your money back on that True-View!

Still my favorite Stella - the color on it is mind boggling. Now if we can figure out how to prove that the planchet was rinsed in a base, rather than an acid...

Regulated

@RogerB said:
Nice coin, Traz!

Anyone know why these are in the Guide Book as part of the regular series of coins? They are pattern pieces and not actually coins.

Tradition. I'd guess it is because of the fact that it's a denomination that never made it out of the pattern stage.

DRUNNER

No ownership here . . . but I have held Lakes' in my hand . . . .

(and he held 'BagBurn' :-) )

Drunner

logger7

Didn't Phillip Sydney write about her? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrophel_and_Stella

Col. Jessup talked about guy's hitting a level of financial success and wanting one. Seriously, I saw a guy walk into a NY show where I was once set up looking to sell his, that was MS or PR63 and he didn't want a paper trail for whatever reason. A dealer worked out a purchase price.

Regulated

@KindaNewish said:
I payed $4.50 for one of these at an Olive Garden in Holmdel N.J. last month.
Sadly, it's long gone.

They nicked you for 50 cents - Stellas are $4.

RogerB

@Regulated said:

@RogerB said:
Nice coin, Traz!

Anyone know why these are in the Guide Book as part of the regular series of coins? They are pattern pieces and not actually coins.

Tradition. I'd guess it is because of the fact that it's a denomination that never made it out of the pattern stage.

Yeah, but when I put down my fiddle and slide off the roof, it's still there.

Regulated

Believe me, if they find the original dies for the Continental Dollars in Cologne, Germany with a letter from Elias Gervais explaining that they're souvenir medals, I'd be shocked if they changed much of anything about how they present the pieces in the Redbook. The status quo never has any interest in logic or truth, just in maintaining itself.

RogerB

The "Continental dollar"story has been so convincingly debunked that it would be difficult to pretend it "didn't exist."

Things change as we question more and learn more. (When I think back to the 3 Renaissance books I realize that almost everything in them was unknown, or known only as broad generalizations, at the time of publication.)

SeattleSlammer

@DRUNNER said:
No ownership here . . . but I have held Lakes' in my hand . . . .

(and he held 'BagBurn' :-) )

Drunner

And I held both! Those 2 would make a pretty sweet Box Of 2.

FredWeinberg

I’m just glad it was 30 years ago – parentheses or more – no hard feelings for me I laugh every time someone mentions the situation – I always took full responsibility since I was the last one who handled it That Friday afternoon – always brings a smile to me now

Swampboy

Huge thrill just to hold this beauty

Zoins

@FredWeinberg said:
I’m just glad it was 30 years ago – parentheses or more – no hard feelings for me I laugh every time someone mentions the situation – I always took full responsibility since I was the last one who handled it That Friday afternoon – always brings a smile to me now

Sh*t happens.

Glad you’re ok with it.

At least it wasn’t a unique coin!

asheland

@Lakesammman said:
I know a guy at work who claims he got one as a Xmas present/tip as a paperboy about 50 yeas ago but it's in a SDB in Chicago so he's never had a chance to show it to me. He says it's XF - he told the lady it was way too much for a tip but she insisted.

Here's mine. Boiler - you need to get your money back on that True-View!

RogerB

So far, no one has come up with a logical reason to include this pattern piece among legal tender coins.

BillJones

I have never owned a Stella. The closest I ever came was when one of the "go-to" dealers I know had a couple of them as gold plated copper patterns. The price was closer to what I could afford, but I still didn't pull the trigger.

I don't think that these coins have a place among the legal tender coins. They are patterns, but there are three reasons why they get included:

1. They have a listing in the Red Book that makes them look like normal coins.
2. The reported mintage for the 1879 Flowing Hair type is "425+" in solid gold. That is high for a pattern, but there is no evidence that these coins had an imparct on the econonmy of the period.
3. Making them a general issue expands the market for them, which increases prices and overall demand. Dealers are always looking for one more thing to sell.

asheland

I will not be including one of them in my gold type set.

RogerB

Goloid dollars and Metric dollars have the same mintages as Stellas - they were sold in sets of three pieces.

Why aren't they in the regular issue part of the Guide Book?

The explanation from the present Whitman Publishing LLC is that this was done by Richard Yoe and every edition followed the same pattern (yes -- it's a pun).

Maybe it's about time to reorganize this and put Stellas in their correct place in the Guide Book and its cousins?