@winesteven said:
Here are three of mine, starting with an 1856 Flying Eagle:
Steve
Nice FE. What is that threadlike thing by the eagles claw? Scratch,thread?
While I did not buy this coin from Rick Snow, he was kind enough to let me know in advance that the threadlike thing by the eagles claw is a mint made lint mark, and should be of no concern. And to top it off to show what kind of a guy Rick is, he also told me this coin is an S4, a very special variety. So while I paid “a pretty penny” for this coin, some may say I got a bargain!
Here’s the description by Heritage, from the most recent auction sale of this coin, back in 2009. I bought this coin just a little under three months ago. Bold areas are made bold by me:
Elusive 1856 Snow-4 Cent, PR64
1856 1C PR64 PCGS. Snow-4. This rare variety is characterized by the point at the bottom of the U in UNITED and the low leaves on the reverse. Additionally, the relief is much shallower than seen on other 1856 dies, especially noticeable on ONE CENT. Curiously, copper examples from this die pairing are more frequently seen than copper-nickel examples, such as this piece. Snow estimates that only 25 pieces may exist today in copper-nickel. The Low Leaves reverse offers the collector a different and collectible variety for the year. This reverse die, with its low leaf position and shallow relief, was also used on the 1858 Small Letters proofs, leading to the conclusion that these 1856 cents were probably backdated coins struck in mid-1858.
This is an extraordinarily well-preserved 1856 Flying Eagle cent. While the Condition Census is unknown for the variety, this piece must surely rank among the finest survivors. The surfaces are bright with reflective fields and each side has the distinctive "white" appearance of copper-nickel cents with an occasional overlay of reddish patina. A few small planchet flakes are scattered over the obverse. The most notable features for future pedigree identification are a squiggly lint mark below the eagle's trailing claw and a planchet void near the reverse rim near 3 o'clock. A rare opportunity for the Flying Eagle cent specialist.
Ex: The New York Eye Appeal Collection (Heritage, 8/2006), lot 5051.
From The Joseph C. Thomas Collection.(Registry values: N4719)
AS I’ve told Rick several times, he’s my hero!
Steve
A day without fine wine and working on your coin collection is like a day without sunshine!!!
Sometimes I think the fantasy of finding or somehow getting hold of one of the classics as a boy was better than the actual owning of them. I got a couple, but even sold back into the trade a few (like the 1889 CC that I bought raw and sold for a substantial profit).
Still, I inherited a wheat penny (cent) collection from my great-grandmother in about 1967. Sadly, my dad had removed and sold all the scarcer coins, excepting an EF 1931-S that I still have. But I was looking at empty holes where the 1909 S, 1909 S VDB, 1910 S (!), 1914 D, 1922 (plain), 1924 D. I remember dad selling the 1909 S. VDB and buying an SLR Minolta camera for $110 with the proceeds. Oh, yes, for some reason missing a 1940 D!
I used to go to the Santa Maria (SB) County fair and remember drooling over the set-up dealers displays with Cal territorial gold all the way up to slug size. I got a Red Book that year, and absolutely KNEW that rarer gold was undervalued & with very little premium over common dates and priced essentially very near to bullion. BUT, I had NO money.
So I used to look through my dad's penny ante poker cloth bag for the missing pennies and never fount them. Finally, when in college and nearly penniless (LOL), I went to a local auction and picked up a raw 1909 S that still had substantial red and is still unslabbed. The other coin I always loved because 1907 High Relief $20 was too expensive was the 1921 Peace Dollar. But yard work was not a quick way to make money and remember the first numismatic purchase was a 1971 S Proof Ike Dollar for TEN DOLLARS! (what was I thinking?)...
Here is a 1909 S VDB I got raw (not recommended) in an European auction:
Sorry have to find picture of reverse...
Love that Milled British (1830-1960) Well, just Love coins, period.
Ever since I started collecting American coins in Belgium back in the early '80's, there was one coin which really fascinated me: The 1793 Chain Cent.
However, even though I was a young engineer, salaries were so low and taxes so high (highest tax rates in EU...), that I could never even dream of buying one. My wallet and my then girlfriend would just not allow it. So all I could do for a number of years was to pore over all the US coin magazines I could get my hands on. However, in late 1985 I was offered the opportunity for a work-location transfer to Germany. This came with a nice increase in salary as well.
So it came to pass that the stars finally aligned for me in the fall of 1986: I got my hands on an US auction catalogue which contained as lot #2 (as I remember) a Chain Cent! I was really thrilled. The coin was in low grade with corrosion, but, this brought it within the range of what I could afford. I sent in my bid sheet (by fax). I was really excited and often discussed this coin in anticipation of the sale with my new girlfriend. She probably thought, "what is the matter with this guy".
And, yes, I won the coin and had it in my hands before long. A dream come true for me.
As you can see, she is in low grade and with plenty of issues, BUT, to me a wholesome and satisfying Chain Cent. I still have her and will be with me until 'the end'.
A humorous note: my then girlfriend is now my wife, and she has seen me spend on many, many coins since then. But, to this day, this is the only coin in my collection which she readily recognises: The 1793 Chain Cent.
@Eddi Very cool chain cent. Are you going to get it slabbed? I've seen similar coins get a straight grade.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
@Tonedeaf That's one of my goals! Just a common date Saint. They are mesmerizing to look at (even for non-numismatist types!) and are a welcome addition to just about anyone's collection.
@dsessom said: @Tonedeaf That's one of my goals! Just a common date Saint. They are mesmerizing to look at (even for non-numismatist types!) and are a welcome addition to just about anyone's collection.
@OAKSTAR said: @Tonedeaf- Widely believed to the most beautiful American coin minted! Stunning! 👍🏻
I spent a lot of time as a kid looking at them in books. I still get silly smile when I look at it now!
Tonedeaf is a nickname given to me in reference to my guitar playing ability.
Have previously mentioned the story of an ad in a comic book for 1943 copper penny being the catalyst spurring the hobby in a ten year old me and that will obviously remain a dream. So would the 1895 Philly Morgan along with 1884 and 1885 Trade dollars.
But in between all that search for the unicorn, learnt about numismatics and immediately began drooling and wishing for the 1909 S VDB to magically appear while coin roll hunting.
It later expanded to the 1877 IHP, three legged Buffalo, 1916-D Mercury, 1916 SLQ, 1893-S Morgan, common date St. Gauden etc., all of which was subsequently picked up in really low grades on tight budgets, but was most thrilling experiences to say the least. None of those acquisitions come anywhere close to the spectacular coins on this thread.
Took a gamble on two coins in the raw - the 1909 S VDB off ebay as well as the 1877 IHP and was not disappointed.
It still surprises me how much of a thrill I get from only seeing a coin that looks amazing to me, regardless of the grade. When I am able to actually purchase one of them...it's an amazing experience.
Tonedeaf is a nickname given to me in reference to my guitar playing ability.
It's not the most valuable coin I have, but I had always wanted one of these when I was a kid. I made my inner kid happy when I had the opportunity to buy this one and pulled the trigger.
@messydesk said:
It's not the most valuable coin I have, but I had always wanted one of these when I was a kid. I made my inner kid happy when I had the opportunity to buy this one and pulled the trigger.
I bought one while in college and this was before TPG. It always bothered me to see that "shadow of a fifth leg" and it worried me that it was a fake, so not knowing any better, I got rid of it. Does anybody know the background regarding that fifth leg in the middle?
@PerryHall said: @Eddi Very cool chain cent. Are you going to get it slabbed? I've seen similar coins get a straight grade.
@PerryHall, Thank you. I would like to submit some of my coins to a grading company to make things easier for my wife and my children. I have to overcome my concerns regarding the submittal process.
(PCGS is in Paris, and NGC has a location in Munich so I would need to find a way to get my coins there safely. I will look into it).
Comments
You folks have some great coins! Here's one that YN-me (or for that matter broke recent-college-grad me) never would have expected to own.
Nice FE. What is that threadlike thing by the eagles claw? Scratch,thread?
While I did not buy this coin from Rick Snow, he was kind enough to let me know in advance that the threadlike thing by the eagles claw is a mint made lint mark, and should be of no concern. And to top it off to show what kind of a guy Rick is, he also told me this coin is an S4, a very special variety. So while I paid “a pretty penny” for this coin, some may say I got a bargain!
Here’s the description by Heritage, from the most recent auction sale of this coin, back in 2009. I bought this coin just a little under three months ago. Bold areas are made bold by me:
Elusive 1856 Snow-4 Cent, PR64
1856 1C PR64 PCGS. Snow-4. This rare variety is characterized by the point at the bottom of the U in UNITED and the low leaves on the reverse. Additionally, the relief is much shallower than seen on other 1856 dies, especially noticeable on ONE CENT. Curiously, copper examples from this die pairing are more frequently seen than copper-nickel examples, such as this piece. Snow estimates that only 25 pieces may exist today in copper-nickel. The Low Leaves reverse offers the collector a different and collectible variety for the year. This reverse die, with its low leaf position and shallow relief, was also used on the 1858 Small Letters proofs, leading to the conclusion that these 1856 cents were probably backdated coins struck in mid-1858.
This is an extraordinarily well-preserved 1856 Flying Eagle cent. While the Condition Census is unknown for the variety, this piece must surely rank among the finest survivors. The surfaces are bright with reflective fields and each side has the distinctive "white" appearance of copper-nickel cents with an occasional overlay of reddish patina. A few small planchet flakes are scattered over the obverse. The most notable features for future pedigree identification are a squiggly lint mark below the eagle's trailing claw and a planchet void near the reverse rim near 3 o'clock. A rare opportunity for the Flying Eagle cent specialist.
Ex: The New York Eye Appeal Collection (Heritage, 8/2006), lot 5051.
From The Joseph C. Thomas Collection.(Registry values: N4719)
AS I’ve told Rick several times, he’s my hero!
Steve
My collecting “Pride & Joy” is my PCGS Registry Dansco 7070 Set:
https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/type-sets/design-type-sets/complete-dansco-7070-modified-type-set-1796-date/publishedset/213996
Sometimes I think the fantasy of finding or somehow getting hold of one of the classics as a boy was better than the actual owning of them. I got a couple, but even sold back into the trade a few (like the 1889 CC that I bought raw and sold for a substantial profit).
Still, I inherited a wheat penny (cent) collection from my great-grandmother in about 1967. Sadly, my dad had removed and sold all the scarcer coins, excepting an EF 1931-S that I still have. But I was looking at empty holes where the 1909 S, 1909 S VDB, 1910 S (!), 1914 D, 1922 (plain), 1924 D. I remember dad selling the 1909 S. VDB and buying an SLR Minolta camera for $110 with the proceeds. Oh, yes, for some reason missing a 1940 D!
I used to go to the Santa Maria (SB) County fair and remember drooling over the set-up dealers displays with Cal territorial gold all the way up to slug size. I got a Red Book that year, and absolutely KNEW that rarer gold was undervalued & with very little premium over common dates and priced essentially very near to bullion. BUT, I had NO money.
So I used to look through my dad's penny ante poker cloth bag for the missing pennies and never fount them. Finally, when in college and nearly penniless (LOL), I went to a local auction and picked up a raw 1909 S that still had substantial red and is still unslabbed. The other coin I always loved because 1907 High Relief $20 was too expensive was the 1921 Peace Dollar. But yard work was not a quick way to make money and remember the first numismatic purchase was a 1971 S Proof Ike Dollar for TEN DOLLARS! (what was I thinking?)...
Here is a 1909 S VDB I got raw (not recommended) in an European auction:
Sorry have to find picture of reverse...
Well, just Love coins, period.
Ever since I started collecting American coins in Belgium back in the early '80's, there was one coin which really fascinated me: The 1793 Chain Cent.
However, even though I was a young engineer, salaries were so low and taxes so high (highest tax rates in EU...), that I could never even dream of buying one. My wallet and my then girlfriend would just not allow it. So all I could do for a number of years was to pore over all the US coin magazines I could get my hands on. However, in late 1985 I was offered the opportunity for a work-location transfer to Germany. This came with a nice increase in salary as well.
So it came to pass that the stars finally aligned for me in the fall of 1986: I got my hands on an US auction catalogue which contained as lot #2 (as I remember) a Chain Cent! I was really thrilled. The coin was in low grade with corrosion, but, this brought it within the range of what I could afford. I sent in my bid sheet (by fax). I was really excited and often discussed this coin in anticipation of the sale with my new girlfriend. She probably thought, "what is the matter with this guy".
And, yes, I won the coin and had it in my hands before long. A dream come true for me.
As you can see, she is in low grade and with plenty of issues, BUT, to me a wholesome and satisfying Chain Cent. I still have her and will be with me until 'the end'.
A humorous note: my then girlfriend is now my wife, and she has seen me spend on many, many coins since then. But, to this day, this is the only coin in my collection which she readily recognises: The 1793 Chain Cent.
@Eddi Very cool chain cent. Are you going to get it slabbed? I've seen similar coins get a straight grade.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
Here is a coin that I thought would be beyond my reach when I was young. Common date, but I like it.
Tonedeaf is a nickname given to me in reference to my guitar playing ability.
@Tonedeaf That's one of my goals! Just a common date Saint. They are mesmerizing to look at (even for non-numismatist types!) and are a welcome addition to just about anyone's collection.
@Tonedeaf- Widely believed to the most beautiful American coin minted! Stunning! 👍🏻
Disclaimer: I'm not a dealer, trader, grader, investor or professional numismatist. I'm just a hobbyist. (To protect me but mostly you! 🤣 )
I spent a lot of time as a kid looking at them in books. I still get silly smile when I look at it now!
Tonedeaf is a nickname given to me in reference to my guitar playing ability.
Have previously mentioned the story of an ad in a comic book for 1943 copper penny being the catalyst spurring the hobby in a ten year old me and that will obviously remain a dream. So would the 1895 Philly Morgan along with 1884 and 1885 Trade dollars.
But in between all that search for the unicorn, learnt about numismatics and immediately began drooling and wishing for the 1909 S VDB to magically appear while coin roll hunting.
It later expanded to the 1877 IHP, three legged Buffalo, 1916-D Mercury, 1916 SLQ, 1893-S Morgan, common date St. Gauden etc., all of which was subsequently picked up in really low grades on tight budgets, but was most thrilling experiences to say the least. None of those acquisitions come anywhere close to the spectacular coins on this thread.
Took a gamble on two coins in the raw - the 1909 S VDB off ebay as well as the 1877 IHP and was not disappointed.
Cheers.
https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/u-s-coins/quarters/PCGS-2020-quarter-quest/album/247091
It still surprises me how much of a thrill I get from only seeing a coin that looks amazing to me, regardless of the grade. When I am able to actually purchase one of them...it's an amazing experience.
Tonedeaf is a nickname given to me in reference to my guitar playing ability.
Disclaimer: I'm not a dealer, trader, grader, investor or professional numismatist. I'm just a hobbyist. (To protect me but mostly you! 🤣 )
It's not the most valuable coin I have, but I had always wanted one of these when I was a kid. I made my inner kid happy when I had the opportunity to buy this one and pulled the trigger.
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
I bought one while in college and this was before TPG. It always bothered me to see that "shadow of a fifth leg" and it worried me that it was a fake, so not knowing any better, I got rid of it. Does anybody know the background regarding that fifth leg in the middle?
@PerryHall, Thank you. I would like to submit some of my coins to a grading company to make things easier for my wife and my children. I have to overcome my concerns regarding the submittal process.
(PCGS is in Paris, and NGC has a location in Munich so I would need to find a way to get my coins there safely. I will look into it).
Honestly, most of my collection I would not have thought I would own.
Here’s a couple of good examples:
And this one just five years ago I would not have dreamed of:
My YouTube Channel
Agree with this. Most of what I have now I would not have thought existed to own.