This reminds me of Daryl Vaudt, a San Antonio coin dealer I bought a lot of coins from in the 90's. He would show me a new coin he'd bought, and I'd ask what he thought it graded. He would reply, "it grades $100."
You Suck! Awarded 6/2008- 1901-O Micro O Morgan, 8/2008- 1878 VAM-123 Morgan, 9/2022 1888-O VAM-1B3 H8 Morgan | Senior Regional Representative- ANACS Coin Grading. Posted opinions on coins are my own, and are not an official ANACS opinion.
I like that raised dot on Miss Liberty's neck. It was from a compass point used to lay out the stars in a perfect circle.
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
So here's a story about a nice circulated coin in my collection. It's nothing lofty, but I love it all the same. When I first started going after a set of Mercury dimes, my goal was simply to fill an album with low grade coins. To that end, one of the first raw coins I picked up was a very worn 1921-D. This was at a stage in my collecting career when I knew very little about the finer points of coins, but I had read somewhere that as a key date, there was a chance it had been counterfeited. So I gave the coin a careful examination with a 10X loupe, and to my surprise I found a little fin of metal running between the rim and the base of Liberty's neck. What was this? Some nefarious artifact of casting?
Of course, though I didn't know it at the time, it was only a die crack. But my questions about that specific coin led me to the first stages of learning a lot more about Mercs and a lot more about coins in general.
So, when I decided to start assembling a graded set of dimes, I wanted to get another 21-D that had that same die crack. It took me a long time to find one I liked, but here it is.
What I really like about this dime (besides the die crack) is that It has the perfect medium gray color for circulated silver. The wear is remarkably even and pleasant, resulting in really attractive surfaces.
The only real drawback is a small green spot on the reverse, above the M in AMERICA. It doesn't appear to be PVC or anything active, and it isn't visible to the naked eye. I'm guessing maybe it's just a bit of residue from a spot of verdigris that was knocked off the surface.
Thanks to all who posted your coins and commentary.
I especially enjoyed the objective-sounding assessments, the background information regarding the circumstances surrounding the acquisition of your coins and the memories they’ve provided.
And I congratulate you for not disclosing the grades or discussing values. Who would have thought that possible? 😉
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
@Bikergeek = those 1811/9 dimes have alot of character. The overdate on the obverse is so cool along but on yours obverse seems to have what appears to be metal movement when struck above the cap. Also, intersecting die cracks on the reverse cross at the Eagle's head is so cool as well. Most have very interest characteristics and each example are all different in consistency. I love that yours is well struck reverse on at the arrows. Very nice coin.
This is one of my favorite coins. Ever since I was a little kid going through rolls of pennies I’ve always wanted a 55 DDO. The County of Los Angeles used to have live auctions with coins from estates a few times a year. Most of the coins were bullion and they would sell for ridiculous prices. Every once in a while they had lots with coin sets in albums. The people who attended these auctions for the most part had no interest in sets especially Lincoln’s. I won an almost complete set of Lincolns which included this coin and a 1909-S VDB in an old Whitman Album for a ridiculously low price. It was impossible for me to lose because I was the only bidder. I submitted this coin and the S VDB to PCGS and both coins were authentic and straight graded.
I like this Vermont Ryder 2, in part because it was once owned by Tony Terranova, a legend in the realm of colonial coins. I also like it because of its pleasing color and the relative lack of planchet flaws, not easy to find in 1785 Vermont Landscapes. Additionally, it was struck with misaligned dies, so it’s kind of cool to see what I believe to be the original planchet texture due to the near total lack of a strike on close to one half of each side.
At the same time I wish it was more fully struck, as I’ve never been able to find a relatively unflawed Ryder 2 with choice color and a full strike. Of course if it was fully struck, it would have been 3-4x what I actually paid for it.
In all, a cool coin for what I paid.
Other passions include golf, Moto Guzzi motorcycles, and Euro motorcycles in general.
Chris
Started some 20 odd years ago collecting IHC's with a woodie finish and did fairly well until funds became unavailable and had to sell most of them. This finish was simply gorgeous to me, while distasteful to others. Loved the strike on this coin and the coloration. The 08, 08S and 09 were always my favorite and the most regrettable selling. JMO
Jim
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln
Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.....Mark Twain
Years ago I purchased this example because I loved the original looking surfaces and the extensive reverse die cracks.
I admit that I was unaware that it was a rare and desireable variety. Several hours later before I had a chance to do any research a friend explained what it was. He suggested I offer it to his friend, I sold it to his friend who enjoys owning it.
Here is a coin that I cracked out of modern ANACS UDM holder that was coming apart at the seams.
So I cracked it out.
What I don't like about it is that it doesn't have the UDM designation anymore.
What I do like about it is that it is a forever coin that I won't part with.
It has mirrors like a proof along with the devices like a proof. I'm not saying that it is a proof but it must have been struck very early on. It also was obviously not handled like a proof.
What gets me is why a planchet would be polished with such mirrors.
You would have to see it to believe it.
Student of numismatics and collector of Morgan dollars
Successful BST transactions with: Namvet Justindan Mattniss RWW olah_in_MA
Dantheman984 Toyz4geo SurfinxHI greencopper RWW bigjpst bretsan MWallace logger7 JWP BruceS bigjpst
JWP
@Bikergeek said:
In my Capped Bust half dime journey, I have been blessed with mentors like @Barndog who generously gave of their time and experience and advice (such as "that marriage comes pretty - you can do better than the one you're asking about - patience, grasshopper!") Without getting into specifics, I did a recent accounting for my new financial advisor dude, and found that in 2025 my coin budget was only 12% of what my 2021 coin budget was. I had plateaued in the half dimes - just can't find many upgrades or cherries (excluding the lofty grades which I can't and don't want to afford). They exist - but they're locked up, or snapped up, and one has to be in the right place at the right time.
So in 2026, after ruminating on the "next thing" for me, I find myself dipping more than a toe in the water of Capped Bust dimes. I have owned the Variety Identification Guide (from a kind benefactor, @EastonCollection, via Dave Kahn) for almost 3 years now. I'm finally starting to reach for the VIG and for my wallet at the same time these days! (I even built a dime attribution app on GroovyCoins now: https://groovycoins.com/cbdattribution ) although it's not as detailed as my half dime attribution.
All that to say, I've ogled a bunch of cool dimes lately, and picked up a few. Some of them are cud-bearing late state dimes, from a numismatic guru whose knowledge of ALL Bust coinage is encyclopedic, @BHNC054.
Owing to a newer relationship with another experienced and very helpful specialist in the Capped Bust dime world, I've recently acquired this 1811/09 JR-1 (the only known marriage), and find it fascinating. The 1811 dimes were produced with an unused 1809 die, thus the overdate. But in addition, this coin is full of character, with bulges and wrinkles and cracks - just like any of us old folks get!
So, enjoy, but whatever you do, don't guess the grade!
Wow, Sean. Talking about jumping in the deep end! What a gorgeous CBDime. Love the die cracks and only 65k+ struck. Congrats and thanks for sharing coin and info. As to paying forward after being mentored by some greats, I thank you for the wonderful help you gave me when I started CBHDimes. Jus' sayin'.
Jim
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln
Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.....Mark Twain
Comments
This reminds me of Daryl Vaudt, a San Antonio coin dealer I bought a lot of coins from in the 90's. He would show me a new coin he'd bought, and I'd ask what he thought it graded. He would reply, "it grades $100."
I like that raised dot on Miss Liberty's neck. It was from a compass point used to lay out the stars in a perfect circle.
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
What a great idea for a thread!
So here's a story about a nice circulated coin in my collection. It's nothing lofty, but I love it all the same. When I first started going after a set of Mercury dimes, my goal was simply to fill an album with low grade coins. To that end, one of the first raw coins I picked up was a very worn 1921-D. This was at a stage in my collecting career when I knew very little about the finer points of coins, but I had read somewhere that as a key date, there was a chance it had been counterfeited. So I gave the coin a careful examination with a 10X loupe, and to my surprise I found a little fin of metal running between the rim and the base of Liberty's neck. What was this? Some nefarious artifact of casting?
Of course, though I didn't know it at the time, it was only a die crack. But my questions about that specific coin led me to the first stages of learning a lot more about Mercs and a lot more about coins in general.
So, when I decided to start assembling a graded set of dimes, I wanted to get another 21-D that had that same die crack. It took me a long time to find one I liked, but here it is.
What I really like about this dime (besides the die crack) is that It has the perfect medium gray color for circulated silver. The wear is remarkably even and pleasant, resulting in really attractive surfaces.
The only real drawback is a small green spot on the reverse, above the M in AMERICA. It doesn't appear to be PVC or anything active, and it isn't visible to the naked eye. I'm guessing maybe it's just a bit of residue from a spot of verdigris that was knocked off the surface.
Thanks to all who posted your coins and commentary.
I especially enjoyed the objective-sounding assessments, the background information regarding the circumstances surrounding the acquisition of your coins and the memories they’ve provided.
And I congratulate you for not disclosing the grades or discussing values. Who would have thought that possible? 😉
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
@Bikergeek = those 1811/9 dimes have alot of character. The overdate on the obverse is so cool along but on yours obverse seems to have what appears to be metal movement when struck above the cap. Also, intersecting die cracks on the reverse cross at the Eagle's head is so cool as well. Most have very interest characteristics and each example are all different in consistency. I love that yours is well struck reverse on at the arrows. Very nice coin.
This is one of my favorite coins. Ever since I was a little kid going through rolls of pennies I’ve always wanted a 55 DDO. The County of Los Angeles used to have live auctions with coins from estates a few times a year. Most of the coins were bullion and they would sell for ridiculous prices. Every once in a while they had lots with coin sets in albums. The people who attended these auctions for the most part had no interest in sets especially Lincoln’s. I won an almost complete set of Lincolns which included this coin and a 1909-S VDB in an old Whitman Album for a ridiculously low price. It was impossible for me to lose because I was the only bidder. I submitted this coin and the S VDB to PCGS and both coins were authentic and straight graded.
I like this Vermont Ryder 2, in part because it was once owned by Tony Terranova, a legend in the realm of colonial coins. I also like it because of its pleasing color and the relative lack of planchet flaws, not easy to find in 1785 Vermont Landscapes. Additionally, it was struck with misaligned dies, so it’s kind of cool to see what I believe to be the original planchet texture due to the near total lack of a strike on close to one half of each side.
At the same time I wish it was more fully struck, as I’ve never been able to find a relatively unflawed Ryder 2 with choice color and a full strike. Of course if it was fully struck, it would have been 3-4x what I actually paid for it.
In all, a cool coin for what I paid.
Other passions include golf, Moto Guzzi motorcycles, and Euro motorcycles in general.
Chris
Started some 20 odd years ago collecting IHC's with a woodie finish and did fairly well until funds became unavailable and had to sell most of them. This finish was simply gorgeous to me, while distasteful to others. Loved the strike on this coin and the coloration. The 08, 08S and 09 were always my favorite and the most regrettable selling. JMO
Jim
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln
Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.....Mark Twain
Years ago I purchased this example because I loved the original looking surfaces and the extensive reverse die cracks.
I admit that I was unaware that it was a rare and desireable variety. Several hours later before I had a chance to do any research a friend explained what it was. He suggested I offer it to his friend, I sold it to his friend who enjoys owning it.
Here is a coin that I cracked out of modern ANACS UDM holder that was coming apart at the seams.
So I cracked it out.
What I don't like about it is that it doesn't have the UDM designation anymore.
What I do like about it is that it is a forever coin that I won't part with.
It has mirrors like a proof along with the devices like a proof. I'm not saying that it is a proof but it must have been struck very early on. It also was obviously not handled like a proof.
What gets me is why a planchet would be polished with such mirrors.
You would have to see it to believe it.
Student of numismatics and collector of Morgan dollars
Successful BST transactions with: Namvet Justindan Mattniss RWW olah_in_MA
Dantheman984 Toyz4geo SurfinxHI greencopper RWW bigjpst bretsan MWallace logger7 JWP BruceS bigjpst
JWP
Wow, Sean. Talking about jumping in the deep end! What a gorgeous CBDime. Love the die cracks and only 65k+ struck. Congrats and thanks for sharing coin and info. As to paying forward after being mentored by some greats, I thank you for the wonderful help you gave me when I started CBHDimes. Jus' sayin'.
Jim
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln
Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.....Mark Twain