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LordM BST archive, 9/20/11

lordmarcovanlordmarcovan Posts: 43,198 ✭✭✭✭✭
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Welcome to my BST Forum "mini store"! image

Mission Statement: Ugh. "Mission statements" sound so corporate and pompous, don't they? Let's just say I'm trying to carve a tiny niche in the "cheap but cool" market. Stuff that's interesting, fun, historical, and/or attractive, but which won't break the bank. I did the small dealer thing for a while but now I've stepped back to collecting and just selling a little on the side. This is basically my swaplist.

Terms of Sale & Shipping: For simplicity's sake, let's just make ALL SHIPMENTS POSTPAID.
For special circumstances (Registered Mail, insurance, overseas, extra large shipments, etc.), a modest contribution is appreciated.

PayPal is fine, but if you use it, PLEASE add your forum name to the payment so I'll know who you are and what you are buying!

Full return privilege if you are not 100% satisfied. My return privilege is very flexible, mostly because I've almost never needed one. The main thing I ask is that you notify me as soon as you can if there is a problem or concern of any kind, and I'll do my best to make it good.

Pricing: I use a variety of resources for pricing. Greysheet is NOT one of them. Mostly it's Redbook and Numismedia for US coins, and Krause for post-1601 world coins. Sometimes I just "wing it" and go on instinct alone. My margins are fairly thin on a lot of stuff, particularly the US material.

Contact Info: Should I ever disappear from the forums and the computer for a week or more, as I sometimes do, and you need to reach me, feel free to call (912) 261-8408 and ask for Rob. Emailing me in the event of a forum absence won't help much- usually when I'm away, I'm away from the computer entirely.

I love to swap! Got an interesting trade offer? Don't be shy- step right up! As you can see here, I dabble in a little bit of everything.

A note about pictures: I totally stink at coin photography. Part of that is substandard equipment, part of it is improper lighting, and part of it is just plain inexperience. I've recently reverted to using a scanner since with that at least I know I'll get detailed and well focused images, but the scanner doesn't work well on some coins, particularly lustrous ones.

Bullion Info: I've added a bullion chart from Kitco.com towards the bottom of this thread, should you need it for reference.

Archives: If you need to retrieve info on a coin you bought here, but it's no longer listed, do a search for my "BST archives" on the Testing forum.


Enough blather, now- on with the COINS!


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imageRoman/Palmyrene Empire: bronze antoninianus of VABALATHUS (266-272 AD), struck ca. 271 AD, desert patina
VABALATHUS was king of the breakaway Palmyrene empire under his mother, Zenobia, ca. 266-272 AD. This was initially with the acquiescence of the Roman emperor Aurelian (who was busy fighting on other fronts), but Aurelian later conquered Palmyra in 273. This bronze antoninianus was struck at Antioch around 271 AD and shows dual portraits of Aurelian and Vabalathus, perhaps in expression of the Palmyrene hope that Aurelian would allow them to coexist. Obverse- VABALATHVS V CRIMDR, Laureate and draped bust right. Reverse- IMP C AVRELIANVS AVG, Radiate and draped bust right. (Which side is considered the obverse and which is the reverse is up for debate on a two-headed coin, but more folks probably use this type to represent Vabalathus in collections.) RIC-381. 20.62 mm, 3.3 g. Ex-Ancient Imports, 05/2007. Nice desert patina on this one. My cost was $69, but make an offer.

imageRoman Empire: bronze antoninianus of CARUS (282-283 AD), posthumous issue struck ca. 283 AD
CARUS, Augustus 282-283 AD. Posthumous AE antoninianus, Siscia mint, ca. 283 AD. Obverse- DIVO CARO PARTHICO, radiate head right. Reverse- CONSECRATIO AVG, flaming altar, A to right, SMSXXI in exergue. RIC-111 var., Cohen-23, Venera-4341. 21 mm, 3 g. Ex-Ancient Imports, 05/2007, Harmer Rooke 1988. Asking $45, but that's flexible. I think my cost was about $55, originally.

imageRoman Empire: commemorative bronze AE4 honoring Constantine the Great, struck ca. 347-348 AD
This posthumous issue was struck circa 347-348 AD in honor of CONSTANTINE I, who had died in 337. Obverse- DV CONSTANTI-NVS PT AVGG, Veiled head right. Reverse: VN-MR to left and right of shrouded figure of emperor. 13.5 mm approx. I'm not certain of the mint because any mintmark in the exergue is off the flan, but here is the relevant Wildwinds page which lists a few varieties of this commemorative. $10

imageHungary: "Madonna & Child" silver denar of Vladislaus II, dated 1511
1511 silver denar of Vladislaus II, king of Bohemia from 1471-1516 and also of Hungary from 1490-1516. Obverse- Madonna and Christ child. Reverse- coat of arms. This piece comes within one year of being the oldest dated coin I've ever had. $29

imageHungary: "Madonna & Child" silver denar of Ferdinand I, dated 1532
1532 silver denar of Ferdinand I, king of Hungary, Bohemia and Croatia, 1527-1564 and Holy Roman emperor from 1558-1664. Obverse- Madonna and Christ child. Reverse- coat of arms. $24

imageHungary: "Madonna & Child" silver denar of Ferdinand I, dated 1557
1557 silver denar of Ferdinand I, king of Hungary, Bohemia and Croatia, 1527-1564 and Holy Roman emperor from 1558-1664. Obverse- Madonna and Christ child. Reverse- coat of arms. $19

imageLatvia: base silver or billon (AR18) schilling, 1571
1571 schilling, struck at Riga. Obverse- city gateway. Reverse- coat of arms with crossed keys, flanked by two-digit date: (15)71. $24



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imageAustralia, silver threepence of George VI, 1943-D, BU
KM37, .925 silver/.0419 oz. Struck for Australia by the US Mint at Denver, under a wartime contract. This Aussie 3d is nice and lustrous in hand. It looks absolutely awful in these scans, but don't be fooled. It does have a few little tickmarks I didn't see until scanning it. They're practically invisible to the naked eye and the scanner exaggerated them. I'd call this coin a lustrous MS61 for this reason. In hand, it's a whole different coin, I promise. Here's a terrible photo to go with the terrible scan. That isn't focused, but at least it shows some- only some- of the luster. Catalogs $18.50 in BU in the 2009 Krause catalog. I'll ask less than half that. Trust me- you'll like this one, for $9.

imageGreat Britain: copper halfpenny of George III, 1799, G
KM647, copper. 31 mm approx. A one-year type, KM647 has several subvarieties that have something to do with the number of gunports on the ship (five, six, nine, none, etc.), and whether those gunports are raised or incuse. Which is something of a joke, even on coins in better shape than this, as the ship is but a tiny blip on the horizon. Counting gunports on a piece in this grade? Fuhgeddaboutit- who cares? All the varieties are relatively similar in value, anyway. Just call this another nice, cheap oldie. Yes, there is a rim nick but the scanner exaggerated it- it's not inconsistent with the grade level, if you ask me. The coin has pretty nice surfaces overall. "Just honest wear", as they say. $4. SOLD

imageGreat Britain: silver halfcrown of George VI, 1938, BU
KM856, .500 silver/.2273 oz. Nice white UNC with cartwheel luster not seen in the pictures. Take your pick of either the previous owner's pictures, which don't do justice to the coin's luster, or my pictures, which show a bit more luster but which also exaggerate the light marks on the coin a little. This coin is no Gem-quality MS65, but it's definitely one of the nicer 50% silver halfcrowns I've had. $26.

image1901 British empire type set WANTLIST
(Link leads to my collection and wantlist thread.) I am building a collection of 1901-dated coins of the British empire with Queen Victoria's portrait for my daughter, Victoria (who was born in 2001, a century later). A decade after starting it, I'm pretty far along, but I still lack a few pieces, and there is always room for upgrading. Let me know if you have any of these. When this set generates duplicates, I will put them for sale or trade here.

imageEight-piece World & USA silver lot including two French "Sowers"- total bullion weight 0.7179 oz.
The coins are: Canada 5 cents 1920 VG, Canada 10 cents 1949 VG (scuffy), France 50 centimes "Sower" 1916 VF, France 1 franc "Sower" 1909 F, Great Britain KM848 3 pence 1943 VF+, Greece 20 drachmai 1960 VF, Malaya 5 cents 1945-I EF, and USA 25 cents 1944-D VG+. (A lucky coworker of mine found that quarter in circulation recently.) Here are somewhat bigger scans of the obverses and the reverses. Total bullion weight for the lot amounts to 0.7179 ounces. Melt value was about $29 as I typed this, so I'll ask $26 (or 10% below spot, whichever makes you happier.)

imageIreland, 1 penny, 1928, AU+
KM3, bronze. A nice brown AU+ coin with traces of red. I'd call it AU55 BN, personally. Only the tiniest hint of rub shows on the top corner of the harp. Catalogs $20.00 in UNC in the 2009 Krause. $15. ON HOLD



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imageUSA: Coronet (or "Modified Matron Head") large cent, 1838
A nice brown coin with decent surfaces and no major problems or distractions. I'd would say it's right on the cusp between F15 and VF20 in terms of technical grade. I don't know the Newcomb variety. $44.

imageUSA: Flying Eagle cent, 1857, G+
I'd call this one a G6, personally. The eagle's a tiny bit scuffy but not bad. The coin doesn't have any major problems, really. $29

imageUSA: copper-nickel Indian Head cent, 1860 (Round Bust), G+ (borderline VG)
This early Indian is right on the line between G6 and VG8. Some of "....RTY" in LIBERTY is visible on the headband. Lower grade, but decent. $16

imageUSA: Indian Head cent, 1867, better date w/VF details but two holes
This coin has full LIBERTY and some veins in the feathers. If it were unholed, this would be a $135 piece by the current Red Book. As-is, well, who knows. The bottom hole goes through the 6 in the date but does not completely obliterate it. Even if it were gone you could tell this is a Type 1 Indian (the last feather in the headband points between I and C in AMERICA), which would narrow it down to either 1867 or 1877. Boy howdy, if it were an 1877 that would be a real heartbreaker! Here's a cool semi-key Indian for someone who's not too picky- maybe even another one of you Holeyheads. (I'm not the only nut out there who collects this stuff, haha.) Price? I dunno. Let's say... umm... $3? Or take it as a freebie if you buy more than $30 worth of stuff here.

imageUSA: Indian Head cent, 1889, EF+ to AU
This little Indian is pretty sharp. It's got choice EF to AU details and looks much better than the picture. There are some rim nicks at 2:00 on the obverse and 11:00 on the reverse, but I wouldn't call those a major issue. Stick it in an album and you might not even see those. $15

imageUSA: Indian Head cent, 1909, G+ (borderline VG)
This final-year Indian is on the borderline between G6 and VG8. Some of "....RTY" in LIBERTY shows on the headband. Not counting the more valuable "S" mint cents, this is the date to have in the 20th century pieces. I guess fewer were produced in 1909 because production shifted over to the new Lincoln cents in the latter part of the year. I've recycled the previous owner's pictures above, but the color's all wrong in them. I tried reshooting it without much luck, but I did get one obverse picture which at least shows the color a little bit better. $13

imageSeated Liberty dime love token WANTLIST
(Link leads to my collection and wantlist thread.) I am collecting a date set of Seated dimes with love token reverses. If you have any dates I need, let me know! Additionally, if you have any "scenic" or "pictorial" pieces for sale, I'd like to upgrade some of my more mundane monogrammed pieces to pictorials. When this collection generates duplicates, I will list them for sale or trade below.

imageUSA: Seated Liberty dime love token, 1857, with "T" initial
I upgraded to a pictorial 1857 so I don't need this piece for my collection anymore. It's got an Old English "T" and an ornamental border. The old stain might come off with a bit of toothpaste or baking soda- I just never bothered. (Hey, it's already been holed, so you're "allowed" to clean it and retone it.) $9.

imageUSA: Seated Liberty dime love token, 1877, with monogram
"H" (or "M"?), "S", and "Y" in fancy monogram, w/ornamental border around edge. $14

imageUSA: Seated Liberty dime love token, 1882, with "EAC" initials
Nice love token with "EAC" script initials and ornamental vine design. This piece was recently in my collection but I upgrade my 1882 to a cool pictorial with a horse head on it, so I don't need this anymore. Perhaps somebody from the Early American Coppers club will give it a home, since it has their initials on it? (Even if it's not an early copper.) $15.

imageUSA: Seated Liberty dime love token, 1885, with "AJ" or "JA" monogram
I upgraded to a pictorial 1885 so I don't need this piece for my collection anymore. It's got a fairly well engraved monogram and a simple border. $10.

imageimageUSA: Barber dime, 1899, NGC AU58 with nice peripheral toning
A gorgeous coin with decent luster and russet-gold iridescent toning at the peripheries. Very, very nice. Here is the slab picture. $98.

imageUSA: Barber dime, 1914, VF+
Here's a handsome Barber dime with strong detail. It would look good in a bookshelf album. It's off-white and may or may not have been dipped in the past, but it looks all right to me in hand. Bear in mind that the pictures are scans and not photographs. I call it VF30 and others have concurred with that opinion. $14.

imageUSA: Capped Bust half dollar, 1828, F+ to borderline VF with nice toning
I bought this coin in a friend's shop and in that light it looked pretty much as you see it in my scans above. It's either a really strong Fine or a low-end VF, depending on how you look at it. I liked it for its "circulation cameo" appearance. When I got it home I discovered there were some old scratches on Liberty's neck I hadn't noticed, but also some really attractive, subtly iridescent toning. This obverse photo (taken at a slight angle) shows both a little better. The scratches might prevent it from third-party grading, but it's got undeniable eye appeal nonetheless. I don't know the Overton variety, so if somebody would chime in with that, I'd be most grateful. $95

imageUSA: Walking Liberty half dollar, 1920, Fine
Here's a nice earlier Walker with no issues and a great original look to it. Even in my scans it looks wholesome. This would be an ideal album coin for a low- to middle-grade set. $24

imageUSA: Kennedy half dollar, 1965, nice white BU
This 40% silver Kennedy is practically Gem quality- I'd call it MS64, personally. Don't be misled by my poor photography- it is completely untoned and blast white, with screaming cartwheel luster on both sides. $7



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imageHand-engraved "sweethearts" love token on copper disc, dated 1780
Who were "A. Lavender" and "T. Horton"? Well, obviously they were sweethearts, about 230 years ago. This charming two-sided love token is hand-carved on a copper disc- probably a British King George copper coin. The obverse features two hearts pierced by Cupid's arrow, with the above names . The reverse bears the legend "LOVE ME TRUE AS I DO YOU", surrounding the date: 1780. Did these two lovebirds marry and have many children, thereby siring hundreds of descendants who walk amongst us today? Or was their love tragically cut short? We may never know, but I prefer to imagine the former scenario. $25 SOLD

imageArgentina: attractive and unusual Navy commemorative badge by Bellagamba & Rossi, dated May 25, 1903
According to the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London, this irregularly shaped 31 mm badge commemorates the peace between the Argentine and Chilean navies. The obverse portrays two sailors in jumpers and caps, one with his arm around the other's shoulder. Their cap bands are inscribed "O'HIGGINS" and "SAN MARTIN", which were ships of the Chilean and Argentine navies, respectively. The reverse portrays a sprig of foliage tied with ribbon, the inscription "25 MAYO 1903", and a small hallmark that says "FLORIDA 152 / B(uenos) AIRES". I have also seen commemorative postcards with this date. (May 25 also happens to be Argentina's independence day). Now what's interesting is that the page I got most of this information from is offering a "silver frosted" reproduction here. Compare its appearance to those of the piece I have for sale. Mine looks older, doesn't it. Is it original? I really don't know. I'm inclined to think it might be, though. I suppose the original badges (and presumably mine, here) were struck in silver. Nor do I have any idea of the value of this piece. It's rather interesting that a museum is producing reproductions of it, wouldn't you say? (Or are they just offering prints for sale? I can't quite figure that out.) Anyway, who wants to take a chance on this, for $16? (Could turn out to be a real cherrypick!)

imageGilt brass "Bremen" aviation medal commemorating the first east-to-west transatlantic flight in 1928
Here's a fascinating piece of history for you. This early aviation commemorative medal celebrates the first east-to-west transatlantic flight (Ireland to Canada) in April of 1928, less than a year after Lindbergh did it from west to east. It's also quite attractive, with prooflike gilt surfaces and a bit of cartwheel luster. A little bit of the gilt has rubbed off the high points of the portraits of the three men, showing brass beneath, but otherwise it looks probably just like it did in 1928. I sold a much lesser example of this medal (VF+, with some digs and no gilt remaining) in 2008, for around fifteen bucks. One side bears the legend "FIRST EAST TO WEST TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT - APRIL 12-13, 1928", and the names of the three flyers: BARON VON HUENEFELD*, MAJOR FITZMAURICE*, and CAPTAIN KOEHL*. Hey, check out the schnozzle and the misshapen skull of Baron von Huenefeld! That wasn't the most flattering portrait of him, I'd say. According to the Wikipedia article about him, he was dead of stomach cancer within about a year of the flight. His photo sort of bears out the pointy nose seen on the medal. The reverse of the medal shows the Junkers W33 aircraft "Bremen" flying over the ocean below a cloud bank. Below that is an American-looking eagle flanked by flags, with the surrounding legend "BALDONNEL AIRDROME APRIL 12 - GREENLY ISLAND APRIL 13, 1928". There is also a tiny maker's name at the bottom: "WHITEHEAD - HOAG". Whitehead & Hoag were a New York firm who produced political campaign buttons, I believe. $28

imageScrew-top coin bezels in assorted sizes
The cent-sized bezels are gold-colored while all of the others are silver colored. I would not recommend these for valuable coins, obviously, but they make nice inexpensive mounts for cheap keepsake coins. A few years back I took some of those gold-plated Statehood quarters from my home state and put some in these bezels, and they sold very nicely at my antique mall booth. I gave my lady boss a Peace dollar in one of these as a Christmas gift, and she was happy. Put some common Indian cents, Buffalo nickels, or Merc dimes in these and I'll bet you'll find them popular. Use needle nose pliers to gently open the crown screw, put the coin in, and screw the crown back on. Be careful not to overtighten or you could snap the stem off. $2 each (or 3 for $5)
CENT size (gold color): 9 available
NICKEL size (silver color): 10 available
DIME size (silver color): 10 available
QUARTER size (silver color): 22 available
HALF DOLLAR size (silver color): 8 available
LARGE DOLLAR (Morgan/Peace/Ike, not ASE) size (silver color): 8 available
Keychain attachment (the typical inexpensive kind you see on most novelty key rings): 4 available (just ask for one free if you buy a bezel).

imageFour-piece prehistoric fossil lot, mostly megalodon shark teeth, over 1.5 million years old
Three of the four fossils in this lot are teeth of Carcharocles Megalodon. This species was a much larger, stockier ancestor of today’s Great White sharks, and fed on marine mammals like whales. They probably got to be the size of buses or boxcars(!), and are thought to have become extinct in the Pleistocene epoch, about 1.5 million years ago. To put it unscientifically, C. megalodon was basically Jaws' much bigger, meaner great-granddaddy. These fossils were found in dredge spoil material from St. Simons Sound here in Glynn County, GA, by me and a friend of mine. While not monster Megs, these are pretty big teeth, and exponentially bigger than those of any shark living today. The half-piece at top left is not quite 3.5" long. The chunky, mostly-intact specimen at top right I personally found recently (8/9/11). It would be at least 3.5" long if the root were intact. (These are typically measured slantwise along one side). The smaller Meg at bottom left is not quite 2" long. The fossil at bottom right is a little over 2" long and is not a shark tooth. It appears to be the end of a tusk or perhaps a tooth from some hippo-like creature. I have no clue, beyond knowing that it's definitely prehistoric, and fossilized. (I suppose it could also be the end of a rib bone- we find lots of whalebone in the dredge spoil, but it's not usually that rounded.) The three small pieces at far right are not included (I gave them to a coworker), but I will add some other fossils (like whalebone pieces or shell casts) not shown in the picture. Asking $38 for the lot.



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