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What questions would you ask a coin expert if you could ask him or her anything?

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  • MsMorrisineMsMorrisine Posts: 35,086 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Many.

    How should coins and money evolve in the rest of the century?

    Current maintainer of Stone's Master List of Favorite Websites // My BST transactions
  • MoldnutMoldnut Posts: 3,113 ✭✭✭✭
    What does originality mean to you? Sounds like a simple question to askimage
    Derek

    EAC 6024
  • ColonelJessupColonelJessup Posts: 6,442 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Free for dinner tonight? . image
    "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." - Geo. Orwell
  • lkeigwinlkeigwin Posts: 16,893 ✭✭✭✭✭
    A coin expert or a soothsayer?
    Lance.
  • I am in awe every time I go to a LSCC meeting. Literally surrounded by the people who wrote the books and the dealers who made the markets, it is a tremendous resource that can't be overstated. Coupled with my network of like minded collectors in my focus series: anytime I have had a question the experts have been there to answer and exsplain their processes on how gathered the information.

    I am all questioned out currently and all I can do is try and play it forward to people who come to me with questions, unless they are a creep.
  • CoinosaurusCoinosaurus Posts: 9,642 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I'd only be interested in stuff not written down anywhere. Like their secret client list, or who owns all the good coins image
  • CoinosaurusCoinosaurus Posts: 9,642 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>I am in awe every time I go to a LCSS meeting. >>



    What is this "LCSS" you speak of? It sounds like a good organization to join image
  • Type2Type2 Posts: 13,985 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Who's next or what's next. image


    Hoard the keys.
  • coindeucecoindeuce Posts: 13,496 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Howm I doon ? image

    "Everything is on its way to somewhere. Everything." - George Malley, Phenomenon
    http://www.american-legacy-coins.com



  • << <i>

    << <i>I am in awe every time I go to a LCSS meeting. >>



    What is this "LCSS" you speak of? It sounds like a good organization to join image >>



    It is too exclusive, I can maybe put in a good word for you.
  • It is run by the Illuminati.... hum
  • I would ask " what ideas do you have to make the numismatic hobby more exciting and inviting for new people just getting in to collecting coins vs. just hoarding them?"
  • ZoinsZoins Posts: 34,401 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Can I get a copy of your mint research records... to RWB.
  • ebaybuyerebaybuyer Posts: 2,984 ✭✭✭
    id like to ask walter breen a few questions, not so much about coins .....
    regardless of how many posts I have, I don't consider myself an "expert" at anything
  • I would ask...." What's your opinion of the counterfeiting problem and where will it be in 5, 10, and 20 years from now?"
  • illini420illini420 Posts: 11,466 ✭✭✭✭✭
    "what makes you a coin expert?" image

  • ambro51ambro51 Posts: 13,935 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Why can't the US Mint produce MS 70 quality business strike coins?
  • rickoricko Posts: 98,724 ✭✭✭✭✭
    How can I sell an authentic '64 D Peace Dollar?? image Cheers, RickO
  • DentuckDentuck Posts: 3,820 ✭✭✭
    "At what point, and under what circumstances, did the Smithsonian's 1849
    double eagle acquire its gouges (in the obverse field around star 1)?"

    I asked this question of four Grade A certified Coin Experts™, and there
    was no definitive answer. It was a fun conversation, though!




  • BoosibriBoosibri Posts: 12,370 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Who is the culprit that messed with the Dukes Creek collection?
  • 291fifth291fifth Posts: 24,597 ✭✭✭✭✭
    What convention center has the best chili dogs?
    All glory is fleeting.
  • MidLifeCrisisMidLifeCrisis Posts: 10,550 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I spend a lot of time with a recognized coin expert every time I go to a coin show in Baltimore. I ask many questions and always get great answers. Usually I ask about specific - and very rare - coins in his specialty.

    Some questions I haven't asked him, though, include:

    How can we convince people that dipping is doctoring?
    How can we get more collectors to just say NO to doctored coins so that they lose their foothold in the marketplace?
    How can we increase the popularity of colonial era and foreign coins that circulated in early America among "mainstream" collectors?

    I have more...
  • SonorandesertratSonorandesertrat Posts: 5,695 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>

    << <i>I am in awe every time I go to a LCSS meeting. >>



    What is this "LCSS" you speak of? It sounds like a good organization to join image >>



    'LCSS' (aka LSCC) is for people who can't get into EAC or JRCS.
    Sort of like MIT being a fallback in case you can't get into Caltech.image
    Member: EAC, NBS, C4, CWTS, ANA

    RMR: 'Wer, wenn ich schriee, hörte mich denn aus der Engel Ordnungen?'

    CJ: 'No one!' [Ain't no angels in the coin biz]
  • YorkshiremanYorkshireman Posts: 4,583 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Question for Q. David Bowers that would help us all:

    How do you forecast the coin market cycles of which you write in your "Collecting & Investing" book?

    As someone who has worked for almost 30 years in the investment advisory business, I have been around long enough to see patterns and cycles in the capital markets. Coin cycles still baffle me.

    Question for gold collectors/dealers:

    Colorfully toned silver coins are very popular. Why is toned gold not more appreciated?

    As a member of the LSCC, I too am in awe of the knowledge in the room at group meetings AND how available those who possess that knowledge are willing to share it.

    Yorkshireman,Obsessed collector of round, metallic pieces of history.Hunting for Latin American colonial portraits plus cool US & British coins.
  • SonorandesertratSonorandesertrat Posts: 5,695 ✭✭✭✭✭
    'Why is toned gold not more appreciated?'
    Cost keeps many collectors out of the gold coin market. Many who buy gold coins actually buy generic gold (they hedge their bets regarding value by purchasing pieces that have relatively modest numismatic premiums), and these buyers mostly want coins with no copper spots. Hence, a lot of dipping has occurred. More astute collectors with big enough wallets seem to prefer toned gold.
    Member: EAC, NBS, C4, CWTS, ANA

    RMR: 'Wer, wenn ich schriee, hörte mich denn aus der Engel Ordnungen?'

    CJ: 'No one!' [Ain't no angels in the coin biz]
  • BoosibriBoosibri Posts: 12,370 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>'Why is toned gold not more appreciated?'
    Cost keeps many collectors out of the gold coin market. Many who buy gold coins actually buy generic gold (they hedge their bets regarding value by purchasing pieces that have relatively modest numismatic premiums), and these buyers mostly want coins with no copper spots. Hence, a lot of dipping has occurred. More astute collectors with big enough wallets seem to prefer toned gold. >>



    +1 and it's a shame.
  • CoinspongeCoinsponge Posts: 3,927 ✭✭✭
    "Do you travel to shows with your million dollar collection in your back seat like other collectors?"

    image
    Gold and silver are valuable but wisdom is priceless.
  • AMRCAMRC Posts: 4,280 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Why can't the US Mint produce MS 70 quality business strike coins? >>



    Ahhh but they do, you just would not want to spend them.....

    I got this result yesterday.

    Line # Item # Cert # PCGS No. CoinDate Denomination Variety Country Grade
    1 1 28636268 393327 2008 $50 American Buffalo USA MS70
    MLAeBayNumismatics: "The greatest hobby in the world!"
  • Coin FinderCoin Finder Posts: 7,347 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Easy...How do you get first shot at all the great collections, how do you know where they are?
  • CoinspongeCoinsponge Posts: 3,927 ✭✭✭


    << <i>

    << <i>Why can't the US Mint produce MS 70 quality business strike coins? >>



    Ahhh but they do, you just would not want to spend them.....

    I got this result yesterday.

    Line # Item # Cert # PCGS No. CoinDate Denomination Variety Country Grade
    1 1 28636268 393327 2008 $50 American Buffalo USA MS70 >>




    I don't know if the Gold Buffalos count since they are not circulated coins.
    Gold and silver are valuable but wisdom is priceless.
  • ctf_error_coinsctf_error_coins Posts: 15,433 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I feel that I have access to some of the best error experts on earth, right here on this forum. They Always answer questions.

    I have also talked with via phone and email with many of the highly sought after error experts, they have always been extremely helpful and cool to talk with.

    That said, I would love to sit down to lunch and have a long conversation with Fred, Tom, Jon, and Mike.

  • YorkshiremanYorkshireman Posts: 4,583 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>'Why is toned gold not more appreciated?'
    Cost keeps many collectors out of the gold coin market. Many who buy gold coins actually buy generic gold (they hedge their bets regarding value by purchasing pieces that have relatively modest numismatic premiums), and these buyers mostly want coins with no copper spots. Hence, a lot of dipping has occurred. More astute collectors with big enough wallets seem to prefer toned gold. >>



    Of course there is the cost factor. That certainly effects my buying decisions. It is just that I love the look of toned gold, but hardly ever see it, except maybe on Doug Winter's site.
    Yorkshireman,Obsessed collector of round, metallic pieces of history.Hunting for Latin American colonial portraits plus cool US & British coins.
  • kimber45ACPkimber45ACP Posts: 2,399 ✭✭✭


    << <i>id like to ask walter breen a few questions, not so much about coins ..... >>



    With Breen, I would limit my questions to coins and coins only.
  • OldEastsideOldEastside Posts: 4,602 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Define "Coin Expert" ?...........Theres a few that have that across the board, and theres series experts
    variety experts, token experts, grading experts.......But if you go to a show, everyone you bump into is
    an expert, really........all you have to do is ask them, and they will tell you, there an expert image

    Steve
    Promote the Hobby
  • DaveGDaveG Posts: 3,535
    And, Lo, the expert speaketh (from ATS):

    In a post on the PCGS board titled "What questions would you ask a coin expert" a member (Zoins) asks:

    "Can I get a copy of your mint research records... to RWB"


    You will need a van or pickup truck for the papers and books, and a multi-terabyte computer drive for the electronic files. The paper is arranged by subject and every page has its NARA location printed on it. Electronic files are similarly marked, but maintained in separate entry groupings to match the NARA archive.

    Actually, the key is a 20-page index built over the last 15 years showing the contents of many of the US Mint files at College Park and Philadelphia. The helps me avoid relying on memory (often faulty) to locate something, and makes it much easier to get to the right material without sifting through extraneous entry groups and boxes.



    Also:

    This question also was asked:

    "Why can't the US Mint produce MS 70 quality business strike coins?"


    In truth, they do. The circulation coins that come out of the presses are incredibly good. It is the post-striking handling that adds scrapes, knicks, bumps and other damage to the freshly made coins. I've personally compared halves and quarters right from the press, with the ones that are shipped to the distribution companies. About half of the damage occurs at the mint and half at the distributors during handling and rolling.

    Surprisingly, a major culprit in damaging coins is the edge reeding. On a new coin, these are very sharp – knife-like – and easily cut, scrape, and ding the face of any other coin they touch. This is especially noticeable on halves due to their greater weight than dimes and quarters. Pieces struck on the Schuler horizontal presses seem to show more of this type of post-strike damage than older vertical presses…possibly from the way they exit the press. These are just my observations and no careful study was done.



    For those of you who don't remember, Roger was on the CCAC several years ago.

    Check out the Southern Gold Society

  • coinkatcoinkat Posts: 23,771 ✭✭✭✭✭
    What makes you an expert?

    Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.

  • BillJonesBillJones Posts: 34,685 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Why can't the US Mint produce MS 70 quality business strike coins? >>



    That's easy. The mint system has to produce billions of every for use in the economy, not for coin collectors. Besides for classic coins the grading services are hard pressed to give a grade higher than MS-67 regardless how close the are from the way they were the day the were struck.
    Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
  • BillJonesBillJones Posts: 34,685 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Colorfully toned silver coins are very popular. Why is toned gold not more appreciated? >>



    The gold toning results in many, many cases from silver coins that the been dipped and not totally rinsed. "Gold toned" silver coins were popular for a while in the early 1980s. Then collectors figured out the source, the interest declined.

    Oops! I misread that one. Many collectors don't like copper toning, not even rich, even coppery gold toning.

    Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
  • MsMorrisineMsMorrisine Posts: 35,086 ✭✭✭✭✭
    What are the hardest to detect counterfeits(best)? How can computer tech help detect counterfeits? How can computer tech create super-counterfeits?

    Current maintainer of Stone's Master List of Favorite Websites // My BST transactions
  • bidaskbidask Posts: 14,017 ✭✭✭✭✭
    How come you don't pay more for great coins offered to you by collectors?
    I manage money. I earn money. I save money .
    I give away money. I collect money.
    I don’t love money . I do love the Lord God.




  • dcarrdcarr Posts: 8,987 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>This question also was asked:

    "Why can't the US Mint produce MS 70 quality business strike coins?"


    In truth, they do. The circulation coins that come out of the presses are incredibly good. It is the post-striking handling that adds scrapes, knicks, bumps and other damage to the freshly made coins. I've personally compared halves and quarters right from the press, with the ones that are shipped to the distribution companies. About half of the damage occurs at the mint and half at the distributors during handling and rolling.

    Surprisingly, a major culprit in damaging coins is the edge reeding. On a new coin, these are very sharp – knife-like – and easily cut, scrape, and ding the face of any other coin they touch. This is especially noticeable on halves due to their greater weight than dimes and quarters. Pieces struck on the Schuler horizontal presses seem to show more of this type of post-strike damage than older vertical presses…possibly from the way they exit the press. These are just my observations and no careful study was done.


    For those of you who don't remember, Roger was on the CCAC several years ago. >>



    I disagree.
    Having actually operated a US Mint coin press, with a US Mint reeded-edge quarter collar, to strike US Mint copper-nickel clad blanks (that were legally monetized and retrieved from circulation), I can say without reservation that the main limiting factor in the initial grade is the planchet quality. Circulation-quality US Mint blanks have a slightly greasy feel, and typically have bag marks on them. When I struck a few of them, I used tongs to place the struck pieces in a velvet tray for inspection. They never contacted anything else (or each other). But right out of the press they graded no better than MS64. Planchet marks were not fully struck out on the higher devices, and they looked like post-strike bag marks. The greasy coating also limited the luster. Burnishing the blanks prior to striking (as well as striking them harder and/or more times) significantly improves the grade. Of course, the US Mint does not do that for circulation coins.



  • << <i>

    << <i>This question also was asked:

    "Why can't the US Mint produce MS 70 quality business strike coins?"


    In truth, they do. The circulation coins that come out of the presses are incredibly good. It is the post-striking handling that adds scrapes, knicks, bumps and other damage to the freshly made coins. I've personally compared halves and quarters right from the press, with the ones that are shipped to the distribution companies. About half of the damage occurs at the mint and half at the distributors during handling and rolling.

    Surprisingly, a major culprit in damaging coins is the edge reeding. On a new coin, these are very sharp – knife-like – and easily cut, scrape, and ding the face of any other coin they touch. This is especially noticeable on halves due to their greater weight than dimes and quarters. Pieces struck on the Schuler horizontal presses seem to show more of this type of post-strike damage than older vertical presses…possibly from the way they exit the press. These are just my observations and no careful study was done.


    For those of you who don't remember, Roger was on the CCAC several years ago. >>




    I disagree.
    Having actually operated a US Mint coin press, with a US Mint reeded-edge quarter collar, to strike US Mint copper-nickel clad blanks (that were legally monetized and retrieved from circulation), I can say without reservation that the main limiting factor in the initial grade is the planchet quality. Circulation-quality US Mint blanks have a slightly greasy feel, and typically have bag marks on them. When I struck a few of them, I used tongs to place the struck pieces in a velvet tray for inspection. They never contacted anything else (or each other). But right out of the press they graded no better than MS64. Planchet marks were not fully struck out on the higher devices, and they looked like post-strike bag marks. The greasy coating also limited the luster. Burnishing the blanks prior to striking (as well as striking them harder and/or more times) significantly improves the grade. Of course, the US Mint does not do that for circulation coins. >>



    Interesting, is their a variance in tonnage or striking dynamics on te different generation presses? Planchet feeding mechanisms?
  • dcarrdcarr Posts: 8,987 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Interesting, is there a variance in tonnage or striking dynamics on the different generation presses? Planchet feeding mechanisms? >>



    Feeding mechanisms vary widely, but the striking dynamics are all the same. The total stamping force on mechanical coin presses is a result of many factors.
    Think of the upper die as a piston in a car engine. If you make the piston longer, you get more compression. So on mechanical presses you first guess at the spacing, do a test strike or two, and adjust the length of the upper anvil until you get the desired strike. The resultant strike tonnage comes from that.

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