How do I go about grading these Foreign 1 oz. silver cameo APOLLO 11 rounds?
Watchbelieve
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I have 10 of these made in Switzerland By Le Locle Hugenin Medailleurs commemorating Apollo 11? There is no info online about it anywhere. Literally I found one thing and it said there were 2000 minted but it didn’t even show a pic and it just described it. I posted something about these about a year ago and I remember people saying who cares about that coin and I can understand that but I still want to grade them and make it officially known online what the coin looks like and more information on it. It was made at a prestigious Swiss Mint and it just seems like I’m the first one who decided it’s time to protect this piece of history. I like the fact that I can say I own 10 of something in perfect deep cameo condition minted in 1969 that you cant even find if you wanted to buy one. I do have all 10 paper sleeves. They are legit. I want to encapsulate them. Please guide me...
And someone out there cares about Apollo commemorative rounds because eBay is flooded with them...
Comments
The "First Three Bald Guys to reach the Moon." Well, only two got to stand there, but none of them stood on the landing pads.
What do they weigh? As for paying more than the silver value to have them authenticated and graded, that will not "...make it officially known online...." Actually, your post will do that since in about a day it will be come part of the huge reference indices of search engines.
Don't waste your money on having them slabbed. All I see is silver melt items, slabbed or not.
Try anacs they'll slab anything. I think the middle guy is an alien they met on the moon.
I'll bet each of the major TPGS's will slab them. Cost should be a factor.
PS Some here are very shortsighted. Those who have been around for some time can tell you that many numismatic items that no one wanted in the past (you could not give them away for $6) are now very expensive.
It looks like he is taking a pee
Neat item, but not "perfect" based on that gunk that shows up on my monitor, anyway.
They are not coins, they are privately minted medals. There were many varieties made by anyone who wanted to issue one, Whether or not they have value (aside from melt) is based on whether or not there is demand.
I am not sure why everything needs to be slabbed. Are you concerned about authenticity? For an obscure/uncatalogued item (if that is what this is) I think they are just rendering a judgment on condition. But, as long as it is in decent shape, I am not sure what that means in regard to value.
For what is would cost you to slab them just for posterity you could put them in decent holders to preserve them and spend the excess on other coins/medals/bullion.
Just my opinion....
ANACS will grade and slab 1oz silver rounds... I have seen them on ebay... or you could put them in air tight capsules to protect them. I have a couple 1oz silver rounds in the air tight capsules and they look just fine and they are protected . Hope this helps.
How much time and money will have to be spent "learning" the market for such items? Collectors need to stop and think just how much effort will be involved in selling thin market items.
You must be a coin dealer. I have found that most coin dealers are a very special breed. Many collectors - real collectors - are different. Collecting is not a business. Many collectors are not interested or aware of the "market." They collect what they like God bless them! That gives dealers a chance to SCORE BIG when folks or their relatives sell without "knowing the market." I'll bet most coin dealers would buy them as silver. Some of those dealers would melt them. Some would stick them in the junk bin. I'll also bet many of us uninformed guys all over the world would buy one well over bullion value for their "Space" collection. That's because one guy's trash is another collector's treasure.
PS I'd like to see what one sells for on Ebay.
I don't know that all of the TPGS's will slab them. There are soooo many miscellaneous medallic issues. Generally, don't the services largely stick to medals listed in certain specific references.
Might sell for under melt on eBay. Probably around $20 if you can find a buyer. You might be surprised at the sheer variety of those things.
Personally, I'd rather sell (and do) clad Apollo material as the entry point is cheaper and sometimes you score big. If you put $15 worth of silver out there, you need to get $15-$20 for it and you start to price people out of the market.
I KNOW ICG will (I heard at one time we slabbed a vintage paper milk bottle cap - great idea!). I don't see why the top two would not.
I am not disagreeing and I am sure you are correct, but I am trying to wrap my head around exactly what they are slabbing. They can pass judgment on condition by looking at it, but it part of the slabbing process is to also verify authenticity (isn't it?), then how can a TPG authenticate something they have never seen or heard of before? I am sure it happens all the time now, but I am just curious as to the thought process on their part.
This happens all the time!
First you may appreciate this true story. Back in the 1970's before the Internet, very often we had to hold a coin we had never seen before in order to find a comparison piece at a museum or coin show. We also would send certain coins to consultants who were knowledgeable dealers in that particular field. Very quickly, after being mislead a few times (Example: Irish Pistole C/F called genuine based on reputable consultant) we dropped half of our consultants and verified with our own eyes the opinion of those we kept/trusted based on past experience. Here is the unbelievable thing. If we received a coin from lets say an 1890 East Upper River Mud Province 10 Bongs, within a week or two it seems our Guardian Angle would send in another example of the same coin...Go figure. That did not mean the first was genuine but it sure made our job easier.
Here is the direct answer to your question: Coins made around the world during certain time periods and with similar minting techniques tend to look similar. Therefore, an experienced numismatist who has examined lots of coins of all types from all countries can look at a coin struck during a particular time and usually know if something looks fishy. It may look too modern for example. That is the beginning of the authentication process. Today, we have the ability to magnify images from the Net rather that go to a museum or coin show. Big turnaround time difference.
Say these "rounds" are sent in. After confirming they were fine silver and that they were made by the issuing authority, it should be easy to authenticate them. Most reproductions and modern counterfeits don't look anything like the genuine piece under high magnification. If the pieces don't look "Mint Quality" as we should expect (EVEN THOUGH they really are genuine as made) we can always return them with a "No Decision." You see, even long-time authenticators KNOW they don't know everything! That is why every coin they examine is a learning experience - even a 1938-D Lincoln cent I just examined or the 1936 Robinson 50c I'm grading next.
Actually both Armstrong and Aldrin stood on the landing pad that had the ladder up to the Ascent Module.
U.S. Type Set
While I assume that both Aldrin and Armstrong took a leak sometime between when they landed and hours later when they went on their walk, Buzz Aldrin has commented about how, while he was not the first person to walk on the Moon, he was the first to take a leak outside on the Moon's surface. If you look at films of him coming down the ladder from the Ascent stage, you'll see him stop at one point with just one leg on the ladder. That's when it occurred.
U.S. Type Set
FWIW, there are two sorts of space related medallions out there. Those that have flown (on a given mission), and those that were created after the mission for sale. Those that were flown on a mission cost anywhere from $500 - $65,000 depending on the mission and the scarcity of the medallion. These medallions are relatively limited in numbers, with production numbers ranging from ~ 80 - 450.
The commemorative medallions that were created after the mission was completed were always designed for sale. There are a MULTITUDE of designs out there. While some of them are quite attractive, many of them are pathetically bad. Generally their production run would be in the thousands to the tens of thousands. While I do not collect these sort of space related medallions, I have certainly seen a LOT of them. Generally they sell for melt plus some sort of a relatively minimal markup. You can get some with quite nice toning, as many of the makers went in big for packaging in felt lined containers/albums.
U.S. Type Set
This was one of the better discussions I’ve heard. Thanks for all the input. Love talking coins. Seriously I’m way addicted.
Ah -- corrected! Thank you!
It must be a good long one, he has his eyes closed and a look of relief.
What was CAC's opinion of the bottle cap?
There are even sets of multiple medals commemorating the space program... I purchased a set at a yard sale some years ago.... Cheers, RickO
Genuine - cleaned
With milk spots...
Hmmm...if it has milk spots, it must have been "Genuine - Improperly cleaned"