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What is the strangest "nugget" of knowledge you have learned researching a coin/series? (R
RickMilauskas
Posts: 1,985 ✭✭✭
So...what did you learn of interest??
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RickMilauskas
Posts: 1,985 ✭✭✭
RickMilauskas
Posts: 1,985 ✭✭✭
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I am about to receive my first ever Canadian Silver dollar (1935) in a doily holder). Not really research, but this thread was dying . . . . .
Anyone else heard this?
Drunner
The initial residue was essentially caterpillar poop.
While doing some informational search about the the great silver mines in Nevada, I noticed that the map in the opening credits of the TV show Bonanza should be viewed as depicted. (note compass points)
"Keep your malarkey filter in good operating order" -Walter Breen
"The nature of the design openly exposes the high points of Vancouver halves, and this, coupled with the lack of any special packaging or handling, destined much of the issue to suffer from friction and abrasions. In addition, well-struck coins showing the details of the trapper’s hand, face and right thigh and chest are scarce. Wear first appears on McLoughlin’s bust, especially on the cheekbone and hair above the ear and on the knee on the reverse. Although Vancouver halves are not difficult to locate in grades through MS-64, MS-65 or better specimens are quite elusive. Unfortunately, counterfeits of this issue are known: they exhibit many depressions that at first seem to be bag marks, along with tooling marks on the reverse below letters CEN in CENTENNIAL.
An interesting tale involving Vancouver halves was recently revealed. In August of 1926, Governor Charles Sale of the Hudson’s Bay Company purchased 1,000 examples of the Fort Vancouver half dollar. These coins were moved to the Provincial Archives Building in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada in 1974. In the summer of 1982, a caretaker stole them and spent 400 pieces at face value. Needing money for a new car, he took the remaining 568 pieces to a bank in Winnipeg where they were exchanged by a teller for $284 in Canadian funds. The savvy teller then received permission from her supervisor to buy them from the bank at face value. After they were counted out in a coin-counting machine, they were sold to a Canadian dealer for $37,500.
The dealer sold 522 pieces to clients in the United States and Canada and retained 46 pieces for himself. He had checked with both the FBI and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who then weren’t yet aware of the theft. Although he had received clearance from the authorities, the dealer was eventually sued by the Crown. In the end, he prevailed and retained ownership of the 46 remaining pieces. No attempt was ever made to recover the other specimens."
That leads me to believe the coin was possibly from the stolen lot and the counting machine caused the scruffy look. On the other hand, the reverse has two marks east of the face and two more on the left arm that look like bagmarks and die tooling marks under the CEN and now I'm wondering if it could be counterfeit.
So I guess I didn't really learn anything about my coin but did learn some interesting history about the Vancouver Commem.
This one might be a bit odd:
Aug 10, 1893
From: Robert Preston, acting
To: Herman D. Money, Esq, New Orleans Mint
[He is appointed assistant to the Superintendent.]
Also, “When your time is not fully occupied at the mint, it is my desire that you shall, in a quiet and unobtrusive manner, endeavor to obtain evidence of the speculation in cotton, etc. by the cashier Cashier, J. M. Dowling. Of course, you will have to be very careful in this matter.”
You'd think people at that level would have better things to do with their time......
<< <i>We found in the BEP archives, ca. 1900, discussion between the Secretary of the Treasury and the Superintendent of the BEP, relating to the disposition of an old broken-down horse, named "Prince." >>
That may have been their code word for a long-past-retirement bureaucrat with tenure!
* * *
"We must figure out a way to unburden ourselves from that tiresome, swaybacked old nag, Prince. He continues to draw $500 per annum in salary with neither jot nor tittle to his credit."
- - -
"Agreed. Unfortunately he has friends in high places, and his position is frustratingly stable, if I might carry the metaphor forward a bit."
- - -
"You were feeling your oats with that last jest, my good sir. Well done."
- - -
"Hay! I'm not horsing around here."
<< <i>You'd think people at that level would have better things to do with their time...... >>
Other people too
1883 Liberty Nickel "No CENTS" - 5,474,300 Minted - PCGS MS64 price guide: $80
1883 Liberty Nickel "CENTS" - 16,026,200 Minted - PCGS MS64 price guide: $365
The reason for this is because 1883 was a transitional year for the nickel design from Shield to Liberty, and the first ones minted were of the "No CENTS" variety. Many of these were kept out of circulation by collectors, whereas the "CENTS" variety came later in the year (after the new design hype had died down) and most of them were put into circulation. So this is why we see more of the "No CENTS" variety today, even though there were far less of them minted originally.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
Voltaire: Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero.
<< <i>
<< <i>You'd think people at that level would have better things to do with their time...... >>
Other people too
LOL! Everyone's entitled to a bit of fun during the workday! I don't take cigarette breaks or stand around the water cooler. . . . this is my scheduled 15-minutes-every-four-hours break. :-)
<< <i>
<< <i>
<< <i>You'd think people at that level would have better things to do with their time...... >>
Other people too
LOL! Everyone's entitled to a bit of fun during the workday! I don't take cigarette breaks or stand around the water cooler. . . . this is my scheduled 15-minutes-every-four-hours break. :-) >>
Didn't wanna get me no trade
Never want to be like papa
Working for the boss every night and day
--"Happy", by the Rolling Stones (1972)
<< <i>While doing some informational search about the the great silver mines in Nevada, I noticed that the map in the opening credits of the TV show Bonanza should be viewed as depicted. (note compass points) >>
And yet we never saw the Cartwrights skiing....
60 years into this hobby and I'm still working on my Lincoln set!
would have you believe they have 1964-D peace
Silver Dollars tucked into the darkest corners of their SDB ......
Dan
My era of music early 90's. My little nugget of knowledge: All
1926 Peace dollars from all three mints, were derived from a unique obverse die.
The word GOD is sharper and stronger than IN and WE. From an article in Oct 09 Numismatist.
Anyone have additional details?
minted with silver from California, not the Comstock. Bummer!
Actually came from several mines south in Mono County. Bodie was the probable
source as to district.
bob
<< <i>I thought it was interesting that with the 1883 V nickel, even though there were 5,474,300 in the "No Cents" version, and 16,026,200 of the "Cents" version - there were nearly THREE TIMES as many nickel with "Cents" minted - but today the "Cents" is far more scarce (and expensive) than the "No Cents" nickels.
1883 Liberty Nickel "No CENTS" - 5,474,300 Minted - PCGS MS64 price guide: $80
1883 Liberty Nickel "CENTS" - 16,026,200 Minted - PCGS MS64 price guide: $365
The reason for this is because 1883 was a transitional year for the nickel design from Shield to Liberty, and the first ones minted were of the "No CENTS" variety. Many of these were kept out of circulation by collectors, whereas the "CENTS" variety came later in the year (after the new design hype had died down) and most of them were put into circulation. So this is why we see more of the "No CENTS" variety today, even though there were far less of them minted originally. >>
IIRC, the traditional explanation for why there are so many higher grade 1883 NC nickels is because, once the Mint began issuing the WC variety, there was rumor the NC would be recalled, so the NC were then hoarded by the public with the thought they'd soon be rare and valuable.
Not sure which explanation is true.