Mental challenge..... Answer posted in last post! REED COUNTING...
AUandAG
Posts: 24,932 ✭✭✭✭✭
Okay, here goes. I went to a collector's home to look at his collection that he's selling. And, if you think
you are weird in your collecting interest, listen to this. Mr. collector only collected "junk coins" as he calls
them.
What's a junk coin? Well, how about no date buffaloes, or walkers, or whatever! Super worn examples of
coins that have no, or only partial, dates. Seems he had a friend that owned a B & M store and would call
him when he got them in and that's how his collection grew.
He asked me if we could tell what some of the dates were by just looking at what was left. Sure, said I,
no problem! Of course I knew that it could be a great if not impossible challenge.
I started with 3 half eagles. All had pristine reverses but only 3 digit obverses. All three obverses had only
the 187x. Now tell me how I determined that the CC reverse half eagle was from 1879? That the S reverse
half eagle was from one of two years, either 1875 or 1876. The Philly half eagle was also from either 1878
or 1879. That's as close as I could get. Now how did I figure it out?
bob
Answer later..
you are weird in your collecting interest, listen to this. Mr. collector only collected "junk coins" as he calls
them.
What's a junk coin? Well, how about no date buffaloes, or walkers, or whatever! Super worn examples of
coins that have no, or only partial, dates. Seems he had a friend that owned a B & M store and would call
him when he got them in and that's how his collection grew.
He asked me if we could tell what some of the dates were by just looking at what was left. Sure, said I,
no problem! Of course I knew that it could be a great if not impossible challenge.
I started with 3 half eagles. All had pristine reverses but only 3 digit obverses. All three obverses had only
the 187x. Now tell me how I determined that the CC reverse half eagle was from 1879? That the S reverse
half eagle was from one of two years, either 1875 or 1876. The Philly half eagle was also from either 1878
or 1879. That's as close as I could get. Now how did I figure it out?
bob
Answer later..
Registry: CC lowballs (boblindstrom), bobinvegas1989@yahoo.com
0
Comments
<< <i>CoinFacts?
Nope, don't have coin facts, yet. Try again....
<< <i>die-agnostics, of course. >>
Not the way I did it....but that might work if I knew what to look for..lol
I've been told I tolerate fools poorly...that may explain things if I have a problem with you. Current ebay items - Nothing at the moment
try again.....
bob
<< <i>The position of the mint marks on the S and the CC? (I guess on the Philly you looked at the position of the empty space.) >>
Nah, didn't do that either. But that would have been a good tell on the Philly!
bob
<< <i>I'm thinking you knew the 1879-CC because it is the most common 1870's CC $5, so its most likely it was that one. >>
Actually that's not it either....
wow, where are your thinking caps formites????
bob
<< <i>They were all dated love tokens? >>
No, but you are thinking, that's for sure!
bob
<< <i>The number of reeds. >>
BINGO! The 3rd side of the coin. We seldom look, or need to look at the number of reeds.
Here's how it pans out:
1870 - 1877 Philly had 102 reeds
1878 - 1879 Philly had 107 reeds
1870 - 1874 San Fran had 98 reeds
1875 - 1876 had 109 reeds
1877 - 1879 had 123 reeds
1870 - 1878 Carson City had 137 reeds.
1879 Carson City had 102 reeds.
So, the Philly had 107 reeds, the San Fran had 109 reeds and the CC had 102 reeds.
Hope that makes sense. Sometimes the 3rd side of the coin can help immensely in your determination.
bob
<< <i>what about the clashed dies idea? >>
Clashed dies would have been really cool, too.
bob
(counting the reeding would kill my eyes)
I've been told I tolerate fools poorly...that may explain things if I have a problem with you. Current ebay items - Nothing at the moment
<< <i>I think you miscounted...you should go back and double, then triple, check them...until your eyesight goes
(counting the reeding would kill my eyes) >>
I have a reed counting machine.........He's my pupil and 10 years old with great eyes! (grandson)
bob
<< <i>
<< <i>The number of reeds. >>
BINGO! The 3rd side of the coin. We seldom look, or need to look at the number of reeds.
Here's how it pans out:
1870 - 1877 Philly had 102 reeds
1878 - 1879 Philly had 107 reeds
1870 - 1874 San Fran had 98 reeds
1875 - 1876 had 109 reeds
1877 - 1879 had 123 reeds
1870 - 1878 Carson City had 137 reeds.
1879 Carson City had 102 reeds.
So, the Philly had 107 reeds, the San Fran had 109 reeds and the CC had 102 reeds.
Hope that makes sense. Sometimes the 3rd side of the coin can help immensely in your determination.
bob
Hope the answer to this isn't too obvious, but where is information like this found? Thanks!
<< <i>
<< <i>
<< <i>The number of reeds. >>
BINGO! The 3rd side of the coin. We seldom look, or need to look at the number of reeds.
Here's how it pans out:
1870 - 1877 Philly had 102 reeds
1878 - 1879 Philly had 107 reeds
1870 - 1874 San Fran had 98 reeds
1875 - 1876 had 109 reeds
1877 - 1879 had 123 reeds
1870 - 1878 Carson City had 137 reeds.
1879 Carson City had 102 reeds.
So, the Philly had 107 reeds, the San Fran had 109 reeds and the CC had 102 reeds.
Hope that makes sense. Sometimes the 3rd side of the coin can help immensely in your determination.
bob
Hope the answer to this isn't too obvious, but where is information like this found? Thanks! >>
Oh my God, I don't know where to tell you to get this information. I really do not remember where I got it!
Must be published somewhere and I'll rack my brain until I figure out my source. This is really embarrassing.
I don't want to be premature but I think I got the info on reeds from a member of the C4ofA. I'll get back to
you on that. (Carson City Coin Collectors of America).
bob
<< <i>What do I win, the 1879
With all that silver and two years of food and medicine and the ammo to back it up,
what would want a bit of gold for???
Remember this was a mental challenge not a physical gift!!
bob
John McCloskey. He too is a member of the C4ofA and wrote an article about the
reeds in the summer 2010 edition of Curry's Chronicle, a club magazine.
On a side note he mentioned that reeding count can help determine authenticity as
well. Makes sense, 'eh? He said that the reeding count on CC dimes is 89 and that
counterfeit dimes were showing up in the '60's and that was an easy way to determine
whether they were the real deal or not.
bob
<< <i>Not that counting reeds would be very easy for me, but that information could be extremely useful in certain situations....including the on you used it for. Now we need to start a list of coins and get people to count the reeds on their coins....who's in
I believe it would be fairly easy to make a reed counter of some sort....you start counting and I'll think on it a while!
bob
thread and we'll all add our two bits as we count them? Here's my entry (I already did the 1870's half eagles)
bob
Took pic and downloaded to computer
Printed it out on ink jet and then just counted. Got 190 reeds on this '22 Peace dollar.
but it is a valuable tool. Ive been counting dentils on the feuchtwangers and have noticed each type has a different number.
This will be explained in a future article based on original documents and research.