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One I've been looking for a while: Chile 1869SO Gold 10P
mercurydimeguy
Posts: 4,625 ✭✭✭✭
A Chilean addition to my 1869 set had proven difficult to locate, but I did run across this coin in Clark Smith's inventory (www.coinvault.com), by luck, really because there is no search function...I just scrolled and scrolled.
Anyhow, we consummated the deal and the coin arrived today. Thought I'd share for your input, if you have experience with these pieces. It really looks super wholesome/natural in hand. Pretty with nice eye appeal (unexpectedly so at AU55).
Anyhow, we consummated the deal and the coin arrived today. Thought I'd share for your input, if you have experience with these pieces. It really looks super wholesome/natural in hand. Pretty with nice eye appeal (unexpectedly so at AU55).
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Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.
Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
MDG - Looks like a nice coin. BTW, have you figured out which countries are the "keys" for your set?
Andy, that's a great question and the short answer is no, and I'm embarr*****ed to say that I don't really know how.
I do look for coins on the internet every day, and have been for quite some time, and my gut tells me the hard ones to find nice will be Africa coins, India coins (as there were many different areas in India in 1869), Middle Eastern coins (although I already have Afghanistan and Iran), and also various colonies in Africa, India, and Southeast Asia that were controlled by other countries but had their own local coinage (i.e. India Goa, which I already have).
As strange as this might sound, Finland is a tough one! It was during the Russian occupation, so they had their own coinage, and I can't find anything decent/attractive.
Other than that, I spend SO much time using the internet for researching that I tend to come across decent examples from time to time, and in lumps! I won't find anything for weeks/months, and then I'll find 12+ things in 3 weeks. Very strange.
I do think that there will some 4 figure coins, although I've not crossed that line yet (this Chilean one was actually the most expensive one I bought, and the deal was done at $825). An India Gold one in this grade will probably be 4 figures, and I suspect that a Choice BU Spain piece would be 4 figures as well. It's a matter of grade that I'm willing to settle for, and in some instances (like Maldives), an AU55 is about the best I can hope for.
What is also amazing, I literally own dozen+ Pop 1 coins at PCGS (not the best, but literally the only), which in itself is becoming a lot of fun as many times when I submit coins, they are logged by PCGS as "Unidentified" and then at some point they get a PCGS # and a description.
Thanks for asking, and also thanks for your feedback, but most importantly THANK YOU for nudging me down this path, it's very interesting!
...am curious why you chose that year.
The care you've taken and fun you've had building the set is evident when viewing it. Well done and I look forward to your continued progress.
What's with the 1869 theme?
...am curious why you chose that year.
I think it's a century before his birthyear, if memory serves?
(That, or it's his birthyear, and he's really old. I forget which.)
8 Reales Madness Collection
What's with the 1869 theme?
...am curious why you chose that year.
Thanks for your comments and happy Thanksgiving to U.S. Resident coin collectors.
It was an unintentional, or maybe not so well thought through initiative at the outset. I had built birth year sets for my kids and wife, and then me, and upon
completion contemplated doing a 100 year birth set of business strike US coins. Then Mr. Eureka, along with some good food and wine, gave me a nudge to add World to this effort so I decided to start - cough, cough - small by doing all the US business strike coins and at least 1 coin from each country that existed in 1869.
What an amazing journey this has been; I've learned a lot about coins, the world as it was in 1869, and myself as this journey has aspects of existential qualities.
Let's just say this is definitely a marathon and not a sprint
This coin was graded AU50 by PCGS, stunning for a PL looking coin with lots of frost and minimal rub.
I am now forming opinions on PCGS world grading that are a bit refined from previous thinking -- the silver grading seems to be more in line with norms +/-, while the gold grading seem to be far too left (have coins grading XF40 that are AU+), near Unc coins grading AU50?
Anyhow, it's a beautiful coin regardless of the holder/grade
As strange as this might sound, Finland is a tough one! It was during the Russian occupation, so they had their own coinage, and I can't find anything decent/attractive.
Apologies for bumping an old post. I was searching for posts mentioning my home country of Finland and noticed this one, so thought I'd chime in
You've indeed picked a tricky year for a nice Finnish coin.
Our coinage at that time consisted of 3 copper coin denominations and 4 silver ones. No gold.
However, coins of each type were not struck every year. There are gaps, sometimes quite long ones, and they vary by denomination.
For example, the largest copper coins (10 penniä) were struck only in 1865, 66, 67, ..., 75, 76, ..., 89, 90, etc.
Unfortunately for you, only the smallest copper coin (1 penni) and the two smallest silver coins (25p, 50p) were struck in 1869.
The copper coin is tiny , and you probably wouldn't want that one.
The silver coins are only marginally better. A 50 penniä is the most "majestic" thing you can get, and even that one is only a US cent-sized affair. Still, it's probably the one to go for.
Adding insult to injury, mintages for 1869 are on the low side, and anything nice can be a bit pricey.
My Finnish coin collection is all metal detecting-based and I don't have an 1869 50p, but here's a dug 1872 that's otherwise identical.
Edited to add: I see that I do have a dug 1p 1869, so here's that one - photographed through a powerful microscope
Finally, here's a dug 25p 1869 (a fairly tough find actually), which concludes your 3 choices:
I know this isn't helping you at all, but thought I'd elaborate
Good luck!