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by mhonzell
Thu Feb 06, 2014 3:38 pm
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First Strike / Early Relase, etc

This might be an old topic, but with Daniel's recent post on the new PCGS Security Label, I thought it deserved a second look. What exactly is a “First Strike?” In general, a third party grading service gives a “First Strike” designation to those coins packaged for shipment from the U.S. Mint within...
by mhonzell
Wed Apr 15, 2015 3:13 pm
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Re: Civil War Tokens

F-239/421a (Our Little Monitor) This Union ironclad depiction is awesome. Look closely at the front cannon and you can see the spray marks from the cannon being fired, the billowing cloud of smoke, the railing about the ship and the items on the ship's topside. You can just make out stripes in the f...
by mhonzell
Sun Aug 09, 2015 9:54 pm
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Re: Newbie with a question about the peace dollar 1922s

:welcome: 1922S Peace Dollars make a significant jump in price above MS64. But, the highest graded 1922S is currently a MS66 and it is only valued at $28,000. It is possible they found a higher grade, but seems improbable. Just sounds like something is amiss. 1922P proofs draw extraordinary premiums...
by mhonzell
Sun Aug 09, 2015 10:28 pm
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Re: Newbie with a question about the peace dollar 1922s

Well, if we could see a photo of the coin, front and back, we could help you qiute a bit more. Keep in mind... Less than MS65 and the value for a 1922S drops significantly due to there being so many of them. Also looking at the Pawn Star coin... It is not a 1922S. It was a 1922P Proof-61 High Relief...
by mhonzell
Thu Aug 27, 2015 9:54 pm
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Re: Can you tell me about this coin?

Roman Imperial Coin 348 - 350 A.D. Constans Augusti obverse: D N CONSTA-NS P F AVG pearl-diademed (headband) draped and cuirassed bust right (toga with clip) reverse: FEL TEMP REPARATIO ("happy times restored") Constans standing left in Galley Labarum in left hand (stick with the square ba...
by mhonzell
Sun Feb 19, 2017 11:55 pm
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Camera or Microscope?

1. Use what you already have first. Someone on here actually uses a camera and a loupe and takes phenomenal photos. Your cell phone will take pretty good photos if you can figure out how to keep it motionless while you take the photo. 2. If you decide on a scope, go small at first. For $~25, you can...
by mhonzell
Wed Oct 11, 2017 11:09 pm
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Re: Genuine Atocha Silver Coin?

Mel Fisher and his son discovered the Atocha and turned to selling most of these coins as jewelry. His method of clamping the coin into a ring of silver is common among all but his most expensive jewelry. (see below) Even he sells replicas, which blows my mind, but there you go. Some of the replicas...
by mhonzell
Thu Oct 12, 2017 10:37 am
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Re: Genuine Atocha Silver Coin?

No. I was trying to determine if it was a real reale. The Atocha coins were all pretty worn and then Mel cleaned them to be shiny.
by mhonzell
Thu Nov 02, 2017 6:11 am
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1804 Silver Dollar

Considered by many to be the most notorious coin in existence, the 1804 silver dollar is not at all what it seems. The story goes like this: The US Mint struck 19,570 1804 silver dollars with the previous year’s plate, which ended up stamping the year 1803 on them by mistake. These were never releas...
by mhonzell
Sat Mar 02, 2019 4:07 pm
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Re: 1971 S over D penny?

Currently, there are no known OMM's after 1956 on the US Cent.

Looking at your photos, I do not see an S over D. Keep in mind, the D would be as large (not as raised) as the S. Here's a 1940 example.
by mhonzell
Tue Mar 05, 2019 5:30 am
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Re: ND 2006 set of quarters. Are these novelty or would this be an error?

Howdy!

While colorized coins are collected by some, most would consider this post mint damage and bring the coins to face value.
by mhonzell
Mon Aug 12, 2019 4:57 am
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Re: Magnification

Because you are displaying on a monitor, magnification can be a bit trickier to figure out. 5mm x 10 = 50mm 100 mm = 1 cm or 2.54 inches So, 10x magnification means a 5 mm square would now appear to be 1.27 inches across. (Basically 1 and 1/4 inch.) If displaying this on a monitor, hold a ruler up t...
by mhonzell
Wed Aug 14, 2019 6:39 am
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Re: ancient coin id (3)

VOT XX MVLT XXX abbreviates Votis Vicennalibus Multis Tricennalibus advertising that Constans had completed his vows (prayers) to thank God on the 20th anniversary of his rule, and made more vows to God that he might help him successfully rule to his 30th anniversary. There are MANY versions of this...
by mhonzell
Wed Aug 14, 2019 7:00 am
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Re: trying to ID a Quinarius

I can't get enough details from that photo. Sorry. I do see the sitting angel, so you may have it.
by mhonzell
Thu Aug 22, 2019 5:16 am
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Re: id coin #1

Agree. (Nice job Daniel!)
by mhonzell
Sat Aug 31, 2019 9:06 am
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Re: TPG,s light

I have no problem getting luster with a LED light. It's just a matter of setup. I tend to stay away from incandescent lights because they change color output as they age.
by mhonzell
Mon Mar 27, 2023 11:34 pm
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Re: 📷 Coin photography set up - cheap and easy! 📚

Coin is lying flat on bottom of white box. Two sets of lights are used. A row of small LED lights are aimed indirectly at a wall in the white box to flood the space with indirect light. A second light, an adjustable desk lamp, is lowered and aimed to be perpendicular to the surface of the coin. Adju...
by mhonzell
Tue Mar 28, 2023 2:15 am
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Re: 📷 Coin photography set up - cheap and easy! 📚

Here, I took a random coin sitting on my desk. No white box. Just the room lights on and a desk lamp set about 20 degrees above the coins edge and three feet away. The photo is with my phone sitting on a book (about 4 inches above the coin). Post processed to crop the coin and rotate to normal orien...
by mhonzell
Thu Mar 30, 2023 10:54 am
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Re: Super Incuse 1oz. Siler Maple Leaf - Coin Capsule Question

Coin is advertised as having a 1.5mm incuse design, which is "nearly" 40% of total coin gage.
Math says this makes the coin 3.75mm thick.
by mhonzell
Thu Mar 30, 2023 10:57 am
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Re: What is this

Try looking for Atocha coins. These are frequently replicas used in jewelry.
by mhonzell
Thu Mar 30, 2023 11:45 am
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Re: Reputable company purchasing confederate notes?

Unfortunately, there are also a lot of fake notes out there. Compare against this site before selling: Fake Confederate Money
by mhonzell
Fri Mar 31, 2023 8:48 am
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Re: Super Incuse 1oz. Siler Maple Leaf - Coin Capsule Question

I'm a bit old school. I know that if you remove dirt that's been on a coin for a while, you'll expose metal that hasn't oxidized like the rest of the surface. The result can be a bit of a mottled appearance, especially around devices. So, i'd say no. I did an experiment back awhile with some change....
by mhonzell
Fri Mar 31, 2023 9:56 am
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Re: 1835 Bust 50c. Authentic? Cleaned?

My main objective here is to determine if this coin is cleaned. Look at the tone around the stars and you will notice a lighter tone as compared to the surrounding area, a "halo". This is typical of a coin that has had dirt/debris removed from the coin, typically by dipping. Thing is, it ...
by mhonzell
Fri Mar 31, 2023 10:57 am
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Re: 2019D AMP Quarter DDR?

Incuse machine doubling can throw anyone off pretty easily.

Coinworld article by Mike Diamond
by mhonzell
Sat Apr 01, 2023 12:27 pm
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Re: No Mint Mark-2000 New Hampshire State Quarter

In the mint, a coin that is missing a letter can happen by over polishing the die, or the die had grease/debris trapped in the letter (plugged die) preventing it from forming. It can also happen outside of the mint (PMD) when struck against something (change sorting machine) or by altering manually....
by mhonzell
Sat Apr 01, 2023 1:09 pm
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Re: 1999 Lincoln

First, I really do not like Lincoln zinc cents. Okay, all I see is a plating discoloration that extends from column to up and around Lincoln's right hand. You can see other issues like this in various spots on the coin. Because this one is shaped like the right side on Lincoln, the mind associates i...
by mhonzell
Sat Apr 01, 2023 5:45 pm
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Re: No Mint Mark-2000 New Hampshire State Quarter

Leave it to Paul to say, "look again"
by mhonzell
Sun Apr 02, 2023 2:16 am
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Re: 1980 s proof nickel

No attempt to perform any initial "research" is what leads to some of the face palms. The individual took the time to photograph and post instead of simply comparing the coin with another. Like Iceresistance said, maybe from another country where medal orientation is the normal.
by mhonzell
Mon Apr 03, 2023 9:48 am
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Re: 2020 penny with dropped 8?

Uhmm...
#1 isn't completely true. On rare occasions, a die becomes plugged. The plug hardens and falls out, then becomes another element to the design of the coin. As the OP stated, a "dropped 8"
Capture.JPG
See more here.



That is not the case here. But, it can happen.
by mhonzell
Mon Apr 03, 2023 9:55 am
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Re: 1957 Lincoln Cent BIE

I think you have the BIE die crack. Its fun to find these, but it won't add much value to the coin.

See Lincoln Cent Resource for more details.
by mhonzell
Mon Apr 03, 2023 1:01 pm
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Re: 1996 D double die obverse/ reverse?

Doubling would present on a letter uniformly. That is not the case here.
Capture.JPG
It also cannot be doubled on both sides of the device as seen below:
Capture1.JPG
This is die deterioration. It's not really considered doubling. See Wexkar
by mhonzell
Mon Apr 03, 2023 5:52 pm
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Re: 1975 no S proof coin?

There are two known examples registered with PCGS. Each valued in the six figures. So, this one for $5K. Better snap that one up.

I'm not good at determining proof strikes through photos, but the legends don't seem to have the crisp corners I find on the example coin (below):
by mhonzell
Mon Apr 03, 2023 6:17 pm
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Re: 1985 d possible error?

1985 Zinc cent. Should weigh 2.5 grams.
Coin appears to be artificially colored, or copper plating etched away, as the copper plating is showing through in some spots.
by mhonzell
Mon Apr 03, 2023 10:04 pm
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Re: 1884 O Morgan Die Cracks

I believe you have an 1884 - O - VAM 37A2. (You didn't photograph the whole coin, so there is some room for error here.)
All Morgan varieties are very well documented and can be easily identified using key marks on the coin.
To see more about this one, look here on VAMWorld
by mhonzell
Mon Apr 03, 2023 10:29 pm
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Re: 1964 D Jefferson Nickel D/D RPM FS-501

Still think they look the same?
Yours and PCGS
by mhonzell
Mon Apr 03, 2023 10:46 pm
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Re: Mystery coin

While used as a teaching aid for kids, they also served as Poker chips in the 1800s.
by mhonzell
Tue Apr 04, 2023 11:51 am
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Re: No-Date Buffalo Nickel - 2 feather - Nic-a date?

Just to reiterate, I do not promote cleaning or treating any coin, especially for profit.
But, a worthless coin remains a worthless coin after experimenting on it.
by mhonzell
Tue Apr 04, 2023 12:51 pm
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Re: 1973 d triple ddo? Or Md ?

These are shelf-like steps meaning that it is machine doubling.
Especially noticeable is the thinning of the N's slanted bar compared to the vertical bars.