BillJones

I have a Proof set run that goes back to 1936. So I keep the date run going. I don't buy the clad sets anymore, however. I buy only the silver sets. So far as the "Should be in circulation thing" is concerned, I buy whatever is in the set. Even in the 19th century, there were "Proof only issues." The main thing that bores me are the women's quarters, which really aren't necessary, but they are there for political reasons.

From my observations "grade-flation" continues and CAC as mostly gone along with it. If CAC were not going along with it, the supply of CAC approved coins would be drying up. I bought this Type I gold dollar many years ago from a dealer who was playing the crack-out game. It is in a PCGS MS-64 holder and he figured it would make MS-65 which carried a $2 to $3 increase in value at the time. I paid too much because of that. It's as good as the MS-65 coins are now, but the MS-65 coins are only selling for a couple thousand dollars. So I'm behind the market with the most common gold dollar of all, the 1853-P. As for CAC, they dampened my purchases of U.S. coins considerably. I got into British and Roman Imperial coins, and have really enjoyed it.

I'd like on the augustus Humbert $50 gold pieces that was issued by the U.S. Assay Office. The Rolled Edge $10 gold is one of the patterns that was made during the time that the mint and Augustus St. Gaudens' representative, Herman Herring, were testing designs for the $10 Indian design. The King of Siam Proof set was an 1834 set of U.S. Proof coins that were struck for diplomatic purposes. The stars of the set were an 1804 "Original" silver dollar and a Proof 1804 dated $10 gold. The set was once owned by Anna Leonowns who was the inspiration for the film "Anna and the King of Siam" and the Rogers and Hammerstein musical, "The King and I,"

I would buy an 1802 half dime, a 1794 Dollar, a $50 gold slug, a 1907 rolled edge $10 gold and if it came on the market, the King of Siam Proof set.

So you want the 100 point system? If so, you are for a huge windfall for the Third Party Graders.

It has been my observation that they have gotten a little tougher on scratches than they used to be. I see ”scratched” on the holder and have to look for a while to find it. They used to be more obvious.

It is interesting to note that some of the coins in the Lilly collection tax deal were fakes. I was too young to have enough money to have any dealings with JJ Ford, but I read about some of the his shenanigans in the Eric P. Newman biography that Heritage published. Collectors from my father's generation told me that you had to watch you step when you make deals with Ford.

These coins generally come in high grades, like MS-65 and 66. I located one of the sales devices which came with the coin when it was issued. This coin came with it, but it was not the original piece. Since I already had a certified example, I sold the coin and kept the York Country holder.

I had been looking for an 1802 over 1 dollar for several years. Although there are five die varieties of it, the coin does not seem to crop up frequently. There were quite a few in the Heritage auction that will close shortly, but I spotted this one at the rent Winter FUN bourse. It is an NGC graded AU-55. The Bowers dollar book variety is BB 234. It is a die chip to the right of Ms. Liberty's eye which is a characteristic of the variety. I liked it because the overdate is very sharp.

I have gotten the log-in straighten out on both devices.

Here is the handout I gave at the end of the presentation. Here are the important points: Go to the certification verification pages at PCGS and NGC. Enter the serial number on the slab. If the response comes back "invalid serial number," there is probably a problem. There is an outside chance that the slab label has a mechanical error, but that is very unusual. If you get a response PCGS and NGC verification responses will have pictures of the coin or the slab for newer slabs. If there are no pictures, PCGS might have one or more citations where the item has been sold in a major auction. The auction site will have pictures. If the item in the slab does not match the picture, it is probably a counterfeit. If you get no pictures or auction responses, you can got to PCGS Coin Facts to compare the item with pictures of genuine coins. This is not as good as getting a pictures of the actual coin in the slab. Jack D. Young has posted many pictures of counterfeits with tips on how to spot them under his name in the “CoinWeek” site. You may got there to sharper your eye for spotting counterfeits.

Uneven dentils around the rim often give these pieces away. The really great first photos of this thing show that the dentils are not the same all the way around on both sides. It also has a layer of what I call "shoe polish toning" on both sides. It's not a definitive marker for a fake, but you often see it. It's funny, but a piece of the "shoe polish" got into Ms. Liberty's eye. She looks like she's rolling her eye in shame for being including on this thing.

I can log-in on my desktop computer, but cannot log-in with my iPad. It's very frustrating. I don't know what I am doing wrong.

I have tried repeatedly to log into the NGC Chat Boards with my iPad. It will not accept my password. Yet the same password works on my desktop. Has anyone else had the same problem?

I'll see what I can do with on-line media. It's been an education for me with the cell phone and iPad. I know a lot more about coins than I do about using devices. I have gotten the PCGS chip to work on my cell phone.