How to tell if a coin is a Re-punched Mint mark (RPM)
Prior to 1990, the US mint used to take the working dies that made coins and added a mintmark to those working dies. If the coins were minted in Denver, they would add a “D”. If the coin was struck in SanFrancisco the US Mint would add a “S” to the working dies.
The Re-punched mint mark (RPM) has been deemed as a “variety”, since the US mint employee added an intentional, additional strike ( or more than one) to the working die that is making the coins.
Occasionally, the US Mint employee would use a small hand punch and a mallet to add the mint mark. The mint employee would examine the initial strike using a magnification eyepiece. Sometimes the inital strike using the mintmark punch and mallet was insufficient and an additional harder strike would be needed. Then that particular working die would have a re-punched mintmark (RPM).
So how do you tell a coin has a RPM ? It usually can be seen under magnification. There is a wide variety of RPM’s out there. Some RPM’s can be very hard to see. Others are very obvious. Let us review some of the RPM’s out there.
If the mint employee added a mint mark and then examined the punch to discover it needed to be struck one more time, it would add a second mint mark. If the mint employee placed the mint mark real close to the first strike, this would leave a single split serif which can be be seen on the top , bottom or both tips of the “D”. It’s the human error in this procedure which makes the coin a desirable variety.
If the Mint employee strikes a mintmark into the working die once, then an RPM does not exist. It has not been “repunched”, meaning more than once. At that point its a normal mintmark.
How is a D over D (D/D) or S over S (S/S) Re-punched mint mark (RPM) created?
If the Mint employee strikes the mintmark onto the coin twice, a RPM is born. There may be a single, split serif located at the tips of the mintmark. This is usually referred as a D/D or an S/S.
A 1964 D/D. Yellow arrows show each tip if the “D’s” and the blue arrows show the Valleys or base of the split serifs.
How is a D over D over D (D/D/D) or S over S over S (S/S/S) Re-punched mint mark (RPM)created ?
A 1953 D/D/D. Yellow arrows show each tip if the “D’s” and the blue arrows show the Valleys or base of the split serifs.
Should the Mint employee strike the mint mark onto the coin three times, a RPM is born. This should result in the tips of the mint mark to have two split serifs. This is usually referred as a D/D/D or an S/S/S.
An RPM exercise using your fingers.
Think of it this way.
Put two fingers up together. For a moment think those are a mintmark. See the bottom valley between your fingers? if you have a D/D or an S/S you may see just one valley between each mint mark.
Hold up three fingers. How many valleys do you see at the base of the fingers? You should have two valleys. That is what you may see on a RPM that is a D/D/D or a S/S/S.
There is much to learn about Re-punched mint marks
Think we are done about RPM’s ? Nope. In a future post we will talk about why some RPM’s are not added to the CONECA database.
We will also talk about how a RPM is designated as North, South, East, West, CCW CW, horizontal, over mint mark (OMM) and other possible designations.
Until next time, I hope you enjoyed this post in our Educational series.
Look what this Denali state quarter initially looks like- then think again.
I have quite a few coins scattered in buckets at the location where we store things. On my last visit, I threw a bucket of these coins into my truck and headed home. Last night I was restless so I decided to dig into this bucket and look through a few of these coins. I remove a state quarter that some one had wrote “doubling on EPU”. It’s a 2012 Denali State Quarter to be exact.
I put the coin under the microscope and adjust it until I see the word “UNUM”. This is what I see.
A 2012 Denali State Quarter showing potential UNUM doubling.
Hummm that looks interesting, does it?
I decided to look around the rest of the coin to see what I could. Although in my mind, these sort of things have been debunked by many an expert as shelf doubling, and I will get back to that in a few.
I move the coin over to EPLUR and look at this area as well.
A 2012 Denali State Quarter showing potential E PLUR doubling.
I see something around the PLU, especially the “P”. I decided to deep dive into this coin just for the fun of it and see what kind of photos I could get. Here is a closer photo of “PLU”.
A 2012 Denali State Quarter showing potential PLU doubling.
I wanted to get a closer look at the “UNUM” again. It looked to be the area on the coin which this condition appears to be the best to see. Below is a photo of the “UNUM” area once again.
A 2012 Denali State Quarter showing potential UNUM doubling.
So, it almost ( the key word here) looks like a doubled die. But in the two photos above kind of contradict themselves. In the “PLU” photo, we see some sort of doubling to the north side of the letters. The “NUM” photo directly above, we see doubling at the southern part of the letters. Now thinking logically, this has two possibilities. Either we have a die that was impressed three times, having an impression, then a weaker one to the north and another to the south or, we have mechanical doubling.
Like I said, I dove deep into this coin. I wanted to see what I could all the way up to the maximum magnification I could get to see if there were any additional clues.
When I look at this “U”, all logic pointing towards a mechanical doubling seems to go out the window. I can see a doubling on the “U”. Look at what I labeled “Grain”. I can see lines across the middle part of the “U” and they do not wiggle or falter in any way. Does this prove it to be a doubled die? Or, are these lines simply “skid marks” ? Hold onto that skid mark comment for a few minutes.
A photo of the “U” at the largest Magnification possible.
NOTE: One thing I try not to do is move the lighting when I am taking a series of photos at a particular magnification. I do move the coin, and I try to place that coin at the same angle to the lighting as possible. This way a proper comparison can be done. Later if I need other photos, I move whatever I need to move and document the name of the file accordingly.
A photo of the “N” at the largest Magnification possible.
Ok, the “N” does not see as strong as the “U”. I do see grain lines on parts of the “N” but they are not as convincing as they were on the “U”. People normally would go back to the drawing board as logic is almost in a chaotic state at this point. Where’s the roller coaster sound effect when you need one?
The second “U” in “UNUM” goes back to the same condition at with the first “U”. It looks pretty convincing.
A photo of the second “U” at the largest Magnification possible.
And lastly, the “M” in “UNUM”. The “M” looks a bit different. I see the doubling equal on both legs of the “M”. But, in the center “v” of the “M”, there is hardly any supposed doubling at all.
A photo of the “M” at the largest Magnification possible.
Ok, let’s let the coin out of the bag per se. With some, if not all of the State Quarters, the side that has the date on it the letters and numbers along that shelf like ring around the outter edge are “INCUSED“. What does incused mean for a coin like this? It means that the affect that is applied has the letters and numbers dug into the coin, vice them being raised. One of the neat things about the State Quarters is that they have both.
The side which depicts George Washington has raised letters and the side that depicts the Denali has incused letters.
Many coin professionals and experts believe that this doubling effect is machine doubling. As the letters of the die come in contact with the metal and puncture the surface, that initial force where the die meets planchet causes either the die or the planchet to shift ever so slightly. This would cause some of the letters and numbers to be a little more elongated than others. That is probably called “skidding” for most, then as pressure is applied it finally reaches its proper depth, and then the coin is ejected out to be bagged.
Also remember that this is a mechanical process. Dies are placed in machines by humans. The dies are carefully adjusted to make sure they operate correctly but, you cannot account for the tolerances in the machine behavior nor the inaccurate tolerances of the human eye and hand adjustments as the dies are being placed into the machines.
Typically – in the “Old Days”, a true Doubled Die more than likely will show split serifs or a notching when a doubled die was present. Typically, the old time doubled dies also had the doubling at or near the same height on both impressions of that working die.
This particular coin has the “doubling” almost exactly on top of each other. Also remember the newer way to make working dies is with a single squeeze technique, rather than the old time multiple impressions on a die.
In the case of the coin above, I strongly ( I think, LOL) believe that this is a case if “incused mechanical doubling”.
In this case, I had purchased three bags of Denali state quarters from the US Mint. I have these rolled up and in safe keeping. maybe on my next trip out to the safes, I may take a couple of rolls of the Denali’s out to see if I can locate a few more examples.
Things like this need to be approached logically. Some that are on the edge and might be discovery pieces should be sent in to an expert for examination.
This particular coin is interesting, but since it is incused where the effects have occurred, it’s a pretty good bet it’s mechanical doubling, but will be put back in a new plastic flip and placed in a box . It’s become one of those ” Let’s hold onto to this for a while” coins.
Trying to identify this 1904 Indian Head Cent Re-punched Date (RPD)
About a year ago, I bought a Indian Head Cent Roll from a customer. My initial motive behind the purchase was to place them in 2×2 cardboard flips and sell them in the $1.00 bargain bin. Most of these had the appearance to grade Good to Fine, with the majority in the G-4 range. When I got home, I set the roll down by the microscope and pretty much forgot about them for about a month. Then one day when I had some time, I started digging through the roll looking for anything Interesting. I did manage to pull out three decent Indian Re-punched dates. I sent those off to ANACS and they came back confirmed as I thought they would.
Some of these Indians, Man, they had so much crud on them that the only option I had was to try and soak them in boiling water. I Let them sit for 15 minutes and then took a slightly moist paper towel to them. That got about 10-20% of the gunk off and still it wasn’t enough. So I repeated the process but in a different way. I took a sturdy plastic container and lined it with tin foil on the bottom. I placed the coins onto the tin foil at the bottom of the container with the worse side up. I sprinkled a large amount of baking soda on top of all the Indian Cents. With another batch of boiling water, I covered the coins with water about 3 inches deep.
Immediately a cleansing action started, the bubbling was really violent and I noticed a slightly discolored Steam. It stunk, I quickly took the experiment outside on the deck and placed it on the railing and went back inside. I put everything away and returned outside to see how the experiment was coming. After the water had cooled to near lukewarm, I decided to rinse the coins off and paper towel dry them off. About 60% or more of the material came off, and I could see a lot more details on the coins than before.
I looked through all of the Indians, and one of the last ones I looked at, I simply chuckled. Here was a 1904 Indian that looks like it is a Re-punched Date. In the past I have tried to photograph this 1904 Indian Cent but I could NOT get the “04” to show the Re-punched Date.
Tonight I got lucky with the lighting and managed to take these photographs.
The Re-punched Date of the 1904 Indian Cent
The 1904 Indian went from almost unreadable to a better looking Indian Cent. It is not in the best shape, but I was surprised to see how clear the re-punched date stood out. This will be one that I will look for when I am visiting the handful of auction houses I frequent.
1904 Indian Cent Obverse with a Reunched Date. What the coin looks like after the Baking Soda Bath.1904 Indian Cent Reverse with a Reunched Date. What the coin looks like after the Baking Soda Bath.
For the “1”, I believe I can see a second portion of the left top portion of the foot of the “1”, I also see a faint line which runs from the base of that foot up to the flag of the “1” .
For the “9”, at the bottom of the “9” and continuing to the outer right hand edge is some relatively bold impression of the lesser punching.
The “19” of the 1904 Indian Cent with a Re-punched Date. The Arrows indicate where the re-punching is evident.
The “0” seems to be the least affected in the Re-punched date. There is only a slight impression lby the weaker punching to the bottom right hand side. The most impressive digit of the Re-punching is the “4”. The photo shows a second impression from the tail crossbar of the “4” all the way to the top of the “4” . If you look closely at the top of this “4”, something weird is going on. I can clearly see a lower flat top style “4”. The top impression of the “4” at the very top, shows a shorter “4” and the peak is at an angle, probably close to 45 to 60 degrees.
The “04” of the 1904 Indian Cent with a Re-punched Date. The Arrows indicate where the re-punching is evident.
Now will come the fun part. I attempted to attribute this coin prior to posting the photos and I have not yet found a match for this Re-punched Indian cent from 1904. I am in no hurry, eventually I will find a match.
1883 RPD showing a secondary impression of the date
I was on a popular Auction House looking through the merchandise when a PCGS slabbed Shield Nickel was on the list. I decided to take a second look at the coin. The auction house photos were pretty bad. I managed to plug in the certification number to find out that this coin was purchased from another auction house in the Spring of 2020.
The 2nd auction house photos were a bit more clear and I decided to purchase the coin even if PCGS says it was cleaned. My intent for this coin is to use it as a conversation piece at some of he upcoming shows.
When the coin arrived, I took it to the microscope. I am going to take photographs with a Canon Rebel T3i and a special lens that is inserted into the eyepiece. Here is the result of the repunched date on the 1833 Shield Nickel:
A close up of the Repunched Date on a 1883 Shield Nickel. This shows the 18 along with the weaker 1 between primary 18A close up of the Repunched Date on a 1883 Shield Nickel. This shows the 83. Notice the additional punching signs within the 8. The “3” just looks WEIRD. It looks like there are scribbles within the center of the “3”.
Additional photos of the 1833 Shield Nickel with a Repunched Date (RPD)
The Microscope I own is Trinocular meaning it has the potential for 3 eye pieces. The 3rd eyepiece is where a special microscope camera resides. It’s a 14MP camera and through some software it is ported to my PC. I’ll upload a few photos of the date from this 14MP microscope camera below.
The extra base of a “1” is evident in between the primary 1 and 8. I think I see something at the toppart of the “8” as well. The pick up point (PUP) for this coin is the weaker “1” located between the predominant “1” and “8” in the photo below.
The 18 from a 1883 Shield Nickel. This photo was taken from a 14MP microscope camera
I then decided to shift one number at a time. I wanted to compare the “88” to see if there was the same sort of issue at the top of both “8’s” and I can clearly see that there is.
The 88 from a 1883 Shield Nickel. This photo was taken from a 14MP microscope camera
The last two numbers “83” also look intriguing. You can almost see that dash of a line in both the “8” and the “3”. This could be the top of the “original” date punching. I have taken the the time to take a full date photo and match up the lower 1 to see if it would make sense to see parts of the original date within the predominate date punching. To me it looked like a winner.
The 83 from a 1883 Shield Nickel. This photo was taken from a 14MP microscope camera
This will offer a few hours of conversation at the next show we plan on attending. The 1883 Shield Nickels with Re-Punched Dates are not that expensive when compared to the 1833 Shield Nickels with the 1883 over 2 over date.
Interested in seeing this 1883 Shiled Nickel with a re-punched date in person? We are looking forward to attending the VNA coin convention in Fredericksburg in September. We set up on Thursday the 24th of September in Fredericksburg, VA at the Fredericksburg Convention Center off Carl D Silver Parkway. For more information about the show and whether it will be allowed through this COVID pandemic, please visit www.vnaonline.org
A nice 1899 Re-punched Date and a nice coin as well.
Every once in a while, I manage to look through many auction houses to see if something appeals to me. I recently had a handful of Indian Cents come back slabbed and attributed as I self attributed them myself. I had a much lower grade of this 1899 RPD FS-301 S-1 (011.7) and although it was in a lower grade I could clearly see the Re-punched date. As a matter of fact, I believe the lower graded coin has a bit more separation than this currently unslabbed version I am examining now.
Auction house photos of 1899 Indian Cent RPD FS-301 S-1 (011.7) not the best
The Auction House photos of the 1899 Indian Cent RPD FS-301 S-1 (011.7) were not the best. I was pretty sure I could see the doubling below the “8” . The auction photos showed something within the hooks of the “9’s” but I was not certain it was doubled.
I decided to give it a shot. Here are the photos I took of this 1899 Indian cent Re-punched date, FS-301, Snow-1, (011-7d).
1899 Indian Cent 1899 Indian Cent RPD FS-301 S-1 (011.7)1899 Indian Cent 1899 Indian Cent RPD FS-301 S-1 (011.7) Reverse
Looking at the 1899 Indian Cent RPD FS-301 S-1 (011.7) a little closer
I took the coin to the microscope to attribute it and make absolutely sure it is what it is. There were just two re-punched dates that year as far as I know, at least two that are recognized by the major grading companies. Have a look at the date and see if this is a 1899 Indian Cent RPD FS-301 S-1 (011.7).
1899 Indian Cent RPD FS-301 S-1 (011.7) 18XX, x41899 Indian Cent RPD FS-301 S-1 (011.7) xx99, x4
Looks pretty convincing to me. It looks better under the scope than in the full coin photo since the cooper red color seems to make the RPD blend in with the rest of the coin.
Looking at Population and Prices.
For the 1899 Indian Cent RPD FS-301 S-1 (011.7) :
PCGS has this valued at $275.00 in MS-63 and $400.00 in MS-64.
PCGS has the population of this coin as:
Two (2) – One in MS-64 and one in MS-65
NGC on the other hand, does not list the FS-301, but lists FS-302.
For Sale at the VNA
My plan is to have the coin slabbed and the attribution authenticated. You will have until Sunday morning at the VNA convention in Fredericksburg VA to take it off my hands. The VNA convention in Virginia happens near the end of September. You can find us at the front tables all the way to the left as you come in the front door.
1885 MS65 Deep Mirror Proof Like & 1899 MS64 MS64 Prooflike
I have just received two more Top Shelf Morgan Dollars. I consider these Top Shelf Morgans for a few reasons. Let’s look at the over all Population numbers for these coins !
1885 MS-65 Deep Mirror Proof Like Morgan Dollar
1885 Morgan Dollar MS65 Deep Mirror Proof Like
NGC Stats:
Total DMPL Graded: 1,258
In MS-65 DMPL : 198
Graded Higher: 63
PCGS Stats:
Total DMPL Graded: 2,111
In MS-65 DMPL : 354
Graded Higher: 142
CDN Retail Price Guide: $1,220.00
I was like, wow, she is a beauty. Not a lot of hits on her cheek and it looks overall appealing. For the population numbers of this coin, there are only 205 total (from NGC and PCGS) that are higher. Pretty impressive since there were 3,369 candidates.
1899 MS-64 Proof Like Morgan Dollar
1899 Morgan Dollar MS64 Proof Like
NGC Stats:
Total PL Graded: 198
In MS64 PL : 86
Graded Higher: 24
PCGS Stats:
Total PL Graded: 426
In MS64 PL :159
Graded Higher: 94
CDN Retail Price Guide: $645.00
It is amazing to see how incredibly affordable these Morgan Dollars really are. I was taken aback by the 1899 MS-64 PL Morgan. I had to do a double take and check the population numbers again. Why doesn’t this coin have a 1 or 2 in front of the retail price? The population for the PL designation is super low, in my opinion.
CONECA is a society for error and variety coin collectors
CONECA Logo
CONECA – Combined Organizations of Numismatic Error Collectors of America (CONECA) is a great organization to offer education about coins, error coins and die varieties.
CONECA (pronounced: CŌ´NECA) is a national numismatic organization devoted to the education of error and variety coin collectors. CONECA focuses on many error and variety specialties, including doubled dies, Re-punched mintmarks, multiple errors, clips, double strikes, off-metals and off-centers — just to name a few. In addition to its website, CONECA publishes an educational journal, The Errorscope, which is printed and mailed to members bimonthly. CONECA offers a lending library, examination, listing and attribution services; it holds annual meetings at major conventions (referred to as Errorama) around the country. The CONECA website is: www.conecaonline.org
Along with our dealer tables, if a promoter is to offer a free table, I will also be manning the CONECA table. CONECA (pronounced: CŌ´NECA) is a national numismatic organization devoted to the education of error and variety coin collectors. CONECA focuses on many error and variety specialties, including doubled dies, Re-punched mintmarks, multiple errors, clips, double strikes, off-metals and off-centers — just to name a few. In addition to its website, CONECA publishes an educational journal, The Errorscope, which is printed and mailed to members bimonthly. CONECA offers a lending library, examination, listing and attribution services; it holds annual meetings at major conventions (referred to as Errorama) around the country. The CONECA website is: www.conecaonline.org
My setup as the CONECA State Rep for Virginia
For the major shows, I push all in. I bring microscopes, Cameras, reference materials and knowledge. I shake hands and offer free attribution services for people with questions about the type of coin they have or wish to purchase.
CONECA VA State Rep set up at VNA.jpg
What does CONECA Have to Offer?
The CONECA organization has a lot to offer. There is a forum that has some of the best attributors in the United States visit the CONECA forum.
Variety Vistaoffers an extensive listing, most with photos of error coins, categorized by year, mint mark and coin type.
CONECA also sports the CONECA master listing which provides a text listing of each coin attributed and listed with a CONECA number. The master listing typically shows Re-punched mint marks, Doubled die obverse and doubled die reverse entries. Many of the coins listed in the CONECA master listing show a URS rarity listing, so it helps the collectors know how rare an error or variety coin is, which may help identify a value of the error coin for insurance purposes or a potential agreed upon sale price.
Low cost attribution service offered by CONECA
CONECA offers a low cost attribution service. Should you find a coin that you think merits a second opinion and would like to get it attributed for a small fee ( plus postage and handling) you can contact one of people on CONECA attributions page.
Error Coins and varieties are getting a little scarce, and the more you know about an error coin, the better you are prepared when you find one, or if you are looking to buy one.
Get a free, second opinion on a coin you have or about to purchase
Don’t be a victim of fraud, or be disappointed in a purchase to find out that mechanical doubling is not a true doubled die coin, or other possible scenarios. CONECA representatives exist in many states. Although many of the representative have their own opinions on what they examine, we all are human. Everyone can make a mistake or inaccurate attribution. The CONECA State representatives will offer their opinion, but in the end, it is up to the customer to make that final decision on what action is best.
CONECA State Reps attend coin shows across the U.S.A.
Beside visiting the CONECA website, you can visit a state representative which may attend a coin show near you. When I attend a coin show and I am offered a free table to use only as an educational “work shop” and offer my opinion on coins people will allow me to examine. I tell the promoters it will help bring in more potential customers over time. It’s a win win situation. But I have a hold card. Most shows I attend I have a error collecting buddy who is the ANACS representative who sends in customers submission to the 3rd party grading company, ANACS. Geoff has about 10-15 more years of error and variety expertise under his belt. Most of the time we tag team and find out an answer if a coin mildly stumps us for a bit.
CONECA Registration online, or by mail
You can join the CONECA society. While it is not a necessity to join CONECA, most of the people who have joined have come back to my table and said “thank you” to me. Most say they were made very comfortable and enjoy every moment, from the awesome greeting and welcome aboard email to the other services that CONECA provides, it has helped quite a few error and variety collectors – and dealers find some great resources.
CONECA offers memberships renewable yearly
The cost to join varies, but young adults, Families and individuals will find great value in joining CONECA. If you choose to do so, as part of your membership, you can receive copies of the CONECA bi-monthly magazine called ErrorScope. The articles offer expert advice and tips on how to recognize error coins from across the world.
The CONECA errorscope is sent bimonthly, and that added value alone is worth the yearly fee. You can find out more information about joining CONECA, at the CONECA main website. Click this link to know more about joining CONECA.
If your a Virginia Resident, please feel free to add me as a reference. All you have to do is add “VA State Rep” in the referral line or anywhere on the online form. The only thing that does is help show how many members are in which state, or where they joined CONECA.
Have any questions about joining CONECA ?
If you know some one that wants to join CONECA, or loves to collect error coins and varieties and you want to give them a great gift, the CONECA yearly membership may be the answer. I can answer your questions, or point you to the CONECA person who handles memberships. If you cannot find a CONECA application or locate it online, I will gladly mail one to you or point you in the direction to do the application online.
If you are at a show, come on by the CONECA table and we will shake your hand. Take a CONECA application. It’s free and you can mail it in at your leisure. We’ll offer a CONECA elongated cent for stopping by the CONECA table, subject to availability.
During the 2018 VNA show, I was headed to an objective, and on my way, I walked around a few tables trying to locate a few Lincoln Cent rolls to fill my voids. I walked down a main aisle asking coin dealers as I headed to another objective.
One coin dealer answered up, “Hey I have a few rolls, and if you provide me a list, I’ll see what else I have available and bring them in for you to look at tomorrow”. I finished my quest and then told the coin dealer that I will provide them a list either by hand or email.
Well, the coin dealer brings down three rolls. A few re-wrapped rolls from the 1960’s era, and a 1958 roll in a plastic roll. The coin dealer says, “Look these over and let me know if you are interested in any of these”. The coin dealer then heads back to his table.
Opening the 1958 Lincoln Cent roll
I decide to uncap the 1958 and spread a few over the table. I immediately notice that this roll is far above the usual quality you find at shows in these days. This Lincoln Cent roll had promise for me to pull out a winner or two. – or more. I had my son run the other two rolls back to the dealer, and ask what he wanted for the 1958 roll. My son tells me he wants $3.00 for the roll. I immediately handed the son the cash and I started to sort the newly bought Lincoln Cent roll out.
ANACS always runs specials, so I decided to cherry pick 15 of the best to send into probably the strictest grading company there is and see what comes back. The only thing about ANACS specials is, that it can take what seems forever for your coins to come back.
They DO tell you up front that it is under one of the slowest grading programs they offer, and most of the times, this economy package will take close to a month or more. In working days, this is probably between 25 to 30 days. In ANACS’s defense, there are a LOT of people who take advantage of these specials, and its all about waiting, or coughing up more hard earned money and getting them back just a tad faster.
After I cherry picked about 20-25 1958 Lincoln Cents out of this roll and asked my son to assist in looking over the roll and cherry pick the best over all. I grab an ANACS submission form, fill in the details and hand them over to the ANACS representative, Geoff.
They are sent out during the show, which saves me shipping costs to ANACS. The ANACS special also has free return shipping, so I ended up sending (15) 1958 Lincoln Cents in and four error coins. The total cost was $139.00.
Awesome Grades I got back for the 1958 LincolnCents
The coins came back about 4 weeks later, and I was pleasantly surprised. Of the (15) 1958 Lincoln Cents I sent in, I ended up getting: (8) 1958 Lincoln Cents MS-66 Red (7) 1958 Lincoln Cents MS-67 Red Wait – what ? Seven 1958 Lincoln Cents in MS-67 ?
Lincoln Cents are some of my favorite coins, and I know that grades in the MS-67 range can get pricey. I decided to look up the price first: PCGS price guide for a 1958 Lincoln Cent MS-67 Red is $675.00 each. NGC price guide for a 1958 Lincoln Cent MS-67 Red is $645.00 each
The 1958 Lincoln Cent Population MS-67
The population report for the 1958 Lincoln Cent in MS67 Red is as follows:
ANACS – out of (700) 1958 Lincoln Cents graded as MS, only 27 graded as MS67 with only 1 better.
PCGS – out of (3522) 1958 Lincoln Cents graded as MS, only 44 graded as MS67 with none better.
NGC – out of (4160) 1958 Lincoln Cents graded as MS, only 159 graded as MS67 with only 1 better.
That is only (230) 1958 Lincoln Cents that has been graded MS67 over all these years. That’s less than 5 rolls of Lincoln Cents. The MS-66 value is close to $45.00 a piece, and the population numbers are a lot higher.
The Monty Haul of 1958 Lincoln Cents
I ended up with eight of these. So for an investment of $3.00 for the roll, plus 139.00 for the grading, I ended up with; (7) 1958 Lincoln Cents worth $645.00 each ($4515.00) (8) 1958 Lincoln Cents worth $45.00 each ($360.00) That’s a total value of $4875.00, if these 1958 Lincoln Cents sell near price guide value. That’s the type of investment I would like to make each and every day.
Traffic seemed light for the 2019 VNA show, but for good reasons on Saturday.
I attended the 2019 Virginia Numismatic Association annual coin convention. Traffic was light all weekend. During Saturday near noon there was a violent thunderstorm that brought heavy rain and dampened the amount of visitors that might have attended the show. I must add in, that for the annual three day show, we did “OK”.
Last year, in 2018, we did absolutely outstanding. In 2019, we did about 1/3 of the sales and revenue we did in 2018. This year the silver bullion purchases which were light. Our main sales were brillant uncirculated slabbed Morgan Silver Dollars MS63 to MS66 and US error coins and varieties. I wish to Thank all that attended the Virginia Numismatic Association coin show convention, especially the customers who purchased from us.
I set up three paid tables and a free table for my part as the CONECA State representative for Virginia. I had a steady flow of people asking questions. I handed out quite a few applications and a reference sheet which have a lot of the CONECA areas that are helpful to coin collectors, especially error and variety coin collectors.
The Virginia Numismatic Association coin show convention is not a small show!
Looking at Virginia Numismatic Association annual coin convention bourse floor layout, I am pretty sure the dealer attendance was a little smaller this year than in the past. The VNA needs to make a slight profit to recoup some of the costs associated with this event. I believe its in a great location, but the word needs to be spread about this coin show and the events it holds. Table fees for this annual show are slightly higher than shows that do two, three or four shows a year or more. I personally don’t mind spending a little extra to set up at one of the biggest coin shows in the state, as long as advertising, word of mouth and websites can inform the coin collectors about the upcoming VNA coin convention. Did you miss this years’ Virginia Numismatic Association coin show convention?
Miss the VNA convention? Our new online coin shop coming soon !
The website for future VNA shows is http://www.vnaonline.org . I suggest bookmarking this website and the VNA. We will be loading up our shopping cart soon, once the software has been upgraded to a newer version. Our shopping cart will be located at auctions.minterrors.org
Young coin collectors were sighted at the Virginia Numismatic Association coin show convention
There were a good number of younger collectors in attendance, but these numbers could also be a lot higher. If I seen young collectors in their teens or so, I would ask the parents to come on over and have a look at the error coins and other type of coins available. The educational director, John P. placed two of the treasure hunt answer sheets close to my CONECA table, and as the younger people were getting answers from these answer sheets, I would simply say, “hey whats that a picture of on the monitor?” Most would toss an answer out there, and I would help them understand what they saw. I was impressed to see that a few younger adults knew what a classic doubled die was, but didn’t understand how the doubled dies were created.
An error coins and varieties presentation at the 2020 VNA ?
I think I will contemplate getting a presentation together for the VNA for next year. It will be simple enough for any staff member to be able to present the material with relative ease. I’ll devise my plan and see if it can be a cost effective solution to help people understand the primary error coins and varieties that can still be found in rolls and pocket change.
We’re currently rebuilding the webserver. The website should be up and operational within a few days. I think I have most of the ground work done. I will be loading up the website with posts as soon as possible.
