Indholdsfortegnelse for July 2019 i Coins

I’m twelve, and new to collecting. A little while ago, I was searching through various penny rolls for older coins, key dates for my collection, etc. Obviously I had gotten these rolls from the bank I use, so I wasn’t expecting anything over the top. Usually when I look through penny rolls, I’ll occasionally find a wheat cent or a steel cent. This time, I was lucky enough to actually find a 2000-S proof cent in PF65 condition. This, I would say, is my best penny find. Nate Sun Houston, Texas The 2019 cents are finally beginning to enter circulation here in Southeast Florida. Over the last couple of days, I received a number of them in change at a Bob Evans restaurant and a Publix supermarket, both located in…

Grades listed in Coins are based on the following standards established by the American Numismatic Association. For more detailed descriptions, see Official ANA Grading Standards for United States Coins, by Ken Bressett and A. Kosoff (American Numismatic Association, 818 N. Cascade Ave., Colorado Springs, CO 80903-3279). Proof coins. The term “proof” refers to a manufacturing process that results in a special surface or finish on coins made for collectors. Most familiar are modern brilliant proofs. These coins are struck at the Mint by a special process. Carefully prepared dies, sharp in all features, are made. Then the flat surfaces of the dies are given a high, mirrorlike polish. Specially prepared planchets are fed into low-speed coining presses. Each proof coin is slowly and carefully struck more than once to accentuate…

At the end of my last column, I introduced an issue that could be summarized in the following question: If I purchase only coins certified by the major certification services, why would I need to learn how to grade coins for myself? If the grades assigned by the services are both valid (what they’re supposed to be) and reliable (the same coins receive the same grades time after time), why can’t I just depend on the certification services to get it right? For one thing, there are many coins that will never be sent to a certification service. Given how much it costs to have a coin certified, it’s not cost effective to certify anything worth less than $100 or so. If you’re relatively new to collecting, the under $100…

The overall direction of the market for collectible coins continues to be unfolding. The recent Pittsburgh National Money Show auction realized more than was anticipated, but a closer examination of the highlighted coins indicates most hammer prices when compared to the overall market were stagnant. The trending value of Indian cents and Morgan silver dollars, both perennially popular with collectors, has been generally in decline. There are currently sufficient identically dated and graded certified coins on the market at markedly different prices to encourage shopping for bargains — always a good thing for active collectors. The Great American Coin Hunt planned for National Coin Week in late April is a good step in the right direction, trying to increase the interest of the general public in the hobby. Some recent…