Welcome to the Coin Club. We are an assortment of newbies, amateurs and experts with questions and answers for newbies, amateurs and experts in coin collecting, also known as numismatics. Whether you are just getting started, have been collecting for years or have simply found some old coins about the place that you’d like to sell, this is the place to ask your questions.

No one has all the answers, and you may get five differing answers to the same question, yet each may be right in a manner of speaking, especially if opinions are involved. Opinions often vary. If you receive no answer to your query within 48 hours, please ask again.

echoriath - 2013-06-14 11:17:00

translateltd wrote:

Got it!

Race on for 2200 , go gold ,go silver and go coins

gammoner - 2013-06-14 11:30:00

Loved the answer to your question about what made the coins rare on 'rare coins USA' Tim. I have to save it for posterity! -

"I m rare n so r u n so r de coins "

chrisr5 - 2013-06-14 11:32:00

Yeah, I just saw that. At least he answered this time around. I was inclined to get clarification on how many coins the auction is actually for, but it's pretty clear in the auction.

echoriath - 2013-06-14 11:38:00

Saw an 1847 one dollar coin (US) for sale. It looks fake and then you see it mentions it half way through the listing. Definite example of buyer beware!

chrisr5 - 2013-06-14 18:01:00

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oldecurb - 2013-06-14 22:29:00

oldecurb wrote:

I know what the stamp people will say.

Well, they're stamp people......

oldecurb wrote:

they have 1917 listings!

But how does that number for stamps that compare to a couple of years ago?

echoriath - 2013-06-14 22:42:00

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oldecurb - 2013-06-14 22:53:00

oldecurb wrote:

Just did a quick browse for coins and there were only 377 listed on TM as I write this. Only a couple of years ago there would have been over a thousand listed. I guess that shows why its harder to sell nowadays. Are we a rare or a dying breed?. I know what the stamp people will say...they have 1917 listings!

coin listing = 3,870 at the moment were did you get 377 from???
stamp listing = 13,899 at the moment were did you get 1,917 from??
might pay you to get new glasses bruce.

chefman1 - 2013-06-14 22:58:00

I know what the stamp people will say.

so have you got a problem with stamp collectors,i collect stamps as-well.

chefman1 - 2013-06-14 23:16:00

Long time no see Peter, good to see you back. Hope you're keeping well.

chrisr5 - 2013-06-14 23:21:00

I see 3774 coin listings this morning - perhaps the last digit was accidentally omitted.

translateltd - 2013-06-15 08:11:00

Maybe just those listed under USA

gammoner - 2013-06-15 12:40:00

currently 57 of 247, money money money!!!!

gammoner - 2013-06-15 12:45:00

chefman1 wrote:

coin listing = 3,870 at the moment were did you get 377 from???
stamp listing = 13,899 at the moment were did you get 1,917 from??
might pay you to get new glasses bruce.

This backs up one of my theory's that I just made up, is that a lot of coin collectors are on Hallucinogenic drugs or have been in the past.

Edited by rebel58 at 1:22 pm, Sat 15 Jun

rebel58 - 2013-06-15 13:21:00

rebel58 wrote:

This backs up one of my theory's that I just made up, is that a lot of coin collectors are on Hallucinogenic drugs or have been in the past.

That would certainly explain the Ningi! (1 Pu = 8 Ningis)

chrisr5 - 2013-06-15 13:31:00

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donaldo - 2013-06-15 14:50:00

Interesting tale in this week's Coins Weekly - easy to laugh at this distance but not so funny for the individuals in custody, according to the linked article: http://www.coinsweekly.com/en/News/4?&id=2069

translateltd - 2013-06-15 15:00:00

rebel58 wrote:

This backs up one of my theory's that I just made up, is that a lot of coin collectors are on Hallucinogenic drugs or have been in the past.

What are all these bugs crawling up my arms?!? GET THEM OFF ME!!!!! AAARRRRGGHHHH!!!!!!!

Hold on, the monkeys are back in the attic.

echoriath - 2013-06-15 17:34:00

Bugs and Animals again.

lester36 - 2013-06-15 18:12:00

The good old Crack Bug crawling under the skin,dig it out with a coin,quickly now.

rebel58 - 2013-06-15 18:48:00

translateltd wrote:

Interestin-
g tale in this week's Coins Weekly - easy to laugh at this distance but not so funny for the individuals in custody, according to the linked article: http://www.coinsweekly.com/en/News/4?&id=2069

I can understand them getting upset about unique items getting taken out of the country but it seems a bit extreme to start getting upset over what seems to be a relatively available coin.

chrisr5 - 2013-06-15 19:01:00

chrisr5 wrote:

I can understand them getting upset about unique items getting taken out of the country but it seems a bit extreme to start getting upset over what seems to be a relatively available coin.

It's the attempt by the authorities to present these common items as unique rarities that has me worried. All ancient coins are going to need certified proof of provenance before long.

translateltd - 2013-06-15 20:14:00

Impressed with the new push-in albums for NZ decimals 1967-2005. It would have been great to have had them in 2006-07 when the "fever" was happening, but still good to see them.

translateltd - 2013-06-15 21:58:00

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oldecurb - 2013-06-16 23:09:00

oldecurb wrote:

Dur!! My browse was set to Otago not NZ! Double duh!

Wondered why you hadn't been bidding on most of the bargain auctions.

gammoner - 2013-06-16 23:49:00

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elliehen - 2013-06-17 00:13:00

hey ellie, the short (and possibly cheeky) answer is: They will return whatever someone is willing to pay for them. But you already knew that. The longer answer involving an ostensible book value is strangely complicated.

Here are some samples of the various products issued that year:
588349899
586545641

I'm writing a longer response, but it's strangely complicated.

echoriath - 2013-06-17 00:58:00

Any chance of a photo?

Are they in a hard plastic case? I'm just trying to be certain they are a proof set as opposed to a mint set. Mint sets tend to come sealed in tidy, flat, plastic packs, but also in a presentation envelope of some sort. Is it the quarter, half and dollar coins, or is it all of the coins from that year? If the latter, it is probably a mint set, but not necessarily.

If this is indeed a proof set, the mint mark on it is necessarily an S, which stands for San Francisco. The next question is: Do they have silver content? Some proofs were silver, others were cupro-nickel (though the same could be said of mint sets). The easy way to tell is by looking at the edges of the coins, though this may be a challenge if they are in the hard plastic case standard of a proof set. The coins with actual silver content appear continuous on the edge in terms of colour. The cupro-nickel ones are silver in colour, but they have a thin thread of copper around the edge.

This matters mostly because, rarity aside, silver is worth more than cupro-nickel. Also, an unspecified number of the silver-content coins were melted down, so the exact numbers of them in existence are surprisingly vague for such a recently issued coin. If there is an Eisenhower Dollar involved, there's also a question of fonts on the reverse (sort of serif versus sans serif), which potentially goes some way towards indicating ostensible value as well.

Sorry for the novel, but at the time between the bicentennial and the general interest in numismatics, the mint was working overtime to satisfy demand, and that meant a wide range of products were churned out. In the interest of clarity, I won't elaborate. Unless provoked.

Edited by echoriath at 1:08 am, Mon 17 Jun

echoriath - 2013-06-17 01:08:00

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elliehen - 2013-06-17 11:52:00

Avoid contact with bare skin. It's much the same with books: oil from skin can be damaging over the long term.

My two cents worth:
If they are silver, hold onto them. Their value will grow over the mid- to long-term.

echoriath - 2013-06-17 12:01:00

Found something you might be mildly interested in Tim. A 'First Federal Savings and Loan Association' 'Daily Dime Saver' from Hagerstown, Maryland. It has 30 slots to save dimes in but unfortunately they are all empty......

chrisr5 - 2013-06-17 12:23:00

Nice! I grew up a stone's throw from Hagerstown. Any idea of the age of it?

echoriath - 2013-06-17 12:43:00

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elliehen - 2013-06-17 12:48:00

I have a collection of coins that i wish to sell.
Don't have a clue were to go to value or sell them .
Any idea's?

chalan - 2013-06-17 12:52:00

Hi chalan, do you want to get them valued or sell the whole lot? With good photos and a bit of patience, you'll probably get your best returns here on TradeMe. If you are keen to unload the whole lot in one go, a dealer may be better for your needs.

How good are you at taking photos of small objects?

Post #13 on the first page of this thread offers a few tips on taking photos of small objects. There is more advice along the way on this thread, and you can always inquire back here if you need more guidance.

echoriath - 2013-06-17 13:10:00

@ ellie:
Oh, yeah, so it's like this one then:
588349899

You might get past NZ$30 on here on the right day with a couple of interested parties. On ebay they range widely from less than U$15 to over U$50 for pretty much the same thing, though some might include a little more in the way of the display bits and bobs than others.

echoriath - 2013-06-17 13:12:00

Chalan: here are some very abbreviated tips on photographing coins to sell on here:
Take very good pix. Do you have a camera, and are you decent at taking photos? The easy way with a good camera is to put it on Auto. If you are more motivated, look for a flower icon that is a setting called Macro. This is specifically for the purpose of taking close-up photos. This process is easier with a tripod, though you can stabilise the camera yourself by holding the camera with both hands and placing your elbows on a flat surface above the coins.

It's also better to turn off the flash and shoot with natural sunlight. Cameras that cost more than $100 or so (and maybe some that are less) have a remarkable number of options for taking good pix, but the main point is that good pix of both sides of your coins generally = better returns. Good pix reveal the quality of coins, whether that quality be good or bad.

echoriath - 2013-06-17 13:17:00

chalan wrote:

I have a collection of coins that i wish to sell.
Don't have a clue were to go to value or sell them .
Any idea's?

There is a jeweler in Waiuku who maybe can help you out in in their fair value. Also a few dealers in the Auckland region.
What are the three main Countries of coins you have in the collection and aprox numbers of those .

gammoner - 2013-06-17 13:33:00

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elliehen - 2013-06-17 13:57:00

elliehen wrote:

One last question, with apologies for the cellphone pics. These one dollar coins I bought some years ago from a coin-collecting son, in lieu of giving him a loan ;-) Are any particularly collectable?

They will all have a value of between $1 to aprox $4 each depending on the day.

gammoner - 2013-06-17 15:54:00

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elliehen - 2013-06-17 15:58:00

elliehen wrote:

Thanks...I think I'll stick to books :-) Can you take coins like that to the bank and get face value?

Not the USA coin , the NZ being dollars should be still ok to exchange at face value but you should get more at auction. Set it up as an auction at face value plus listing and success fees as a reserve and I will kick the auction off for you.That way you will still receive the face value as a minimum and any further bids is all a positive for you.

gammoner - 2013-06-17 16:25:00

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elliehen - 2013-06-17 16:43:00

echoriath wrote:

Nice! I grew up a stone's throw from Hagerstown. Any idea of the age of it?

Haven't the foggiest. The font of the print is similar to other documents I've seen from around the 40s era but I'm guessing it could be from anytime 40-60s? Email me your address and I'll post it off to you if you're interested.

chrisr5 - 2013-06-17 16:46:00

Hi Cartel and others. I have been tidying up and the person I am looking for has paid for some coins about 6 months ago and normally drops in to collect, but hasn't appeared and I note the TM user name has been deactivated and email bounces back. If you are still around and read this, please contact me, otherwise I may have to relist them?

bizarre67 - 2013-06-17 20:30:00

I've got this nice Canadian $1 with the exception of some rim damage. You can see it encroaching on the 'R' and 'G' in 'Georgius' and the prow of the canoe. It's pinched the rim but doesn't appear to have damaged the lettering which I would have thought it would have done. However if it was mechanically done I would also expect the curve to follow on to the other side somewhere. http://images.trademe.co.nz/photoserver/full/271613423.jpg
http://images.trademe.co.nz/photoserver/full/271613409.jpg

Any opinions as to whether it would be pre or peri strike damage or just plain old vandalism/random event?

Thanks in advance.

chrisr5 - 2013-06-18 10:27:00

Is that a crack on the opposite side (half way between the C and the canoe) or a piece of hair/thread? What's the milling like on the rim in the damaged section? The beads are flattened, too, suggesting something firm has squeezed it just that far but not as far as the letters. Does the "squeeze" actually knock the circle out of true or has it just flattened the rim with no spreading? Maybe someone didn't want to touch the coin with his fingers so used a pair of pliers instead ...

translateltd - 2013-06-18 10:47:00

translateltd wrote:

Is that a crack on the opposite side (half way between the C and the canoe) or a piece of hair/thread?

I think it's a hair/thread as I can't see it now.

translateltd wrote:

What's-
the milling like on the rim in the damaged section? The beads are flattened, too, suggesting something firm has squeezed it just that far but not as far as the letters. Does the "squeeze" actually knock the circle out of true or has it just flattened the rim with no spreading?

The milling is intact but squashed slightly. The circle is slightly out from true, but you can see it when it's in your hand without a magnifying glass.

translateltd wrote:

Maybe someone didn't want to touch the coin with his fingers so used a pair of pliers instead ...

LOL. Though I think it might have been intentional rather than inexperience. I am just surprised that the pliers' pinch doesn't encroach on the letters given the angle of the implement implied by the damage. I did think of needle nose pliers but it doesn't really fit in the angles (if that makes sense!).

I might just file it under coins to show you if you make it up to Auckland for Christmas Martin! ;-)

chrisr5 - 2013-06-18 11:29:00

Would be good to see it in person - tks. if it's slightly out of true, that would argue against it being a manufacturing flaw as the collar should have kept it in shape.

translateltd - 2013-06-18 11:47:00