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 Replies: 20 / Views: 2,813 |
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New Member
United States
15 Posts |
Hello. I live in NE Ohio and am looking for dealer references. I have some old coins about which I know little. I am not a coin enthusiast (my interest lies in woodworking) but am in possession of a couple handfuls of silver coins of various denominations that I would like to have valued and sell. I don't mind being paid wholesale rather than retail prices... but I don't want to deal with someone who, because of their superior knowledge of the subject, might tend to take advantage. Most of my coins are, I am sure, near face only... Kennedy halves, half-dozen Roosevelt dimes, a few liberty dimes, Franklin halves, 20 Eisenhower dollars, indian-head pennies my father collected as a boy in the 1930s (I presume). But, there are a few interesting ones... three liberty-head dollars (1923 and 1928) and 2 dollars that I think are called Morgans, one from 1886 which is unbelievably bright and clean, and one from 1888 that has an "O" mint marking on the back. And, finally, an 1840 seated-liberty quarter. I've been told by a friend the last coins there may have some value, especially the 1888-O dollar and the 1840 quarter. But, he doesn't have any special knowledge in this area. So, my question is this: Is there anyone in my area who has some experience with dealers enough to make a recommendation for me? I appreciate any advice. I have little interest in keeping these coins, so I'm looking to get some *real* market values. My view is "If they're junk, they're junk... I'll just throw them in the grandkids' banks." But, if not, I'd like to sell them. Thanks for any advice! Tom |
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Moderator
 United States
23522 Posts |
Welcome to Coin Community, Tom. Nice to have you here, even if only temporarily.  You've a pretty clear idea of what you're looking at. However, I'm going to stop you short on one of the coins you've mentioned - the 1928. We call them Peace dollars, and 1928 is a very scarce year carrying substantial additional value. Unless it's very_heavily worn, it's worth at least $100 and depending on condition could fetch considerably more. Now for the fun part. I'm guessing you've already examined the Quarter for a mint mark - it would be in roughly the same place as on the Morgan. If that coin doesn't have a mint mark - a Philadelphia Mint coin - it's probably worth more than the 1928 Peace. If by chance it does have a mint mark (it'll be an "O"), it's still no slouch for value. Now that we have your attention.... Another consideration with the Dollars is the variety. They're codified by die pairs into varieties called VAMs, an acronym for the names of the two men who did the original research into them. Some few of these VAMs carry additional value on their own. With the 1923's (if that's the one you have two of), check the face and hair area on the obverse for "extra" metal formed by chips cracking from the die - you can use the 1928 as a baseline comparison. If there's any chance whatsoever of getting you to post images of these (the Quarter, Morgans and Peace dollars), we could be of additional help regarding grade/value and what to expect with a sale. Depending on their condition, it could conceivably be in your favor to take the extra time and effort to assign them to an auction venue, of which there are a few highly-reputable examples. Let me do a little digging into local dealers for you. I went to high school in the Cleveland area, so I know the territory. |
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New Member
 United States
15 Posts |
Hi Dave. Thanks so much for the help. In doing a little inquiry, I found that most of the coins I have came from my grandfather and have been sitting in the pouch which was inside a box for probably 60+ years. The 1928 has no dirt on it at all and is still shiny front and back, showing very little wear. Several of the coins are incredibly clean like that. I also found a 1922 which is is pretty dirty... but I've been told to leave them alone, so I have.
The 1840 quarter has an "O" above the "R" in "QUAR. DOL.".
I tried taking a picture of some of these but I cant do closeup... it just comes out a blur. I'll see if I can get some help on that. Thanks again!!
Tom
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Valued Member
United States
365 Posts |
I live in NE Ohio myself, and this Sunday there's a coin show over near Cleveland-Hopkins Airport; one approach you might consider is to show your accumulation to several dealers and compare what they have to say to you about market value and what they'd pay you for them. I unfortunately cannot recommend anyone in particular, if only because I only buy from them and when I want to sell I do so online. SuperDave is spot on that some of these are valuable coins, so don't rush into anything and don't let anyone jerk you around.
-SCS
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3253 Posts |
Sounds like you need you visit the Lantern Collectors Community forum...
Edited by philadelphian
07/05/2013 12:14 pm
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Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
Is Hopkins in your range, Tom? SeriousCERES has an excellent point regarding the show, and if he's planning on being there himself it might not be a bad idea to get the two of you together for an opinion. He's not a US specialist, but he's good enough at what he does to form decent opinions as to a rough grade and the originality of the surfaces (cleaned coins lose value fast). The Quarter is still going to have reasonable value even as a New Orleans Mint product. If the 1928 has seen no circulation ( Peace dollars don't necessarily "look" Uncirculated to be Uncirculated because of the quality of the strike) you're looking at a $500+ coin. This is worth investing a bit of time and care into. Do the best you can with the images - depending on your camera, you may find yourself getting too close to the coin for the camera to focus, you can't plan on filling the whole viewfinder with the coin. Use the macro setting, but don't zoom in, and under those circumstances you can probably get to within a few inches of the coin and achieve focus. Coin photography is a specialty of mine, and I'll be happy to help you get the best shots you can. If you find difficulty postprocessing them and posting here, I can help with that also. |
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Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
Philadelphian, you kill me.  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2734 Posts |
Check for an "S" mint mark on the back of the 1928 Peace dollar, on the reverse side near the bottom of the Eagle's tail feathers. A 1928-S Peace dollar is not as rare as the 1928 Peace dollar made in Philadelphia (which has no mint mark), but it's still worth having (especially in Uncirculated condition, or close to it). The 1928-S is a "better date", and the 1928 is a "key date" |
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New Member
United States
15 Posts |
OK... taking Dave's advice, I pulled back to take the pics. This is the one coin that I found in the pouch. This is the 1928. I also have 2 1923s in very similar condition. They look like they've been used, but only barely... they are extremely clean.   I had to reduce these in size a number of times to uplaod them. Hope these are clear. |
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Valued Member
United States
365 Posts |
I will be there Sunday at the show, if by any chance you can come. Here's the info (address etc ) from Numismaster.com (a website where you can find info on coin events all over the country): Sunday, July 7 Universal Coin, Currency & Stamp Show American Legion hall 22001 Brook Park Rd & West 220 St Cleveland, Ohio 440-864-7473 The phone number gets you to one of the event organizers who's very helpful if you need directions. As SuperDave has said, my primary collecting interest is in world coins, but I can certainly help you with grading US coins--I have a modest collection of US too-- and can bring a couple price guides that can give you a good sense of values. Post here if you're interested in meeting up. Note that there are always dozens of folks in the building at any time; there are always a few open tables where we could sit and talk. -SCS |
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Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
As DNA warned - and I never considered (  ) - the 1928 is a San Francisco coin. Your image kind of looks like a "D" rather than an "S" mint mark, but Denver issued no Peace dollars that year. In the condition yours looks to be, it won't carry a lot of value above melt, nor will the 1923's in similar shape. Still haven't stopped talking about the Morgans or the Quarter, though. |
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New Member
United States
15 Posts |
Hi Dave. If you're looking at that little letter under the "O" of "ONE" on the eagle side... I got a bright light and a magnifying glass and looked carefully. It is definitely an "S". On the 1923s, one has an "S" and one has nothing there. I also have a dirty 1922 with no mark as well. This makes that big a difference? Here's the quarter that was in the pouch, too.   |
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Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
Quote:
This makes that big a difference? Yes, because of the sometimes radical differences in quantities minted. In 1928, Philadelphia struck only 360,649 Peace dollars (the single lowest mintage of the entire series). The same year San Francisco struck 1,632,000 examples, still a low number considering the 30 million plus 1923's Philadelphia struck, for instance. As regards the 1840: Can you see the horizontal striations - running roughly east-west - in your images? They're especially visible on the left half of the obverse and the top half of the reverse. These are indicative of a past brushing which has left brushmarks on the coin. This is one of the things which can qualify a coin as "cleaned," making it much less attractive to collectors who overwhelmingly prefer original, untouched surfaces. Even so, a coin whose physical details are as strong as this one - I'm estimating it on the high end of Very Fine - is still worth something approaching $100. |
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New Member
United States
15 Posts |
I see. Thanks for that info. I've not touched these myself, but my father was a fastidious person (i.e. drove us nuts). I'm sure he cleaned the coins... but that's been a long time ago, so I can't say for sure. Interesting thing, though, to a novice... that uncleaned is better than cleaned. Well, it's that way with antique furniture, too, I guess... I don't buy pieces others have refinished.
I am going to go to the Cleveland show Sunday and take all this with me.
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Valued Member
United States
365 Posts |
If you'd like Tom I can meet you there Sunday, I'm hoping to get there about 11AM. I can bring a Red Book and I have another market value guide in my phone. |
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New Member
United States
15 Posts |
That would be great. I can be there at 11 as well. Let me know how I can find you, and I'll see you Sunday. Can't thank you enough for your help.
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Replies: 20 / Views: 2,813 |
Posted 07/05/2013 11:56 am
