Postal Problems

Very difficult to believe that our postal service is not perfect. I'm sure yours is the very first item they have ever lost. Never heard a complaint about them before.
For real it still may show up some day. Occationally a post office worker is found hoarding thousands of undelivered mail. A good example is one time I sent some film in for developing. Never received them. The pictures were of a neighbors family. One day they showed up in my mail box. Not that it took a long time but when I took the photos my neighbors kids were still in high school. When I received the photos, the oldest had just graduated college and one of the other kids was now married with kids of his own.

I've always had good luck having collectibles delivered by the U.S. Mail. Been buying coins, records, and other stuff for years, without any real problems. UPS, on the other hand, did crush an item I ordered recently. They made good on the claim, so I can't really complain.
My advice is to get things insured when using the Post Office for delivery. I generally get insurance for things valued at about $20 and above. Statistically, it's a waste of money, because in the long run, I'll pay an awful lot more than $20 for insurance, before I'll lose one $20 item. I still buy the insurance, because I figure I'll have more than $20 worth of disappointment, when an item does come up missing.

Coin #2 arrived yesterday, thank goodness. But coin #1 never did, and its replacement is waiting for pickup.

Coin #2 is my first experience with a VAM. It's a G-VG example of 1858 seated liberty half, designated WB-105 and known as an inverted or blundered 1. I'm a little disappointed. All that remains of the 1 are two raised points between the 5 and 8. It took hours of study and a conversation with the dealer to locate them (there is no photo in the WB guide), and they bear no resemblance to the number 1. I have coins with more obvious mint damage - planchet cracks, die scratches and cracks, and die rust pits - but these are just run of the mill defects. I'll keep this VAM as an inexpensive illustration of this segment of the hobby, but in future will stick to easier-to-see examples such as doubled dates.

never had a problem with USPS but have worried often about the safety. I know large diamond companies and some jewelry companies send stuff by USPS without insurance, the insurance attracts attention and becomes a "steal me" sign (in their opinion).

I always get a tracking number regardless of value, and insurance if over 20-25 bucks.

New problems arise....the seller filed a claim and was told that the coin had been delivered. My post office recorded receiving it, within 2 days after it was mailed. But it was insured for under $50 so I didn't have to sign for it. Somewhere between the scanner and the PO box it disappeared. Tomorrow I'll contact the postmaster to see what to do next.

Well I am curious
two weeks ago I mailed by registered mail a bubble mailer with a copper crucifix in it .
This is my first mail ever to the US outside of safe ex-company mail

The only things in europe that got lost sofar were both thru customs because they came fully insured from switzerland and customs is never available on the telephone .


So I learned some basics from Italian sellers
one put the coin in a thelephone directory and boxed it
one put the coin inside a dull magazine about health
one put the coin in a 12x24 inches envelope ( very difficult to accidently drop it into your pantpockets whilst having a toilet emergency )

Nobody sofar put it in aluminium to fool a coin detector
Some french put it in hardboard with a cutout so that nothing whatsoever can be felt when running your hand over the envelope
Others use an envelope in a bubbler inside a third envelope ; very difficult to accidently put a thumb thru that
Others use so much adhesive tape wound round and round the bubbler I do not even know where to put the hacksaws without sawing the coin in two

Thq,

Small comment. The term VAM is only used when talking about a die variety on a Morgan or Peace silver dollar. If you are speaking about varieties of various series you would normally say "die variety" or varieties. If you are talking about the die varieties of a specific series they are normaly referenced by the initials or name of the person who wrote the standard reference. (There are a few exceptions to this. Although the standard references for the Half Cent and large cents have been rewritten they are still referenced by Cohen, Sheldon and Newcomb numbers.)