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 Replies: 13 / Views: 2,266 |
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New Member
United States
5 Posts |
Hi, I purchased the following coin from a reputable dealer about 25 years ago. Ever since, I haven't been able to find it listed in any coin reference book. Can anyone here shed any light on this coin and/or what its possible value might be today? Being new to this forum, I hope my uploading of this image goes OK to allow it viewed in sufficient detail. Thanks.  |
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Moderator
 United States
56855 Posts |
 to CCF. I think we need a close up of the date to help you out. John1  |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
94367 Posts |
Yes, a sharp full-screen blow-up of the date is the only way for us to offer a useful opinion. I'm sure all of us would like to help identify a new variety!  Edited by Coinfrog
08/29/2015 5:32 pm
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New Member
 United States
5 Posts |
Played around a bit with the tools I have and the best I can do is below - hope this helps.  |
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Moderator
United States
56855 Posts |
That's better. Give it a bit and more members will chime in. John1 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4409 Posts |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
I think it's just a repunched date. not a 9'8 but just a 9/9. However, with something like this I'd say why not spend a few dollars and send it to a TPGS. Might be a winner.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7375 Posts |
 with above 2 posts. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4932 Posts |
I'd send it to PCGS or NGC, maybe ANACS for opinions. It's a beautiful coin that IMHO shouldn't be kept raw.
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Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
Could we have the reverse, please, to help narrow things down? 2 different obverse and reverse designs were used in 1869. The obverses are differentiated most easily by the arrow left of the date - if the upper back point of the arrowhead is notched, it's Obverse A and if it ends on an angle cut it's Obverse B. Pretty sure I see the notch of Obverse A here.
On the reverse for 1869, concentrate on the star whose point aims at the AM in AMERICA. If that point aims towards the space between the letters, it's Reverse IIa; if it aims at the left leg of the M it's Reverse IIc.
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New Member
United States
5 Posts |
It appears to be aimed toward the gap as seen below:  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3546 Posts |
Quote:
We need the most data possible to help the process. I just picked up a 2006 Official Red Book called, 'Shield and Liberty Head Nickels' by Q. David Bowers. For the 1869 Shield nickel analysis it states, 'Other varieties - Several with slightly doubled dies and/or repunched dates are listed by Fivaz-Stanton, Fletcher, and Peters-Mohon. Breen's "1869/8 overdate," B-2480, has been discredited. Coins struck with the combination of Obverse Style 1b and Reverse Style D are rare.' I really like this paperback book of 280 pages because it has several side-by-side photos covering both the Shield and V nickel series.  |
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New Member
United States
5 Posts |
Thanks for the enlightening, although somewhat discouraging, info mdpmedia. I was hoping I had a rare valuable coin in my possession based on the original selling description for the coin back in 1990 when I purchased it which was as follows: 1869/8 Select BU, Breen states "Extremely Rare". Unlisted in the " Red Book". The only one we've ever seen! I still think I'm going to follow CoinHuntingDrew's advice and submit it to one of the authenticating/grading services for assessment. I will not be doing that until the end of this month, though, as I will be traveling for a few weeks. When I hear back on the results of that, I'll post the outcome to this thread. This is my first post in these forums and it's easy for me to see there's a multitude of knowledge out there possessed by the members. Thanks to you all for the education you guys have provided me with so far. |
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New Member
United States
5 Posts |
Info update: Since I never sent a coin away for grading/authentication, I sought out help from a coin dealer to assist me in this. I searched for one who was a member of the various services and selected Rare Coins of New Hampshire (RCNH) even though they were more than an hour's drive for me. They are members of PCGS, NGC, CAC, ICTA, and PNG. They have been in existence for 25 years and the Better Business Bureau gives them an A+ rating, so I thought I could put my trust in what they said. I met with Joe who was quite knowledgeable about the coin and referred to his CherryPickers' Guide (note: the 6th edition of this book will soon be out). His first comment was that I shouldn't be using the PVC-based holder that the coin was delivered in and gave me a mylar one to use instead. He compared the coin to the several illustrated varieties listed in the book and concluded that it was a repunched date, not a 9 over 8. He related a number of different reasons why this might have occurred back then. So, I took a chance back in 1990 purchasing the coin for $450 hoping it would be a good rare coin investment, but like I told Joe, I guess it pans out similar to my lottery ticket investments! |
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Replies: 13 / Views: 2,266 |
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Posted 08/29/2015 4:56 pm
