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 Replies: 235 / Views: 28,243 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1372 Posts |
Now, I have to admit to not being hot on the trail for the past couple years, but my efforts to build a set of high grade Mercury dimes by cherry picking sets....came to a rather abrupt halt a couple years ago, and I've not seen anything that would advance my cause since then.... ...until a couple days ago. I'm always willing to take a calculated risk on acquisitions ... and have bought great coins from bad pictures in the past. This one (fuzzy overexposed pic below) may "take the cake" if it turns out to be as nice as my imagination is allowing that it may be. I'll only have about 30 percent over melt in it if its not ... so it wasn't a huge gamble. I could end up "out" 20 bucks on the set when the dust settles if its junk. I did ask the seller if the coin corresponded to the date and mint shown ... a 1925-S, and he said that Yes, it was in the correct slot in the Whitman thumb buster folder and was indeed the 25-S. This came from a seller in California, so this one basically "never left home". The 25-S had 26 of the shabbiest friends that you could ever imagine, so they'll be sold at melt to help defray my cost. Then just a couple days ago, I found these two 1925-P specimens "vacationing" in England and won the bid just a couple hours ago. I am positively giddy about these 2 since it appears that both dimes may have fully split bands. I'll keep the pick of the litter, and try and trade the other for another "keeper". I, like everybody else, need nice specimens from the "middle years" from the "branch mints"... specifically from 1926 to 1930. The last pic is the reverse of a 41-S with the "Large S" that I picked up for cheap early this morning. It was in a "1943-S" labeled 2x2. There's not a lot of interest in that one I don't suppose, but who knows? That may one day change. I'll try and take some good pics when these coins arrive. I'll post them here if anybody wants to see them. Chance     |
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Moderator
 United States
188640 Posts |
Nice acquisitions.  |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
94367 Posts |
Well done and welcome back!
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Rest in Peace
United States
17900 Posts |
Nice looking additions. I'm glad to hear you are back in the hunt.
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Bedrock of the Community
 United States
12477 Posts |
Please do post pics when you receive them.  In Memory of Crazyb0 12-26-1951 to 7-27-2020
In Memory of Tootallious 3-31-1964 to 4-15-2020
In Memory of T-BOP 10-12-1949 to 1-19-2024
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
1372 Posts |
Thanks ... I will post some pics when the "goods" get here.
I mentioned my interests to the seller of the 2 25-Ps ... and she said she had 'more coins" and would include them with "the other 3 (there is a 41-P also) and she'd include them in the package tomorrow. Of course, I expect to pay her for any others, and told her so.
Chance
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Pillar of the Community
7234 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3540 Posts |
WOW! Definitely would like to see pictures of all of the recent acquisitions.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5832 Posts |
Good pick up! They all look like decent conditions.
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Moderator
United States
34411 Posts |
Chance, sweet pick-ups! "If you climb a good tree, you get a push."
-----Ghanaian proverb
"The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed."
-----King Adz
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1372 Posts |
The next week is going to drag along whilst I await my new found treasures. Some of you will recall that last fall, while metal detecting, I dug a really nice (AU Details) 1901 Barber quarter. I went back past the place where I dug it, only to find that the house had been razed and the entire yard was under 8 feet of fill. The old home is gone, and its now a fancy interchange designed to alleviate traffic from WVU sporting events that always knotted up traffic for hours on fridays. I'm lucky to have been able to recover that coin when I did. Chance |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
My favorite coin. I have 12 sets of those Mercury dimes. Always looking to improve those sets. I have many rolls of extras of them too. Just can't get enough Mercury dimes. Sure wish they would start making them again. Series ran way to short of a time frame. Looks like your going to try for a complete set of FSB Dimes. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1372 Posts |
I sincerely doubt that I'll ever have the resources to "seriously" pursue a full set of FSBs.
My main objective at this point in the game, is for every issue to have the majority of the original mint luster intact (Higher AU grades at least). That having been said ... if I stumble across nicer examples, and they just happen to have fully split bands, then obviously I'll substitute the coins in my set. My 25-P is almost as nice as the 2 coming from England, but there's a disturbing dull streak across the obverse, so it'll get "relieved" of its duties when the others get here.
What really helps is that I got the 2 from England, for a wee fraction of their prospective market value. I paid more for the 41-S with the Large S, and it wasn't expensive.
Best of luck to you in your collecting of the mercs. They truly are one of the most attractive coins the US has ever minted. What a treat it must have been to have the 3 neoclassical designs of silver coinage in your pocket in 1916.
Chance
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1372 Posts |
Here are the other coins that my UK seller was able to find. I probably overpaid for this lot at a whisker over 13 dollars ... but I feel guilty about paying so little for the other lot (even though I was the "high bidder"). If I end up selling one of the 1925 mercs ... I'm going to send her a Christmas Gift via Paypal. Chance Funny how folks in the UK think Canada is in "America"   |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1372 Posts |
I just checked the tracking on the set of junkers with the 25-S. It's expected to be delivered to me by 8 pm tomorrow. They're going to have to do a little better than that, because our PO closes at noon. I guess that means that if it doesn't get here early, it'll be saturday. Might work out OK though.....No tellin' what might happen on the mile long trek to the PO on Friday the 13th.
Chance
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1372 Posts |
Its Christmas eve at my house. The set of crappy merc dimes with the nice looking 25-S (if that's what it is) ... is on the last leg of its journey. The PO uses 2 different routes to get stuff to me, and the route its taken will see it delivered early today ...
Alas, I have no cookies for the reindeer. I ate 'em all ... Maybe I'll leave 'em some Fritos.
Sorry ... but that last post was a day early. The computer had already switched to 10-12 since it was after midnight, so I got the cart ahead of the horse.
Anyway ... Pics of the first coin and his 25 crappy pals ... by noon today, probably earlier, so if you're following this Saga, do check back later to see what I 'unwrapped".
Chance
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Replies: 235 / Views: 28,243 |
Posted 10/10/2017 6:01 pm
