The Coin Doc's Answers

Comments:        very informative, and helpful in other areas of coin related items....
Name:        Neil
Email Address:   nforler@peoplepc.com
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Question:        I found a 1970-s lincoln cent which has a distinct doubling of the date and mint mark.  I cannot find any references to others found of this year and mint mark.  Also there is no other doubling anywhere on the cent. The condition is circulated, but not much wear, just brown.  Under a 30x scope it is obvious, but is it worth keeping as an error example?

You most likely have a coin suffering from "shelf doubling", that is, a doubled part of the design or lettering caused by a loose collar. The collar is what holds a coin in place when it is struck.

This is quite a bit different than a doubled die where the die is defective. Every coin struck from that die will show the exact same defect.  Shelf doubled coins are unique. Unless the doubling is very apparent to the unaided eye, it usually doesn't bring a premium. It certainly is worth keeping as an example of this type of error.

For a coin to be a "mule", the dies would come from different coins but struck on a common blank.  That is, a cent and a dime struck on a cent blank as in a recent discovery.

A coin with a copper-nickel dime on one side and a copper or copper plated zinc cent on the other is a "magician's coin" made in a machine shop.  You can purchase these at a hobby or magic store.

You have a 3 pence of Great Britain's Charles I (1625-1649), probably  the 1644 issue.  The legend CHRISTO AUSPICE REGNO (I reign under Christ's authority) is used extensively during Charles' reign.  The abbreviated Latin legend, CAROLVS G .BR.FR.ET.HI.REX surrounds the bust of the king (Charles, by the Grace of G-d King of Great Britain, France (actually Normandy) and Hibernia (Ireland)).

Value depends on type, grade (condition) and mint mark. Value Range for the most commonly seen pieces: £30 - £150.

Altering coins for fun and profit seems to be a wide-spread practice. This type of alteration goes under the heading of Exonumia which includes tokens and medals.

There are collectors for this type of reengraved coin but these items are not considered particularly valuable. They stand up better in the collector market if you can supply the who, what and where of the piece. To see more about this type of interesting collectible please use the keyword "reengraved" in the CoinSite Search Tool.

The date 1789 is the year of the start of the United States Treasury. The token you have was made to accompany mint sets from the 1980's to 1999. There are two types, one says the Philadelphia Mint and the other says The Denver Mint.  The new dollar coins replaced the Treasury tokens in the 2000 mint sets. There is no specific value to this token.

The idea is to use the Search Tool to find what you are looking for. Nothing in the archives is sorted. The archives contain random questions and answers. Computers are very good at indexing text. The CoinSite computer is indexed once a day so that when new content is available, it can be found with the Search Tool.

You can see explanations for the terms that you are puzzled about at the CoinSite's What's it Worth? feature.  Here are some additional details:

Collectors buy and sell notes based on their rarity and condition. There is a grading system that describes the condition of particular notes quite accurately but common notes that have been in circulation, that is, have folds, bends, might be slightly soiled or even have a minor tear are sometimes lumped together under the heading of "Average Circulated".

Notes that are uncirculated, that is, considered in new condition, have four sharp corners, no folds or bends, have the original sizing in the paper and have no evidence of being handled.

In the manufacture of U.S. paper money, sheets that are damaged or destroyed are replaced with specially prepared sheets. Each note in the replacement sheet has a star next to the serial number to signify that it is a replacement for a missing sequence number. Star notes are scarcer than regular notes and, in many cases, bring a higher price than comparable regular notes.

The Australian government never demonetized, "called in" or otherwise withdrew from circulation the 1988 series polymer plastic, 10 Dollar notes commemorating the Bicentennial of British Settlement.  They issued thousands of them as souvenirs in special folders.  These sell retail for about US$15. Circulated examples are worth face value.

On Peace dollars, The mint mark is at 7:00 on the reverse. Philadelphia minted pieces have no mint mark.  Peace Dollars were minted in San Francisco (S), Denver (D) as well as Philadelphia.  The monogram under the truncation of the head of Liberty is the designers initials, Anthony De Francisci.

For more information, see the FAQ and article "Peace Dollars dated between 1921 and 1935".  For a more in depth study, see CoinSite's History of U.S. Coins and the article,"1921-35 SILVER DOLLAR PEACE".

The Motto "In God We Trust" was added to the $20 note in the series of 1963. Prior series do not have this motto.

No one has ever found a genuine, Mint struck, United States coin with two tails or two heads. These coins are made in a machine shop from other coins and sold in hobby stores.

You can always send your coin in for authentication to the American Numismatic Association,PCGS or NGC. See their Web sites on the CoinSite Links Page. A genuine example would be a numismatic discovery of enormous importance as well as a bewildering puzzle.

You have a modern medal struck and sold by the U.S. Mint. This type with clasped hands, showing George Washington was struck after 1900 and may still be available from the Philadelphia Mint. The mint sells copies of other historic U.S. medals from about $8 - $15 (note that these copies are often struck in a gold-colored brass alloy).

The first use of the "Peace and Friendship" design was in 1797, struck in bronze, and shows President John Adams on the obverse (size 51 mm).

We came to a field hidden behind trees just off a paved road.  There was a deep crack in the ground where a creek ran through.  There was a large round (like a pillar) stone in the water that had a hole in the center. The stone was carved round and was about 9 feet in diameter. We walked up to  an area where he told me to  look out towards a line of other trees.  I could actually make out sections of land that were squared about 20 feet by 20 feet.  The squares were lined up like on a street and some slabs and stones were very visible.

I immediately found (within 6'') buried in the ground a lock that appears to be the type reminiscent of the time when large shackles were used to hold prisoners. I also found a metal hair clasp with engravings on it.  I found a coin that may seriously interest you.   It is about the size of a quarter.  It is made of a very light weight tin and is clearly stamped on one side with:  "GOOD FOR MERCHANDISE" along the edge and 25c cents) in the center.  On the other side: A.A. SPENCER & Co OSGOOD N.C. SO. STP.& STAVY.CO.RICH'D p VA. 

I am working on providing a readable copy of the coin that can be scanned and sent via e-mail if you are interested.  What do I have? I have tried to find OSGOOD, NC on the map, but it is not listed.  I did find articles about slave breeding farms, and lost cities in N.C. If you have any information, I would appreciate it very much.  I found the coin around 12 years ago.  I've moved away from NC, but I can find the place again. Thanks, C.Morales Command Sergeant Major, US Army (Retired)

I'm sure you had a wonderful time traipsing through the lost Slave City with Steven King, Jim West, Artemis Gordon and the 150 year old farmer. It sounds like a great film script but sorry, no cigar.  You were probably looking at the ruins of a part of Osgood, North Carolina. Osgood still exists and though not a bustling metropolis, you can find it if you don't blink as you ride by. It is not far from Ft. Bragg.  Click or copy the following map link:
http://maps.yahoo.com/py/maps.py?Pyt=Tmap&addr=&city=Osgood&state=NC&slt=35.553900&sln=-79.128600&mlt=35.552900&mln=-79.100900&name=&zip=&country=us&BFCat=&BFClient=&mag=5&desc=&cs=7&newmag=6

There are lots of old abandoned towns in every area of North America.  As far as "breeding slaves", the old plantation owners knew all about that. They didn't need a doctor to tell them how to perform that kind of experiment. 

This and other nasty habits of the Southern, landed gentry was raison d'être of the Civil War (1861-65). As much as we would like to envision the evil Confederate doctor, a la your typical Nazi movie, the skill level of these "physicians" was such that pain relief involved the use of a Colt .45. These were hardly the geniuses prepared to do genetic engineering.

One of the casualties of the "War" was small change, there wasn't any. Coins were being hoarded and since necessity is such a good mother, merchants made their own tokens that passed for half-cents to 25 cent denominations. Foundries made a pretty "penny" minting tokens for desperate store owners. Stock or custom designs were offered to be given out in change in lieu of Federal or Confederate coins. No Confederate coinage was ever minted for circulation; people continued to use what Federal coinage was available to keep commerce going. Collectors call these "good-for" tokens "store cards".

Your store-card was manufactured by SO. STP.& STAVY.CO., Richmond Virginia and the store in that it was "good-for merchandise" was A.A. Spencer & Co. in Osgood, North Carolina. This token was not really made of tin but a silvered white metal (The majority of "store cards" are copper).  The metal content had to be cheap enough so the merchant good buy them at "face value" or below. Estimated value: $5 -$35 (condition is important).

If your find has created an interest in these fascinating money substitutes, get a book.  See the CoinSite's Book Page and at the page bottom, search for "tokens" to find books that will aid you in your quest.

An acute coin shortage developed in England in the late 18th and early 19th century.  There were political and economic reasons for this problem but the main cause can be traced to the erratic rule of King George III. The scarce coins were the "bread and butter" farthings, half-pennies and pennies that were so important for small sales and to make change.

A cottage industry developed minting private tokens to filled the void. These pieces were cataloged by a contemporary numismatist named James Condor.  Today, these emergency money tokens are called "Condor Tokens".

Most of these tokens were made at foundries where the skills necessary to make metal blanks existed. The theme of these tokens run the gamut from simple "good-fors" to political statements and satire.

Your piece was probably made in Warwickshire and circulated there. There are quite a few variations of the Wilkinson tokens in both copper (1787, 1790, 1794 and silver (only dated 1788).  The most common pieces shows a bust of Wilkinson facing right, on the obverse, with the words "John Wilkinson Iron Master" around and a barge or a man at a forge on the reverse.  Another reverse shows the facetious legend, "AND HE SAID LET US MAKE PENNYS AFTER MY OWN IMAGE". On the edge are the names Willey Snedshill  Bersham Bradley. Value range in average grade: $35 - $50 for the most common copper variety.

 Because of the effort in accumulating every date and mint, complete sets are usually worth more than the sum of their parts. Prices are also based on grade (condition).  Someone purchasing these sets would look first to the key dates.

For example, circulated Indian cents from the 1880's might only bring a dollar or so but even a low grade 1856 Flying Eagle would bring more than $3,000.  An 1877 Indian cent, the key date of the series, can bring $500 and a great deal more depending on grade. Lesser keys from the 1870's and coins such as the 1909-S Indian would bring hundreds of dollars.

A set of buffalo Nickels also has great potential, again, depending on grade. A key date such as the 1913-S Var 2  or 1913-D Var 2(Buffalo is standing on a line instead of a mound) can bring $100 or more in average circulated condition.

Though Jeffersons have a few weak keys, there are varieties that do bring a substantial sum.  Lincolns from 1941 are essentially face value but if they are uncirculated, each coin can be worth from $1 to $10 each.

You can also see prices for common date U.S. coins on the What's it Worth? feature on CoinSite.

You might want this potentially extremely valuable collection appraised by a trained numismatist who could advise you on how to dispose of the most valuable pieces.  Some coins do better at auction but some of the lesser pieces could be sold to a local coin dealer (or even one on CoinSite or sell them yourself on our buy/sell site www.sellcoins.com).

The 1921 France 50 centimes commemorative of the Paris Chamber of Commerce was minted in a aluminum-bronze alloy. This design was used for the 50 centimes from 1921-29.  1921 mintage: 8,692,000 pieces.  Value depends on grade (condition).  Range: US10 cents to $20.

Probably not.  Blanks are punched from pre-determined strip and though its possible for blanks to end up in the wrong bin, there are no cent-sized gold coins.

A better explanation is that the coin has been plated. This is a common practice in advertising campaigns as well as in high school experiments in electrolysis. It is also possible that the tissue paper which contains sulfur, toned the coin to a golden color.

It is easy to tell if the coin is really minted in gold. Weigh it.  A 1993 cent is struck on a zinc planchet with a copper plating. Each one weighs exactly 2.5 grams.  A gold version of a cent would weigh far more (6 -8 grams?). Plated coins have no collector value.

Of course, a gold Lincoln cent would be a major numismatic discovery as well as a mystery of how such a coin could be struck.

As a response to the rising price of copper in the 1970's, the Philadelphia Mint made an experimental run of 1.5 million aluminum cents. Because of intense criticism by the vending machine interests and others, the entire mintage was counted individually and melted. Only 12 pieces remain in private hands plus one that is in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington. These pieces are samples that Congressman didn't return to the Mint after inspecting the new cent.

To tell a genuine 1974 aluminum cent you can weigh it.   A copper cent weighs 3.11 grams an aluminum one far less.  If you believe you have an aluminum cent you can send it for authentication to the American Numismatic Association (see the CoinSite Links page). Estimated value: $25,000+

"Quid" is a slang expression for the denomination "pound".  This is analogous to using the word "buck" for a U.S. dollar. Both Australia and England were using the denomination "pound" during WW II.

In 1861 agents of the Confederate States of America commissioned die sinker Robert Lovett of Philadelphia to make cent coins for the CSA.  Lovett did this but never delivered the dies as he feared prosecution for treason. He hid the dies and sample coins in his basement where they remained hidden until 1873.

The original samples struck by Lovett were in copper-nickel not copper (the coin has a gray, nickel color).  The Garrett piece might have been Lovett's pocket piece which was accidentally spent at a bar (brought $12,500).  There are purportedly 12 other pieces.

In 1874, Capt. John W. Haseltine, who purchased the dies and remaining pieces from Lovett struck coins, using the same dies, in gold, silver and copper. The Haseltine copper restrikes have a proof finish (mirror fields and struck more than one time). About 55 pieces were struck. Garrett's Haseltine example sold, for I think, about $2,500 in the 1980's but would probably bring far more than that today.

Note that there are thousands of modern replicas that were manufactured for sale in museum and souvenir shops. These have no collector value. Manufacturers of replicas of confederate cents are not compelled to add the word 'replica' or 'copy' as required by the Hobby Protection Act of Congress but in any case, these replicas are not meant to deceive anyone.

Authentication is important and this can be accomplished at the American Numismatic Association (see their link on the CoinSite's Links page).