The Coin Doc's Answers

Name:        Bill McDaniel
Email Address:   blm2831@aol.com
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Question:        We have a $100.00 dollar bill that has a mustache on the hologram of the president. We would like to know if this is worth anything. We also have a quarter that has nothing on either side except a very faint image of a tree. We beleive this is one of the new Connecticut quarters. Could you please let us know if these are worth anything.  Thank-You.

 United States currency doesn't use holograms.  However, there are watermarks that can be seen when the note is held up to a strong light. Watermarks are impressed into paper during its manufacture not when the note is printed.  I haven't heard of a "mustache" watermark but I guess it is possible to have variations in the paper that would make it seem as if the watermark had a moustache. I haven't heard of any reports or values for such a variety.

You may have a test strike of a Connecticut quarter. Test strikes at low pressure are often performed by a new crew during the change of shift at the Mint. Normally test strikes are destroyed but it is certainly possible that such coins could get mixed with normally struck pieces.  Test strikes would be worth more than face value.  You would want to have the coin certified or authenticated.  You can contact NGC or the ANA for information.  See their links on the CoinSite Links Page.

You are referring to the Philippine cents struck at the Manila Mint. The Philippines were under U.S. Sovereignty from after the Spanish American War (1898) to 1946. There were 5,657,161 centavos struck in 1929. Approximate value Range depending on grade (condition)....$1 - $25.

Proofs are specially made coins for presentation or sale to collectors.  They differ from "business strikes", that is, normal coins designed to circulate, in the following ways:

-Proof blanks are highly polished. Normal blanks  have dull surfaces.
-Proof dies are carefully made and are essentially flawless. Normal dies may exhibit die polishing marks, tooling marks, minor cracks or other flaws.
-Proof coins struck from proof dies are struck multiple times and handled individually. They have a higher relief than normal strikes.  Normal strikes are struck once at high speed and permitted to fall into a hopper with other coins. Normal strikes are counted and stored in canvas bags where they are subjected to contact marks from other coins.
-Proofs normally exhibit mirror fields and are well struck with, sometimes frosted, devices.  Normal coins usually have lustrous fields, though some 19th century first strikes may have "proof-like" fields as well.
-Morgan Dollar proofs were minted in Philadelphia (no mint mark). (All United States Coins, proof\ or business strike, without mint marks were struck at the Philadelphia Mint.)

There were proof Morgan Dollars struck in 1883.  If you believe you have a proof Morgan, you should have it authenticated and graded. Many proofs were abused over the years as many of the recipients of these coins were not coin collectors. Grading helps position the coin in the market place.  You can have your coin graded at NGC or PCGS. See their links on the CoinSite Links Page.

You have an 1875 United States Seated dime that has been turned into a "Love Token". For more information about Seated Dimes see History of U.S. Coins .   It was the fashion in the period after the Civil War (1861-1865) to take common coins, have a jeweler plane off one side and engrave the name of ones beau in place of the design and give the resulting piece as a gift.  Love Tokens typically show elaborate Initials, names and landscapes (scarce). Love tokens have been made on Large Cents (scarce), nickels (scarce), dimes and quarters (common), half-dollars (scarce), dollars (rare) and $1, $2 1/2 and $5 gold coins (scarce to rare). They also appear on other world coins

They are often seen holed so that they could be worn on a necklace or chain. Bracelets exists with multiple love tokens, mostly using dimes or half-dimes (rare). Other uses included cufflinks, studs, buttons and money clips. Value Range: $5 and up

You have a 1792 2 Sols; the coin is bronze not billon.  The billion versions are smaller with a crown over vegetation. Billon (silver washed base metal) 2 Sols were not minted after 1764.

The 1792 2 Sols show a bust of King Louis XVI facing left, the date is below. To the left of the date is the privy mark of the assayer and to the right the mint mark (there are 18 mints that made this coin) .  The legend around is LOUIS XVI ROI DES FRANCOIS (Louis XVI, King of the French).

The reverse show the Roman fasces (which consists of an executioners axe bound to a bundle of rods or sticks) at center, at the top of the fasces are a Liberty cap. This central design is surrounded by a wreath.  The legend around is LA NATION LA LOI LE ROI (The Nation, The Law, The King).  Similar Roman faces also appear on the reverse of the United States' Winged Liberty dime (1916 - 1945).

Value depends on the grade (condition) of the coin and the mint mark. Depending on these factors, the approximate value range is US$1 - $300.

You have a 1952 South Africa 5 Shilling. During this period South Africa was part of the British Commonwealth and appropriately shows the current king of England on the obverse.  This year, the coin was struck as a commemorative of the founding of Capetown, South Africa in 1652.  The description of the coin is as follows:

The obverse shows the head of King George VI of England facing left. Around, is the Latin legend GEORGIVS SEXTVS REX (King George VI). The reverse shows a ship at center; land with mountains in the distance.  The legends around are in Afrikans and English, SUID-AFRIKA 1652-1952-SOUTH AFRICA* 5s.

The coin was struck in .500 fine silver and contains .4546 troy ounce of pure silver. 363,000 pieces were struck. Approximate value range, depending on grade: bullion value - bullion value + 50%

You have a 1856 Great Britain gold half-sovereign.  It shows the young head of Queen Victoria facing left with the Latin legend, VICTORIA DEI GRATIA (Victoria by the Grace of G-d).  The legend continues on the reverse surrounding a crowned shield, BRITANNIARUM REGINA FID DEF (Queen of Britain and Defender of the Faith).

The coin contains .1177 troy ounce of gold. About 2,392,000 pieces were struck.   Approximate value range depends on grade (condition): gold value to US$500.

Your notes are replicas.  Currency was never printed on Parchment. Actually, genuine examples were printed on white linen paper, black and red or green and have hand signed signatures not printed signatures.  Your replicas go under the heading of play money and used to be a staple of 5 and dime stores.  You can still find these notes in packs sometimes in hobby or toy shops.

This is a late Pennsylvania Colonial issues. This note was a the second issue for the "Jail and Correctional Institution Construction".  Original notes are printed in black on paper with mica flakes and blue fibers.  They were printed with plate letter "A" (Pensilvania) or "B" (Pensylvania) by Hall and Sellers.  The number printed is unknown.

These notes are frequently found in the colonial paper money market and sell between $25 and $100+ depending on grade (condition).

No one has yet discovered a two headed or two tailed coin that was struck at a United States Mint. The reason for this is that obverse and reverse dies are constructed differently. Two obverse or two reverse dies won't fit in a coin press.

Two headed or two tailed coins are made from two other coins in a machine shop. The coins are prepared by hollowing out each half.  Sometimes the coin halves are filled with lead or some other material to give the coin the feeling of weight. One half has the rim but the other half doesn't. The coin halves are joined together at the rim that is why there is no seam on the edge. You can purchase these coins at a hobby or magic shop for about $8.

You can also weigh your coin. Nickels weigh exactly 5 grams. Any deviation from this weight would indicate an altered coin. If you believe that you may have discovered the first known, Mint struck, double sided piece, you can have your coin authenticated at the American Numismatic Association, NGC or PCGS. See their links on the CoinSite Links page.  A positive identification would be front page news, a major numismatic discovery as well as an unsolved mystery.

You can find more information about "magicians coins" by using the CoinSite Search Tool and searching for "Magic coins".

Another question is why did the U.S. Mint strike additional S.B.A. coins? They say it was do to a shortage.  Why though produce more of the coins they should be concerned about replacing and withdrawing from circulation? Finally, I thought the purpose of having a three layered coin was for the public to be able to differentiate the color of the copper core and outer layer cupro-nickel from single layered coins.  This security feature seems inadequate in the case of the new "Golden Dollar" as it is difficult to see the distinction between the layers whether tarnished or not.  Note the U.K. 2 pence coin is the same size and has the same edge as the dollar coin. thank you

The reason for the round instead of multi-sided coin was because of problems that the vending machine industry had in developing a mechanism to accept such a coin. The Feminist movement was responsible for having Susan B. Anthony's portrait instead of the allegorical head of Liberty. The SBA dollar was also minted in the prescribed clad sandwich as the dime, quarter and half dollar. Though the edge is round, the SBA dollar has a multisided rim. This was a consideration for the blind.

Though there certainly were "too many cooks", the chief reason for the coin's failure as a circulating medium probably lies in the fact that Americans do not want to give up the paper dollar. I don't think the size, shape, color or who is portrayed on the coin has any bearing at all.

Actually, the SBA dollar was quite successful, not as main-stream money, but as a token.  Many municipalities in the United States adopted the SBA as a transportation token.  'A great idea, considering the cost saving of not having to make ones own token. The coin was also heavily used in Postal vending machines (all the change was in SBA dollars) and in private vending machines.

The coin was so successful as a token, that by 1999 the U.S. Treasury was almost out of their vast supply of 1979 and 1980 SBA's. Since the new dollar couldn't be minted until 2000, another run of SBA's was minted to enhance the supply.

Note that SBA's have not been withdrawn nor are they obsolete. They are exactly the same weight and size as the Sacagawea Dollar and they are interchangeable in vending machines and turnstiles. In fact, the challenge was to make a different looking coin with exactly the same weight (8.1 grams) and electrical characteristics as the SBA dollar.  The resulting coin is not a clad piece at all but an alloy of Manganese-Brass (88.5% Cu, 6% Zn, 3.5% Mn, 2% Ni).

In 1907, Edward VII (the oldest son of Queen Victoria) was King and his name is on all English coins dated from 1902 to 1910.  There were four gold coins that were minted under Edward's reign. A half sovereign, about the size of a U.S. Dime, a sovereign, about the size of a U.S. Nickel, a 2 L about the size of a U.S. half dollar and a  gold 5L, about the size of a U.S. Silver Dollar

The Medallic Art Company is a private organization that strikes bas relief medals by commissioned sculptors for hire as well as for their own account. They have been in existence since 1903. The Lunar Landing medal is one of their own creations.  You can often find Medallic Art medals in exonumia auctions where modern medals similar to this one usually sell for between $35 and $50.

If you wish more information you can call the Medallic Art Company at 800-843-9854.

Coin Dealers and collectors like to put their own codes and a description of a coin's grade on their holders.

1935p - The date and mint mark of the dollar. "P" means the coin was struck at the Philadelphia Mint.  Philadelphia mint coins in this era have no mint mark

BU = Brilliant Uncirculated.  That is an older term meaning a coin in new condition with no trace of wear, full mint luster and no tarnish or patina.

" pw" represent the owners initials or it might be the retail value in code. "EBXX" = the owners code for his cost for the coin.

As for value, there are 11 mint state grades, MS60 - MS70 and each grade ratchets up the value. Grades above MS65 get very pricey.  "Perfect" coins would be considered MS70 and this is only theoretical.

For example, recent Coin World Trends show the 1935P dollar to be priced at: MS60 $42, MS62 $50, MS63 $70 MS64 $150 MS65 $640.  Examples of this coin in higher grades are valued at thousands and then Tens of thousands of dollars.

You can get your coin graded by NGC, PCGS or ANACS.  See the CoinSite Links page for more information.

This is a "mule" of a "Condor" token, the emergency minor coinage that aided the shortage of small change between 1778 -1812 in England.  Hundreds of different types exist and often show political and social messages or commemorate various events or people.
	These emergency pieces were usually made at large foundries though copies were sometimes made at smaller sites.   The piece that you have shows a bust of St. Bevois wearing a helmet (1797).  The original Southampton piece shows a feathered plumb at top.  The copies are usually of poor quality as this is, but this token usually shows an allegorical design of Justice holding balance scales on the reverse.  This piece has the reverse of a North Wales halfpenny (1795) with exactly the same design as the George Washington piece that is lumped together with pre-federal United States coinage. Mules and false-edges are fairly common for these tokens.  It seems that after an order was executed, the manufacturer of the tokens kept the original dies.
There are lots of varieties caused by muling one token with another.  There are also counterfeits both contemporary and modern that are attempts to create "discovery pieces" for collectors.  I can't tell you which category your token falls into as I can't examine the token here. You can send the token to the American Numismatic Association for authentication and attribution. The value depends on this information. For more information about these emergency tokens click here.

Ironing the sheet is destructive and apparent to an expert.  Leave the sheet as is.  The small wrinkle will not have that much of an effect on future value.  Tampering with the sheet will reduce its future value substantially.

You have a United States, National Currency Note issued by the First National Bank of Shreveport, Louisiana, charter number 3595.  Based on the serial number, your note is "Third Charter, Plain Back, Blue seal (the 1902 series ran from 1902-1908).

The First National Bank of Shreveport was chartered on December 3, 1886 with capitol of $200,000.  It was absorbed into the City National Bank of Shreveport (charter number 10870).  It was later absorbed by other local banks and finally, in 1930, with The American National Bank of Shreveport (charter number 8440).  This bank was placed in receivership on April 19, 1935 due to lack of sufficient assets (a casualty of the Depression).

The National Bank System was started after the Civil War to stabilize the economic system and to guarantee the redeemability of currency.  The National Banking System ended in 1929. Note that these notes are still legal tender for face value but their collector value is far higher.  Value depends on grade (condition). Approximate value range: $50 - $400.

For more information about National Currency see the CoinSite FAQ and the article entitled "National Currency".

This token was imported from Birmingham, England by a firm in Toronto, c.1820. Because there was little or no official coinage in Eastern Canada these halfpenny tokens were accepted for payment of goods. Other halfpenny and penny tokens of various designs also existed during this period. Private tokens were outlawed in Canada in 1825.

The Obverse shows a worker with a farm implement, around, NO LABOUR  NO BREAD.  The reverse shows a team and plow, around, SPEED THE PLOUGH   HALF PENNY TOKEN. Value depends on grade (condition).  Average circulated examples bring from US$10 - $25.