Baby Boomer Pocket Change

Some Paid Mortgage With Error Coin Finds on 1995 Pennies

I just read this interesting article about double die errors on 1995 pennies. The fact that when they were first discovered provided good premiums is very encouraging. Now, this same find will bring in money but not as much as it did at that time. Anyway, read this article by Coin World on the 1995 penny errors and start looking at your pocket change.

Tags: 1995 penny errors, double die

10 Very Valuable Coin Errors to Look For in Your Pocket Change

I found a really good article that summarizes 10 valuable coin errors. It also indicates the estimated value. So, join me in this adventure. Note, that if you go to the bank for half-dollar coins do not be surprised if there are not that many. Many folks know about the spot value of silver and if silver is high will flip the coins for the price of the silver.

Read the article about 10 coin errors to be on the lookout for in your pocket change.

Please let me know if you are successful.

Tags: coin errors, pocket change

See Pictures of Errors on Presidential Dollars

A picture is worth a 1000 words. So, with hope getting help in discovering errors on your Presidential Dollars please review this excellent blog post by Susan Headley, an easy to understand, yet comprehensive coin expert.

And yes, this baby boomer is still excited about her adventure in the world of error coins.

Tags: baby boomer, Error Coins, presidential coin errors

New Lincoln Penny Series

The new Lincoln penny series has been a hit! So I decided to share a few articles which explain the series. Please note the discussions about the mintage, money value and artistic design.

What does the US Mint have to say about the Lincoln penny series

US Mint descriptions of the Lincoln Penny series

How many Lincoln pennies were minted in Philadelphia and how many in Denver?

Mintage of Lincoln pennies up to now

Even more on Lincoln penny mintage

Visit this site that has a single focus on the L incoln Penny

A new website just about the Lincoln Penny

I am including these article specifically for my husbands art class.

Earlier in the year one penny actually sold for $400, Why?

Lincoln Penny Craze at first release

Penny Mania

Artist Renderings of the New Pennies

Focus on art design of the newest penny-Professional Life

Would you like to add anything?

Tags: art design on coins, coin art, Lincoln penny series, new pennies

What Does the Term BU Mean in Coin Language?

I recently saw a coin for sale on Ebay and the term used was BU. So, I found a great definition by Susan Headley who I respect very much. Read what this coin language means when it says a coin is “BU”

Tags: bu defined, coin language, coin talk

Two Coins Already Unavailable in the US Mint

There are two coins that are unavailable in the USMint. This should mean that the value will rise if you have them. Read this blog post about the two coins and all t he comments.

Tags: coins, quarter coins

Finders of Gold 1933 Coins Wants to Keep Them

A family found  gold coins owned by their relative. The coins are  very rare will fetch millions. However, the US Mint never released them and claim they were stolen. Read more and view the beautiful coins.

I have personally never seen a real gold coin so I must make a trip to the dealer and look inside the case.

Tags: 1933 gold coins, gold, gold coins

New Quarter Series in 2010

Get ready for the release of the new quarterseries. This new series will feature the National Parks.

After my brief immersion into coins I have discovered that it is better to get the coins uncirculated. If you can also consider getting proof coins from the Mint or your local dealer.

The resale value is better when they are not circulated coins and in great condition. Also, proof coins are just prettier and made for collecting.

In addition each coin will be a piece of art. They will be designed by artists and collecting them will be like collecting a piece of artwork. So if you think about it an uncirculated coin is like seein the work in an art exhibit or on TV. An uncirculated coin from the bank rolls is like getting an open edition print. Whereas a proof coin is like buying a limited edition print. The Silver Proof, in my opinion, is llike buying the original.

So,keep an out out for the coin holders and the release of the coins. You can read an article that was in the Wallet Pop yesterday on the new quarters.

Tags: artists, national park coins, Quarters

Two Rolls of Lincoln Pennies Sell for $20.00 on Ebay

I saw  where two rolls of the Lincoln pennies, The Formative Years, sold for $20.00 on Ebay. Why? Probably because they are sold out at the mint. These are just one a series of new pennies you will see.

They are going to make a wonderful collection for you and your grandchildren. So go read the history and check out other releases as well as sets available at the US Mint.

Now some of the sets are on back order and others are sold out. But you can get a set of the pennies included in the 2009 proof set as well as the silver proof set.

Of course your local dealer will have a supply so you can also start your collection by chatting with one that will also educate you on the collection process.

Tags: lincoln pennies

Why Bother to Get Your Coins Certified?

In coin collecting, coin grading is the process of determining the grade or condition of a coin, one of the key factors in its value as a collector’s item…

As of 2008, there are three prevalent coin grading services: PCGS, NGC, and ANACS. There are subtle variations in the grades assigned by each of these major services, and prospective buyers are encouraged to seek professional or expert advice before making any important rare coin purchases.

Wikipedia

Certifying the coin you brought will  provide increased security that it is in fact the real deal. If for example, it is supposed to be a rare old coin how do you know it has not been tampered with? In addition could the coin you brought on Ebay be a phony? How do you know that the coin you brought will have market value?

What I am finding out is that certification is a good idea if you want to eventually sell the coin. Yes, you will pay to have a certification service do the grading but you will have expert graders look at it.

Now, some of you are saying “I heard that each certification service may grade differently?

Well, I heard the same thing. It appears that some services are more generous than others in their grading of your coin. Each one uses some kind of system.

Check out what Wikepedia had to say:

n the May 26 2003 edition of Coin World, the hobby newspaper had announced they had contracted investigators to conduct a year-long, comparative study of PCGS, ACCGS.org, NGC along with several other grading services, each know as a TPG or Third Party Grader. In their investigation, Coin World sent several of the same coins were sent to each grading service over the course of a year, each coin being graded by all Third Party Graders sent to. The findings were; “In no case did the grading services agree on the grade of any given coin, and in some cases the difference in grading was as much as seven points off”. By way of example, a finding published by Coin World involved one case where ACCGS had graded a coin as “cleaned”, which lowers the coin value, Additionally the coin had been graded several grades lower than PCGS while PCGS had not noted the same coin was “in fact, cleaned”. It is standard in U.S. numismatics to grade coins on a point-scale from 1 (poor) to 70 (perfect)and to note if a coin has been cleaned or poorly mishandled, or in some cases, to reject it for encapsulation.

In September 2004, members of the American Numismatic Association (ANA) reported seeing counterfeit NGC PCGS holders (also known as “slabs”) at the Long Beach Coin Show. Members of the Beverly Hills Coin Club,(BHCC) an affiliate club-member of the ANA, had reported counterfeit coin slabs as early as December 3, 1998. As a direct result, BHCC partnered with ACCGS, manned by unpaid club volunteers, as a pre-certification service for coins and to “guarantee the authenticity of slabs or Third Party Grader holders”. More counterfeit PCGS and NGC holders were reported on eBay in 2005 and later years, but NCG did not address the problem until 2008, after high-quality counterfeit holders had been seen and purchased on eBay. Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) published the following acknowledgment on January 7, 2008:

“NGC has identified and confirmed that (counterfeit replicas) of its holder has been produced…….The holder has been seen housing counterfeit dollar or foreign crown size coins. While the enclosed coins are also counterfeit, the label information matches the coin type enclosed. The label information is copied from actual NGC certification labels, and the certification information therefore will match the NGC database. Most frequently, Trade Dollars and Bust Dollars are found, although Flowing Hair Dollars and foreign coins have also been seen. A range of grades is also represented.”

NGC and PCGS counterfeit holders have been reported in eBay forums and more may be reported by other firms and individuals. The PCGS website notes that they “anticipate that authentic coins will eventually be placed into counterfeit holders”. Third party graders are taking measures to resist counterfeiting, however, counterfeit holders may multiply and improve over time. Numismatic Guaranty Corporation and PCGS offer no reimbursement liability for the prices paid for coins in their counterfeit holders. Both firms have online links to verify the holder numbers. However, many buyers may not be computer users or may be unaware of such links. Caution is advised when purchasing coins in PCGS and Numismatic Guaranty Corporation holders as the seller can disclaim liability due to the “third party” nature of the counterfeit holder. Additionally, it may be too late to request refunds from eBay sellers before holders can be verified as counterfeits. Many coins are posted on eBay and through other venues “as is” and therefore with no return privileges.

I came across some information online by Reid Goldsborough and was impressed with the summary provided for each grading service along with the prices. So, take a few minutes to visit the page and read it.

Some of the services require that you are a member of a group or coin club and some do not. Some have a good reputation with coin experts and some are not held in high esteem.

Finally, what ever you decide to do keep your coins secure. Be very wary of keeping them in your home unless YOU KNOW they are secure certified or uncertified.

Tags: Certification, coin certification