blog

    Baltimore Coin Show Report for March, 2018

    Baltimore Coin Show Report for March, 2018

    Posted by JonSullivan on Mar 29th 2018

    The Baltimore coin show held last week in Baltimore, MD, can best be described as "excellent." We did a lot of buying and selling, overall had a great show. Sales were stronger than we expected, and we sold a lot more than we expected to. Additionally, purchases were good, and we bought some rarities, as well as a pile of inexpensive errors. Many of the rare coins are off being graded, while …
    read more
    Type 1 & 2 Blanks and Planchets

    Type 1 & 2 Blanks and Planchets

    Posted by JonSullivan on Mar 5th 2018

    Here is an excellent article on the difference between type 1 and 2 blanks and planchets. It is a topic which causes a lot of confusion in the error hobby since people use the terms interchangeably. We try to stick with the definitions as laid out in this article put out by NGC, since we think they make the most sense. https://www.ngccoin.com/news/article/328/ …
    read more
    Long Beach Coin Show Report February, 2018

    Long Beach Coin Show Report February, 2018

    Posted by JonSullivan on Mar 2nd 2018

    Last week, March 21-24th, 2018, we attended the Long Beach coin show in California. The show is held three times year, and is one of the larger shows of the year nationwide. Due perhaps to it's location, and the more difficult tax situation, it tends to not be as well attended as shows in more "coin show friendly" states, although it still brings in many dealers and collectors, particul …
    read more
    FUN Show 2018...and the Year Ahead

    FUN Show 2018...and the Year Ahead

    Posted by JonSullivan on Jan 25th 2018

    The FUN coin show in Tampa FL, January 3-7th, 2018, was one of the best shows we've attended in years, in terms of overall, healthy market activity. There was a good amount of buying and selling for us, but also just for the coin market (errors and U.S.), the activity and buzz was visible everyday we were at the show. Even Saturday, when the show started to wind-down, there were dealers and c …
    read more
    Baltimore Coin Show Report November, 2017

    Baltimore Coin Show Report November, 2017

    Posted by JonSullivan on Nov 30th 2017

    Baltimore Coin Show Report  November, 2017The recent Baltimore Whitman expo, held in Baltimore, Maryland November 8-12, was an excellent show—one of our best of the year in fact. There were, relatives speaking, a lot of error collectors in attendance, as well as activity both buying and selling. We sold more than we usually would at a Baltimore show, and were pleased with the total sales for …
    read more
    New Discovery: Proof Ike $1 and Kennedy 50c Struck on Shell Tokens!

    New Discovery: Proof Ike $1 and Kennedy 50c Struck on Shell Tokens!

    Posted by JonSullivan on Oct 6th 2017

    We recently made a discovery that Coin World has published in their weekly paper. Proof Ike dollars and Kennedy halves are known from the 1970's which are struck on aluminum coins or tokens. Until now, it was unknown what token or coin these proof Ike and Kennedy halves were struck on, but we did some research and were able to figure it out by clsoely examing a proof 1970-S Kennedy half and a proo …
    read more
    The 3rd Known Two-Tailed Washington Quarter Comes to Market

    The 3rd Known Two-Tailed Washington Quarter Comes to Market

    Posted by JonSullivan on Oct 2nd 2017

    Coin World just recently reported the existence of a 3rd known example of the remarkable two-tailed Washington quarter mule. The coin has two reverses, and as such cannot be dated, but it is believed to date back to the 1960's.The full article can be found on Coin World's website: http://www.coinworld.com/news/us-coins/2017/09/pcgs-certifies-two-tailed-washington-quarter-dollar.html?utm_medium=Ema …
    read more
    ANA Correspondence Course Mint Errors & Varieties

    ANA Correspondence Course Mint Errors & Varieties

    Posted by JonSullivan on Aug 24th 2017

    Do you feel like you know the difference between a mint error and a "damaged" coin? Do you know the difference between an error and a variety? If not, you should take the ANA's correspondence courses ""The Modern Minting Process", and "U.S. Minting Errors & Varieties." They are excellent courses which will teach you all the fundamentals (and more) about errors and varieties. You will then have a s …
    read more
    CONECA Error & Variety Coin Club

    CONECA Error & Variety Coin Club

    Posted by JonSullivan on Aug 17th 2017

    For those of you who are not members, CONECA is the no.1 error coin club in the United States. It has approximately 650 members across the U.S. and around the world, with members participating in writing articles for the club journal "Errorscope", and with annual club meetings held in conjunction with the ANA World's Fair of Money. The club also is a excellent way to connect to the "experts" …
    read more
    Denver Mint's Quality Control is High

    Denver Mint's Quality Control is High

    Posted by JonSullivan on Aug 14th 2017

    Above Image via Coin WorldThe Denver Mint is very concerned about catching any errors before they make it out of the Mint, as this article details. Interestingly, the Mint employs a tool for catching rotated dies, and also for checking the coin's thickness. Additionally, the article shows photos of the Mint employee visually checking coins (which is done every 15 minutes.) The odds of a cud gettin …
    read more