My Coin Box's 1 Month Anniversary!

I can't believe that it's finally here! It has been a month since I first posted on this blog about my Gold Dollar. Since then I have posted about my other various collectable coins and The Greatest City In The World! I have enjoyed writing and showing off my coins and getting over 4,976 views which may not be much but is more than some people's views so I am fine with it. Blogging is one of the most enjoyable things I do everyday but between school and family and everyday things sometimes I don't have time to post. I hope to blog for many months and years to come and to collect for many years to come too. Happy Hunting!

1909 Lincoln Cent!

This is one of the most well known coins in numismatic history. It is the 1909 Lincoln Cent also known as a Wheat Penny or Wheat Cent. This type of cent was issued from 1909-1958 and after that the memorial cent was issued and now the shield cent is the newest design. It is a V.D.B cent even though it is hardly visible in the picture. It is Mint State-63 with good luster and according to my Red Book is about $30.00 in value although mine could be worth more. In Good-4 they go for about $12.00 so it is a good coin to own regardless of condition.
(NOTE: The 1909-S version goes for $850.00 in Good-4 and $2,000 in MS-63. 1909 NO V.D.B. goes for $3.50 in G-4 and $24.00 in MS-63. 1909-S NO V.D.B. goes for $100.00 in G-4 and $375.00 in MS-63. 1909-S/Horiz. S goes for $110.00 in G-4 and $400.00 in MS-63.)

Susan B. Anthony Dollars!

These are some 1979-P Anthony Dollars and not the valuable kind. These are the narrow rim version. The wide rim versions have the date almost touching the rim. These are circulated and only worth face value. Here is a link to show the difference between the two versions:1979 Anthony Dollars. They were first approved because "Ike" Dollars were too big for vending machines and such. Many people confused them with quarters and they are rare to find in circulation today although many millions were produced in the first year alone. All three are from circulation one is from a gas station, one is from some sort of machine (I'm not quite sure exactly where because it was a gift), and the other was from change at the flea market that I buy coins from when the guy ran out of dollar bills (I also got a Sacagewea Dollar which I will post about next month). These coins are not that popular among collectors and were not that popular when they were issued so they were only issued from 1979-1981 and once again in 1999. After that the Sacagewea dollars took their place. I will get into more details when I post about one.

One Last German Coin!

This is a 10 pfennig issued after WWII nothing special so this will be a short post. Dated 1950 with an "F" mint mark on it. Very cool design on both sides. Very simplistic and practical. Kind of reminds me of Seated Liberty American coins that had a simple design on the front and the denomination on the back... at least for the half dime and dime. This coin is worth just $0.10 in this condition.

Who's Your Uncle?

Whenever I'm in New York I always go to Uncle Louie G's ice cream shop. There is one near the Brooklyn apartment I stay in so when I pass by I always get some. Fortunately or unfortunately, I'm not sure which, I hardly ever pass by it. If you noticed the top picture it says "Who's Your Uncle?" which I think is hilarious for some reason. It has delicious ice cream and friendly cashiers and is a must go to destination when your in Brooklyn. Here is a link to show where it is and what people have said about it. Uncle Louie G's Brooklyn.

Тхе Статуе оф Либертыьс оригинал Торч!

Тхис ис мы фирст ал Руссиан пост анд И ам донг ит бецаусе И тхоугхт ит вельд бе интерестинг. Тхис ис тхе Статуе оф Либертыьс оригинал торч тхат вас реплацед фор some реасон. Тхе торч тхат ис уп нов ис гольд платед. Тхе оригинал торч ис инсиде оф тхе Статуе оф Либерти фор пеопле то таки пицтурес оф анд суч. Ит ис ан амазинг ехпериенции со if ые вант то го анд хаве тхе моней ые шелд. Тхе онли довнсиде ис ые хаве то ордер кровн тицкец монтхс ин адванце. То гет он тхе бот анд го there ис виртуаллы но вать. И Лове NY(C)!

The New WTC!

We are all aware of the tragic events that happened on that fateful Tuesday 9/11/2001. Many lives were lost, many bodies were never found, and many families were devaststed. For many it was a day of uncertainty. Was everyone in the family all right? Were we at war? Were there going to be more attacks? No one was certain. Luckily no one in my family was injured or killed in the attacks and hopefully no one in yours was either. Now over ten years later there will finally be a building in the once desolate spot that was the WTC. This picture was taken in at the end of June-beginning of July so it is outdated but it is the best I have. I cannot wait to see it completed next time I visit NYC!

Spumoni and Sicilian Pizza!

Spumoni Gardens History

First, I would like to start by saying Happy Thanksgiving. Second, this sign is the one in front of the famous Spumoni Gardens that has the best spumoni and sicilian pizza (and the only spumoni and sicilian pizza) I have ever had. Spumoni is kind of like a mix of Italian Ice and ice cream and usually comes in chocolate and pistachio. I don't have enough time to post much more so there is a link at the top. It isn't much but it will have to do.

The Greatest City in the World!

I have now decided to do about a weeks worth of posts about New York City. I'm not quite sure why but it seems kind of appropriate with the Macy's parade and everything else going on in the city. First, I will start with a sign from Wall Street. It is America's financial capital (if you don't get the joke don't bother) and of course is where millions of stocks are traded, bought, and sold. The buildings are very magnificent especially on the inside. The only reason I know this is because my daring aunt and I ventured into one like we knew what we were doing and walked out as if we had just concluded an important meeting even though we were only inside for about 1 minute. I don't think we would have been in any trouble in the first place but when venturing into a random building you don't know the rules so we just decided to play it safe. A little bit of history: Wall Street History. 

Es lebe Deutschland!

After doing some posts on German coins I took a break and talked about various different things. I decided I would use this coin since I don't have time to take pictures and this is the only coin left on my computer's memory (I delete coins I have already done). It is my highest denomination German coin and is worth about $6.00 in AU which is what this one is. Хаппы Тханксгивинг!

Holey Cent!

The general story of this coin is pretty basic. First, someone drilled or hammered a hole right above Lincoln's head. Second, that person made little marks on the edges possibly to fit it in a holder or just to give it a different look. Third, that person most likely used it as  jewelery and it somehow ended up in circulation. It has only metal and/or artistic value which could range from $0.02-$0.10 but most people do not want a worn, brown coin for jewelery. This means the most it is worth is most likely $0.02 for metal and because of the hole.
(NOTE: normal pre-1982 cents are worth about $0.03-$0.05 for copper value alone.)

Post WWII cent!

In 1951 America had just survived a huge depression in the 30s, the biggest war in history in the 40s and things were finally starting to seem normal (except for the possibility of nuclear war). People were making more money and spending more money and there was the baby boom that led to millions of American children being born. This cent was also issued. It is a 1951-S with nothing too special about it except the seldom seen mint mark. The reason for this is because since 1971 the San Fransisco mint only makes higher end coins for collectors. It is only worth about copper value or $0.03-$0.05 because it is so worn and has many scratches. It is still cool though.

Clarification.

After Man at Coined For Money featured me in a post about nickels I thought I should clarify why I call anything pre-1965 old. It is mainly because of the switch from silver to cu-ni (Copper-Nickel) in the dime, quarter, and half dollar. It is also because I have many 1964 nickels. The story pretty much goes like this: I went to a gas station to get some snacks, I got what I needed, I got in line and paid, I checked the change and discovered a 1964-D nickel. Being as young as I am (my age is not specified on this blog) this was exciting and was a great addition to my collection esp. because of the mint mark being on the back and my collection was only change finds not things I buy like I do now (even though I still look through change to try to find interesting coins). Since then I have found several 1964s and 1964-Ds although the 1964-Ds seem to dominate my finds despite me living on the east coast. I later found out that 2,811,969,190 were made that year at both Philadelphia and Denver with Denver having made slightly more than Philadelphia. I suppose that explains why I have found so many and why I have more Denvers but I would think more people would pay attention to their change to see if they had anything interesting. Then again today my mom asked me about a 2004 Keelboat nickel and said she had never noticed one in her change before so I guess not.

New Look and Deutsche Marks!

As you can probably tell, I have "redone" my blog to give it a look more suitable for my passion. Yes I love currency too even if it isn't really mentioned or shown much on my blog. Anyway this is a 1950 1 Deutsche Mark from Germany (of course). I went into depth about the general history of the post-WWII German coins yesterday so check there if you want a history lesson. This particular coin is valued at about $1.50 although it could go for $2.00. I started my German coin collection with Euros and then found this coin and the coins I posted about yesterday about a year after I got my first Euros and I've been collecting ever since. This is one of my oldest foreign coins but as I mentioned in "Happy Birthday Canada!" my oldest is a Swiss 5 Rappen.

I hate (internet) Spam!

This post is completely irrelavent to numismatics (coin collecting for any new collectors out there) but I feel I must post it. While going through the views of this blog I found that many people had visited but few comments were left. I did a little investigation and figured out that most were scammers and spammers trying to prey on the innocent with promise of riches and all sorts of other junk and some were good people like Man at Coined For Money who actually came to post a comment and read my blog. Luckily I have the word verification which is supposed to help keep comments with  spam away. It works fine now but as technology advances I don't know what will become of the web with so many weirdos out there. I guess the only way to get rid of the problems is to get rid of the people...

Post-WWII German Coins!

In 1949 and 1950  the world was in economic turmoil after the worst depression in American history and the worst war in world history. The 50's were a good time for America. There was lots of economic growth and population growth due to troops coming home and the baby boom era. In Germany people were coming from the front lines to discover no homes, no food, no water, and no money. The Nazi coins were being taken out of circulation and destroyed and exchanged for Deutsche Marks. These are 50 Pfennig coins which were Germany's equivalent to the half dollar. You may have noticed a difference in design on the bottom picture. The 1949 says Bank Deutscher Laender (the dots above the a in Lander are the equivalent of an E) and the 1950 says Bundersrepublik Deutschland. The 1949 is worth about $0.75 and the 1950 is worth about $0.50. These are my closest foreign coins to WWII except my 1939 2 Reichs Mark which actually circulated during WWII.

Worn Down To Nothing (Almost) Dime Version!

I just had to post this especially because it is so weird. It is the most worn dime I have ever found in circulation. It is dated 1977 and probably has no value over novelty and/or face value if that. It probably was in Vegas in some casino circulating since it was released and was brought back as some change and spent. It is one of my favorites because of its appearance. It just interests me.

Happy Birthday Canada!

Canada became its own country in 1867. Everyone was happy to be in their own country instead of a colony under European rule. 100 years later they issued a 1867-1967 cent to commemorate their 100th year of independence kind of like our bicentennial coins (by our I mean U.S.A.'s). They are very common which explains why I found it 44 years later in NYC. The obverse is Queen Elizabeth II. On the reverse is a Rock Dove, denomination, Canada, and 1867-1967. It is worth around $0.03 in this condition mostly for copper value. It is the second oldest foreign coin I have found in circulation the oldest being a 1921 Swiss 5 Rappen. It is the oldest canadian cent I have found.

Quarter of the old west!

In 1877 the presidential election was over and everyone could return to their normal lives without arguing about who was going to win. This quarter dollar was also issued. The mint mark "CC" is barely visible but can still be seen even in this picture. It is worth about $20.00 as seen in the picture. There are two varieties 1. Fine edge reeding 2. Regular edge reeding. I'm not quite sure what this one is but they should be around the same in value.

200th Anniversary of America!

In 1976 Americans were excited. So excited in fact the U.S. government issued a commemorative quarter, half dollar, and dollar for circulation. They were struck for two years in a row 1975-1976. They are common and usually do not go for more than face value unless in very high grades. On the other hand the silver mint sets go for about $30.00.

I'm seeing double!

No I'm  not talking about having too much to drink. I'm talking about the 3 in 1953 which is doubled. This variety goes for about $6.00 although there is a variety that can go for hundreds but the whole date must be doubled. Хаппы ирли Тхакнсгивинг!

113 year old Quarter!

In 1898 Barber coins had only been around for 6 years and the old Seated Liberty coins were still the more common coins in circulation. When the depression hit the Standing Liberty Quarters had been out for about 10 years and were worn down to almost nothing just like many Barber coins. Hardly any were saved in mint state making those coins rare. This one is in very fine condition which is not as rare mint state coins, but at least most of the details are evident. It goes for about $30.00 in this condition  and from this year.

(Note: this is a Philadelphia coin. 1898-O coins go for $140.00 in this condition. 1898-S coins go for $60.00 in this condition.)

Islands and Indians!

The 1904 cent was the oldest coin in my collection when I got it. My grandpa traveled the world after the war (WWII) and brought back lots of coins. I was going through some and found it. I was extremely excited. It was an amazing find for me especially because I was mostly collecting from circulation and hadn't experienced  a coin from over 100 years ago. In this condition it goes for about $1.00-$2.00. This Phillipines 5 centavos coin is one of my foreign favorites. It was circulating in the Phillipines during WWII which is the time many coins were thrown into the ocean to escape capture from Japan. Unfortunately, this coin came after that time so it is not that rare. It is valued at about $0.50-$0.75.  (The reason for the dual coins is because I didn't post yesterday.)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Let's Go Down to the Mountain!

This models for this coin were made by Gutzon Borglum who also sculpted Mount Rushmore. The first coins were struck at Philadelphia on Jan. 21, 1925, General Stonewall Jackson's birthday. Robert E. Lee and Jackson mounted on horses are on the obverse of the coin. The funds from the sale of this coin were dedicated to building the Stone Mountain Memorial in Georgia. The carving was completed and dedicated in 1970 and a stamp was issued. The stamp shows the complete memorial. The coin goes for $60.00 in AU and $300.00 in MS-66. This is one of my favorite coins because the toning is many different colors and I live in the south.

The Coin Born From an Assasination!

The story of this 1964 Half dollar is far from ordinary. Within months of President Kennedy's assasination this coin had already been approved for striking dies were being made. This coin is plentiful for two reasons: collectors wanted the new coin with the recently deceased president on it and because the general public was hoarding silver because of its rising value. Many were saved and they go for about $8.50 in MS-63 redardless of the mint where it was made.

America's first Commemorative coin!

Back in 1893 the World's Fair was being held in Chicago and the U.S. Mint made two different coins to commemorate it. First was the 1892-1893 Columbian Half Dollar (above) and the 1893 Isabella Quarter. The 1892 is worth a little more because it had a lower mintage. The Isabella Quarter is worth $550.00 in AU while the Columbian Half Dollar is worth $19.00 (1892) and $17.00 (1893) in AU. Since many people thought it was crazy to buy a half dollar for one dollar many were put into circulation and are worth more in unciculated condition. It is a good coin to have because it is inexpensive and is made of silver which is soaring in value so you can stock up and not pay too much.  

$1 coin for $125!

Back in 1921 the Morgan dollar had been brought back for one last year and the Peace dollar had been proposed and minted for the first time. Unlike the 1921 Morgan dollar that goes for about $20.00 depending on condition and silver value the 1921 Peace dollar goes for $125 in xf (extra fine) to $7,800.00 in MS-66. It is one of my favorite coins because of the design, silver value, and low mintage.

Coin of the Nazi Reich!

This is by far one of my most historic coins tied with my Gold dollar that I first posted about and a few other coins I will blog about in the future. It is a 1939-A Nazi 2 Reichs Mark. It is about 60% silver . Pual von Hindenburg who had recently died when this coin came out was put on this coin to rally support for the Nazi party. It is from the first year of WWII which is cool but it is not too rare. It is worth about $5-$12. Хаппы алмость Чристмас.

P.S. Paul von Hindenburg is not doubled it is just an unsteady picture.

Eh, What's up Doc?

Eh, What's up Doc? The question heard by millions of people in the last century and asked for one year only by Ben Franklin. This 1955 half dollar is an error caused by a die crack in the teeth giving Ben the appearance of Bugs Bunny. It is pretty common and goes for about $30.00 in uncirculated depending on the grade.

Dime of the Old West!

This dime may not look like much but it has a very cool story. It was minted at the Carson City mint a short lived mint that was turned into an Assay Office and then sold to the state and turned into a museum. Morgan dollars minted at Carson City are very rare because very few were made and many were melted. There were 8,270,000 of this date and mint mark dimes made so they are not that rare but have a cool design and story. They are valued at about $20.00 in VG-8 which is the condition mine is in. There is not much wear but there are many scratches which is what takes most of the value from this coin. It circulated in the old west and who knows how many famous cowboys and old west icons could have had this in their pocket change during a showdown or spent it on a cool glass of sarsaprilla. That's why I like this coin so much. There are so many possibilities imaginable it's hard to think of just one .

Low Mintage Coin For Cheap!

 The 1914(P) Half Dollar had a very low mintage of 124,230 minted. The 1914-S had 992,000 an amazing 867,770 more! This mintage makes the 1914(P) Half dollar $160 in G-4! The 1914-S is also a low mintage compared to previous years like 1908-O that had over 5 Million but only $15 in G-4  which is what mine is ): It is still a cool coin to have.