Hard to predict which coins will rise in value
Dave, I always dig your articles/columns. I might kick myself in the future, but the First Spouse coins don’t set my heart aflutter.
You had mentioned your “goof” with the 1995-W silver dollar. You said only about 30,000 were minted, but what about the first platinum coin sets in 1997 – just 10,000 – they went up a tad (three times initial price) but I thought it would go much higher.
One cannot always tell what’s around the corner.
I love Numismatic News. Met you once briefly at one show in Chicago. You are taller than I expected.
Mike Deane and Marcia Sky
Chicago
Quality of San Francisco two eagle set lacking
I ordered four of the San Francisco two American Eagle sets and received them pretty quick after the opening order day. I’m in Germany (U.S. Civilian) but I just got around to opening the 4 to view them. Normally I’d say the Proof anything from the Mint is usually a beautiful piece of work, not this time.
On several of the reverse proof coins I see what appears to be gouges. Three of the Proof coins have what appears as a black spot of the obversve of the coin - looks like a mold spot. I opened the container and used a Q-tip every so gently to see if I could wipe the coin free, the black came off but now there is a stain on the coin.
Unfortunately, I can’t return the coins as it’s been over 60 days or more since my purchase.
I was just wondering if any other collectors have noticed problems with their coins.
Seems the quality control was lacking, at lease on the batch that was mailed to me.
Michael Mcloughlin
Stuttgart Germany
Harper should buy 1995-W gold proof set
I think that you should buy another 1995-W gold proof set with the 1995 proof American Eagle in it. A price of $7,550 is not that high especially since the set has increased in value at an annual average rate of 12.66 percent per year. At this rate, in 17 more years this set will be valued at $57,284. I still have my set and will keep it until I feed the worms.
Weimar White
Canaseraga, N.Y.
New Jersey park center features colonial currency
I enjoy your column and thought you would like to hear of a pleasant numismatic surprise we had over the weekend. We were traveling through New Jersey last weekend and stopped at Washington Crossing (i.e., the Delaware River) State Park. http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/washcros.html
The park pamphlet casually mentioned a display of collectibles from the colonial era in their visitor center. It turned out to have quite a collection of colonial scrip from each colony, Spanish, British, and Brazilian coinage in circulation at the time including gold pieces, fugio cents, pine tree shillings and other early colony coinage. Then there were coins dug out of the battlefields at Trenton and Princeton.
Much of it was displayed in poor lighting or too far away to make out detail, but some pieces close to the edge of the case looked to be in AU condition.
In any case, I highly recommend a visit to your readers.
Jay Chervenak
Silver Spring, Md.
It’s all history, but some is big, some small
What is the lesson that is the most important to learn? It is a lesson that is important in many ways. When you are gone, the things you owned and collected remain. What your heir(s) do does not destroy your collection; it goes on. What is gone is the knowledge you had if it is not passed on before you’re gone.
One of my nieces sent me a family tree report and was apologetic there was no one famous. I told her many people were at Valley Forge besides Washington. He is what I call big history. Most of us are little history.
In the coin hobby we have the same stories. Those who make big history in the hobby will have stories about them or by them published often. Little history is show-and-tell at the coin club. In a way, this is passing on history.
Writing letters to NN is also a way of leaving your knowledge. I hope to read many interesting stories in your anniversary edition.
Bob Hays
Phoenix, Ariz.
Finally got lucky at store’s Coinstar machine
I keep reading letters from people who find coins in the reject slot of Coinstar machines. I usually look but never found any coins for all the times I passed by these machines until last weekend. I found a 1940 wheat cent in Very Fine condition at the market where I usually shop. Since I collect Lincoln cents, this was a good find.
Helen Desens
Covina, Calif.
