Ikes at face value

Is there a premium value for common date copper-nickel Eisenhower dollars? I found several Internet websites where bulk lots of circulated common date Eisenhower dollars are selling for a modest…

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Is there a premium value for common date copper-nickel Eisenhower dollars?

I found several Internet websites where bulk lots of circulated common date Eisenhower dollars are selling for a modest premium. Individual circulated coins are basically worth face value when not in bag quantities. Uncirculated examples encapsulated by recognized third-party certification services sell for more, with top grade coins realizing some better premium values.

I recently saw a Seated Liberty half dollar advertised as being from the Guatemala Hoard. Is this a good thing?

Not necessarily. Large numbers of half dollars dated between 1859 and 1865 that today grade between very fine and about uncirculated were shipped to Guatemala about the time of the Civil War. Almost all of them were cleaned with baking soda or some other abrasive material.

Recently I’ve seen 1895 and 1907 Indian Head cents listed with the description “v 6.” I haven’t found any explanation of this in the Red Book or online. Do you know what this means?

There are 30 varieties of the 1895 and 47 varieties of the 1907 Indian cent. I haven’t seen the listing of which you speak, but it is possible this is a reference to Variety 6 of each of these two dates.

Can you explain what the 1880-O hangnail variety silver dollar is?

The 1880-O hangnail variety Morgan silver dollar was formerly identified as VAM 1a (Van Allen-Mallis Comprehensive Catalog and Encyclopedia of Morgan and Peace Dollars). It is currently identified as VAM 48. A thick raised die gouge emerges from the eagle’s tail feathers. Be careful. VAM 49 has this same reverse but also has a spike from an underlying 7 visible at the top of the left 8 on the obverse. VAM 49 is much rarer.

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• The Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000 is your guide to images, prices and information on coinage of the 1900s.

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