Old slabs worth more

(Image courtesy www.ngccoin.com)

I understand coins housed in some of the older third-party certification service holders are worth more than are others of the same grade. Why?

Earlier encapsulations by major third-party certification services are considered to have been graded using more conservative standards than are many others. Professional Coin Grading Service OGH, or ‘old green labels;’ Numismatic Guaranty Corporation older, white and “fat” slabs; ANACS old, small and white holders; and PCI “old green labels” are considered to be the most desirable.

Why hasn’t some system through which a coin is graded “mechanically” been introduced, removing the human factor?

Coins are graded by humans and for that reason no matter how hard we try will be graded inconsistently. The human factor, however, includes eye appeal. Coins graded by scanning them, then having a machine evaluate that scan, can’t incorporate this.

In the Aug. 29 issue of Numismatic News, Bill Tuttle wrote of forever stamps good forever on a first-class letter regardless of the future postal rate. Has a forever coin ever existed?

Transportation and telephone tokens of Moscow, Israel, Italy, and others have served this purpose during times of inflation. Each token still vended one ride or one telephone call regardless of the possibly inflated rate currently being charged. In 1992 and 1993, the breakaway Russian territory of Tatarstan issued tokens valued at 1 kilo of bread and 10 or 20 liters of petrol. Some of the bronze composition 10-liter tokens were later nickel-plated, these being meant to be deceiving as nickel-composition 20-liter tokens.

If the Bureau of Engraving and Printing were to release a new Series 2017 of at least one denomination of Federal Reserve Notes, whose signature would appear over the line “Treasurer of the United States?” At least we all know that the signature of Steven Mnuchin would appear over “Secretary of the Treasury.”

Jovita Carranza was sworn in June 19 as Treasurer of the United States.

What gives? I recently viewed a 1914 Liberty nickel! Can this be real?

In a word, no, if the question is are there any genuine 1914 Liberty Head nickels. If you ask are there any pieces that look like 1914 Liberty Head nickels, then the answer is yes. At least two certification services are willing to encapsulate this piece; however, it is qualified as a Daniel Carr issue. Carr, who has designed U.S. coins, struck 210 of these fantasies at his privately owned Moonlight Mint. Carr allegedly used a refurbished Denver Mint press that had previously struck genuine Liberty nickels.

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