Ike $1 silver used for Washington commem
Was there a special source for the silver used for the Washington commemorative half dollar?
The silver for the 90 percent silver coin came from the stockpile of 14.3 million troy ounces originally reserved for the Ike dollars. Mintage of the Ikes was far below the ceiling that had been established.
What is a red pack Bicentennial mint set? How about a green pack?
The red pack was the three-piece, 40 percent silver uncirculated set, with the quarter, half and Ike dollar. The set in a green envelope marked “U.S. Mint” contains a 1976-D quarter, 1976-D half and a San Francisco Mint medal. I suspect that this is a souvenir set that the Mint put together to sell at the sales counter or passed out to visiting VIPs. The Mint has no record of numbers, so it is difficult to even estimate the possible value, but it would be in line with the 1976 mint sets. The only thing that is different is the packaging, and that could be easily duplicated. If anyone has a better explanation, I’d be interested in hearing it. One possibility suggested is that the set was intended to have the Ike dollar and got the mint medal by mistake. If that’s the case, then it would have a $1 premium as a packaging mistake.
Getting started in coin collecting is as easy as 1, 2, 3 when you get your advice straight from the Answer Man!
Why can’t I find a firm price for gold bullion coins?
There’s a very simple reason: the price will vary with the daily trading in gold. The spot price, a term for the daily reference price as determined by the markets, is easy to find online and in most major newspapers. The price of gold is also provided on Page 4 every week in Numismatic News, but it is obsolete as soon as trading begins the day after it goes to press. For that matter, anyone with access to the Internet can find up-to-the-minute quotes on precious metals and other commodities.
How many ingots are there in the complete Franklin Mint “Flags of the States” set?
One for each of the 50 states, plus error bars for Virginia, Oregon, Kansas, Colorado, South Dakota, Idaho and Wyoming, for a total of 57.
How were the Panama-Pacific coins packaged?
Here’s a quote from The Encyclopedia of U.S. Silver and Gold Commemorative Coins: “The half dollar, gold dollar and gold quarter eagle were packaged in paper envelopes with a description of the enclosed coin on the envelope.”
Were the 1964 proof half dollars struck before or after the regular coins?
In the rush to get the new Kennedy dies in service, the first dies delivered were proof dies and production began with them on Jan. 2, 1964. Denver began striking Kennedy halves for circulation on Jan. 30, and Philadelphia started striking the circulation halves the following week in early February. The official ceremony marking the striking of the new coins was not held until Feb. 11, 1964, at Denver and Philadelphia.
Is there a proof version of the 1900 Lafayette dollar?
If there are any, they have never surfaced in the hobby. One reason given is that the coin was struck in a hurry in December 1899, and there wasn’t time enough to prepare proof dies.
More Coin Collecting Resources:
• Subscribe to our Coin Price Guide, buy Coin Books & Coin Folders and join the NumisMaster VIP Program
