Australian Coin Collecting Blog

A weblog of an Australian coin collector, discussing ebay purchases, error coins and Australian Coin Grading.


February 8, 2010

Coin Auction Viewings - A Rant

Just recently I and my fellow Australian Coin Collecting blog author were able to attend a smallish coin auction for both the lot viewing session and the live room auction the next day. The company holding the auction has been in business for more than 30 years and in this time has conducted quite a few more than 100 auctions. We've been to several of their auctions in the past and usually the experience isn't too bad at all. However this time a few things really got under my skin during the viewing of the lots and I feel like I should talk about them.

  1. Don't buy lots site unseen, view view view. If you can't view then get someone to view for you. Many of the coins we looked at that were described as uncirculated were clearly not, and a surprisingly large number of the coins were clearly cleaned or affected by PVC.
  2. The lots were incredibly poorly setup for viewing. In many cases the coins were sealed into PVC holders which normally isn't too bad for viewing and short term storage but the particular type of holders used were spotted with tiny black flecks so as a consequence every coin appeared to be spotted with tiny black flecks.
  3. Some lots with more than one coin had the coins sealed into PVC holders and then those PVC holders were sealed into a larger PVC holder. This made it impossible to view these coins properly because of the lack of clarity in the PVC and the fact that the coin dealer was trying to make everyone look through two layers of this horrible plastic.
  4. Most of the lots were labelled with a number written onto a white adhesive label. Now one would think the obvious place to put this was on the white note card attached to all the lots, but no, in some cases they'd decided to stick the white label on the coin holder so you couldn't see the coin because of the label.
  5. One high value lot was so poorly packed that it was virtually impossible to view without damaging the item for sale. We managed to remove it from the holder to view correctly but I could see how hundreds of dollars of value could be removed in just a few seconds by someone carelessly removing the lot from the holder and damaging it when all they want is a closer look.
  6. We understand that staff who conduct auction viewings have many demands on their time but this is no excuse for damaging the lots they are there to try to sell. We saw one staff member fold a high value item (which should have remained flat) and try to stuff it back into the holder it came from because he was clearly busy and impatient. There is absolutely no excuse for this and we were horrified when we saw it, any chance that anyone in the room would have bid on that item just went out the window (incidentally the item went unsold).

OK so now I've got that off of my chest here's some things I would change to make the viewing experience much easier.

  1. Get the coins out of the PVC holders. Put them into mylar flips (SAFLIPS would be good) and heat seal those coins in there. The mylar will protect the coin, it is contained, and the plastic is crystal clear allowing for easy viewing. If there's multiple coins in a lot then heat seal them into polypropylene album pages cut to size (like we did here). By all means then put the sealed up coin (or coins) into a larger PVC pocket and staple this to an information card. People can then take the coins out of the PVC pocket and view very easily. Doing these things will make for an easier viewing and also reduce your auction setup costs, it is far quicker to heat seal coins into holders than staple them or sticky tape them!
  2. Take some basic care when labeling lots. Sure we understand they need to be labelled so you can keep track but for goodness sake don't stick the label on top of the coin so we can't view it. If we can't view it we wont buy it.
  3. Take some care when handling lots and employ staff with some basic numismatic knowledge (or at least take the time to train them afterwards). I can think of several occasions now in auction viewings and coins stores where the staff have damaged items I was interested in buying because of poor handling, lack of care, or just plain ignorance. Clearly this is unacceptable.
  4. Apply conservative, consistent, and open grading when evaluating lots for your catalogue. If your lots are consistently overgraded, cleaned, and have faults that are not described then you will not receive site unseen bids and lots will not realise their real value. It's as simple as that.

I'm glad to get that off of my chest, the viewing was a frustrating experience and so easily improved with just a bit of thought and care being taken. The actual room auction was smooth and well run but as you'd expect the clearance rate was fairly ordinary. I wonder if it could be improved by taking some of the simple steps I've outlined above?

Posted by mnemtsas at 6:03 AM | Comments (0)

January 30, 2010

Australian Coin Designers - Wojciech Pietranik "Striking Art: Lasting Impressions"

An exhibition currently on display at the Royal Australian Mint is "Striking Art: Lasting Impressions"- the works of in-house coin designer, artist and sculptor Wojciech Pietranik. For a limited time mint visitors get the chance to view a display of Wojciechs' work over his career spanning more than 20 years at the RAM. This display is well worth a visit and will be shown until February 14th 2010.

In a rare opportunity for collectors, numismatists and art guru's, Wojciech gave a talk at the Mint on Saturday 30th January about his inspirations and experiences in coin and medal design and working for the Royal Australian Mint.


Striking Art Lasting impressions Speech by Wojciech Pietranik 30 Jan at the RAM

Wojciech Pietranik (pronounced Voy-check Pea-yet-traaa-nik) was born in 1950 and grew up in the coastal city of Gdansk, Poland. From the age of 20 he studied at the Academy of Fne Arts graduating with a Masters Degree in Sculpture.

He worked freelance between 1975 and 1985 and exhibited his work in Poland and internationally as his skills in sculpture and design grew. 1985 saw him migrate to Australia to teach in Darwin but the family moved on 3 years later to the cooler climate of Canberra.

At his wife's urging Wojciech took on a job at the Royal Australian Mint in 1989. Under the guiding hand of Senior Designer Horst Hahne, Wojciech developed his skills from artist and sculptor to coin engraver. This brought forward aspects of his degree in sculpture and allowed his artistic abilities to shine through the design of a coin or medal.

During his speech Wojciech likened coin artistry to "the bubble on a pancake", that is the design is simply on the surface of the coin. What he hopes to achieve in his own designs is depth and thought and meanings into every coin or medal; not simply just the bubble on the pancake. For every task he is given by his employer Wojciech takes stock and researches every facet of the theme. Before the age of Google he went to libraries and scoured books looking at history, heritage, studying events, Australian animals and culture. With this research in hand Wojciechs' designs depict events through pictures and not words. It's his own point of view leaping at you from the coin or medal.

Just as an example, one of Wojciech's proudest achievements is the Kangaroo at Sunset coin series. Inspiration for this particular coin design was taken from the drive home after work, with kangaroos by the side of the road casting long shadows from the low late afternoon sun .

Other examples of his designs include:
2010 Burke and Wills 20c & $1 coin
2009 Citizenship $1 coin
2008 Quarantine $1 coin
2007 Sydney Harbour bridge $5 coin
2005 World War 2 Remembrance 50c for general circulation
2005 Dancing Man $1 coin for general circulation

Just a small selection of his work outlined above, his designs are really too numerous to list. The RAM exhibition displays each coin design encapsulated and shown in frames hung on the walls from the ceiling. Wojciech mentioned one of the visitors had asked that his work be enlarged for ease of viewing in the displays -coins are so small. Of course this is not possible. The exhibition also includes some of Wojciechs' stone carving work

All of the latter coin issues show Wojciech's signature initials as his design mark on his coins. There were discussions at the RAM a few years ago as the designers wanted their individual designs recognised (at the time they were only sporadically allowed to do so). The designers won the argument and those initials are now included on most Australian coin designs.

Often he considers himself "the rebellious type" as he tries to bring his artistic ideas and background in sculpture to his coin designs. When given a design task Wojciech will take all considerations on board but the artistic merits and values he brings to his coin design take precedence. He will fight for the features of his designs even if they aren't in the "design specs". That's the artist in the man.

In the leadup to the 2000 Olympics Wojciech worked on medal projects outside of the Royal Australian Mint. He produced these designs, not from paper sketches but by etching straight into plaster in the shed at his home. "It was a big big pleasure to be involved in these projects". His designs were chosen and appear on the gold, silver and bronze medals awarded to athletes.


Medal design for 2000 Olympics

Wojciech wants his coin and medal designs to be works of art in pictures and he's so very proud of his achievements. His designs will certainly leave "lasting impressions" in the history of coin design in Australia. Whilst not a retirement speech Wojciech would like to continue in the future to sculpt in stone, as he has made magnificent pieces in the past.

On a personal note it was a huge pleasure to be invited to the RAM to attend this event. I gained a lot out of Wojciech's speech and individual discussions he had with myself and others who asked questions. Thank you, Wojciech you were a pleasure to listen to.

Posted by harrisk at 7:24 PM | Comments (0)

A Day at the Coin Shop - At the Toss of a Coin

In between working, looking after a young family and keeping my life going in some sort of order I don't actually get the chance to visit an actual bricks and mortar coin shop too often these days. Luckily childcare, the new school year and a flexible work schedule all came together yesterday and I managed to get half a day to indulge myself in my hobby. I headed south of Adelaide onto Unley Road to "At the Toss of a Coin" which is owned and run by Gerry McGinley. Gerry's shop sells a little bit of everything but his two main lines are coins and sporting memorabilia with a focus on South Australian football in particular. The shop is long and narrow, perhaps 4 meters wide and 15 or so meters deep and the way the stock is organised is clearly a reflection of Gerry's personality, it is neat, clean, well labelled and simple to browse through. The shop is clean (Gerry was mopping when I was there yesterday!) and well lit and every time I have been there it has been a pleasant experience.

Gerry himself is very friendly and knowledgeable about Australian pre decimal coinage and world coins (with a great focus on South Africa and other coins of the old British Empire). It is clear though that his real passion is the sporting side of his business and I'd dare to say that his store has more South Australian focussed sports memorabilia than any other shop in the world! Anyway, back to the coins, as I mentioned the coins are all well organised either into the cabinets lining one wall or into folders that Gerry is happy to let customers look through. Coins are stored correctly in neatly labelled 2x2 coin holders with accurate grades, any faults noted, and usually a price clearly displayed. When you've seen some of Gerry's clearly labelled coin holders you'll start seeing them all over Australia, obviously other coin dealers can appreciate how well he grades and cares for his stock as they don't bother re-holdering coins that have passed through his hands at some time in the past! A quick note on Gerry's grading, I feel that he is a very consistent grader and if anything a little conservative and he will clearly note any faults that a coin may possess such as a cleaning or damage. Because of the conservative and consistency of his grading I've found that the right coins purchased from him and then sent onto PCGS for third party grading and encapsulation tend to do very well.

Like so many things in life collecting and purchasing coins is all about relationships with other people, and visiting a coin store and dealing with the owner or staff is no different. It will be well worth your time to be friendly with your local coin dealer, to let him or her know your interests, and of course to purchase from them (try not to use up all their time and never buy anything). Once your dealer knows you are a serious collector and has an idea of your collecting interests and budget they will make your visit to their store an altogether more enjoyable experience. Gerry clearly has a core of very loyal customers who visit 'At the Toss of a Coin', he seems to know almost everyone who enters his shop by name and by collecting interest and if he has anything new of interest for them. And those that he doesn't know personally he quickly and cheerfully determines their area of collecting and points them in the right direction. Certainly he kept me occupied for nearly 4 hours yesterday showing me coins in boxes, folders, and coins he pulled from out the back of the shop. He knows what I am interested in and I was shown a progression of interesting pre-decimal errors, high grade pennies and some lovely threepences and sixpences. He managed to do all of this while occupying all the other visitors to his shop, answer the phone and mop the floor! A true professional.

I know this kind of sounds like a paid advertisement but it isn't, I like Gerry and I like his shop very much, it's consistently the best coin shop experience I've had since I've been collecting. Gerry helps to make this so, he's a fun guy to be around and just knows a lot about coins and grading and is full of funny coin oriented stories. At the Toss of a Coin can be found at Shop 2/219 Unley Road in Malvern and if you're in Adelaide and collect coins you'd be doing yourself a disservice by not popping in for a look around. A couple of warnings though, firstly Gerry and electronic devices don't appear to get along, he doesn't accept credit cards and EFTPOS isn't available so come armed with cash. If you forget theres a NAB ATM just across the road. Secondly Gerry doesn't stock much, if any RAM product, so don't head in there expecting to buy mint sets or proof sets, he just doesn't have it.

Posted by mnemtsas at 11:22 AM | Comments (0)

January 25, 2010

Australian Dollar Coins 2008 Centenary of the Australian Coat of Arms


Australia 2008 Centenary of the Australian Coat of Arms Dollar with S Counterstamp

The Australian Coat of Arms is the representative symbol of Australia granted by King Edward VII in 1908. The design has been modified slightly over the years but generally has remained the same. It is used for authentification purposes on official documents such as your passport and is used to identify government property or authority. The most significant change to the COA was in 1912 when the shield displaying the cross of St George was replaced by a version incorporating state emblems. It is interesting to note the kangaroo and the emu that are depicted as our own Australian native animals and the fact that these animals cannot walk backwards is symbolic of the nation moving forward and not backward.

To mark 100 years from when the Coat of Arms was first introduced the Royal Australian Mint released a standard 25mm aluminium bronze 9 gram one dollar coin. This coin was the mintmark coin for 2008 and bears a mintmark, counterstamp or privymark in folders labelled with the type of mark the coin carries. We've written detailed article previously about the differences in these marks and how to identify them when they were first introduced.

The reverse of the coin depicts elements of the original design from 1908. This Coat of Arms is the same as struck on some of our pre-decimal coinage such as the florin and the threepence prior to 1936, the kangaroo and emu supporting the shield on a grassy mound. A seven pointed star is depicted above with "Advance Australia" written in the ribbon device below. The legends read "Commonwealth of Australia Coat of Arms 1908-1912 One dollar". The obverse of this coin features the standard Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Queen Elizabeth II. Not released for general circulation the coin was released with a C mintmark, S privymark and counterstamp, B privymark and counterstamp, M privymark and counterstamp for $2.75. The counterstamp issues were struck at the various venues on a portable press machine that the RAM took around the country. The C mintmark was the coin struck by visitors on the gallery presses in the Royal Australian Mint building. Take a look at the 2008 Australian dollar mintage table for the numbers issued. This coin was also released with a C mintmark in a silver proof version for $40.

Posted by harrisk at 11:44 AM | Comments (0)

January 24, 2010

Australian 50c Coins : 1982 Commonwealth Games 50c


Australia 1982 Commonwealth Games 50c

The Commonwealth Games are an elite sporting event held every 4 years and participant nations come from the Commonwealth of Nations (which was formerly the British Empire). The games have been held since 1930 (when they were known as the Empire Games) and changed name several times until 1978 when they finally became known as the Commonwealth Games. Australia had held the games twice until 1982 when they were held in Brisbane (the 12th Commonwealth Games). As a child at the time of the Brisbane Commonwealth Games I clearly remember the huge winking kangaroo, Matilda, that made it's way around the stadium during the opening ceremony. Putting aside the memories of childhood the games in Brisbane were a very popular event in Australia, with Australia and England having an exciting head to head contest at the top of the medal tally board. To celebrate such a large sporting event the RAM issued an attractive 50c coin into circulation which can be seen above.

The obverse of the 12 sided, 15.5 gram, cupro nickel 50c coin coin bears the standard young portrait of Her Majesty as sculpted by Arnold Machin. The reverse of the coin was designed by Stuart Devlin. The reverse design shows the logo of the 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games over a map of Australia surrounded by icons representing 12 of the sports conducted during the games. The legend around the reverse reads "XII Commonwealth Games Brisbane 50 Cents". 23,287,000 of the coins were struck for circulation, a further 195,000 in brilliant UNC condition for mint sets, and 100,000 were struck to proof standards for the 1982 proof sets. The coin was also struck in silver for the 1989 Masterpieces in Silver set, but was dated 1989 and had the newer Raphael Maklouf obverse.

Like the 1970 Captain Cook 50c, the 1981 Charles and Diana 50c and the 1977 Silver Jubilee 50c the 1982 Commonwealth Games 50c was hoarded away in great numbers in the hope that they would someday be worth a fortune. Tragically that day has yet to arrive and you can easily buy a nice uncirculated coin for just $4. A coin from a mint set may fetch a couple of dollars more. A pristine proof 1982 50c could fetch about $20 while the silver coin from the 1989 Masterpieces in Silver set would get about the same. If you're lucky enough to find a circulated 1982 Commonwealth Games 50c in your change please buy yourself a very small chocolate bar with it because it's worth exactly 50c!

Posted by mnemtsas at 11:06 AM | Comments (0)

January 22, 2010

Australian 50 Cent Coins : 2010 Australia Day 50c

Celebrating Australia Day in 2010 the Royal Australian Mint in collaboration with the Australia Day Council has released a commemorative cupro-nickel 50c coin into
circulation. With a minimum of 5 million coins planned to enter circulation, expect to
find one of these in your change at the shops any day now.

It wasn't until as recently as 1994 that the whole of Australia has consistently
celebrated Australia Day on the 26th of January as a public holiday. It was on the 26th
January 1788 that The First Fleet from England landed at Sydney Cove and raised the Union Jack founding the Colony of New South Wales. Whilst not always called Australia Day, the 26th of January has historically been used for celebrations and commemorations. It has been known as Foundation Day, Anniversary Day and also Invasion Day.

In today's society Australia Day is a day to celebrate being Australian and what it means to be Australian. The Day is intended to bring all our diverse cultures together and remember our Aboriginal heritage to be proud Australians. Capturing this theme for Australia Day 2010 is this new dodecagonal 50c which tells us to "Celebrate What's Great" and come together to reflect on the past, present and future. The coin features a map of Australia made of ribbons with proud Australians young and old banded together by these ribbons. "50" is depicted inside the map with "Celebrate What's Great Australia Day" as the legend around the map.

The reverse design is sculpted by RAM designer Vladimir Gottwald, it's obverse the standard Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Queen Elizabeth II. As well as being found in circulation this coin is also being released in RAM wrappered commemorative mint rolls for $19.95. It is also being released in a selectively gold plated silver proof version in a plush case for $85. The selectively gold plated proof features the map of Australia in gold plate and a mintage of just 10,000 coins.

The RAM have produced a short clip to view these proof coins in production. This clip can be seen on their website. (note: your speakers aren't broken, there's no sound!)

Posted by harrisk at 4:03 PM | Comments (0)

Australian 50c Coins : 1977 Silver Jubilee 50c


Australia 1977 Silver Jubilee 50c

Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the throne of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth in 1952 after the death of her father George VI. Interestingly she was not actually crowned until 1953. 1977 was the 25th anniversary of her ascension (the 'silver jubilee'),and celebrations were held throughout the UK and the British Commonwealth, with the official day of celebration set as February 6, 1977. The Royal Australian Mint joined in on the party with the release a commemorative 12 sided, 15.5 gram, cupro nickel 50c coin for general circulation.

The obverse of the coin bears the standard young portrait of Her Majesty as sculpted by Arnold Machin. The reverse of the coin (like all other decimal coins up until 1986) was designed and sculpted by Stuart Devlin. A typical royal design by Devlin (similar to some of his other work in silver) it comprises 25 crowns in a ring around a central device and the legend "Silver Jubilee 50 Cents". 25 million of the coins were struck for circulation, a further 128,000 in brilliant UNC condition for mint sets, and 55,000 were struck to proof standards for the 1977 proof sets. The coin was also struck in silver for the 1989 Masterpieces in Silver set, but was dated 1989 and had the newer Raphael Maklouf obverse.

Like many of the early commemorative 50c coins the Silver Jubilee coins were hoarded away in great numbers, and you can easily buy a nice uncirculated coin for just $4 or $5. A coin from a mint set may fetch a couple of dollars more. A pristine proof 1977 50c could fetch $20 to $30 while the silver coin from the 1989 Masterpieces in Silver set would get about the same. A circulated 1977 Silver Jubilee 50c coin is worth, somewhat sadly, 50c.

Posted by mnemtsas at 3:33 PM | Comments (0)

January 21, 2010

Australian 50 Cent Coins : 1981 Royal Wedding Charles and Diana 50c


Australia 1981 Royal Wedding Charles and Diana 50c

Prince Charles is the eldest child of Queen Elizabeth II, first in line to the throne and potentially the next King of England and the Commonwealth. Nuptials between Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer took place on 29th July 1981 (which was named a national holiday in celebration) in front of a worldwide TV audience of 750 million people. It was labelled a fairytale wedding as Diana was the first British commoner to marry an heir to the throne since the 1500's. The couple were dominant public figures constantly under scrutiny from royal watchers. They later had 2 children, 2nd in line to the throne Prince William and 3rd in line Prince Harry.

In Australian up until as close to the event as June 1981 it wasn't clear that a commemorative issue was even going to be released with industrial action at the Royal Australian Mint affecting coin issues and the minting process. However, after keeping their plans under wraps the RAM finally announced that to celebrate this royal marriage the Royal Mint in Wales was to strike a commemorative 50c piece to circulate in Australia. Designed by Stuart Devlin the reverse of this coin features profiles of Charles and Diana (known as jugate) facing left with the legends reading "HRH The Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer Fifty Cents". This was an official design given the Royal seal of approval by the Queen. The obverse bears the Arnold Machin portrait of a young Queen Elizabeth II (used from 1966 through to 1984). 20 million of these 15.5 gram cupro-nickel coins entered circulation but they are not that easy to find in your change as a lot have been hoarded in money boxes and jars. It's not uncommon to find high grade coins because if this hoarding and they don't gain much premium if any over their face value of 50c.

These coins were restruck in Canberra as a silver proof version which was included in the 1989 Masterpieces in Silver Sets.

Posted by harrisk at 2:12 PM | Comments (0)

January 20, 2010

Australian 50 Cent Coins : 2005 Melbourne Commonwealth Games 2006 50c


Australia 2005 Melbourne Commonwealth Games 2006 50c found in change

"United by the moment" was the motto for the 18th Commonwealth Games held in Melbourne, Australia in 2006. Every 4 years since 1930 (excepting during WWI in the 1940's) nations of the Commonwealth compete together in events such as aquatics, gymnastics, cycling and shooting. For eleven days in March 2006 spectators and athletes flocked to Melbourne venues to watch and compete. Australia won 84 gold medals finishing at the top of the medal tally board for all the Commonwealth competitors.

To celebrate this event the Royal Australian Mint released a commemorative fifty cent into circulation. Just to confuse you the coin is dated 2005 on the obverse but features "Melbourne 2006 XVIII Commonwealth Games" on the reverse. This coin as shown above was designed by 16 year old Victorian Kelly Just who won a nation-wide secondary school competition to design the reverse. Kelly's original design was then sculpted by Vladimir Gottwald but the coin bears the initals "KJ". Kelly's reverse design depicts animals mimicking athletes as they are competing in the Games symbolic of the embracing spirit of the games and Australia's unique fauna.

This standard dodecagonal cupro-nickel 50 cent piece weighs 15.55 grams at 31.51 mm in diameter. It features the standard Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Queen Elizabeth II. 20.478 million of these coins entered circulation so they are not hard to find in your change. 24,806 carded unc coins were issued separately for $7.50 each. This coin was also included in a foldered collection of uncirculated coins featuring all the NCLT (non-circulating legal tender) commemorative 50c coins issued for the games and a $5 coin with a mintage of 15,500 folders for $99. A 99% silver proof version was also issued.

A circulated coin pulled from your change would be worth.......50c!

Posted by harrisk at 4:15 PM | Comments (0)

January 19, 2010

Australian 50 Cent Coins : 1970 Captain Cook 50c


Australia 1970 Captain Cook 50c

The Royal Australian Mint issued the first commemorative coin of of the decimal era in 1970 to celebrate the bicentenary of the navigation of Australia's east coast by Captain James Cook. Cook is sometimes credited with the discovery of Australia but in reality the existence of Australia had been well known to Europeans for several hundred years. In command of his first voyage which left England in 1768 Cook visited Tahiti and New Zealand. He set off from New Zealand intending to sail north of Van Diemen's Land (now known as Tasmania) and straight for Cape Town at the southern extreme of Africa. Instead he hit the coastline of Australia on the north of the State of Victoria in April 1770. Charting the coast northward he reached the northern extremity of Australia at Cape York in August before finally setting course for Cape Town in South Africa which he reached in 1771.

The obverse of this coin bears the Arnold Machin portrait of a young Queen Elizabeth II. This portrait was used from 1966 through to 1984. The reverse features Cook, a map of Australia and a dotted line depicting the voyage up the east coast. It was sculpted by Stuart Devlin, who at the time had designed the reverses of all Australian decimal coins. The Captain Cook 50c is the 12 sided dodecagonal shape with a plain edge. Made from cupro-nickel (75% copper and 25% nickel) it weighs 15.55 grams at 31.51mm in diameter. 16 million of the coins were released into circulation and 550,000 were struck to specimen standards and sold in red plastic cases through banks and the RAM. About 15,500 coins were struck to proof standard for the 1970 proof sets and another 40,000 brilliant uncirculated coins were issued in the 1970 mint set. 70 special presentation sets containing two proof coins were also produced.

Because of the relatively large mintage of the 1970 Captain Cook 50c, because the public hoarded the coins in great numbers and because half a million of the coins were issued in specimen standard it's not that hard to find these coins in uncirculated condition. They are, therefore, not particularly valuable. Specimen coins in their original red plastic cases can be found for just $10, while regular uncirculated coins might be bought for just $5 or so. Proof coins are worth quite a bit more ($50) but you'd need to be very lucky to find one of these without breaking up a proof set. A circulated coin pulled out of your change is worth....50c!

Posted by mnemtsas at 5:16 PM | Comments (0)