MzJ..its okay... Ive read up on these coins already... very interesting. :)
Coins, Metal Detecting, and Treasure in General
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The first coin I ever bought was a 63 Franklin Half Dollar. I bought that coin when I found out the last year it was made was the year I was born. Right now I have about a 1/3 of a complete collection. All MS62/63 except for a 48 that I bought at a coin auction and that one has been circulated.
Strange the last two images I've tried to post here aren't posting.
Since using the URL didn't work. I downloaded them before posting.
Have they changed the grading system? When I was briefly into collecting years ago, there were none of these number things, just Fine, Very Fine, Extra Fine, Near Mint and Mint Condition (maybe a few other categories). Maybe they did have numbers as well but I just didn't pay attention.
Mar 13, 2014
0
#48
The old system is still in place but to add accuracy they have added numerical rating system 1-70 with 60-70 for mint state (uncirculated) coins. Mint State coins especially need a numerical grading because there is a huge difference between an MS60 (uncirculated with blemishes/nicks) and say MS65 (uncirculated with few blemishes) or a near perfect coin MS70 (uncirculated with very few or no blemishes). The conditional rarity and thus value goes up quite a bit from one grade to the other. I can afford an MS63 RB 1910s Lincoln but an MS67 R 1910s Lincoln is way out of my league. Now for your EF coin would be about a 45-49. An AU coin (About Uncirculated) ranges from 50-59. I remember when I was a kid and I would walk into a coin shop and looked at what they called "Gem BU" (Gem Brilliantly Uncirculated). When I looked at other "Gem BU" coins next to it I noticed that they were not the same sometimes as far as uncirculated. One coin looked better than the other, but both were "Gem BU". Today one would be say... MS66 and the other might be MS63.
clms_chess,
Thank you for providing that analysis; it is truly appreciated. I also collect baseball cards (one look at my avatar should make this quite obvious) and have seen a similar transformation in that hobby. In short, where there used to simply be a distinction between Near Mint and Mint, there are now seven different numerical ones (84-100, according to one of the three most prominent grading companies) for Near Mint or better examples.
Additionally, similar to what you posted about the vast difference in cost between an MS63 and MS67, there seem to be huge leaps in price for relatively minor differences in condition when moving incrementally closer to the very top grade. Without high-powered magnification, these differences are sometimes practically imperceptible.
Anyway, I typically acquire my coins from change, so condition is a bit less important to me than other collectors. On that note, I would like to post one of the better coins I have come across in this manner...an 1883 Liberty Head (Without "Cents") Nickel.
Best regards,
Eric
Mar 13, 2014
0
#50
That is an exceedingly lucky find in change. It looks to be at least a 40-45 condition... So it could not have been circulation for a hundred years but spent some time in someone's collection. 1883 was the first year for Liberty Nickels and... being the first year of a coin were hoarded because of the novelty there by saving many higher grade coins for that year. Interestingly... Later in the year, the mint added 5 cents on the reverse to stop the criminal act of gold dipping the no cents Nickels in attempts at passing them for a 5$ gold pieces. The novelty of the coin had passed and so 1883 Liberty Nickels with 5 cents are harder to find in higher grades. :)
EP72 that's a wonderful find from change. The fact that gems like that can be found in change is why I enjoy coin roll hunting so much.
Now a question for you.
As a far away observer, during the 90's it seemed like for a while you couldn't walk into a store without tripping across baseball card displays that promised "a super-rare card" in every pack. Just as quickly it seems like the market was over saturated and interest plumeted. My guess is those "super-rare cards" are not valuable. But what cards from that era ended up being valuable?
Thanks for the kind words about the Liberty Nickel. Finding it was definitely a nice surprise. There is a cash-only diner around the corner from my office and I am in there about once a month. For some reason, they seem to have a disproportionate amount of older coins traveling into and out of their cash register. The nickel (and a few other older coins) came from there.
Mz Javert - the short answer to your question is that only a very small percentage of the baseball cards produced during the 1990's ended up being valuable. And even those tend to sell well only when they are slabbed and in exceptional condition.
A 1993 SP Derek Jeter in Gem Mint 10 (think MS70) is probably the cream of the crop. The 1990 Topps USA George Bush and Frank Thomas NNOF cards are worth quite a bit, too.
There are also a few dozen autographed cards from the '90s and cards with pieces of game used material that sell well; however, this is a discussion about coins - on a website devoted to chess - so I will leave it there. I don't want to hijack the thread. 
Feel free to send me a message if you want to talk sports cards, though. I would be more than happy to answer any questions you have.
Hi guys, I'm a metal detectorist over here in England so thought I would contribute to this topic.
Here are a few of my finds..
Above Elizabeth I sixpence, 1561 and below some of my silver coin finds including some nice hammered medieval coins.
Roman Denarius, Trajan. AD 98 - 117.
MzJavert - Thanks for posting a link to the podcast. I shall check that out shortly. Also...for starting this thread...I am truly thankful to you for creating a little corner of chess.com for coin collectors to get together and discuss our shared interest.
uwinagain...That is an awesome assortment of uneatrhed treasure there! I have little experience in foreign (to me, anyway) coins and find the Elizabeth I sixpence and Roman Denarius fascinating. Is there any chance you could post images of the reverse sides of those?
Additionally, I believe there is a fraction of a Spanish (pieces of eight) Dollar in the middle picture. If this is the case, I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to learn more about when and where you came across this.
As for my numismatic endeavors, I cleaned my desk today for the first time in a few months. Here is a group (obverse) image of the older coins I found in change over the past few months, including my NINTH Buffalo Nickel since picking up this hobby again about ten years ago.
The thing I like most about collecting coins from change is that, while the grouping below is nothing to write home about, it only cost me twelve cents to add them to my collection.
Nice collection!
Lead me to your lead.
Due to the increasing value of copper worldwide some low-denomination UK coins are almost approaching a scrap-metal value that is greater than their face currency value.
Better to take your surplus coins to a metal-dealer rather than the bank.
Hi EP72,
The reverse of the Roman denarius has the image of the Mars, though a little weakly struck. I will have to photograph this coin again anyway and will post up a picture of the reverse when I do.
The fragment of coin in the box is a cut quarter penny (yes they would literally cut money to divide it) of King John 1189 - 1216.
He was a greedy king and very unpopular with his punitive taxes and is deemed Englands worst king. He died of over-eating hiding from his enemys at the end.
He was forced to sign the Magna Carta, restoring rights to the people.
Here is the reverse of the Elizabeth I sixpence, its quite a big coin really at 25mm diameter.
Thanks for your interest, I have lots of interesting finds I can share pictures of so will follow this topic!
Interesting. I guess because I/you were not logged into the the PCGS website it sends you to the home page. (Translation not paying them $$$.) Honestly I was looking at one of the coins when I copied the address. I tried the address this way http://www.pcgscoinfacts.com/Coin/Detail/108978 (took off the ?redir=t) off the end and it took me to the coin.
The coins have their own website. (via the coin dealer they "owners" are dealing with) http://saddleridgehoard.com/