By Michael Fazzari

It’s almost 2008 and there is still no “little black box” to grade coins, but some have tried. This weekend, while looking through some old clippings, I came across an article about “The Expert.”

The subject of the article called to mind a joke I’d heard from a former associate, Charlie Hoskins. He used to say that the word “expert” came from two roots, “ex” meaning from or out of and “pert” a little drip under pressure. In this case, “The Expert” in the article was neither a drip nor a human. Read on.

About 20 years ago, one of the grading services developed an expensive gadget to grade coins called “The Expert.” Apparently, it was a video camera surrounded by a bank of high intensity lights set up to record the surface of a coin. The coin’s image was digitalized as each light flashed in sequence and the resulting image was stored in a computer. Read Full Story

By Coins Magazine posted on Numismaster
Grades listed are based on the following standards established by the American Numismatic Association. For more detailed descriptions, see Official ANA Grading Standards for United States Coins, by Ken Bressett and A. Kosoff (American Numismatic Association, 818 N. Cascade Ave., Colorado Springs, CO 80903-3279.

Proof Coins

The term “proof” refers to a manufacturing process that results in a special surface or finish on coins made for collectors. Most familiar are modern brilliant proofs. These coins are struck at the Mint by a special process. Carefully prepared dies, sharp in all features are made. Then the flat surfaces of the dies are given a high, mirrorlike polish. Specially prepared planchets are fed into low-speed coining presses. Each proof coin is slowly and carefully struck more than once to accentuate details. When striking is completed, the coin is taken from the dies with care and not allowed to come into contact with other pieces. The result is a coin with a mirrorlike surface. The piece is then grouped together with other denominations in a set and offered for sale to collectors.

From 1817 through 1857, proof coins were made only on special occasions and not for general sale to collectors. They were made available to visiting foreign dignitaries, government officials, and those with connections at the Mint. Earlier (pre-1817) U.S. coins may have prooflike surfaces and many proof characteristics (1796 silver coins are good examples), but they were not specifically or intentionally struck as proofs. These are sometimes designated as “specimen strikings.” Read Full Article

During the past 35 years, ANACS has dedicated itself to the Numismatic community and has strived to exceed customers’ expectations by taking into account their needs and suggestions. With that in mind, ANACS is proud to announce the introduction of the sleek and dynamic Clearview 7™ holder.

ANACS has improved on the original Clearview holder, improving durability, while maintaining integrity. The stylish new capsule allows not only for easy grade and denomination identification, but a full view of the coin and its rim. Also, no final product is complete without the ANACS hologram, which is located on the reverse and serves as our stamp of authenticity.

Coupled with improvements to the Clearview holder, ANACS has also chosen to eliminate the classic holder used to encapsulate details coins, therefore returning to a unity of encapsulation. Details graded coins are now encapsulated just as problem free coins with appropriate designations on their labels. This, along with the streamlined design, allows for easier storage.

Excerpt from the Journal of Antiques and Collectibles

Hawaii has always been an exciting place in my imagination. When I was a pre-teen, I was collecting coins, stamps, and old books. In those days, there seemed to be rare stuff all over the place. I would dig through piles of old books and came up with treasure after treasure for 10¢.

By the time I was 12, I often could spend as much as $5 or $10 for a coin, stamps, or a book. For me, the trio was a natural to collect. I found A New Voyage, Round the World In the Years 1768, 1769, 1770, and 1771 Undertaken by Order of His Present Majesty, Performed by James Cook, In the Ship Endeavour. The title goes on, but the really rare things about this book is not only the subject matter, but the fact that it was printed in New York by James Rivington in 1774. Books printed in America before the Revolution are rare, and this subject was very popular.

Four years later in 1778, Cook discovered Hawaii and was killed there shortly thereafter. For a few dollars I had purchased Cook’s Voyages With an Account of His Life by A. Kipps published in Philadelphia in 1838. This was followed by History of the Sandwich Islands With an Account of the American Mission Established There in 1820. This rare little book was printed in Philadelphia in 1831 by the American Sunday School Union.

The coming of the Missionaries doomed the Hawaiians. Soon most of the Missionaries and their families spread fatal western diseases that all but wiped out the Hawaiian population. Then the men of God and their families grabbed most of the land, and eventually overthrew Hawaii’s last ruler, Queen Lilinokalani in 1893 with the help of U.S. Marines from a U.S. warship in the harbor at Honolulu. Read Full Article