Want to subscribe?

Get access to all of these articles, and a whole lot more, with a Coin World digital edition subscription!

Varieties Notebook: Reader die variety finds

In his latest monthly column “Varieties Notebook,” John Wexler profiles four die varieties reported by Coin World readers, including several doubled die coins and a cent with a triple-punched Mint mark.

The boldest find for the month, John writes, is Proof 1963 Roosevelt dime with a doubled die reverse. “Apart from the strength of the doubling, it is desirable because it was deemed nice enough to be included in The Cherrypickers’ Guide to Rare Die Varieties, where it is listed as FS-801,” he writes.

Also profiled is a 1960-D/D/D Lincoln cent — a known variety with a triple-punched Mint mark — and several other pieces. To learn more about the reader finds, read John’s column, found only in the print and digital editions of Coin World.

Numismatic Bookie: The worst auction catalog

The art of writing numismatic auction catalogs has resulted in many classic works of top-notch writing and research, writes Joel J. Orosz in his latest “Numismatic Bookie” column, and any number of them could vie for “best catalog” in an awards competition. But what is the worst auction catalog of the 20th century?

Orosz calls out a catalog for the auction of the Gustave A. and Minerva G. Olson Collection in 1968. The auction was conducted by the oldest auction house in America, having opened in 1805. However, numismatic auctions were not the firm’s focus and the cataloging showed that, Joel writes.

The catalog was devoid of photographs, and such information as grades and die varieties. The catalog offered nothing more than a list of dates and denominations, making it useless for collectors.

To learn more about the auction and to see a sample of a typical catalog page, read Joel’s column in Coin World.

Coin Values Spotlight: Two 1878-S silver dollars

In 1878, the San Francisco Mint struck two different silver dollars, writes Chris Bulfinch in “Coin Values Spotlight.” One, the 1878-S Trade dollar, was the last of its kind. The other, the 1878-S Morgan dollar, was the first of its kind.

The two coins had different designs, different weights and different purposes. The Trade dollar was issued primarily to circulate in foreign markets in competition with other similar silver coins. The Morgan dollar was issued primarily to prop up the silver market, and created by law only after a presidential veto was overridden in Congress.

To learn more about how these two coins have fared pricewise over the last 10 years, see Chris’ column in the print and digital editions of the Jan. 21 Coin World.