Author Archives: Jesse
Five common coin problems and how to avoid them
A 1905 specimen half-dollar re-certified as Uncirculated Details with an 'altered surfaces' designation sold for $3,360 US as Lot 31299 of last year’s sale of the George Cook Collection. A Calgary collector, Cook paid $50,000 to acquire the coin, and his cleaning of it dropped its value by more than 90 per cent. (Photos by Heritage Auctions)
When hunting for coins for their collections – especially those in lower-than-Mint-State condition – collectors are forced to wade through seemingly countless examples to find “the right one.” The prevailing wisdom is for collectors to collect the highest-graded examples they can afford, and judging by the major sales of recent years, that advice is being heeded. The... Continue reading →