6/7/16 Report - Tropical Storm Colin Already Gone. Study Resources For Treasure Coins. 1970 Quarter Error.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Tropical Storm Colin.
Source: nhc.noaa.gov

Tropical Storm Colin is leaving us already.  We have some cooler air this morning, coming with the west wind.

Yesterday the surf was a little more choppy than I expected.  We'll have something like a one-foot surf for a few days.  Today we'll have some good negative tides again around 4:30 PM.

Beach Yesterday Around Low Tide.

If you look closely you might be able to see some small cuts in the distance up by the bend.

The beach front was firm but there was a lot of sand.

Beach Near Low Tide Yesterday Showing Small Cuts.

---

In 1985 Alan Craig, a geographer and geologist specializing in Latin American studies, first proposed doing a complete study of the gold coins in the Florida Collection.  In 1988 his book on the gold coins in the Florida Collection was published.  That book was revised in 2000.  He published a book on the silver coins in the Florida Collection in 2000.  I have not seen any updates, revisions or similar studies published since that time.  That means unless I've missed it, we haven't seen a major study of the coins and artifacts added to the Florida Collection over the past 15 or so years.

The state does maintain a database of artifacts.  However it is not available to the public online.  In fact the database is for "internal use" only.

If you want to study treasure coins, it seems that the best and most easily available resource is the auction records.  There are tons of good pictures and descriptions in the various auction catalogs.  If we didn't have those, the public would have very little opportunity to study treasure coins.  I guess it is a good thing that so many coins are in private hands and come up for public auction.  Ideally, our tax-funded collections would be more accessible to the public.

I was lucky to find a 1977 Bowers and Ruddy treasure auction catalog, complete with realized prices, in a thrift store a number of years ago.  That was before we had all of the online resources we have today.

---

There is a story about a 1970 error quarter that is appearing almost everywhere on the internet.  According to Country Living, The pieces of change were printed over 1941 Canadian quarters and therefore feature a teeny "1941" marking just above the word "DOLLAR" on the pack of the coin. It's almost impossible to see without a little help, but you can see the error explained in this eBay listing. You'll also see that 26 people are interested in paying $35,000 for this one coin—woah!

Here is the link.

http://www.countryliving.com/shopping/antiques/news/a38734/quarters-from-1970s/

I" prefer to see this error described on a numismatic web site.  You can't believe everything you see on eBay.

---

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

6/6/16 Report - Tropical Storm Colin. A Cob Grading System. Cooper Case Closed. Silver Suffragette Pin.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Projected Path of Tropical Storm Colin.
Source: nhc.noaa.gov

Tropical Storm Colin will pass over North Florida today and tomorrow.

On the Treasure Coast we'll get some wind and waves, but the surf will be small because the wind will be from the south and west.

We'll have some nice big tides, including some good low tides.

---

Recently I published some posts that looked at cobs sold in public auctions and discussed some of the factors that help determine prices.

Some cobs have been graded by companies such as NGC but most have not.  There are different grading systems.  I thought the grading system used by the Bowers and Ruddy auction gallery was useful.  Here it is.

Grade A:  Highest quality mint product with outstanding characteristics.  Especially well struck and well centered, with complete shield and including date or other exceptional details; on a pleasing planchet without defects.

Grade B: Sharply struck and distinctly detailed showing nearly complete shield and partial legends, mintmarks and dates.  Planchet mildly misshapen, and design suffers minor effects of filing.

Grade C: Average strike, legible but not distinct, usually combined with major loss of design due to excessive filing or off-center or uneven strike.  Planchet commonly shows edge cracks or breaks or serious irregularities.

Grade D: Identifiable but mostly indistinct due to weakness of  strike, extensive filing or multiple striking.


----

If you aren't old enough to remember when a fellow parachuted out of an airliner with $200,000 in cash, you probably remember reading about it.  After 45 years, the FBI is ready to close the case.  

Thanks to Dean for providing the following link.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2070038/DB-Cooper-case-solved-FBI-tells-niece-skyjacking-suspect-matching-fingerprint.html

---

From Kovels Komments:

This sterling silver pin awarded by the National Women’s Party “For Service In The Cause Of The Freedom Of Women” recently sold for $6,425, more than three times the high estimate. About 150 to 200 pins were given to the women who were the “Silent Sentinels” picketing the White House in 1917. Only five of the pins are known to exist today...

 
---

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net