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I believe a lot of collectors here are familiar with the Mexican silver Libertad's. If not you might consider checking them out. They are Mexico's answer to our American Silver Liberty bullion coins. I received this one in the mail today and wanted to share it here as it is a bit unique.
Today I would like to share a nice little pick up I got at a resent coin show I attended in Las Vegas this month. Below is a beautiful BU 2008 Australian Kookaburra. This particular year issue is somewhat difficult to find. I feel very lucky to have found it. There was a mintage of only 300,000 which is fairly low for this popular series.
The next blog I have to share is my newest Peace Dollar VAM. It is a nice 1935-S VAM-3 called "Extra Rays". It isn't an Elite 30 or a Top 50. It is just a VAM I really like. This variety was first discovered way back in 1939 by Olav Berghli. It has a normal C reverse die, look it up. The "S" mint mark is the micro type. As a little aside, the host of different "S" mint marks used is very interesting.
If you have been reading my blogs for a while, you will know that I usually blog about VAMs and Civil War currency. Not exclusively but usually. Lately I started a US Type coin album, Dansco #7070. This has led me back to basics on learning about coins I usually don't collect. This blog is about one of those coins. It is about, the often maligned, Trade Dollars.
Today I thought I would give everyone a break from Peace and Morgan dollar VAMS. Don't be sad. They will be back! So, the Bushman's Alarm Clock, in this case, is a 2018 Australian Kookaburra. It is nick-named that for it's habit of sounding off, loudly, at dusk and dawn. This Australian silver coin is the Aussie answer to our Silver American Eagle. It has been minted, in Perth, since 1990. Each year features a different vision of the bird. This is one of the things I find attractive about the series. This year the one troy ounce .9999 silver coin features, on the reverse, the kookaburra in flight with it's wings spread wide. It was designed by gifted artist Neil Hollis. The obverse, by Ian Rank-Broadley depicts, as always, a portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. My Gem BU coin is 40.60 mm in diameter and a thickness of 3.21 mm. It has a denomination of one dollar Australian. I find this a fun coin to collect. This coin is relatively inexpensive and, as I stated, every year has a different depiction of the kookaburra. You can find it a many domestic coin dealers. It also comes in different weights and finishes. Thanks for your time. I hope you enjoyed this blog and photos. I look forward to your comments!
Today I am adding another, what has lately become controversial. It is my 1925 Stone Mountain Silver Commemorative fifty cent piece. Once again, this coin has become a problem for people that want to revise history especially Civil War History. Especially, especially Southern Civil War History. Personally I'm against any history revisionism. Enough politics. About this coin. In 1925 the coin was issued to help pay for the giant carving on Stone Mountain, Georgia. This project was started in 1916 and wasn't going well. Thus the coin. It and the real mountain were meant to honor the Civil War soldiers that fought for the South. Both the obverse and reverse were designed by Gutzon Borglum. The Obverse features Generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. The reverse features an eagle and the text. The other features can be seen in the photos below, I hope. The coin has a diameter of 30.6 mm and weighs 12.5 grams of 90% silver and features a reeded edge. The surviving mintage is thought to be 1,310,000. This coin is the second most plentiful of all the early Commemoratives. My particular coin has some nice toning on both sides. I hope you enjoy this blog and photos. Please comment NON-POLITICALLY only! Thanks!!
Here is a nice Example of toning of a silver coin. This is a 1995 Mexican One Onza, more commonly called a Libertad. It is Mexico's answer to our Silver American Eagle. One ounce of .999 pure silver. These are very popular coins that I collect. The 1995 is the last year they were minted in this diameter, 36 mm.. After that they were and are made to 40 mm.. The obverse features the national coat of arms. The reverse shows the Winged Victory Statue and the mountains Ixtaccihuatl and Popocatepetl. These mountains have a very interesting story associated with them and I encourage everyone interested in Mexico and their coinage to research it. Now to the toning. Look at the progression of colors and their shape and you will see a perfect example of how they should appear on a coin. There is a natural pattern and order of colors. Often, on counterfeit coins, they get the colors and their progression wrong. Very often they are falsely toned to hide imperfections in the fake coin it self. The ANA Summer Seminar has a class on this very topic.. If you enjoy toned coins of any type, you might consider taking it or something like it. Counterfeits are everywhere, even inside slabs! Thanks for looking. As always I look forward to your comments.
A while back I saw a coin on a not so well known auction site that is on line. I've been looking at their lots from past auctions and was quite impressed with the quality and price range of them. This company, sort of, specializes in ancient and world coins. I don't know a lot about world coins but I have always admired the Soverign. I find it a beautifully artistic design. As a reptile lover, I am quite fond of the dragon on the reverse, even though he is having a bad day. This particular Soveriegn was minted in 1927 in Pretoria, South Africa. The site described the coin as uncirculated. It looked good, even though it has some light scratches? in the fields. I did my due research and put down a bid. I felt it would grade out as a low MS. not bad.