Good Monday morning folks!

� � �As I alluded to in an earlier post, I now have the books and the slabs. I also have a 1883 Liberty Head nickel that I had purchased before I had made the decision to start collecting the series. I have updated my collections page to reflect this collection. I haven’t added my previous pictures/coins yet, due to the fact that I haven’t finished reading the books. I’m also still awaiting the set that I’m going to be adding to this collection which will allow me more reading time. I purchased the below coin because of it’s history in relation to this collection.

� � �The circulation-strike mintage for this coin is 5,474,000 and the Proof mintage is 5,219 (but estimated as 9,219). �Although the book hasn’t mentioned it yet, this is known as the “Racketeer Nickel” due to the fact that it’s gold plated and don’t have the word CENTS on the reverse. Per the book on Shield and Liberty Head Nickels, “Several youngsters who later become prominent professional numismatists, Farran Zerbe and Arthur M. Kagin among them, became interested in coin collecting after obtaining one of these curious nickels.” Charles E. Barber designed this coin which weighs 5 grams and is composed of .750 copper, .250 nickel and is 21.2 mm in diameter. The edge is plain and it was minted at Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco.

� � �The next time I post, I should have received the set that I’m kicking this collection off with and I still have some crucial reading that needs to be taken care of. I haven’t read a lot of it, but the Guide Book of Shield and Liberty Head Nickels has already made me a lot smarter. According to Chapter 3, How To Be A Smart Buyer, a typeset of these 2 coins consists of 1) 1866 and 1867 Shield with Rays, 2) 1867 to 1883 Shield without Rays, 3) 1883 Liberty Head without CENTS and 4) 1883 to 1913 Liberty Head with CENTS. This book is FULL of information that I wasn’t aware of so the saying “buy the book before the coin” is really revealing for this series. It breaks down the 2 different nickels, dedicating 3 chapters to each one with a few “sidebars” which is historical in nature. I’m proud to add these 2 books to my library which I have to admit is growing quite rapidly!

� � �As always, stay safe, HEALTHY, and coronavirus free and enjoy the pictures. My siblings bought me the sign for my birthday, so I hung it in a prominent area of my quarters.�

Charlie aka slybluenote�