Irradiated Dimes

I stumbled across this while browsing Ebay:

Note:  Everything is in a safe deposit box.  I keep nothing in my home. 

That's just a little bit weird, isn't it?

In the 1940's and 50's, a visit to the American Museum of Atomic Energy in Oak Ridge, Tennessee might have including obtaining an irradiated dime like this. Apparently it was quite popular:  a 1954 statement said "more than 250,000 dimes have been irradiated, encased in plastic and returned to their owners as souvenirs."

I don't think many would do that today.  We couldn't anyway as this required silver dimes, but I think most of us would question the wisdom of willfully exposing ourselves to radiation, regardless of how low and how safe it was promised to be.

No, this dime should not be radioactive to any detectable extent.  

Read more at Irradiated Dimes.

Note:  Everything is in a safe deposit box.  I keep nothing in my home. 

This weeks Coinweek Giveaway:  http://www.coinweek.com/~cd5342a1aa5cb1c

Also multiple contests going on at http://www.moderncoinmart.com/forum/forums/contests/

Zombucks are fun, but are they an investment?

I mentioned Zombucks in my previous post.   There have been four issued so far, in silver and copper.

 I'm too cheap to spend money on the silver versions (especially the proofs) but I did buy these copper specimens.

All of these are supposedly limited edition and the silver after market prices have been increasing.

I wouldn't recommend them as an investment though: their popularity is strongly tied to zombie theme movies and TV shows like The Walking Dead.  Yes, The Walking Dead could well become a cult classic and live on in re-runs for many decades, but I think you also would also need to be concerned that counterfeits could dilute the market or destroy it outright.

Consider that when the U.S. Mint says something is limited mintage, it most definitely is and the dies are destroyed after production. What guarantees you that Zombucks master dies have been destroyed?

Still, these are fun and I don't mind throwing a few dollars into them just for that reason.

You can find the older Zombucks on Ebay and the very latest can be had at Zombucks.com.

According to that site, there will be ten in the series.  While the Walker, Morgue Anne and the Zombuff are interesting, I'm not sure the Barber has quite the same appeal or even that many will understand why it is so named (Charles Barber designed the half dollar that is based on).  That may be true for the rest of this series also, so the popularity could wane because of that.

This weeks Coinweek Giveaway:  http://www.coinweek.com/~cd5342a1aa5cb1c

Also multiple contests going on at http://www.moderncoinmart.com/forum/forums/contests/

Silver Bells - no, I mean bars

You may not be aware of this, but there are people who collect (or is it "hoard"?) silver and gold bars.

They call themselves "stackers".  It's not just bars; companies sell "rounds", which are coin shaped designs of .999 silver, gold and other metals.  Silver is probably the most popular though, as most stackers are certain that its present $20 or so price per ounce is far lower than it should be.

The rounds and bars can be quite artistic. They can also be campy and quirky:

Copper Zombuff

But wait, there's more: some of these stackers like to pour their own PM (Precious Metal) bars.  It's probably mostly a guy thing:  there's very hot fire, destruction (melting whatever you are using, other bars, coins, battery cable lugs) and there can be creativity in the molds.   An element of danger adds to the allure, I'm sure.

Things don't always turn out well.  At Test run silver bar a stacker described the result of his first attempt as a "silver turd". He promised a video of the process, but his wife and daughter nixed that idea.

Strictly speaking, this has little to do with coin collecting, but stackers often branch out into coins and coin collectors have been known to buy a few stackables.

Peruse the wide variety of PM products at this link (no, I get no commission or anything else for sending you there).

Collection - 1841 Van Buren Token Webster Credit/Metallic Current

Note:  Everything is in a safe deposit box.  I keep nothing in my home. 

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Like the previous tokens, this was made by William Scovill at the Waterbury Mint.  It's political, showing the Ship of State foundering due to Van Buren.  Obviously Scovill was not a fan.

You can't make it out on this very well, but one side shows a ship named "Constitution" under full sail, while the foundering ship on the other side is labeled "Experiment".  The "Constitution" side says "WEBSTER CREDIT CURRENT" and the other side says "VAN BUREN METALLIC CURRENT".

The "Metallic" refers to Van Buren  signing legislation  that prohibitied the tender of any 

bank note not convertible on the spot into gold or silver upon demand. Webster comes into it because he opposed Jackson/Van Buren policies (see Coinage Act of 1834).

These are a bit less common than other political tokens of the time and some varieties are more rare than others.  Quite a few are scratched up like this one; I don't know why.

Scovill was arrested on charges of counterfeiting around this time - the charge was based on the "Not One Cent" pieces, not these.  Nothing came of it, so it was probably political harassment for issues like this.

HT-22? 

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Collection - 1837 Scovill Not One Cent

Note:  Everything is in a safe deposit box.  I keep nothing in my home. 

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These particular tokens were not political, but purely business.  As real coins were being hoarded, merchants were hard pressed to provide change, so businesses like like the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury Connecticut sold these tokens to the merchants.  The merchants passed them out as change. The customers may not have liked that at first, but as real coins were scarce, they accepted them.  The tokens were cheap enough that the buyers made some profit, too.

Scovill was already making coins for other countries, so making tokens wasn't a radical business venture for them.  These "not one cent' coins look somewhat like large cents of that time.  We'll see that this resemblance got Scovill in some minor trouble, but I'll save that for tomorrow.

Here's another example where someone may have been trying to scam businesses, perhaps after normal coinage returned to circulation.

They scratched out "Not One Cent".   I would think that would have been a child in search of penny candy or the like, as this crudeness would not have fooled anyone. 

There are more than a dozen varieties of this that look very similar and also restrikes made in the 1950's, so these are inexpensive and easy to obtain.

Not Certified

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Collection - 1837 Merchants Exchange/Millions for Defence HT-293

Note:  Everything is in a safe deposit box.  I keep nothing in my home. 

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This is one of the many, many "Hard Times" tokens that circulated as money after the Panic of 1837. It's a fairly common piece, running $25 or so (2014).   The building is the Merchants Exchange Building, which, having been constructed of marble, surprised folks when it burned down in 1835.

The "millions for defence" was a popular slogan, and apparently spelling that with a "C" was acceptable then.  See Coin Stories for a discussion of its origin.

HT-293 Not certified
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Collection - 1837 Illustrious Predecessor/Executive Experiment

Note:  Everything is in a safe deposit box.  I keep nothing in my home. 

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This is a Van Buren (Jackson's successor) token.  "Illustrious Predecessor" of course refers to Jackson.   This is HT-33, commonly available for $25 or so.   Being slightly off-center like this is normal for these coins.

There are a number of variations, some scarcer than others.

Not Certified

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Collection - 1833 Jackson Token HTT-71

Note:  Everything is in a safe deposit box.  I keep nothing in my home. 

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One of these was in the collection I inherited.

It's an HTT-71 "Jackson" token - a political item protesting his policies.  It was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1833 as political satire directed at Andrew Jackson's desire to abolish the Second Bank of the United_States.  “I take the responsibility” is what Jackson said when he transferred the Bank of the United States funds into 25 state banks.

On better examples you can see the letters LL.D on the donkey. That was a poke at the honorary degree Harvard had awarded the poorly educated Jackson.

Jackson is partially blamed for causing the The Panic of 1837.

These are very common, $20 or so (2014).  One like it was in the collection I inherited.

Jackson's political opinions are well expressed here:

It is to be regretted that the rich and powerful too often bend the acts of government to their selfish purposes. Distinctions in society will always exist under every just government. Equality of talents, of education, or of wealth can not be produced by human institutions. In the full enjoyment of the gifts of Heaven and the fruits of superior industry, economy, and virtue, every man is equally entitled to protection by law; but when the laws undertake to add to these natural and just advantages artificial distinctions, to grant titles, gratuities, and exclusive privileges, to make the rich richer and the potent more powerful, the humble members of society — the farmers, mechanics, and laborers — who have neither the time nor the means of securing like favors to themselves, have a right to complain of the injustice of their government. There are no necessary evils in government. Its evils exist only in its abuses. If it would confine itself to equal protection, and, as Heaven does its rains, shower its favors alike on the high and the low, the rich and the poor, it would be an unqualified blessing.

Not Certified

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Collection: 1832 Philadelphia Mint/Lords Prayer Medal

Note:  Everything is in a safe deposit box.  I keep nothing in my home. 

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According to what I've found by asking in forums:

The token is listed in "The Standard Catalog of United States Tokens, 1700-1900" by Russell Rulau. This token is listed by Rulau in the section of Pennsylvania Trade tokens. The token was produced by George B. Soley on the Mint's first steam coinage press, which he had acquired as scrap in 1875. Relatively common, extant pieces are available in high grade. It is listed as: PA-Ph 394. Sold at various late 19th century expositions and at the Philadelphia Mint as souvenirs.

I was able to confirm that with other research.

It's about a half inch (13.4 mm) and was struck around 1860. It would usually have come with a ribbon:

A coin like this was in the coins I inherited and later sold.  They are easy to find and not expensive - $10 to $20 or so (2014).

See also U.S. MINT'S FIRST STEAM PRESS TO STRIKE MEDALS FOR ANA

Not Certified

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