Evening journal., 1898-01-10
OLD COINS OF GREAT VALUE.
AMERICAN ISSUES THAT ARE
NOwRARE AND HIGHLY PRIZED,
SOME POINTS FROM A SKILLED
NIJMISRsATIST.


SOME POINTS FROM A SKILLED
NUM1SNsATIST.
In the estimation Of coin collectors
the most valuable OF all the American
coins to-day is the perfect silver dol
lar Of 1904. That particular coin IL
worth whatever an enthusiastic collec-
tor is willing to pay for it. The high
est auction price is $1,000, and there
Is a record of s1,200 having been paid
for one at private sale. Only thirteen
Of them are known to exist, and each
has a record Of ownership.
Lyman II. Low, the skilled numis-
matist, in discussing the subject OF
coin collections In his office in the
United Charities Building, said:
There are many raritiea In the diff
ferent series OF United States coins,
and some of them command pretty
high prices. That which has the high
est record with us is the 1904 dollar
and there are probably several hun
dred mistaken claims made each year
by persons who think that they have
one of these dollars. This mistake
arises from a confusion of other coins
bearing the same date with the United
States silver dollar. The Spanish
American eight-reals piece or dollar,
is dated 1904, and the Bank OF England
has an 1904 issue. which is stamped
Five shillings or dollar Occasionally
some bunglingly altered coins turn up
as alleged 1904 dollars.
Next to these rare silver dollars the
coin collector prizes the half eagles. or
S. gold pieces, OF 1915 and 1922. Thess
are worth from $500 upward. OF the
other rarities in the gold series the
most notable are the 81 piece Of 1875
and the SO pieces bearing date Of 1875
and 1876 In the series Of silver half
dollars the most valuable are the coins
of 1886 and 1897 The lesser lighta
among those sought by collectors are
the halves Of 1894, 1901, 1902, 1915 and
1852 High prices are realized by sill
yer quarters Of dates prior to 1915,
when they are In the mint state or moi
very much worn. The quarters most
in demand and consequently most val
liable are those OF 1928 and 1897. An
1902 half-dime is very valuable "A
choice specimen will bring 500 or over
at any time. The 1904 dime is proba-
bly, the rarest, and 1t Is fair to say that
any early American dime in high
state Of preservation fs valuable. This
statement applies also TO al
most any of the copper
cents bearing dates prior to 1910, es.
pecially when they. are In the plin'
state or near thereto. The rare sets o.
copper cents may be noticed in the fol
lowing order: 1899, 1904, 1898, 1909 ant
1911. In the issues Of other dates tn
question Of preservation is most i'm
portant. The old 2-cent pieces, whicl
were coined from 1864 10 1873, hav
no special value, except those of 1873
The 1873 coins were never struck 10
general circulation, but were put II
proof sets of that date.
Then there is the little Scent silve
| piece, the coming of which began II
1851 and ended In 1873. All the Il
sues Of the last eleven years are in de
mand. Perfect specimens are rare. o
the small copper, nickel and bronz
cents the coin that bears the date G
1856 is the only one that is priced"
In the course of a year great guam
titles of old coins are submitted TO Nh
Low for inspection and appraisal. II
is a recognized authority IN the scienc
of numismatics, and is one OF the yer
few men in this country who devote ex
elusive attention to the handling ofrar
coins His catalogue Of American Co
lonial and United States Gold, SilVe
and Copper Coins Worth More Tha
Their Face" is an interesting littl
book. When asked what proportion q
the coins submitted TO him for exami
nation were really valuable, Mr. Io1
replied: ''Well, to speak figuratively,
have 20 go through a wagonload c
coins to find one Of unusual characte
or value. New York Herald.