The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1901-08-03
A COIN EXPERTS TRIALS
BOTHERED BY PERSONS WHO THINK
They HAVE VALUABLE PIECES.

to Become n Successful Speculation in
the Gold and Silver Coin Business.
"Yes," said the coin man, there are
from 20 to 60 people who come in
here every day, some to ask questions
concerning coins they have at home,
some bringing coins with them to sell,
and most of them expecting to realize
something more or less and usually
more. That is the worst of 1t for
| don't believe there is one Of the lot
who comes in and brings coins who
has not an exaggerated idea of their
worth, and they never go away believ-
| Ing a word | have told them. They
never do. They always leave with
| feeling that for some reason or an
other ] am trying to cheat them and
don't want to give them the full value
of the treasure they have.
There are two coins that give me
more trouble than any others and
have caused more correspondence
than probably all the rest put to-
| gether. These are the quarters OF
1853 and the nickels of 1888. People
have got into their heads that those
two coins are valuable, and it Is easier
to get such ideas firmly planted than
| to remove them. There are two quar-
tiers for 1853, the one with the arrow
points on either side Of the date and
with the rays back Of the eagle on the
reverse. That is the one that is so
| often brought to me, but it Is very
common coin and there are any num-
Der of them. There is another quar-
| ter of that same year without the
rays and without the arrow points
which is valuable, but not extremely
so.
"The nickel of 1883 is worth no
more than it's face value. There were
three different nickels made that year.
The old type was made with the
shield and the two others with heads,
and one had the word cents" on the
reverse side below the "V, and the
other had not 1t is that one without
the cents which people have an idea
Is valuable. But they are all common.
and they always will be common.
Another fairy tale in which the
people are interested is told concern
ing the silver dollar Of 1878. You may
call that the tail of coin, indeed, for
the point about that dollar which In
terests the people is to be found In
the eagle. There is very slight diff
ference in the two coins; in one the
tail of the eagle has seven feathers.
cir Inf
those dollars are very common.
1.-THE fractional currency in bills,
which people bring in sometimes. Is
worth something il the bills are new
and crisp, especially the earlier ones.
Those with red backs are good, SO are
others with the autograph signatures.
and especially the issues with perforat-
ed edges, where they were made In a
sheet and torn of as the postage
stamps are.
"Of the people who come in to bring
odds and ends of coins the greater
number are men, though don't know
but / buy quite as much OF women.
Everything has it's value and l know
where there is market for all kinds.
The collectors are chiefly men, though
I have known women to collect, but
they have not had the most valuable
collections. There was one woman IN
Chicago who had quite collection,
though she did not care to put too
much money into it.
"a collector Ia born anyway. They
can't be made. A man must have
liking for it. and then if he is willing
to study and spend some money you
have a good collector. Different people
may collect few odd things. but they
are not genuine collectors.
. Zone fine collection that has been
dispersed now was worth $4,000, and
| could put my hand on one or two
|, men who have collections approaching
that in value, but the greater number
will have coins worth $4,000 TO $4,000
/ These will be most OF them United
States coins. Those are the coins tha
, bring in the best returns, though
T good collector never looks at his col
lection from a strictly commercial
) point of view. There may be a few
who collect in that way, but men WHIT
0 love coins do not.
: "A man must not do much In tn
q way of collecting until he knows wha
T he is doing. Yes, he has to begin t
collect in a small way, for II he doe
7 not collect he will not study, but whsI
he begins to study, then he know
something, and warrant that In tw'
@ years he will have changed every coll
I he has in his collection.
1.-THE copper coins are relatively
n considering their little intrinsic WORT
A the most valuable, and the rare cent
O are those of the years 1899, 1904, 17Sa
! 1909, and 1911, and in that order
e There were two coins made In Ivy:
r one stamped regularly with that dat
n and the other with the nine stampe
II over the eight. Both are rare, byt tn
J. one stamped clearly with the nine
the best. The 1893 was the first issue
Int the issue of 1893 seems to hav
been soft, and it Is more dif1cuit I
d find them in a state of good preservs
W ton.
y. "There is a great deal Of imitatio
II of these as in all other valuable coins
1t but it is not difficult for any one WIN
ID has had experience to detect tn
70 fraud. It is experience and notnin
S, else that will really count. | am
" familiar with the shape and date
h those two mines that l can tell In
a difference as quickly as the ordinar
he person will tell Washington from Il
g. fayette. The coins have been initiate
n by electrotyping and by altering u
t. dates, but 1t is always possible to a
n tect them. l bslieve experts toda
e. know every oper alton that has bee
Id used in marking roins up to date. b
al a. % recessarv ALWAYS to look out, Il