Todays hunt was a nice exposition [update in post #17]

timbobwey

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Ok, yesterday I went out and about getting halves. It was not going very well, then one of the banks I stopped at had a box of halves. it was un searched, I took it. It wound up only having one 40%, and it was in the 2nd roll so I thought it was going to be a good box. I dumped those off and went to a few more banks. One of them had $220 in rolls, I took them all. I didn't actually search these until today, I just didn't have time. The teller told me the guy who dropped these off dumped a bunch of loose ones in the machine also. This is the bank where I get my machine bags so I will be back when the bag fills.

total take for the mini road trip.
8 40% (7 from the rolls)
3 proofs (83, 96, 99)
and a 1893 Columbian Exposition, my oldest half pulled from circulation. It is counter stamped on the front, but the counterstamp is cool, very fancy looking. It says 4.5.93 on the left side of the face, on the right it says A.W. Shaw. The stamp looks old, I actually like it on there.

It seems the rolls had a part of a collection, I wonder what will be in the bag. Hopfully the goods,and a lot of them.
 

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Syrys

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Oct 2, 2010
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Awesome find! That bag could end up being really good :o And that counter stamp is actually pretty neat, I think it adds to the coin. Can't wait till I'm lucky enough to find an Exposition in the wild! :thumbsup:
 

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timbobwey

timbobwey

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This was my first commemerative coin ever. I think the counterstamp is pretty awesome, it adds character. I wonder if it was stamped on April 5th 1893, or 1993. But the stamp does look old. I wonder if there is any way to find out who A.W. Shaw was. A lot of people say counterstamps devalue coins, I could see it devalue a coin if it was a really sloppy stamp, but this one is really nice. Plus the coin looks to be a good MS grade to me, no scratches or nicks on it, looks like it was just minted.
This find out me over 300 silver halves on the year too. Not the most silver I've found in a day this year, but still one of my favorite hunts of the year. The proofs are nice too, I haven't got one in a couple months. I will be hounding that bank about the bag, I'm gonna get that bag.
 

Rich Hartford

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Nov 27, 2008
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Nice find :thumbsup: :thumbsup: There seems to be an unusual amount of Columbus halves showing up in October and November.
I wonder if some organization hands them out around Columbus day and they end up getting dumped.
HH
Rich
 

rileyboy

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Jan 15, 2010
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Tim,
Great finds. The Columbian with the writing has character to it. Keep it as a piece of history.
Congrats,
rileyboy
 

Syrys

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If the stamp doesn't look recent, I would definitely suspect that it was stamped in 1893. From what I know about the Columbian Exposition, these coins were sold there for $1 each. Since the exposition opened on May 1, I think the date might actually be May 4th, 1893, possibly when A.W. Shaw bought the coin there and got it stamped. Just a guess though. :icon_scratch:

That coin definitely has character though, beats a plain one imo :thumbsup: Goodluck on that bag and HH!
 

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timbobwey

timbobwey

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Rakattak, I will have it looked at, but not sure who to go to about it. Most of the coi dealers around me will actually ask me questions about coins if they get a weird one. No real experts around, just dealers. But you're right, it could possibly be worth a lot if someone important stamped it.
Either way, I think it's the coolest coin I've ever found, and it will have a special spot in my collection. I do think it was stamped a very long time ago, probably 1893. I feel if it was stamped recently the stamp would have more of a silver tone in the lettering. The grooves have the same oxidization as the rest of the coin which leads me to believe it happened a long time ago. I can't wait to find another commem!
 

apush

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Love that Expo coin. That truly is a Jim Dandy! Like to find one myself. :icon_sunny:

HSH,
apush :read2:
 

EastKyMiner

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Good score on the Columbian Tim glad to see you hit, and nice pics :thumbsup:
HH..Miner
 

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timbobwey

timbobwey

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Thanks Miner. And guys I will get this looked at by someone, or send pics to someone who is an expert. I'm very curious to see if I can find out who the stamp was from, maybe they were someone important. I doubt it but you never know. Maybe it will increase the value. I hope so, that would be great.
 

rileyboy

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Jan 15, 2010
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Tim,
The Columbian coin is a real winner. It's in excellent condition and nicely toned.
I believe the stamped date was made on April, 5, 1893 when that person got
the coin. Could be significant signature. Make sure you have it checked out
by a professional. Best of luck and keep us posted on it.
rileyboy
 

Chug And Red

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Could they be talking about the same Shaw did a quick search on the name scroll down to the introduction
 

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timbobwey

timbobwey

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Silver stripe, is ingraving it different than counter stamping it?? Could that be better or worse for the coin's value??
Riley, thank you. I think it's now my favorite coin in the collection. I have a lot of good ones, but this one just seems to be a very significant find for me, and it's very unique. I'm going to make some calls this week and see if I can have someone look at it. I am so anxious to find out if anyone can tell me anything about the name and date. I checked around online a little about the date and initials, and the last name. Didn't find much yet, but I will eventaully. I'll keep you all posted when I do.

Chug and red, what do you mean scroll down to the introduction?? And who is the "same" Shaw??
 

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timbobwey

timbobwey

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It has been more than 8 years since I found this coin, and I've finally got some info on it. I did a lot of research, and I reached out to a well known numismatist. He was interested in writing an article on the coin in his weekly newsletter on coinbooks.org. I figured I would update the post and see what the coin roll hunting community thinks.

https://www.coinbooks.org/v22/club_nbs_esylum_v22n11.html#article11
 

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Megalodon

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A Columbian half is a great find for any CRHer. What makes this special is your research into the engraved A.W. Shaw. It makes for a nice story to go with an attractive find. And there are still questions and opportunities for more research and knowledge into A.W. Shaw. It would be great to find some written acknowledgement by Shaw of the coin if it was a gift - and also how it might have found its way into a coin roll (discarded by uncaring relative?).

Thanks for sharing this with us. Its a fun read!
 

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timbobwey

timbobwey

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Thank u megalodon, I'm glad you enjoyed reading the article. When I first found the coin, I couldn't find any info on a.w. shaw. I gave up searching for info for a very long time. On a whim I just searched maybe a month ago and he turned out to be a pretty significant person in american business and management. I do hope more info surfaces, and it would be amazing if something concrete showed up, like photos of his coin collection, or maybe a relative coming forward with some info. As time goes by, it's less likely that any of them would remember it, as his great great grand kids would be in their 60s or 70s now. I'm still hoping, and it has been both fun and frustrating trying to get to the bottom of the story behind this find.
 

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