I just found my best coin ever!!

[cyberdan]

I picked up my two regular boxes from BofA last night and about half way through I found this commerative half. It is a 1925 Fort Vancouver Centennial.


Here is the reverse.


This is a scan from my 2007 Bluebook


Now I need some help. Is anyone good at grading coins? I know this isn't MS bout could it be AU?

Oh, almost forgot the box also contained a 1959 Franklin a 90% half and 2 40%ers. Only 5 silvers from a box but can't complain

 

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[65gt350]

Nice find. I think it could go AU pretty easily. How does the rim look? any dings? If you can provide a better scan or image we might be able to see more rub marks etc..

65GT350

 

[bigtime400]

WOW! thats cool! I am suprised how many people have found commemoratives lately. Older ones too!!!!

 

[prizm II]

Here is a good history of the coin, very nice find. The fort is rebuilt and pretty cool to visit.

http://www.coinsite.com/content/Commemoratives/Vancouver.asp

 

[DrDetector]

Great find!

I need to keep up my 4 boxes/week average, and hopefully I'll turn up a commemorative. Congrats!

 

[scotto]

That is too cool!

 

[TxTim]

That is great!
Sure is a great return on investment!!!!

 

[LJ]

Excellent find CyberDan!! Nice job. I'm still looking for my first.

 

[HobBob]

Sweeeeet!

 

[Pennyworth]

That's a really 8) commemorative halve, Congratulations!!!!

 

[65gt350]

Here are the values for the coin from Coin Values April 2007 issue

EF-40 - $325
AU-50 - $350
MS-60 - $450
MS-63 - $550
MS-64 - $650
MS-65 - $1700
MS-66 - $2500

 

[mercenary]

Here's the red book from 2004

 

[silverfinder]

Wonderful find..I'd say it's in MS 60, certainly MS 50, which means it's in About Uncirculated to Uncirculated condition. Congratulations.

 

[cyberdan]

I did a little google search and found out some interesting history of my half.

The coins were sold for $1 each during August and September of 1925, with the majority selling during the weeklong Centennial celebration that began on August 17. Though 50,028 coins were minted, sales were disappointing, and 35,034 pieces were returned to the Mint to be melted, leaving a net mintage of 14,994, including the 28 coins remaining with the Assay Commission. One matte proof was reported by Walter Breen, and two other such pieces are rumored to exist.

The nature of the design openly exposes the high points of Vancouver halves, and this, coupled with the lack of any special packaging or handling, destined much of the issue to suffer from friction and abrasions. In addition, well-struck coins showing the details of the trapper’s hand, face and right thigh and chest are scarce. Wear first appears on McLoughlin’s bust, especially on the cheekbone and hair above the ear and on the knee on the reverse. Although Vancouver halves are not difficult to locate in grades through MS-64, MS-65 or better specimens are quite elusive. Unfortunately, counterfeits of this issue are known: they exhibit many depressions that at first seem to be bag marks, along with tooling marks on the reverse below letters CEN in CENTENNIAL.

An interesting tale involving Vancouver halves was recently revealed. In August of 1926, Governor Charles Sale of the Hudson’s Bay Company purchased 1,000 examples of the Fort Vancouver half dollar. These coins were moved to the Provincial Archives Building in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada in 1974. In the summer of 1982, a caretaker stole them and spent 400 pieces at face value. Needing money for a new car, he took the remaining 568 pieces to a bank in Winnipeg where they were exchanged by a teller for $284 in Canadian funds. The savvy teller then received permission from her supervisor to buy them from the bank at face value. After they were counted out in a coin-counting machine, they were sold to a Canadian dealer for $37,500.

The dealer sold 522 pieces to clients in the United States and Canada and retained 46 pieces for himself. He had checked with both the FBI and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who then weren’t yet aware of the theft. Although he had received clearance from the authorities, the dealer was eventually sued by the Crown. In the end, he prevailed and retained ownership of the 46 remaining pieces. No attempt was ever made to recover the other specimens.

I wonder if this coin was one of the stolen coins?

I will try and take a digital pic of this (the scan I took looks a lot pixelated) in the next day or so and post it on this thread.

 

[cyberdan]

UPDATE ---- I just found my best coin ever!!

........reverse. Although Vancouver halves are not difficult to locate in grades through MS-64, MS-65 or better specimens are quite elusive. Unfortunately, counterfeits of this issue are known: they exhibit many depressions that at first seem to be bag marks, along with tooling marks on the reverse below letters CEN in CENTENNIAL.

An interesting tale involving Vancouver halves was recently revealed. In August of 1926, Governor Charles Sale of the Hudson’s Bay Company purchased 1,000 examples of the Fort Vancouver half dollar. These coins were moved to the Provincial Archives Building in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada in 1974. In the summer of 1982, a caretaker.........

The above is from a story prizmII gave us a link to, it is about my coin.

I took it to my local coin dealer and he pulled out a book on counterfits with close up pics of nicks and marks to look for in fake coins. My coin had two out of 4-5 marks. So he is pretty sure it is a fake. He said China produces a lot of counterfit coins and the book was pretty thick.

I will have a few other dealers look at it and get their opinions.

I asked him if I tried to sell it and listed it as counterfit how much did he think I would get?

Without a seconds hesitation he said "20 years in the state pen"
(guess that question came up before)

 

[65gt350]

Did the dealer weigh the coin? I would not rule it as a counterfeit just yet. It is possible that the used a piece struck around the time yours was. I would think that unless it had all five marks it would not be considered counterfeit. I assume by the dealers comments he was not interested in the coin.

 

[cyberdan]

I assume by the dealers comments he was not interested in the coin.

He wouldn't touch it, he did offer to send it to a grading service.

 

[schramm]

Are the counterfeit coins comprised of the same metal?90% silver?

If they are then at least you have one more 90%er to add to your totals.

I would think that if someone had that in their collection it would be locked up or otherwise not easy to get to,like if a teenager were to steal it from their parent as I'm sure is the way alot of the proofs end up in the boxes you guys find.

This would have to be the best half anyone has ever found/reported on this forum,better than the worn barbers and holed seated lib's that excite everybody.Unless they are a key date a dealer will only pay a little more than melt value for them in my experience.

I have never found any roll hunting but have bought some before at the swap meet at what I thought was a great price only to find a dealer wouldnt even pay me what I gave for them.