Well, another year has come and gone for the monthly Greater Atlanta Coin Show.
In closing out the year, we want to thank the many visitors to the bourse, the dealers - regulars and guests, our security and the hotel with their numerous support personnel for making the 2014 coin shows busy, interesting and fun.
For the December show, the hotel welcomed the holiday season decked out in its many decorations including lots of beautiful poinsettias.
Though not cold, the show day was cool, temperatures in the 50s, with the sun shining brightly to make it a beautiful day to be out and about and visiting a coin show.
We saw lots of new faces at the coin show - welcome! and we're glad you came. Of course, we also saw lots of repeat visitors - thank you for coming back.
Once again, the sports memorabilia show set up next door, which was great for our visitors going to their show, and their visitors coming to the coin show. They plan to coincide with our January show, too, and will have a Braves pitcher on hand to sign autographs. (No, I don't know which pitcher.)
Now, let's take a quick look at just small sampling of the coins on the December bourse.
The first example is a 1916 Liberty Walking half dollar produced in Denver and graded by NGC as a MS62 specimen.
The 1916 half dollar was the first year of A.A. Weinman's half dollar design.
In a letter to R.W. Woolley, Director of the Mint dated May 23, 1916, Weinman described his plans for the coin:
"In my design for the half dollar, I have decided on a full length female figure of Liberty and have represented her enveloped in the folds of the stars and stripes, progressing in full stride toward the glorious dawn of a new day, carrying bunches of laurel and of oak symbolical of civil and of military glory.
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Coin Show - Monthly Notes from December 2014
Perhaps at some point, the "Mercury" palladium coin will become a reality.
For the next coin on the bourse, the year was earlier, 1901, and the denomination was larger at a dollar.
The 1901 San Francisco produced Morgan dollar was graded by NGC as a MS64 coin. For Mint State Morgan dollars, the ANA Grading Standards requires "Absolutely no trace of wear."
In 1901, the US Mint produced just under 22.6 million of the Morgan dollars at their Philadelphia, New Orleans and San Francisco production facilities. Of the total population, San Francisco struck only 10% yet the Philadelphia mintages can command higher values.
"Her right hand is outstretched in bestowal of the spirit of liberty to the land of the free and the home of the brave.
"The design for the reverse of the half dollar shows an eagle perched high upon a mountain crag, his wings unfolded, fearless in spirit and conscious of his power.
"Springing from a rift in the rock is a sapling of mountain pine, symbolical of America."
Today, the Liberty Walking design remains one of the most beautiful and continues to be used -at least the obverse - on the US Mint's American Silver Eagles.
Keeping the year and the designer, another coin viewed on the bourse was the 1916 dime also produced in Denver but with a lesser grade of F15 from NGC.
Per the ANA's Grading Standards, FINE Winged Liberty dimes have moderate to heavy even wear, and the entire design is clear and bold.
For this coin, Weinman described his design for Director Woolley:
"The design of the dime, owing to the smallness of the coin, has been held quite simple. The obverse shows a head of liberty with winged cap. The head is firm and simple in form, the profile forceful.
"The reverse shows a design of the bundle of rods with battleax, known as "fasces" and symbolical of unity, wherein lies the nation's strength. Surrounding the fasces is a full foliaged branch of olive, symbol of peace."
Though yet to be produced, the 111th Congress passed the American Eagle Palladium Bullion Coin Act of 2010. In section 6 of Public Law 111-303, they specified the bullion coin's design to be:
‘‘(6) DESIGN.-Coins minted and issued under this subsection shall bear designs on the obverse and reverse that are close likenesses of the work of famed American coin designer and medallic artist Adolph Alexander Weinman-
‘‘(A) the obverse shall bear a high-relief likeness of the ‘Winged Liberty’ design used on the obverse of the so-called ‘Mercury dime’;
‘‘(B) the reverse shall bear a high-relief version of the reverse design of the 1907 American Institute of Architects medal; and
‘‘(C) the coin shall bear such other inscriptions, including ‘Liberty’, ‘In God We Trust’, ‘United States of America’, the denomination and weight of the coin and the fineness of the metal, as the Secretary determines to be appropriate and in keeping with the original design.
For the next coin, the year is even earlier, 1833, and this time the denomination is a half dime.
PCGS graded this bright white capped bust half dime as MS63. The ANA Grading Standards for this half dime defines the MS63 uncirculated grade as "A Mint State coin with attractive mint luster, but noticeable detracting contact marks or minor blemishes."
Last on the list for this month is another dollar from the last year of the circulating silver dollars.
For the 1935S Peace dollar, NGC graded the coin as MS65. For this coin and grade, the ANA's Grading Standards state "No trace of wear; nearly as perfect as MS67 except for a few additional minute bagmarks or surface wear. Has full mint luster but may be unevenly toned."
The US Mint produced just over 3.5 million of the 1935 Peace dollars with 55.5% of their production in San Francisco.
But, even with the larger number, the San Francisco produced coins retain a higher value at almost every grade.
Of course, these five example coins from the bourse were less than a handful of the many numismatics on display at the December coin show.
Next month, the first monthly coin show of 2015 will be filled with dealers and their numismatics from a wide variety of coins, currency and bullion including domestic and foreign, ancient to modern, historic and legal tender.
It's time to mark your calendars for the next Greater Atlanta Coin Show on Sunday, January 4, 2015 in the Joe Mack Wilson ballroom.