Over the last 30 years 3rd party coin certification has had a very tremendously positive effect on coin grading. However, there are a few pitfalls to slabbed coins. One of these pitfalls is the wide-spread proliferation of sub-standard, copycat coin grading services.

Some coin collectors have come upon coins that have an indented line around the obverse side just in from the rim of the coin, and they wonder if the coin came like this from the mint.

Many years ago we had an Assay Commission. The Commission’s only purpose was to examine coinage annually and attest to the fineness of the bullion coins.

Coin collecting is not as simple as keeping coins: it may be observed from numismatists or even coin enthusiasts that it is a systematic and somewhat complicated hobby.

Silver half-dimes had been minted since the 1790s, but they quickly disappeared from circulation during the Civil War. Due to the uncertainty future of the war conditions, people hoarded coins.