Sam Shafer Numismatics

10/14/2023

I recently covered the American classic wheat cent series in an article for my website. I wanted to share one of the most fascinating wheat cents of the entire series which is the 1922-D (No D) issue. An interesting piece of wheat cent lore is that in 1922 only one mint actually struck cents that being the Denver mint. Numismatists early on established that something was "off" about this particular run of coins. It turns out the mint in Denver was under a lot of pressure to strike cents that year and quality issues abounded. It is believed that the "Missing" or "Ghost" mintmark variety occurred as a result of first a die clash occuring which is when the obverse and reverse die smack into one another without a coin in between. This will imprint detail that otherwise shouldn't be there into subsequent coins struck. In order to correct a badly clashed die, a mint worker is believed to have simply grabbed an old old obverse die which he filed down to improve the appearance. Unfortunately he filed the mintmark too much and it wasn't long into production that the deterioration of the die lead to no mintmarks being visible at all. Some issues have visible D's, others have weak D's, and the rarest of all the No D is the one that commands the most premium. My colleague recently certified one of the finest known 1922-D (No D) Lincoln Cents in the world. It was graded MS65 by CAC Grading. Dempsey & Baxter are offering this coin for $31,250

09/25/2023

Check out my recent article for a crash course on the wheat penny series and what makes some better than others in terms of rarity and value! 🧐💰📰

The value of a wheat penny can vary between a few cents and several hundred dollars, depending on several factors. Let's take a closer look at this deceptively simply coin!

07/18/2023

MAJOR HOARD OF GOLD FOUND IN KENTUCKY!

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Found in a Kentucky cornfield, the Great Kentucky Gold Hoard is the most impressive hoard of United States coins since the Saddle Ridge gold hoard was found on the west coast in 2013. This midwestern hoard was believed to be buried in 1863, the high point of the American Civil War. The collection is wide ranging but not only have some of the coins managed to maintain a state of mint condition preservation but rare pieces by date and mint are present including at least one from the elusive Dahlonega mint in Georgia. It has been suggested that the burial may have happened because of Morgan's Raid. This was the northernmost conflict of the American Civil War which was a daring raid by 2,000 Confederate Cavalry soldiers and a few small horse drawn artillery pieces lead by Confederate General John Hunt Morgan that pushed through Kentucky, crossed the Ohio river and went as far north into Indiana as North Vernon. The Raiders were chased out of Indiana into Ohio by Indiana Militia volunteers who joined forces with Ohio regiments of Militia leading to the eventual destruction of Morgan's horseman and his own capture. Why the owner of the buried coins never came back to claim such a large amount of wealth will likely forever be a mystery.

A hoard of more than 700 gold Civil War era coins were found in a Kentucky cornfield last month and now they're on sale to the public.

07/13/2023

I just released a new article-- Installment #2 of the Top 5 Most Iconic American $1 Bills🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈💸💸💸💸💸💸💸💸💸💸💸💸💸💸💸💸
Does this Portrait look familiar?

From the artwork to its coloration, the iconic 1869 Rainbow legal tender was a dollar with pizzazz. But is it a good addition to a collection?

05/22/2023

Ever wanted to own an original proof set from the 1800's???
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Just yesterday Great Collections auctioned off one of the most unique and impressive collections we have ever seen. This collection was a 100% original, 13 coin, complete, 1888 proof set! While it is not necessarily too lofty an achievement for a blue collar collector to obtain (1) proof copper or nickel coin from 1888, a full set with all silver and gold coins is a breathtaking achievement for even the most advanced budgets. It gets even more incredible when one discovers that the pedigree of the GC set complete set can be traced to a visit to the Philadelphia mint made by John Robert Fletcher, after having won a contract with the mint. Robert Fletcher & Son Ltd was considered one of premier paper manufacturers in the world at the time, having won the top awards at the London and Paris exhibitions in the 1880s, as well as the "highest award" at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition of 1876. The Fletcher set returned to England after the visit in 1888 and resided there up until re-discovery last year. This once in a lifetime set achieved CAC approval on all 13 coins and crossed the block for an astonishing $568,125 with the buyers premium!

If you could own a full proof set from any year in US history what year would you choose?

One of the most extraordinary sets of coins we have had the pleasure to handle. This original proof set is certainly the only remaining set in private hands. In fact, for the whole series, the concept of an original and complete proof set was only a dream, until now. This item comes with the origina...

03/04/2023

New Article is posted on our website!
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I offer my insight on the 4 mistakes the beginner collectors make, and strategies I recommend to get a better experience and a better outcome out of collecting coins and paper money.
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How to start coin collecting without making the most common new collector mistakes

03/01/2023

We are currently offering a 10% off coupon for our eBay store good on any item. Use code TENPERCENTOFFER at checkout. We are in the process of listing a nice group of certified sports cards from past and present to go along with our usual selection of coins and paper money.

Shop great deals - Extra 10% off with code TENPERCENTOFFER - Take 10% Off a second item up to $50 in savings! - eBay sshafer11

01/04/2023

Rare coins in circulation! Find out what to look for.
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Did you know that the mint did something unprecedented with the quarters issued in 2019 and 2020? Most of these coins circulated during the pandemic when the nation suffered from a change shortage. Only a small % of the population knew what the mint was up to.

In this article I explain how to identify if you have a rare quarter minted in 2019 or 2020.

That 2019 or 2020 quarter you've got just might be worth more than you think! But why? And how do you know? Here's what not everyone knows, and what you can start watching for.

12/27/2022

The 68th Annual Florida United Numismatic Show (FUN) in Orlando Florida not only kicks off the new year in coins, it often features some showstopping rarities in the auctions. Here is a selection of the finest NGC - Numismatic Guaranty Company certified coins up for sale this time around, including a ultra rare colonial English silver piece, a matte proof 1922 Peace Dollar and an 1845 $2.50 Quarter Eagle graded PR67 ULTRA CAMEO one of 3 known. Of the other two, only one can be privately owned as the other is housed in the Smithsonian collection.

Heritage Offers One of the Rarest Massachusetts Colonial Coins in Existence, Certified by NGC Posted on 12/12/2022 The coin is likely to sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars in a January auction that features US rarities. Hundreds of exciting vintage American coins certified by Numismatic Guara...

12/06/2022

As we head into 2023 I hope to keeping bringing new and interesting articles concerning Numismatics! Throughout the beginning of the new year I am going to be writing about the top 5 most iconic United States $1 Bills. 💲1️⃣⏺0️⃣0️⃣

$1 Bills / notes are both popular and interesting to collect. I plan to highlight not only the history behind some of the most special designs but also my advice for collecting $1 notes for both beginning and advanced collectors. To start off this series we begin, where $1 bills began, in the darkest days of the American Civil War 💥⚔️🔍

Iconic $1 Bill #1 of 5 "The 1862 Legal Tender "Greenback"

Meet the first of five iconic $1 bill designs, created during one of the darkest years in US history as an attempt to fix a brewing economic crisis.

10/31/2022

With the US stock markets having had a pretty flat year in 2022 we have consistently fielded calls from people interested in diversifying their investment portfolios with tangible assets like gold and silver bullion. For folks that don't already have an established relationship with a local coin dealer the prospect of buying metals locally can seem strange and daunting, Many people expect dealers like us to have display cases full of their favorite bullion products to browse and purchase at or near the spot price.. In this article I explain not only what to expect but how to navigate buying metals from a local dealer, something that many folks appreciate for privacy as well as support of the local economy.

From pricing to stock, we give you the full behind-the-scenes story so you'll know exactly what to expect when buying precious metals locally, plus the benefits of doing so.

10/18/2022

BOMBSHELL NEWS!!!!! 😮😲

For decades coin grading has been dominated by the generalization that NGC and PGCS are the top grading companies in Numismatics. This isn't necessarily conjecture alone as APR - Auction Prices Realized have long shown that the best coins end up graded by one of the two giants with ANACS and ICG fighting for smaller pieces of the market share. CAC, to this point has been a peer review source for certified coins but a highly respected one at that. The prices garnered by the "Green Bean" of approval are often 20% or more than a coin would receive without the CAC approval. Now CAC is taking the next step and becoming its own grading company. This will certainly add additional competition to the coin grading marketplace giving customers even more choices in collecting and coin custodianship. We look forward to what the future holds!

A new grading alternative will be offered in 2023 as CAC Grading Service will develop from the existing Certified Acceptance Corp. with a focus on accuracy and education to benefit consumers.