Before you bid on my auction please note: I am not a coin expert, just a collector with 7 decades worth of error coins that came from our own pockets. I'm learning the ins-and-outs of listing some of them so please, write with any questions you have. My guarantee: I took every single picture used on my coin listings. You will get the coin you see in the pictures. For pictures I have used my I-phone 16 which does not have a close up feature so I'm using the zoom feature. I am taking pictures of my coins in these ways: Full coin shots with the I-phone and partial coin shots using an ELIKLIV coin microscope. Many small errors are not visible without magnification. so I note in my listings if the error is visible to the naked eye.
About this coin and where it came from: Peggy Bigham began collecting coins in 1958 when she started dealing blackjack at Harrah's in Reno. She would bring all of her tips home and throw them in a jar. She worked there during the change from silver coinage and put together a a collection of coins that included several rolls of mercury dimes, silver dollars and quarters FOR EVERY YEAR of production.
What she really liked though were the oddball coins. The all went into a "bad coin" jar. Her youngest son Brett began hunting through coins with her as he put together his penny and nickel books. He also got good at finding bad coins and between them continued to check all of Peggy's tips. After that she began doing books for the family taxi business and every day 21 bank bags were delivered by taxis to her house. This was before debit cards/credit/cell phones so it was all cash. It was not unusual for there to be $40 or more in just change. My job was filling the change holders that went out with every drive and I double checked every coin I put into them.
Over the years they put together a collection of thousands of error coins. Almost all are circulated and none have been on the market before. This is truly a collection created by checking your pocket change...but on a grand scale.
Sadly, in the late 60s, a family member stole all of the silver coins and spent them on candy for him and his friends. Rolls and rolls of silver everything just up and disappeared. Only the jar of bad coins was left and this was packed up and never really seen again. Both of them did however, continue to throw odd coins into new jars. Something that is still going on today.
After Peggy's passing the coins are going up on eBay, one at a time. There are some bills as well. Here is the thing... I simply am not a coin expert. I'm the kid that just knew to look for weird stuff. Now adult me has the job of figuring out what is up with all of these coins. My mom knew her stuff, but sometimes I just stare and stare and can't find what is up with a coin. Then, I find about this thing or that thing and sure enough--I am finding errors I never knew existed, or I'll weigh a coin and it is waaaay off the normal weight. She had a keen eye and a memory that could take four decks of cards, shuffle, and then flip over the entire deck to the last card. Then she would tell you what it the was. She could remember like that and used it to know all sorts of coin details.
I am not a coin expert-I don't really have knowledge of grading-I have just spent six months looking at my mom's coins (and my own) and will share what we have found. I hope you enjoy seeing the coins as I put them up and I hope maybe some are new or unusual finds!! I do combine shipping if you want more than one coin! (1.00 plus additional 10 cents per coin).