Military payment certificates: base money, C-day, and what a shop actually buys
MPCs paid US troops overseas from 1946 to 1973 so greenbacks would not flood the local black market. On conversion…
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The public coin and money library, plus dealer guides — what people bring to a shop, how money works, and how shops run.
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Emergency money: Civil War tokens, fractional notes, Hawaii and North Africa
When coins vanished or an invasion looked possible, Americans used stand-ins: Civil War store tokens, fractional paper, HAWAII-overprint dollars, and…
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Coin “secrets”: initials, mint marks, and what is not a code
V.D.B. is Victor David Brenner’s name. A mint mark is a factory letter. Thirteen arrows are the first states. None…
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Open wreath, closed wreath, open 3: the “open or closed” tells on US coins
Open and closed are die varieties, not poetry. On 1849 gold dollars the wreath either leaves a gap at the…
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Why US coins have eagles: small eagle, heraldic eagle, olive and arrows
The eagle is the Great Seal on a coin. Early dollars and half eagles used a small eagle, then a…
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What “1/20 12K GF” on jewelry actually means
1/20 12K G.F. is gold filled, not 12k gold. U.S. rules require a mechanically bonded layer of at least 10k…
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Magnetic clasps on gold chains: the magnet is usually just the clasp
Gold is not magnetic. A lot of modern clasps are steel and magnets. The shop pulls or subtracts the clasp…
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Hollow gold chains: gold with air in the middle
A hollow chain is still gold. It looks heavy and is not. The shop pays the weight of the wall,…
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Pocket watches: most are gold filled. “25 year” is the tell.
Most estate pocket watches are gold filled, not solid gold. A 10-, 20-, 25-, or 30-year guarantee on the case…
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