MTCs on Ebay June 2015
6/1/15
Kansas. 1961 Official Centennial Coin for Barton County. An easy one to find, but I am surprised no one has bid on this one that has been going around for a couple months now. Offered for $1.69 Buy It Now with a $1.99 shipping fee.
6/2/15
Alaska, Anchorage. 1968 The Pines Trade Dollar. Unknown mintage. Not listed. Some collectors add this to their collection because it says TRADE DOLLAR right on the coin - but it is not listed in the catalog because it does not commemorate anything and served simply as a trade token for The Pines Restaurant. Not difficult to find.
6/2/15
Alaska, Sitka. 1963 Alaska’s Historical Capital Dollar in Silver. Mintage 500. Catalog value $20.00. After a 99¢ with FREE shipping start, this choice piece attracted 9 bids and sold for only $8.51 - well below the melt value of the silver!
6/2/15
Hawaii. 1959 Crossroads of the Pacific Souvenir Coin in golden brass. Mintage 10,000. Catalog value $5.00. This token is listed in the So-Called Dollar catalog as HK-549. The seller had 6 of these, one that looked Uncirculated the others Spotty Uncirculated or About Uncirculated. Each was offered separately at a $9.99 with FREE shipping start. None of them received a bid, and they were relisted as a single lot of 6 pieces with a start of $9.99. This time there were 3 bidders and the lot of 6 sold for $36.00.
6/2/15
Hawaii. 1959 Crossroads of the Pacific Souvenir Coin in Nickel Silver. Mintage 725. Catalog value $15.00. This token is listed in the So-Called Dollar catalog as HK-548. The seller had 4 of these, all of them Uncirculated, but one was a bit spotty, and another had a very small edge clip. The one with the clip was offered as a "very likely unique piece" for $99.99 with FREE shipping, but did not receive a bid, and was not relisted. The others were offered separately at a start of $9.99 with FREE shipping. They sold for $15.05, $29.98, and $31.98 after 3 or 4 bids each - the spotted one, of course, with the lowest sale price.
6/2/15
Rhode Island, Davisville. 1967 25th Anniversary of the Seabees Theater Admission Token. Unknown mintage. Catalog value $7.50. Start was just 99¢ plus $2.25 shipping, and it ended up at a healthy $12.25 after 8 bids.
6/2/15
Wyoming, Greybull. Undated Days of ’49 Dime. Unknown mintage. Catalog value $7.50. This one had a start of $9.99 plus $2.50 more for postage. No bids. Next offered at $6.99 plus $2.50, still without a bid. Offered repeatedly at this level until August 1, when the listing was ended without a sale.
6/3/15
Iowa, Walnut. 1971 Centennial Half Dollar. Mintage 5,000. Catalog value $3.50. This choice example closed without being bought for the $6.99 with FREE shipping. Relisted for another month at the same price and with the same result.
6/4/15
Nebraska, Oakland. 1963 Centennial Half Dollar. Unknown mintage. Catalog value $6.50. The bulk of this issue was confiscated by the Treasury Department, but not until after it was in use long enough to be relatively available today. This was started off at just 99¢ plus $3.00 shipping, but it went unsold and was not relisted. Described by the seller as “used”, but it looked choice uncirculated to me.
6/4/15
New York, Sherburne 1968 175th Anniversary Half Dollar. Mintage unknown. Catalog value $5.00. Sold to a single bidder for the $6.95 with FREE shipping start price.
6/5/15
Michigan, Harrisville. 1952 Kiki Cuyler Memorial Half Dollar. Unknown mintage. Catalog value $10.00. Available in a superior choice uncirculated condition for $9.95 plus $3.50 shipping, but there were no bids. This was so nice I almost bid on it myself, but passed it up. When it was relisted the following week at the same price, I just couldn’t resist it and won it at the opening price. A nice bargain!
6/5/15
Oregon. 1959 Oregon Centennial Uniface Half Dollar in golden brass. This is the smoke/large hole variety. Listed in the So-Called Dollar catalog as HK-565. Unknown mintage. Catalog value $5.00. I was the only bidder at its $2.99 plus $2.04 start. This one apparently snuck past the SCD collectors because it was listed in an obscure category, instead of under Coins or Exonumia. Uncirculated, with some spotting.
6/6/15
Pennsylvania, New Wilmington. 1963 Centennial Half Dollar in gilt brass. Mintage Unknown. Catalog value $4.00. Up for bid at a $4.99 plus $3.49 shipping start. There were no bids so the seller tried $7.99 plus $1.88 for the next 5 weeks. That didn’t work either, so he put it back on auction for a much more reasonable $1.49 plus $1.98 shipping, and it finally sold for that amount to a single bidder on July 29.
6/6/16
Puerto Rico. 2008 Peseta imitating the style of the U. S. Statehood Quarters, but with the denomination changed to Peseta, the local name for the U. S. Quarter, which circulates there. These were made in 78 varieties, each with the coat of arms of a different Puerto Rican municipality on the reverse. Mintage of these silver clad pieces was strictly limited to 100 pieces each. Not previously listed, but each of these will be included in the next edition of the catalog. Also there was a similar set made in 2009, which is mentioned below. This sale was for a single piece of the 2008 set, the choice of the seller, but winners of multiple lots would receive different coins for each bid - up to the maximum number of coins the seller had left, and it was noted that over half the localities were already sold out. The Buy It Now price was $6.99 each, with FREE shipping. These are legitimately scarce coins from a very popular location, and I was amazed that there were apparently no bids for these neat pieces - although it is difficult to be certain because the seller makes all the sales “Private” which seems to makes it appear that there were no sales…and on Ebay’s feedback, the items each person bought are not disclosed. Anyway, after this month-long sale ended, it was repeated for another month. The seller is thepuertoricomint, and I highly suggest you pick up these municipal tokens while you can. Do an Ebay advanced search by seller, or contact him through his website www.puertoricomint.com.
6/7/15
Iowa, Emmetsburg. Lot of 42 pieces, consisting of all the gilt brass pieces from the first year, 1966, up to 2004, with duplicates of four of the pieces. Mintage figures for the early pieces are elusive, my yearly inquiries being ignored, but it is clear that the mintages decline gradually from the early issues, which were probably 5,000 or so, but for the last 10 or 12 years they have been less than 1,000 pieces annually. This group had a start of 99¢ with FREE shipping, drew a pathetic 4 bids and ended up at just $2.24 - which was below the minimum the seller had set, so it did not sell. The following week it was offered for the same terms , and this week drew 17 bids from just 4 bidders and ended up at $31.00, which was still below the minimum. The seller tried one more time and this time attracted 6 bids from 3 bidders and it ended up at $13.83, apparently well below the sellers minimum, and the lot was ended unsold.
6/7/15
Missouri, Excelsior Springs. 1961 Centennial Half Dollar. Mintage 10,000. Catalog value $3.50. Offered for a $2.53 plus $3.99 start, but there were no bids this or the following 2 weeks. It was then lowered all the way down to $2.50, still with the $3.99 shipping, which did not work either. The following week the seller tried $2.24 plus $3.99 for a couple weeks, still with no luck. The item was ended unsold on August 2.
6/7/15
Nebraska, Chadron. 1960 Centennial Half Dollars, set of Golden Brass and “Silver”. Mintage 5,000 for the GB, and 25 for the Silver…but this almost certainly was the Silver Plate version with a mintage of 1,000 and catalog value of $6.00. The seller noted that he didn’t know if there was any actual silver content, and apparently no one else thought so either, as there were no bids at its $9.99 plus $2.95 start. Relisted the next week for the same price with the same result. The third week at the same start, however, was different - there were 5 bids, all by the same bidder, so it sold for the opening price. I wonder if the winner ended up with the rare Silver version, or just the usual silver plate.
6/7/15
New York, Latham. 1960 50th Anniversary of Fire Department Half Dollar. Unknown mintage. Catalog value $4.50. This example in a spotty uncirculated condition offered, and sold, to a lone bidder for the opening price of $7.99 plus $1.99 shipping.
6/7/15
North Dakota, Rugby. 1961 Diamond Jubilee Half Dollar. Mintage unknown. Catalog value $4.50. The seller wanted $12.61 plus $3.99 to open this one, but it - not surprisingly - did not receive any bids. Relisted the following week for the same cost, this time it surprisingly did receive a bid and sold for the opening price!
6/7/15
Puerto Rico 2009 set of 78 different Silver Clad Municipal Pesetas. Mintage 100 pieces each. Not currently cataloged. Offered for $345.00 plus $20 shipping. Many of these were no longer available from the issuer, so I bid and won it for the opening bid. Now I’ve got to find the ones I need from the 2008 set!
6/8/15
Hawaii, Maui. 2008 Set of Trade Dollars, NS,GP, SIL. Not cataloged yet. Started at 99¢ for the set, plus a $2.99 postage fee. After 7 bids it sold for $81.00.
6/9/15
Alaska, Matanuska Valley. 1985 50th Anniversary set of 8 pieces, 1¢ to $10. Unknown mintage. Catalog value $20.00 for the set. This was set # 481 in its original plastic case. Offered for $70.00 with FREE shipping, but there were no bids. The next week it was relisted for $59.95, and it still did not sell. The following week the seller raised his price to $100.00 with FREE shipping, but this time had the Or Best Offer option - and it sold. Ebay does not publish the amount items sold for if it was purchased on an Or Best Offer deal. I can’t imagine why.
6/9/15
Arizona, Prescott. 1915 Frontier Days Celebration $20. Unknown mintage. Catalog value $22.50. This one was quite worn as well as being scratched and corroded. Ugly! But appealing enough for one collector to bid the opening of $20.00 plus $2.50 shipping.
6/9/15
Minnesota. 1959 Statehood Dollar (Half Dollar) uniface (except for the maker’s name on the reverse). Unknown mintage. Not previously listed. A So-Called Dollar, so with a wide collector base - not just us MTC collectors. This brass piece in Extremely Fine condition had a $40 plus $2.95 shipping start, and it sold to a single bidder.
6/9/15
Nebraska, Scottsbluff. 1960 60th Anniversary Half Dollar. Mintage 3,500. Catalog value $6.50. Put out there for $25.55 with FREE shipping. No bids and not immediately relisted - but it did show up a couple days later at the same price. When that still did not work the seller added a $39.95 Buy It Now option. It is still available. The current listing ends on September 11.
6/9/15
New York, Latham. 1960 50th Anniversary of Fire Department. Unknown mintage. Catalog value $4.50. Offered for $9.00 plus $2.00. No sale. Relisted at $7.00 Buy It Now, again with the $2.00 shipping fee. Still no bids, so the seller ended the listing.
6/9/15
Ohio, New Carlisle. 1960 Sesquicentennial Half Dollar. Mintage 3,000 pieces. Catalog value $4.50. This XF/AU example started at $4.99 plus $2.00 shipping. There were 8 bids by just two bidders and this one ended up selling for a remarkable $29.50.
6/9/15
Oregon, Eugene. 1960 Emerald Empire Round Up Half Dollar. Mintage 10,000. Catalog value $3.00. Offered for $3.10 plus $2.00 shipping. No bids. Not relisted.
6/10/15
South Dakota. 1976 South Dakota Dollar. Mintage 6,000. Catalog value $3.50, assuming it is the more common numbered edge variety - the plain edge variety lists for $5.00. This one has been offered for a long time now, well over a year, and is still available as a Buy It Now item for $75.00. It started out as a bid only item, then became a Buy It Now item, and currently has a “Best Offer” option. Postage was an additional $2.99. As I type this nearly two months later, it is still available for the same cost.
6/11/15
Kansas. Kansas Centennial Official Coin for the Miss Kansas Pageant in Pratt. Sterling Silver, numbered 56. Started at $10.00 plus $2.50 shipping, this rare item attracted 9 bids from 7 bidders and sold for $78.77 which is, I think, really cheap!
6/12/15
Michigan, Vicksburg. 1948 Frontier Days Quarter. Unknown mintage. Catalog value $8.50. This one in an above average About Uncirculated condition. Offered for $3.99 plus $2.40, but after 11 bids by 4 bidders, it sold for a very respectable $13.00.
6/12/15
Nebraska, Neligh. 1973 Centennial Dollar. Unknown mintage. Catalog value $6.00. Offered for $9.95 (12.99 BIN) plus $1.95 shipping. No Bids. Relisted one week at the same price then down a buck to $8.95. The following week it was offered for $7.95 Buy It Now and it is still available, the current offering ending on August 30.
6/12/15
Ohio, Elyria. 1958 125th Anniversary Half Dollar. Mintage 5,000. Catalog value $5.00. This uncirculated specimen sold to a single bidder for the $3.49 plus 71¢ starting bid. A good deal!
6/13/15
Florida, Key West. 1972 Conch Republic 150 Years Dollar. Type with leaping marlin. Unknown mintage. Catalog value $6.50. Very popular with “micro nation” collectors. Start was $9.95 plus $2.25 shipping. After 12 bids by 5 bidders it sold for $44.58, a strong finish for this piece!
6/13/15
South Dakota, Fort Yankton. Undated Four Bits token. Slightly circulated as usual - kids took these home as souvenirs and they were carried around for awhile. This was started off at $6.99 with FREE shipping, and drew 3 bids before closing at $9.01.
6/13/15
South Dakota, Sioux Falls. 1961 (1960) Dakota Territory Centennial Half Dollar. Mintage 300,000. Catalog value $2.50. The seller thought this circulated piece was special because it had a slight planchet clip at 4:00, and put it out there for a $16.50 with FREE shipping start. No bids. After two additional unsuccessful weeks as an auction item at the same price, it was placed in the Sellers Store for the same terms, but now as a Buy It Now item. Still available on August 21. I don’t think minor production errors like this add much to the value of a MTC, especially on a very high mintage issue such as this. Had it been double struck or struck significantly off center, I would have been in there bidding aggressively! I know of very few significant striking errors on MTCs.
6/13/15
Vermont, St. Albans. 1963 Bicentennial Half Dollar. Mintage unknown. Catalog value $5.00. This choice uncirculated piece was up for bid starting at $6.99 with FREE shipping - but it attracted no bids and was placed in the Sellers Store for $7.19, still with FREE shipping. Still there on August 12.
6/13/15
Washington, Olympia. 1933 wooden Oyster Money Quarter. Unknown mintage. Not listed in previous editions, but these COMMEMORATIVE Depression Script Tokens will be in the next. Popular and unusual, this oyster-shaped piece has always been in demand. This one started at 1¢ plus $2.00 shipping and sold for $68.77 after 9 bids.
6/14/15
Oregon, North Bend. 1959 Oregon Centennial Wooden Half Dollar. Unknown mintage. Catalog value $7.50. After a 1¢ start and 8 bids, this scarce piece sold for $17.28. Postage was $2.00.
6/14/15
Guam. 2014 $5 Curved ribbon shaped silver plated brass fantasy token. Mintage 200. Not currently listed. I don’t think I will list this one, but I already list round Guam fantasy Dollars from years ago - so maybe. This one sold for the $24.99 plus $3.50 shipping to a lone bidder. I think that is what I paid for mine earlier this year from a dealer’s price list.
6/15/15
Oregon, Albany. 1959 Oregon Centennial Half Dollar, Silver Plated. Mintage 10,000 for the standard GB version Catalog value $5.00. Start was $10.00 plus $7.15 shipping. Two bidders placed a total of 3 bids and it sold for $11.50 plus the extremely high shipping fee. I have to caution any collectors to be very careful when bidding on these plated 1959 Oregon Centennial Municipal Tokens and So Called Dollars. Several jewelers around the state made unofficial silver and gold plated examples of virtually all of these pieces at the time of issue, to sell for a profit. There were only three communities that reported using officially plated versions of these MTC’s, all of them with very small mintages…and it is not known if those plated issues were ordered from the mint that way, or were done locally from the standard finish pieces. At any rate, anyone with a $100 electroplating outfit can make these in no time from the standard issues - so watch out. It does not matter if a plated piece has been in someone’s collection for the past 50 years or more because the unofficial copies were first made when they were issued back in 1959, and there is no practical way to determine when a piece was plated. As a result, I value the plated pieces at the same or just slightly higher levels than the standard ones. One possible exception to this is any of the issues that come in an antiqued silver plate finish - those are just a little more challenging to make than the standard plated versions…however it is possible to replicate this finish as well.
6/15/15
Oregon, Arlington. 1959 Oregon Centennial Half Dollar, Golden Brass, No Smoke variety (which is the more common of the two types). Mintage just 2,500 for both varieties combined. Catalog value $5.00. Start was $10.00 plus $3.00 shipping. The only bidder bid 3 times during the last 15 minutes of the sale, so it sold for the opening price of $10.00 plus shipping.
6/15/15
Oregon, Arlington. 1959 Oregon Centennial Half Dollar, Silver Plated, No Smoke variety (which is the more common of the two types). Mintage just 2,500 for both varieties combined. Catalog value $5.00 for the golden brass pieces. Start was $15.00 plus $3.00 shipping. Five bidders placed a total of 16 bids, and it sold for $68.55 plus shipping. Wow! Please see my comments on the Albany Silver Plated issue above.
6/15/15
Wyoming, Lander. 1968 Pioneer Days / One Shot Antelope Hunt Buck. Unknown mintage. Catalog value $6.00. Start was $4.00 plus $2.54 shipping. I was pleased to win this fully Uncirculated piece (most have lost a bit of their golden finish, especially on the antelope head) for $4.25. There was only one other bidder.
6/16/15
Ohio, Genoa. 1968 Centennial Half Dollar. Mintage 1,000. Catalog value $6.00. Opening bid - which was not met - was $14.50 with FREE shipping. Then placed into the Sellers Store where it has been offered for $19.50, still with FREE shipping ever since, and recently also with a Make Offer option. The current listing is due to end on August 16.
6/16/15
South Dakota, New Effington. 1966 Civic Club Dollar. I have no information on this enigmatic octagonal brass token that reads NEW /EFFINGTON / SOUTH DAKOTA / MUST BE REDEEMED / IN 30 DAYS / CIVIC CLUB / 1966. The merchant token style reverse reads GOOD FOR / $1.00 / IN TRADE. The town was founded in 1913, so this does not appear to be an anniversary piece. Further research is needed before I can consider it for listing. The start was $1.95 plus 95¢ shipping. There were just two bids and I won it for $2.34.
6/17/15
Colorado, Delta. 1983 Centennial Dollar. Unknown mintage. Catalog value $5.00. You could have owned this for $14.50 with FREE shipping if you had wanted it that much, but no one bid. It was then put into the Sellers Store at $19.95 with FREE shipping, and is still there as of August 13 - currently with a Make Offer option.
6/17/15
Illinois, Hoopeston. 1971 Official Souvenir Coin. Unknown mintage. Catalog value $7.50, but going down, probably to $6.00, in the next edition. This one was to start at $14.50 with FREE shipping, but failed to attract a single bid. Relisted at $19.95 and still available in the Sellers Store. The current listing, ending on August 17, has a Make Offer option.
6/17/15
Texas, San Antonio. 1989 Texas Folklife Festival Dollar. Mintage 5,000. Catalog value $2.00. Start was $14.50 with FREE Shipping. No bids. Relisted as a Buy It Now item for $19.95. After a couple weeks the Make Offer option was added. The current listing ends on August 16.
6/18/15
Illinois, Fox Lake. 1957 Golden Jubilee Half Dollar. Mintage unknown. Catalog value $6.50. This auction was for a pair of these, both very close to uncirculated, but each with the moderate deterioration of the golden surface so common on this issue. The pair started off for a bargain 99¢ plus $2.29 shipping, but they sold quite close to catalog value - $14.97 after 5 bids.
6/19/15
Iowa, Pella. 1995 Dutch Dollar. Mintage 2,000. Catalog value $3.00. Start 9.99 with FREE shipping. There were no bids and it was put in the Sellers Store for the same amount. The present listing ends on August 17, and it currently is being offered with a 10% off sale.
6/21/15
Arizona, Willcox. 1973 Rex Allen Days Dollar. Unknown mintage. Catalog value either $6.00 or $6.50, depending on whether it has an edge number or not. Sure couldn’t tell from the photos, and the seller did not mention it, so your guess is as good as mine. This Extremely Fine circulated piece was offered for $4.99 plus $2.75 shipping, but it received no bids. It spent the next month in the Sellers Store at the same price before the seller ended the listing unsold.
6/21/15
Illinois, New Athens. 1966 Centennial Half Dollar. Mintage unknown. Catalog value $3.00. This one started off way too high - $14.50 with free shipping. When it did not sell it was placed in the Sellers Store for $19.50, and it is still available there two months later.
6/21/15
Iowa, Avoca. 1969 Centennial Half Dollar. Mintage 1,500. Catalog value $8.50. Offered at a start of $14.50 with FREE shipping, but there were no bids at that level. Since that time it has been in the Seller’s Store for $19.50, still with FREE shipping, the current listing on August 20.
6/27/15
Hawaii, Kona Coast. 1984 Kona Dollar in OXBR. Mintage 250. Catalog value $10.00. Start was 99¢ plus $2.94 and I was amazed I was able to win it for just $1.31!
6/27/15
Iowa, Gowrie. 1970 Centennial Half Dollar. Mintage 2,500. Catalog value $6.00. Up for bid starting at $7.50 plus $2.04 shipping. No bids. Not relisted.
6/27/15
Kansas. 1961 Statehood Allen County Official Centennial Coin. Start was $8.95 plus $1.95 shipping. Only moderately scarce. This one had two bids - each by the same bidder - so it sold for the opening price.
6/27/15
Kansas. 1961 Statehood Ellsworth County Official Centennial Coin. Start was $8.95 plus $1.95 shipping. This rural county piece is a little on the scarce side. There were 3 bids and it sold for $12.50.
6/27/15
Kansas. 1961 Statehood Labette County Official Centennial Coin. Start was $8.95 plus $1.95 shipping. This county piece is easy to find. There were 3 bids and it sold for $12.50.
6/27/15
Kansas. 1961 Statehood Montgomery County Official Centennial Coin. This county is fairly easy to find. Start was $8.95 plus $1.95 shipping. After 3 bids it sold for $12.50.
6/27/15
Kansas. 1961 Statehood Osborne County Official Centennial Coin. Scarce, but not one of the rare counties. Like all the other counties offered today, this started at $8.95 plus $1.95 shipping, but it attracted 7 bids and ended up selling for a very respectable $26.00.
6/27/15
Oregon, Myrtle Creek. 1959 Centennial Half Dollar in wood. Unknown mintage. Catalog value $12.50. Start was 1¢ plus $2.00 shipping. After 7 bids it sold for $10.50.
6/27/15
Oregon, Union. 1978 Centennial Dollar. Unknown mintage. Catalog value $7.50. This piece was offered for $3.00 with FREE shipping - but there were no takers! Then it went into the sellers store for $2.50 and spent two months there, still without a sale.
6/28/15
Kansas. 1961 Statehood Coffeyville Official Centennial Coin. Start was $9.99 plus $1.99 shipping. This is the easiest to find of the 1961 Official Centennial Coins put out for a city - but it is still scarcer than most of the County pieces. I won it as the only bidder.
6/29/15
Kansas, Coffeyville. 1958 Golden Anniversary of Fair and Rodeo Quarter. Unknown mintage. Catalog value $4.00. Nearly uncirculated, which is typical. Offered for $2.00 plus $1.93 shipping. No bids. Not relisted.
6/29/15
Pennsylvania, Erie. 1963 Perry Sesquicentennial Celebration “Permissible Copy for Redeemable Coins” reverse. Golden brass variety. Made by the token manufacturer to send out as a sample to communities planning a spendable issue, with an ideal redemption phrase to guide their choice of text. At the time these came out the Treasury Department was quite active in tracking down and confiscating spendable commemoratives that came too close to being used as a substitute for Federal coinage. Unknown mintage. Catalog value $6.00. Sold to a single bidder at the $7.50 plus $3.54 opening bid.
6/30/15
Wyoming, Casper. 1980 Casper Dollar. Unknown mintage. Catalog value $6.50. This About Uncirculated example offered for $2.99 plus $2.00 shipping. No bids. It was then placed into the Sellers Store where it was available until August 18 when the seller removed the token from sales.