1892-CC $5 Gold Coin of the Week - 2-20-11

Thank you Loosechange

Yes...I love my "blood red moon" 1892-CC half eagle. I love "that there ole toning!"

Mr. Hofer represented the "alpha" and "omega" of the Carson mint....his would make for an amazing story in and of itself. Isn't our good friend Deepsouthspike lucky to have some old checks with his actual signature on them?!

Thank you for your generous and encouraging words regarding my article, you are a pleasure to have in our club.

the drummer

Drummer,

Once again, you have raised the bar for our little Coin of the Week project. Yours is an incredibly well researched and reported article about the '92-CC Half Eagle, and especially the history and events surrounding our favorite mint. If I didn't know better, I would suspect this article was written by a professional historian, not a musician.

One of the most interesting facts in the article is that both the 1892-CC Eagle and Double Eagle were produced in smaller numbers than the 1892-CC Half Eagle, yet there are fewer remaining examples of the 1892-CC Half Eagle than the other two denominations! This is the sort of mini-mystery that always intrigues me about Carson City coins.

Your AU-50 example of the 1892-CC Half Eagle is an absolute jewel! One could easily guess this coin to be AU-55, especially when examining key areas such as the sharp definition and modest wear around the eagles wing tips.

I remember this coins deep red toning when you brought your fabulous Drummer collection of half eagles to the last C4OA meeting in Carson City. Are we beholding to the assay process for this or to mother nature?

Thanks most sincerely for presenting the C4OA members with this informative and well written article about the 1892-CC Half Eagle.

Belay Off

Excellent overview of 1892, Mike, Excellent descriptive information on your coin.

This coin is in fact toned red and more than likely it’s the 10% copper content of this piece that gives it its blood-stained appearance. Many numismatists today might consider this an aberration or an undesirable feature.


But alas, the numismatists are right, the red toning is an undesirable feature. Please send it to me and I will dispose of it properly.

Thank you so much Belay!

I'm glad you brought up the intriguing mystery surrounding this 1892-CC $5 coin; the survivor figures discrepancy. My guess is that; (1.) A fair amount were in a bank vault situated close by the melters and they were disposed of...or; (2.) There may be a small/medium sized hoard hidden away somewhere still awaiting discovery.
I appreciate you generous words and encouragement...and I'm glad you like my coin!

the drummer

Hi Garryn

I like your disposal idea...I don't know why I never thought of that...I'll send it right away....be waiting by your mailbox....waiting....and waiting....and waiting....and wai....

:side:

the drummer

Tom (or is it Beno?)

Where do you come up with all this stuff anyway? A Bob Hofer signature...amazing.

Belay Off