VERY Newbie question

I'm interested in getting started in collecting Silver Eagles. Looking at
eBay, I'm confused at all the "letters" involved with this hobby.
Like--what is the difference between "PR" and "MS"? What is DCAM? What is
"UCAM"? Which grading service is the most reliable?

If I have these many questions maybe I should find a different hobby?

Is there a place on the www where I can find these answers?

Any and all help is greatly appreciated.

Thank You,

Bob Peterson

There is a regular post with a title of
What do those letters mean? and "Whats it worth"?
that will answer most of your questions.

It was last posted on 3 January 2004 to this group and to
alt.binaries.pictures.numismatic . You can look for it, or search for
it in Google. This link might work:

http://groups.google.com/groups?selm... utput=gplain

There is also a regular post on grading services with a title of
Coin grading/authentication services -- periodic post

B.J.

pete wrote:
I'm interested in getting started in collecting Silver Eagles. Looking at
eBay, I'm confused at all the "letters" involved with this hobby.
Like--what is the difference between "PR" and "MS"? What is DCAM? What is
"UCAM"? Which grading service is the most reliable?

If I have these many questions maybe I should find a different hobby?

Is there a place on the www where I can find these answers?

Any and all help is greatly appreciated.

Thank You,

Bob Peterson



--
B.J. Herbison / / http://www.herbison.com/herbison/bj.html
The Next Asylum / 203 Long Hill Road / Bolton, MA 01740-1421 / +1 978
634-1061

"pete" wrote in message
t
I'm interested in getting started in collecting Silver Eagles.
Looking at eBay, I'm confused at all the "letters" involved with this
hobby. Like--what is the difference between "PR" and "MS"? What is
DCAM? What is "UCAM"? Which grading service is the most reliable?

If I have these many questions maybe I should find a different hobby?

Is there a place on the www where I can find these answers?

Any and all help is greatly appreciated.

Thank You,

Bob Peterson


Hi Pete and welcome to rcc.

Below is a repost of a periodic post to this ng Acronyms used in coin
collecting as well as those used on this ng and others (with thanks to
Clint). This is from a post in Sep last year but should be pretty much up
to date for your use. Please don't give up on the hobby due to some
difficulty in understanding the lingo. It is simply a learning process that
must be gone through when you are new to any hobby. Visit here often and
ask questions, learn as much as you can before you begin spending large
amounts of money on coins, and try to attend coin shows, coin club meetings
in your area and visit local coin shops to talk with dealers. All of that
and more will increase your enjoyment of the hobby. Good luck.

====================


Acronyms used in Coin Collecting

This list is intended to cover the acronyms which are commonly used in
the internet newsgroup rec.collecting.coins . For completeness, it
includes mintmarks, internet phrases, and a few abbreviations (like
UNC). All references are to United States coins, unless otherwise
noted. For more detailed information on the terms used here, see the
Numismatic Information Directory at Chuck D'Ambra Coins.

http://www.telesphere.com/ts/coins/

ABPN -- alt.binary.pictures.numismatic . An internet newsgroup where
(large) coin pictures can be posted.
ACG -- ACcu-Grade. Grading service. Controversial at present, because
the assigned grades seem to be inflated relative to standard
services
like PCGS and NGC.
aF (VG10) -- about Fine. Grade.
AFAIK -- As Far As I Know. Internet phrase.
AG (AG3) -- About Good. Grade.
ANA -- American Numismatic Association. Collector and dealer
organization.
ANACS -- (originally) American Numismatic Association Certification
Service. Grading service. It has since been sold to a company
independent of the ANA.
ASE (SAE) -- American Silver Eagle. A one ounce silver bullion coin,
issued 1986-date.
AU (AU50, AU53, AU55, AU58) -- About Uncirculated. Grade.
aVF (F15?) -- about Very Fine. Grade.
aXF (VF35?) -- about Extremely Fine. Grade.
B# (B1-B10?) -- Browning number (1925). Die variety - Bust Quarters,
1796-1838.
B# (B1-B23?) -- Bolender number (1950, 1998). Die variety - Silver
Dollars, 1794-1803.
BB# (BB1-BBn?) -- Bowers and Borckardt number (1993). Die variety -
Silver Dollars, 1794-1804 and later.
BG# (BG101-BG1313) -- Breen and Gillio number (1983). Die variety -
California private gold, 1852-1882.
BIN -- Buy It Now. eBay (www.ebay.com) phrase.
BN -- Brown. Color grade for uncirculated copper coins (BN, RB, or
RD).
BTW -- By The Way. Internet phrase.
BU (MS60?) -- Brilliant Uncirculated. Vague Grade.
BV -- Bullion Value. The value of the coin is closely related to its
metallic content (usually silver or gold).
C -- Charlotte (North Carolina). Mintmark, 1838-61, gold coins only.
C# (C1-C23?) -- Cohen number (1982). Die variety - Half Cents,
1793-1857.
CC -- Carson City (Nevada). Mintmark, 1870-93, gold and silver coins
only.
CMM# (CMM1-CMM13?) -- Cohen, Munson, Munde number (1971). Die variety
- Half Cents, 1793-1857.
CSDG -- California Small Denomination Gold.
CW -- Coin World. Publication.
D -- Dahlonega (Georgia). Mintmark, 1838-61, gold coins only.
D -- Denver (Colorado). Mintmark, 1906-.
DC (DCAM) -- Deep Cameo. High grade proof.
DDO -- Doubled Die Obverse. Type of die variety.
DDR -- Doubled Die Reverse. Type of die variety.
DMPL -- Deep Mirror Proof Like. Business strike, with deep mirrored
planchet.
EAC -- Early American Coppers, Inc. Collector and dealer organization.
EF (EF40, EF45) -- Extremely Fine. Grade.
F (F12, F15) -- Fine. Grade.
FA -- For Auction. Internet phrase.
FAQ -- Frequently Asked Question. List of such questions and answers.
Internet phrase.
FE -- Flying Eagle (cent). US cent coin, 1856-1858.
FRNS -- Fellow of Royal Numismatic Society. Collector and dealer
organization.
FS# (FS1-FS?) -- Fivaz and Stanton number (19xx). Die variety - many
series.
FS -- For Sale. Internet phrase.
FWIW -- For What It's Worth. Internet phrase.
FYI -- For Your Information. Internet phrase.
G (G4, G6) -- Good. Grade.
GD -- Golden Dollar. US Sacagawea dollar coin, 2000-date.
GMM -- Gallery Mint Museum. A current producer of replicas of early US
coins.
HTH -- Hope This Helps. Internet phrase.
ICGS -- Independent Coin Grading Service. Grading service.
IHC -- Indian Head Cent. US cent coin, 1858-1909. (1858 is a pattern)
IIRC -- If I Recall Correctly. Internet phrase.
IMHO -- In My Humble Opinion. Internet phrase.
IMO -- In My Opinion. Internet phrase.
ISO -- In Search Of. Internet phrase.
J# (J1-J1778?) -- Judd number (1959-77). Pattern or experimental coin.
JR# (JR1-JR13?) -- John Reich number (Davis, et al, 1984). Die variety
- Bust Dimes, 1794-1837.
KM# (KM1-KM?) -- Krause and Mishler number. From Standard Catalog of
World Coins. Type of world coin. Includes California,
Mormon, Colorado, Hawaii.
LM# (LM1-LM18) -- Logan-McCloskey number (1998). Die variety - Bust
Half Dimes, 1792-1837.
LOL -- Little Old Lady. (Possibly) naive customer/seller.
Objectionable term; included here because of the other LOL.
LOL -- Laughing Out Loud. Internet phrase.
MS (MS60-MS70) -- Mint State. (Uncirculated, business strike). Grade.
N# (N1-N17?) -- Newcomb number (1944). Die variety - Large Cents,
1816-1868.
N# (N1-N105?) -- Newman number (1952). Die variety - Fugio Cents,
1787.
NARU -- Not A Registered User (implies account terminated due to
nonpayment of eBay fees or violation of rules).
eBay (www.ebay.com) phrase.
NC -- Not Collectable. A unique or nearly unique coin. Usually one of
Sheldon's die varieties of Large Cents. At the time of Sheldon's
"Penny Whimsey" (1958), for a coin to be NC, there had to be
less than 3 specimens known.
NGC -- Numismatic Guarantee Corporation. Grading service.
NLG -- Numismatic Literary Guild. A prestigious organization of
writers of numismatically related articles, books, etc.
NN -- Numismatic News. Publication.
NPB -- Non Paying Bidder. Observed when the high bidder does not
follow through with a payment. Auction / eBay (www.ebay.com)
hrase.
NTC -- Numistrust Corporation. Grading service. (relatively new,
reputation unknown)
O# (O101-O128?) -- Overton number (1970). Die variety - Bust Half
Dollars, 1794-1836.
OMM -- Over MintMark. Two different mintmarks involved. (versus RPM,
which is the same mintmark punched more than once). Type of die
variety.
OT -- Off Topic. Internet phrase.
OTOH -- On The Other Hand. Internet phrase.
P -- Philadelphia (Pennsylvania). Mintmark, 1942-45 (5c only), 1979-
(all but 1c). Sometimes denotes absence of mintmark.
PCGS -- Professional Coin Grading Service. Grading service.
PCI -- Photo-certified Coin Institute. Grading service.
PF (PF60-PF70) -- Proof. Type of coin production and/or Grade.
Contrasts with business strike.
PL -- Proof Like. Business strike, with mirrored planchet.
PNG -- Professional Numismatists Guild. Dealer organization.
PQ -- Premium Quality. Sometimes part of the sealed slab grade, such
as a MS64 PQ (not quite good enough for MS65). Often it is just a
hype adjective like "Choice" or "Select".
PR (PR60-PR70) -- Proof. Type of coin production and/or Grade.
Contrasts with business strike.
PVC -- Poly Vinyl Chloride. An ingredient of soft plastic "flip" coin
holders which will damage coins over time.
R# (R1-R8) -- Rarity scale. R1 most common; R8 least common. The often
used Sheldon scale is:
* R8 = 1-3 known (estimated), "Unique or Nearly Unique"
* R7 = 4-12 known, "Extremely Rare"
* R6 = 13-30 known, "Very Rare"
* R5 = 31-75 known, "Rare"
* R4 = 76-200 known, "Very Scarce"
* R3 = 201-500 known, "Scarce"
* R2 = 501-1250 known, "Uncommon"
* R1 = over 1251 known, "Common"

RB -- Red-Brown. Color grade for uncirculated copper coins (BN, RB, or
RD).
RD -- Red. Color grade for uncirculated copper coins (BN, RB, or RD).
RIC -- Roman Imperial Coinage.
RNS -- Royal Numismatic Society. Collector and dealer organization.
ROFL -- Rolling On the Floor Laughing. Internet phrase.
RPC -- Roman Provincial Coinage.
RPD -- RePunched Date. Type of die variety.
RPM -- RePunched Mintmark. Type of die variety.
RSC -- Roman Silver Coinage.
S -- San Francisco (California). Mintmark, 1854-1955, 1968-.
S# (S1-S295?) -- Sheldon number (1949). Die variety - Large Cents,
1793-1814.
S# (S1-S9?) -- Snow number (1992). Die variety - Flying Eagle and
Indian Head Cents, 1856-1909.
SAE (ASE) -- Silver American Eagle. A one ounce silver bullion coin,
issued 1986-date.
SBA -- Susan B. Anthony (dollar). US coin, 1979-1981,1999.
SEGS -- Sovereign Entities Grading Service. Grading service.
SLQ -- Standing Liberty Quarter. US coin, 1916-1930.
SP -- Specimen. Better than business strike, but not quite a proof.
TIA -- Thanks In Advance. Internet phrase.
TTFN -- Ta Ta For Now. Internet phrase.
UC (UCAM) -- Ultra Cameo. High grade proof.
UNC (Unc., MS60?) -- Uncirculated. Grade.
V# (V1-V10?) -- Valentine number (1975). Die variety - Half Dimes,
1794-1873.
VAM# (VAM1-VAM230?) -- Van Allen and Mallis number (1976). Die variety
- Morgan Dollars, 1878-1921.
VG (VG8, VG10) -- Very Good. Grade.
VF (VF20, VF30, perhaps VF35) -- Very Fine. Grade.
W -- West Point (New York). Mintmark, 1984-.
WL -- Walking Liberty (half dollar). US coin, 1916-1947.
WTB -- Wanted To Buy. Internet phrase.
XF (XF40, XF45) -- eXtremely Fine. Grade.
YMMV -- Your Mileage May Vary. Internet phrase.


--
Ed Hendricks
ANA# R178621
eBay: edh.

Go to your local bookstore and pick up a book called "Coin Collecting
For Dummies." It's from the same publisher of all of the "...For
Dummies" books, such as "Cooking For Dummies" or "Gardening For
Dummies."

Coin Collecting For Dummies has been a tremendous help to me. It's
written by coin expert Ron Guth, president of CoinFacts.com in a folksy,
everyday manner that makes it very easy to understand. The book has
chapters on buying coins the safe way, buying at auctions, conditions of
coins, grading coins, U.S. coins, world coins, ancient coins etc. The
back of the book has a glossary of numismatics terms and phrases.

An advanced collector would probably be bored by the book because it's
really designed for beginners. The book is $21.99 in the U.S. and $29.99
in Canada.

"pete" wrote in message
t...
I'm interested in getting started in collecting Silver Eagles. Looking at
eBay, I'm confused at all the "letters" involved with this hobby.
Like--what is the difference between "PR" and "MS"? What is DCAM? What is
"UCAM"? Which grading service is the most reliable?

Others will point you to references to all the abbreviations in coin
collecting. But one thing you should definitely do is to go to any bookstore
and buy the latest edition of "The Red Book." A Guidebook of United States
Coins by R.S. Yeoman. A new edition comes out every year and it will explain
a lot of this stuff to you, and besides being a (somewhat out of date by the
time it's printed) Price Guide, it's fun to read. It's the Bible of coin
collecting. Less than $10.00 for a copy.

What's remarkable about it is that in a single small book is listed and
pictured every single US Coin ever minted since 1792. Take stamp collecting,
for example. By comparison, the Scott Catalog is volumes the size of phone
books.

If I have these many questions maybe I should find a different hobby?

You're going to have similar questions no matter what hobby you choose to
dive into if it involves buying and selling tangible goods.

I can't think of a single hobby that doesn't have its own huge lexicon like
coin collecting does. They all have verbiage that sounds like an alien
language until you get into what it all means. Collecting and buying and
selling hmm.. well, records, books, model railroading, antiques, artwork,
stamps, postcards, Coca Cola stuff, comic books, old bottles, cookie jars,
Pez, salt and pepper shakers, matchbooks, cars, Disneyana, photography,
metal detecting, Barbie Dolls, die-cast model cars, plastic models, fountain
pens, old cameras, sheet music, paper money, maps, stock certificates,
orange crate labels, cigars, and a hundred other hobbies.. you have to
edjamakate yourself as to all the terminology involved, get price guides,
know genuine items from fakes or repros, be able to speak with some
authority so you don't sound like an idiot if you try to sell something, so
you don't get taken to the cleaners when buying and selling.. there are many
nuances and things you need to know in every hobby I can think of that
involves buying and selling stuff.

Unfortunately there's no magic pill you can swallow and instantly become a
coin expert, or any other kind of expert. That's what learning is all about.
That's why people ask questions and read books and hopefully don't start
spending money until they know exactly what it is they're buying and how
much it should cost. Rule #1 - NEVER buy coins advertised on those TeeVee
coin shows. No matter how wonderful the shouting carnival barkers who host
those things make their goods sound. Watch for entertainment value only.
Keep credit card in wallet.

Coin collecting can be approached on many levels and you will find people
discussing it here on every possible level from pulling nickels out of
pocket change to fill an album, to buying and selling coins that are worth
five and even six figures. It's a hobby that spans all age groups, all
income levels, all geographical areas. It can be very relaxing, enjoyable,
historical, and lucrative. It can also be very frustrating, confusing, and
costly. The best way to learn something new is to find yourself a mentor who
will let you tag along and ask a lot of questions. Go to a big coin show and
look at what dealers are selling and without getting the urge to whip out
your wallet, just soak it all in and learn. Buy a couple magazines like Coin
World and read them at your leisure and get to know what it's all about. But
don't start spending money until you know exactly what it is you're buying
and if the price is within reason.

If you have questions about a specific dealer, come here and ask. Chances
are good that someone here will have dealt with them and can and will vouch
for them or tell you to stay away..

Is there a place on the www where I can find these answers?

Tons of them and others have and will point you to them.


Harv

--
"I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they
wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're
going to feel all day. "
~Frank Sinatra

From: "pete"

VERY Newbie question(s): I'm interested in getting started in collecting
Silver Eagles
Welcome to the hobby and to RCC (this newsgroup) ... "Your Information Source
For All Your Coin Collecting Needs"

I'm confused at all the "letters" involved with this hobby.
heh.

what is the difference between "PR" and "MS"?
Most coins are struck once. These are "Mint State" when they are in 'new'
condition (never touched or damaged); Some selected coins are struck on
specially polished planchets (blanks) at a higher pressure, and sometimes
several times. This is to bring out the best images of the coin's design.
These are called "Proofs". MS= "Mint State", PR= Proof.

What is DCAM?
Deep Cameo. Did you ever see a 'real' cameo brooch? They were made in a
'pop-up' style, in comparison to the more 'flat' images of other brooch designs
of the era. Translate that into the image of a couin and there you go.
Frosted image against a mirror-like background (field).

What is "UCAM"?
Or: "UDCam". "Ultra Deep Cameo". More of the same.
Cameos tend to cost more, especially the MS ones.

Which grading service is the most reliable?
Most collectors prefer PCGS, although there are some others which are also
okay. Steer away from ACG (AccuGrade).

If I have these many questions maybe I should find a different hobby?
Not at all, it's part of the excitement and charm. You want easy and simple?
Collect rubber bands.

Is there a place on the www where I can find these answers?
Rite Cheer.

8-)


Coin Saver

B.J. Herbison wrote:
There is a regular post with a title of
What do those letters mean? and "Whats it worth"?
that will answer most of your questions.

It was last posted on 3 January 2004 to this group and to
alt.binaries.pictures.numismatic . You can look for it, or search for
it in Google. This link might work:

I just reposted it.




--
George D
Phoenix, AZ
AAA, AARP, ANA, NRA, RCC ?+1, PIA, PIAAZ, GATF 85006-3032-18-4


Please use this address to mail me. Or remove the arizona in the link.
Remember there is no Arizona.


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