? How did the surcharge work on the U.S. Olympic commemorative coins sold in 1983 and 1984?
The surcharge amounted to $50 on each gold coin and $10 for each silver coin. It was included in the purchase price. As orders were received, 50 percent of the surcharge was turned over to the United States Olympic Committee. The other half went to LA organizers. When the program was over, $73.4 million was provided.
? Several years ago a 1961-D nickel worth $2,500 was mentioned in ?Numismatic News.? What made it so valuable?
It sounds like one of the ?come on? ads in the mass media, but the $2,500 price tag was for a full strike 1961-D nickel with six full steps. It is a very rare piece because the majority of the 1961-D nickels are poor strikes.
? The silver in a dollar was worth more than face in 1873. How did it compare after 1878?
In 1873, the dollar contained $1.004 in silver. It had dropped to 89.1 cents by 1878, 82.3 cents in 1885 and dropped below 80 cents in 1886. In 1893 it was down to an average of 60.3 cents, and it was down to only 54.3 cents in December. The value dropped to as low as 47 cents in 1900, even lower by 1910, and by the 1930s the silver dollar contained less than 30 cents? worth. It actually dropped to 20 cents in 1932. It was enough to put most of the U.S. silver mines out of business.
? Why don?t you quote values in your price charts for circulated Ike dollars or most recent coins?
Principally because most recent circulated coins ? Ikes included ? aren?t worth more than face value to collectors. As they get older and scarcer you will find the values added to the price charts as the values increase to the point where lists are warranted.
? A number of times California gold was worth only $16 an ounce, and gold was priced at $20.67. Why?
Pure gold was worth $20.67 a troy ounce, but California gold dust and nuggets contained silver and other metals. After considerable discussion, the ?average? value was established at $16.
