Worth the Wait: 1899 Liberty Nickel in VG8 Condition

I recently began a Quarter Type Set collection. I just purchased an 1834 Capped Bust on eBay that would grade around VG8 or 10. I could see in the photos that it was an O over F variety even though it was not described as such in the listing. While these are not uncommon, closer examination after receiving the coin proved it to be the rarer of the two known types.

I verified this by using the Cherrypicker’s Guide published by Whitman (Fifth Edition, Volume II). While not clearly visible in the photo, it has less prominent features of the earlier ‘A’ in America. Other tell-tale signs are the filled upper portion of A and no period after 25C. Quoting from the book, “This is a rare variety, especially if very sharp. Too little information is available to value this variety. This may be from the same reverse die as the 1833; more research is needed.”

I have checked various sources to see if this variety is listed separately. Some only list the 1834, some show 1834 O over F. Coins Magazine lists it as “1834 No period after C,” and its value is listed at about one-and-a-half times the value of a normal 1834 in VG8. It will be interesting to see if this type becomes more valuable in the future.

Daryl Conley
New Mexico

Only a week ago I was telling a friend of mine that I had not found anything in the way of older or valuable coins in my pocket change for quite some time.

Later, I went into Lynn’s Dakota Mart for some coffee and potatoes and received nine cents in change for my purchase. To my surprise, the nickel I received was an 1899 Liberty nickel in VG8 condition. Some things are worth waiting for!

Rick Larrabee
Belle Fourche, S.D.

I was going through a dealer’s junk silver box and found (and bought) an 1854 quarter. Now, this wasn’t just any quarter, it was the 1854 ‘huge O’ specimen! I thought it was quite a find for it just being around $3, even in a grade of around AG-3.

As for paper money, I found about a half pack of the key 1976 $2 star notes- from the Minneapolis district. Each note was stamped from the first day of issue, April 13, 1976.

Name and address withheld

I love Vermont! There is so much stuff. I found my second 2019 one cent at the Wayside Restaurant, a little over 100 years young! All the people from Vermont go to it. The “Take a Penny, Give a Penny” was the place to be.

Rod Trower
Barre, Vt.