The wildest ad I remembered Major D, was one for a full auto BB gun that ran off freon. I read about a few burglars being surprised by homeowners armed with one of those and they ended up needing 5-6 hours of surgery to remove all the BBs.
All the full auto BB gun ads I have seen since are all 3-5 round bursts. I suspect the old one would not be legal today, even aside from the use of freon to power it.
Of all those crazy ads at the back of a magazine I saw, that is the only one I am sorry I did not make a purchase from. I would have had a blast playing with that thing in the 1970s-1980s. By the early 1990s, I would not have dared to use it anymore unless I could figure out a replacement for the freon. I actually kept the ad, I cut it out of the magazine. The amazing part is that I was able to find it in less than 5 minutes today. It kind of looks to me like it was from the back section of a Playboy magazine from the late 1970s or early 1980s, but I am pretty sure I would not have applied scissors to any Playboy. It was called the Annihilator, and at the time it cost $31 plus a signed note stating you are over 18. I searched it on the internet just now, I saw one was sold for $140 looks like about 2 years ago by some auction house.

I’m the looser, I’ve been buying these eagles since 1995. Some dates are just stagnant. Talk about stagflation.

Only time will tell how the values settle.

This is a point that hadn’t been necessarily in my calculations unfortunately when I began “dropping coin” on US Mint and RCM products in 2008. Actually hadn’t necessarily been even high in my radar scope of those previous purchases, until you just brought to the forefront. Thanks for the serious dose of reality and this is a “Major Point” that all should internalize; if thinking, somewhere down the road, your purchases will potentially make you an extra buck or $2. What I’ve learned, is that most US Mint products will not hold, let alone increase in value and surely not with the ongoing degradation of our $1’s. My shortsightedness error, perhaps biggest flaw was not being more discerning in what or how many I bought. The best part was the wealth of knowledge I gained, looking at these purchases from as many angles as I could fathom. It’s just that, until fairly recently, I never gave much thought to the continued increases in prices of everything at a rate much higher than the compensation of wages increasing, which are at a much lower rate, for most people anyways: We hear about cost of living increases and living wages and all that is a bunch of hokus pokus! The cards are not stacked in our favor, no matter how positive you want to be or how many silver linings you see! The system is rigged for all of us to lose! Looking forward to seeing the first fully functional AI generated Forrest’s on Mars! Not! Lookout “Avatar” we are almost ready for the…….???

Hi Major D,
When I was young, I used to see ads (in comic books? Johnson Smith catalog?) for Kennedy half dollars that came apart in two pieces to allow you to hide stuff inside. Could this be one half of one of those? I never saw one in real life.

Thanks for such an interesting and thought provoking post Major D. For starters, you definitively have what had been intended to be a real coin! Now, as to the speculative nature of said specimen. From my very little, recent experience, delving into the error portion of numismatics, there are for sure at least 2 ways or things that happened. Possibly more? When you mention the hollowing and “vinyl grooves” the very first thought was you have, someone’s, “failed attempt” at fabricating a “2 headed” Kennedy half, “mule(?)”. The coin based on description; which was great, BTW, had or has been turned on a lathe, IMO. You may or may not be able to possibly see marks somewhere in the reeding where it had been secured, prior to turning. This, based on the grooves you mention seems more plausible than my next guess. Sometimes, planchets split, almost clam shell like and the 2 halves may or may not stay together or be induced to fully separate by the person finding. They are worth more(?) if staying adhered together is my understanding? Anyhow, if this were a split or clam shell planchet, there wouldn’t be any grooves, it would or should be some what irregular, however without a defined, repetitive pattern, I’m fairly certain. Now people do pay extra; for these fake 2 headed coins, usually made as novelties. So you, in my best estimation, have 1/2 of a novelty coin and an example of what lengths people will go, to to be entertained or possibly “fool” somebody? I bet you that 1oz AMERICAN GOLD Eagle in your hand that I can, “flip this coin”, and get heads 10 times in a row! I think this link to Spruce Crafts, is where I recently read about the novelty aspect and fabrication I mentioned above, article by Susan Headley from July 2022.

https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/two-headed-coin-value-768399#:~:text=Some%20people%20think%20that%20a,face%20value%20of%20the%20coin.

PS Another way for the coins reverse to be missing, however w/o the hollowing you mention, is a “capped die” error. Whereby one side of the die has either worn or something has adhered to the die, blocking the image from being pressed into the planchet. My understanding, again new to the error field.

2023 AM EAGLE SILVER UNC 1 OZ (W) 113,034 (7,598)

So there doesn’t appear to be any demand for the 40-coin trays or the US Mint for some reason, did not offer this year?(so far). With slabbed versions being the main focal point of dealers purchasing, this is further confirmation of what many have been saying about the secondary market prices being flat for MM ASE’s.

Based on the appearance of how many the US Mint produced, they will be sitting on 2023 W Uncirculated American Silver Eagles for quite some time?

Perhaps for our younger collectors/speculators/investors as well as any others looking for a potential play maybe, just maybe, the Mint Marked, Uncirculated American Silver Eagles in MS70 would be something to hang onto long term?(30-50 years?).

I’m fairly confident the slabbed 70’s won’t stay repressed forever? However in closing; not all 70’s are the same and I’d be super picky on selecting the absolute best! Spend a few years hitting up coin shows or developing a good relationship with your LCS and have them help you try and find the highest quality looking coins? Not too many coins in the Ty 1 Uncirs series and even less in the new Ty 2 currently. There are 15, I believe, including the 2013 W Enhanced Uncirculated.
Just 3, Ty 2 Uncircs so far.

For roughly the cost($225) of 6 or 7 P ATB pucks in OGP, you could possibly get those 15 ASE’s in MS70. Both are now considered overpriced bullion, however. If selling to a shop, however, you could only hope to get 50% of these prices, possibly a little less or more?

I have most of these and definitely, have been surprised and a tiny bit disappointed so far with the demand and secondary market performance. Just always watching to see how coins I’ve picked up are perceived on the secondary market. I’m not looking at unloading, however I could see at some point, at least reducing my accumulations! LOL

Good luck however you play or enjoy this game of numismatics, speculation, accumulation; hoarding, stacking or flipping!

PS these coins have and were over produced based on demand and the US Mint will offer the excess to dealers at a better rate than they already get! Believe it! Or these will be for sale until 2024? They more than likely produced at least 160,000 IMO, so they have a long way to go! Especially if not involving dealers with an additional discount or at the very least the 40 coin trays?

Think about it though? Again; the market demand is currently met and graded versions are cheap! Why would a dealer this late in the game be clamoring for more inventory, when they and the Mint both, can not currently sell or move the product, currently on hand?

How much longer before they pull the product limit off of the page? The US Mint ironically doesn’t care about numbers! Just another 20 years plus to sell out on those stale gold 2017/2018 American gold Liberty coins. Currently, roughly $80-$120 million dollars worth of 2017 1oz American Gold Liberty coins just collecting dust!

Meh, numbers, schmumbers, that’s spot or melt value.

The retail value is approximately $116-$175 MILLION dollars tied up in just the 2017 1oz AGL; sitting on a shelf, collecting dust! That’s a lot of dough! Just another 20 years to go, before they go on the “aRemind Me” list!

There is also; more than likely, another $26 million+ In retail, tied up in those 2018 1/10th oz’ers as well!

So, there’s a better chance than not tha the US Mint is sitting on over $200 million in “Old” Gold American Liberty Coins from 2017/2018!

I can’t think of another business or business model where you can just sit on $200 million in inventory; knowing you’re on pace for A final sale through in 20 plus years, without going bankrupt!

Must be nice playing with “We the Peoples Money”! Wouldn’t there be an investment, where they could make some serious dough on that $200 million? Let it ride on Bitcoin! Then we could have a chance at paying off the National debt? And if you lose your shirt; you just sue; go to the front of the line and take what you want as reimbursement for your investment and let the other investors, fight for whatever is left if there is any? Either way, whats another $200 million slapped onto our “Tab”? After all many top players in Baseball, could pay this off with their latest contract!

Perhaps we should solicit MLB players to see it PF they’d be interested in helping out America, since we are so far in the hole? At the very least; send some US Mint promotional material to these MLB parks or team front offices and make sure to offer up a sweet, bulk deal on whoever is willing to buy up tho remaining AGL inventory! After all, baseball players; love shiny gold chains! They could afford to buy up those Liberty’s and use them as stock to manufacture their gold chains? Just saying…

“ Ohtani will earn a projected $70 million in 2023, including his Angels salary, topping Max Scherzer ($60.3 million), Justin Verlander ($44.3 million) and Aaron Judge ($44 million).”