Older eagle question
 

Hi all,

I got an email from a friend today with a question about older Eagles. I live in UK and don't have any Eagles older than 2004.

Can anyone help him?

"I just received some more Eagles. They are quite old... 1988, 1991, 1992. They don't appear to have the frosted finish of my other Eagles (especially the 1988). Is the frosted finish a later development in this series? All the weights and dimensions are good, so I'm pretty sure they aren't fakes or anything."

Thanks.

Re: Older eagle question
 

Yes - the frosted look was somthing new the Mint started in 2006 (maybe 2005) - it shocked the heck out of me first time I saw it too! They are not fakes - nor are they "badly made", which is what I thought at first.

And where in the UK are you from? I grew up over there - going to school in London, Sussex and Essex........

Re: Older eagle question
 

Originally from near Stirling in Scotland, now I live near Watford.

All my eagles are frosted � I am going to have to get an older one to compare now, dammit
:D

Re: Older eagle question
 

The term my coin-dealer first used was "sandblasted" look - but I prefer frosted.....the one thought that occurs to me - tho I have no real tangible reason - is that they changed it in 2006 cause it was the 20th year of te Eagle......but whatever name we give it - never fear - its as good and as stable as the USA!








Which means you are screwed!









Only kidding! Its still an Eagle.

And I visited Scotland once, many, many years ago - lovely country. Its also where my porridge comes from! :wink: Not sure where Watford is tho.

Re: Older eagle question
 

I think the frosted look goes back to the late ninties. The earlier SAE's are shiney. I actually like them more than the frosted look. Not sure why they changed. I just took a look at a set I am putting together and kinda looks like 2001 and after is more frosted than those before date.

Re: Older eagle question
 

I have one here from 2004 and it looks pretty frosted ... but I don't have anything to compare it with.

Re: Older eagle question
 

I got one of those NGC MS69 sets in 2005, (1986 through 2005) and if I look carefully there's a slow progression to frostiness rather than any abrupt changes from year to year. 1986 seems to be the shiniest. My 95 is developing some rather ugly toning splotches. Not even a slab prevents the coin from toning more and more. Probably due to impurities in the metal itself.
According to what I've read, some years had more production problems than other years.

That was my first and last purchase of slabbed common SAE's.
Just before I found GIM.

Re: Older eagle question
 

Thanks all.

Re: Older eagle question
 

This thread had me starting to question my sanity. :haha:

The reason I noticed the frostiness, and gave my first response to this thread, was because I had picked up a huge assortment of Eagles from my dealer - from various years. I started putting them into tubes and, when doing so, divided them up into years. When I got to the 2006's is when I noticed the difference and took them back to him and asked him why. ("Can't you give me some shiny ones?" "No, thats how they came this year"....and he added the term sand-blasted look.....and this dealer has been working for over 40 years, 3 generations, they know their coins!)

That's when he too noticed, and called, and got told they were now being made more frosted.

But a few of these posts made me wonder if, in fact, I had it all wrong - but three of us - me, my wife (who thought they were fake) and the coin dealer all noticed them.

I couldn't do the check I wanted last night when I posted the first response cause to do so meant having to dig the coins out (and it was raining :wink: ) so I had to wait till this morning.

OK - so I dug them out - and we were right - there IS a difference in the 2006 coins. (The post above only went up to 2005)

But, just to be sure I was, and am, not nuts (no, we are NOT going to open that up to a vote :D ) I dig out my collection of PCGS MS 69 Silver Eagles (so we know THEY are not fake) and compared.

In prior years there is some frostiness to them, but just a bit. But when you hold them next to each other, they all look pretty much the same (some strikes slightly better than other strikes, so yes, there were better years) but when you hold ANY of them next to the 2006, there is no question the frostiness is noticably increased in the 2006.

And this is good because I seem to remember on one of the coin shows on the shopping networks, the seller mentioning the increased frostiness as well.

If it was enough to get the attention of the three of us, and got mentioned on the show, its no doubt enough for someone who is concerned their eagles are fake to wonder as well..........like I said - I took mine all back and showed the dealer too.

Cheers!

Re: Older eagle question
 

Well, I don't have a dog in this fight!

:D :D :D

I have one eagle (2004) on my desk. I have a roll hidden in my parents attic (rain or no rain, I am not getting to that anytime soon!!! But hopefully neither is a thief, and frankly if they find it they deserve it). :D

A friend who has bought some coins from me asked me the question about shiny and I had no idea.

So the eagles did change but nobody is really sure when or why ..........

I feel a conspiracy theory coming on .......

Re: Older eagle question
 

No conspiracy - based on the PCGS MS 69 eagles and the assortment from my dealer - it seemed they just made them more frosty or sandblasted starting in 2006 - maybe cause it was the 20th year - I don't know. Frankly, they don't look as nice as the shiner ones made earlier.

Re: Older eagle question
 

I agree, the frosted ones don't look as nice. I noticed this in 2005. I'd be interested in hearing why they switched.

Re: Older eagle question
 

I would also be curious to know why the change.

Re: Older eagle question
 

yep you got it right under the insulation. havent we all thought of that hidey hole trick?

Reminds me of the adventures of tom sawyer by mark twain

Re: Older eagle question
 

Why on earth would I waste time putting it under the insulation? If you saw my parents attics?!?!! They have lived in one house all their married lives and have never, EVER, thrown one single piece of crap out! I have severe doubts EVEN I will ever see those coins again ....

:haha:

Re: Older eagle question
 

I had no idea Tom Sawyer HAD insulation...or Mark Twain either!!!! :D

Re: Older eagle question
 

Does the frosty look also appear in the proofs for 2006?

And how do the 2007s look?

Re: Older eagle question
 

I don't have a proof for 2006, but the field should be shiny even if the walking Liberty is not........but I DO have a MS 69 2007 and it looks just like the 2006.

Re: Older eagle question
 

i just got my 1/2 oz proof eagles from the mint today...nice.