Mint Condition

Here are some more information for Mint Condition:

The New York toy fair hosted the introduction of a phenomenon in 1959. This was when Barbie dolls were introduced to the world. They are still made at the present time and many millions have been sold all over the globe. Barbie doll collecting is a very popular hobby as a result and Mattel estimates that there are over 100,000 people who collect Barbie dolls. Most of these are female and are on average 40 years old. They tend to buy about 20 barbie dolls each every year.

Barbie underwent many changes in appearance over the years. The first Barbie had a ponytail hairstyle and wore a zebra striped one piece swimsuit. She was marked Made in Japan on the bottom of the right foot and had the copyright date 1958 on the back. This is the rarest Barbie and if you locate one in really nice condition it is quite valuable.

Vintage Barbie dolls are considered by collectors to be those made between 1959 and 1972. Later dolls are considered to be modern. Mattel made special edition dolls in the later years which have their own collector following. To be truly collectible these later dolls should be in mint condition in the original box. Several different label editions of these were made in varying limited quantities.

The Pink Label collectible Barbies were made with no limit to the quantity. The next level of collectible Barbies was the Silver Label edition which were limited to 50,000 dolls and distributed worldwide. Gold Label Barbie dolls were made in an edition of up to 25,000. The top tier is the Platinum Label dolls which were limited to 1000 dolls. These label edition dolls are much sought after by collectors. To be of value as a collectors doll they should be in the original box and be in mint condition.

Barbie doll collecting is popular in many countries around the world. Pre 1972 vintage Barbies are the most sought after and many are still to be found in garage sales,flea markets,thrift stores and such like places. Most people know nothing about vintage Barbie dolls or their values. As a result there are lots of them still out there waiting for the right collector to come along and find them. The thrill of the hunt can be almost obsessive and can get an avid collector out of bed to be an early bird at garage sales or flea markets. It's all worth it when that early Barbie is purchased for a song and carried home triumphantly to join her sisters in a collection.

Want to find Barbie dolls and accessories even cheaper than in garage sales? Lots of Barbie dolls, Barbie clothes and accessories are found here starting at $1 and up. Don't miss it. Check this out http://www.collectbarbiedolls.com

Minting Facts Revealed - Learn More About Minting Money

As a precatice coins generally have some identification mark indicating the mint where it was struck. These are refered to as mint marks. This practice appears to be quite old -- coins from the Roman or Greek civilizations also show marks.

In united States, the mint marks were stamped on the reverse side of the coin prior to 1965, however, after 1967 they were got shifted to the front side. Looking at the mint marks, one can tell where they got "manufactured".

The rules for categorizing and differentiating coins produced in different US mints are set by the Director of the Mint via the march 3, 1835 Act. He is also responsible for setting standards for quality as well as quantity of coin production in the US.

Mint marks were introduced at the Philadelphia mint in the year 1979 for the dollar coins; the earlier coins from here did not bear mint marks. Later the marks were introduced to other denomination coins also.

The mint marks are placed on the coin discs before they are shipped for producing the finished coins at the designated mint locations. The exact placing of the mint marks can vary slightly depending on the force and location of the punch.

Utility of mint marks

You can judge the worth of a coin by looking at the condition of the mint mark along with other factors. Another important use of mint marks is that they identify the location (of the mint) where the coin originated. Sometimes this can also be a factor in determining the coin's worth.

The minting process

1. Preparation of the metal strip with correct thickness: For pennies, zinc strip is used while alloy strips are used for coins of one dollar, half dollar, dime and nickel. Half dimes are made by coating a copper thin strip with alloy on both sides -- kind of copper sandwich.

2. Preparing round blanks: The strips are cut into round discs, roughly the size of the finished coins

3. Softening the blank rounds: The round blanks are the softened and cleaned by exposing them to higher temperatures in an annealing furnace, putting them in the tumbling barrels and finally into moving cylinders containing some chemicals.

4 Making raised rims: After washing the blanks are dried and fed to an upsetting machine to make raised rims.

5. Making coins: Finally, the finished coins are produced by inserting the blanks into a holding collar and striking with high pressure. Pennies are pressed with a pressure of roughly 40 tons. Higher pressure is required for larger coins. Both sides of the blanks are stamped simultaneously with the upper and the lower dies.

Design of the US coins

The design of the US coins is selected by the Director of the Mint, followed by approval of the Secretary of the Treasury. the US Congress can also suggest or recommend a design. Once approved, the coin design can't change for next 25 years unless the Congress approves it.

Currently all US coins feature past presidents of the country, eg., the one-cent coins feature President Lincoln since 1909; the five cent coins feature Jefferson since 1938; Franklin Roosevelt was introduced on the dime in 1946; the half dollars show Kennedy minted first in 1964; washington on the quarter dollar coins since 1932.

The "fifty States Quarters Program" or "Act of 1997" allows the quarters to be redesigned . The back side of the quarter dollar coin will feature emblems of all the US states one after the other. During 1999 to 2008, each year five states will be honored by issuing quarter coins with designs created by them -- the states being chosen in the same sequence they signed the consitution

"In God We Trust" was first used on a US 2-cent coin in 1864. By 1866, it found its way on to US nickel, quarter, half-dollar, dollar and on the five-, ten- and twenty- dollar coins. It moved on to the penny in 1909 and on the dime in 1916. Now you find this phrase on all US coins.

About the Author

Abhishek is an avid Coin Collecting enthusiast and he has got some great Coin Collecting Secrets up his sleeve! Download his FREE 58 Pages Ebook, "Understanding And Mastering The Art Of Coin Collecting!" from his website http://www.Fun-Galore.com/92/index.htm . Only limited Free Copies available.

Can I trade an almost mint condition psp 1001 with other stuff for a psp slim?

I have a psp 1001. I would like to get the god of war red psp but i dont want to spend money. Could i trade in an almost mint condition psp with all it came with, a logitech case, a 2gb memory card, and a Spiderman Friend or Foe game for the slim?

Well actualy, u cant trade another console for another console(even if its the same console) they will just give u money in a little ticket for those things. Depending the money they give you, you can go buy anything there.

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