Irvine, CA: Conducted in a single session on February 4, 2006, Bowers and Merena?s Beverly Hills Rarities Sale realized $2.1 million. Included among the rarities that crossed the auction block are several Half Dollars and Silver Dollars that sold for particularly strong bids:Lot 315, 1917-S Reverse Mintmark Walking Liberty Half Dollar NGC MS-67, realized $71,300, or 222% of the $32,000 bid in the February 3, 2006 edition of the Certified Coin Dealer Newsletter (CCDN, commonly referred to as the ?Bluesheet?).

A gold coin dating to Anglo-Saxon times has been bought by the British Museum for more than ?350,000. - The deal by the central London museum makes it the most expensive British coin ever purchased. It depicts King Coenwulf of Mercia, who ruled Mercia and much of southern England, in the early 9th Century. A metal detector enthusiast found it next to the River Ivel in Bedfordshire in 2001, and it was later bought by a US collector.When the owner put it up for sale last year, the Government put a temporary export ban in place hoping it would be saved for the nation.

Dallas, Texas: Heritage Auction Galleries will offer a rare 1822 25C 25/50C MS66 NGC in their upcoming Signature Auction, to be held March 2 & 3 at the Palm Beach Convention Center, 650 Okeechobee Boulevard at Florida Avenue, West Palm Beach, Florida."Apparently the Finest Known of this extremely popular variety, this particular coin comes in a notch above two Gem MS65 coins reported, one by PCGS, the other by NGC," said Greg Rohan, President of Heritage Auction Galleries.

This April, Whitman Publishing will release the 60th Anniversary edition of this beloved, best-selling hobby guide, known everywhere as the ?Red Book.? The Red Book prices more than 60,000 coins, with nearly 30,000 individual values. Of course this comprehensive pricing isn?t the only reason collectors have made the Red Book one of the top-selling nonfiction titles in publishing history. Full color throughout; illustrated; 417 pages, edited by Kenneth Bressett.

A gold coin lost 1,200 years ago on a river bank in Bedfordshire became the most expensive British coin when it was bought by the British Museum for ?357,832 yesterday. A little smaller than a pound coin in diameter and much thinner, the glittering mancus, the value of 30 days' wages for a skilled Anglo-Saxon worker, now ranks among the museum's most valuable artefacts.Experts described the coin as "the find of the last 100 years".

On the 15th day of the first lunar month, a small fishing town in Gangwon Province will celebrate the phallus as it has done for centuries. On that day, a penis measuring a respectable 20-25 cm and carved from the wood of an aromatic tree will be offered to the gods, its bright red color said to ward off misfortune. The ceremony serves to propitiate the spirits of young women who died unmarried and pray for prosperity and big catches. As late as the 1960s, such ceremonies were common in many fishing villages in the province.

Maev Kennedy on why Britain's most valuable coin almost slipped through a hole in an obscure pocket of heritage law - The British Museum was yesterday triumphantly displaying a sliver of gold in its coin galleries, an Anglo Saxon king's attempt to ape the imperial coinage of Charlemagne which has become the most expensive British coin ever sold. The air of triumph, however, was mixed with a deep sense of relief, as the case has exposed gaping holes in both the Treasure law, and the Export Review system, both designed to keep objects of exceptional historical importance in British museums.

Dallas, Texas: Heritage Auction Galleries' Palm Beach Signature Auction (March 2 & 3) offers an incredible array of American gold numismatic rarities, in addition to important coins from a wide range of collector specialties. The auction will be held at the Palm Beach Convention Center, 650 Okeechobee Boulevard at Florida Avenue, West Palm Beach, Florida."While our Palm Beach Signature Auction of American coins has strengths throughout all series," noted Heritage President Greg Rohan, "there is no question that there are incredible rarities in all gold denominations.

The Royal Australian Mint will celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's visit to Australia to open the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games and Her Majesty's 80th birthday by releasing three products on February 10. The Royal collection has been designed by Mr Stuart Devlin, who was granted the Royal Warrant of Appointment as Goldsmith and Jeweller to Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. The Royal Mint has produced the beautiful Royal Collection Selectively Gold Plated Twin Coin Pack, and two 50 cent Uncirculated coins to honour the Queen.

From one of the world’s most knowledgeable coin dealers—a former consultant to the Federal Trade Commission often quoted by the Wall Street Journal—comes a thorough update of his consumer protection handbook to buying and selling rare and valuable coins. Bestselling, award-winning author Scott A. Travers combines insider information on the latest trends in coin collecting with his influential How to Make Money in Coins Right Now. Beautifully illustrated with black-and-white photographs and a full-color insert, The Coin Collector’s Survival Manual is indispensable for seasoned collectors and novices alike.

Granted, it is nice that millionaires have lots of money to spend on rare coins. It is important that expensive rarities continue to sell because it fuels interest in the rest of the market. The trickle-down theory has always played an important role in numismatics. Yet, what is more important, in our opinion, is that the depth of this market is so varied that it invites the everyday collector to purchase coins from $1 up to thousands of dollars. In today’s collecting atmosphere it is necessary that many areas of the market are active at the same time.

53 felony counts carry possible sentence of 175 years in prison - TOLEDO -- Thomas W. Noe, the coin dealer and prominent Republican contributor whose $50 million state coin investment sparked one of the biggest state government scandals in Ohio history, was indicted today on 53 felonies. The charges include engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, 11 counts of theft, 11 of money laundering, 8 of tampering with records and 22 of forgery. He could be sentenced to a maximum 175 years in prison, although such a sentence is considered unlikely.

Legend Numismatics - Will the auction craze ever end? There are just too many and its starting to show. Dealers (including ourselves) are burnt out by the time the regular show begins. Try running between 3 auctions (B+M, Superior, and The Goldbergs)! But then the reason why they have them is because the world loves a good auction. All 3 pre auctions were highly successful for the better "fresh" material. Dealer retreads or overgraded coins did not sell well. This time, the selection betwen the 3 sales was decent, but not great. Still, competition was so firece we spent only 30% of what we thought we would (needless to say we were very surprised and disappointed).

La. businessman pays $1.5 million for $10 gold piece - A Louisiana businessman has purchased for $1.5 million an extremely rare coin minted in New Orleans in 1844. The coin is a Proof 65 1844-O $10 gold piece — probably made as a gift for someone of importance — and is listed in the “100 Greatest U.S. Coins” at No. 39. The O after the year stands for Orleans mint. A proof coin is a specially made coin with a mirror finish, while 65 is the coin’s grade.

For centuries, he has remained in the shadow of his famous wife, the warrior Queen of East Anglia's Iceni tribe. But while Boudica outshines him in history, new research shows that Prasutagus was not quite the down-trodden husband previously suggested. For it was he, and not his wife, who graced the coinage of the period. Until now, Prasutagus has only existed in historical conjecture and myth as King of the Iceni, the tribe occupying East Anglia, which was ruled with Boudica under Roman authority.

Not all coins graded the same are the same. This has been very evident all along, but as values keep rising, like they did in early February during the three pre-Long Beach Coin, Stamp & Collectibles Expo auctions conducted in Beverly Hills by Bowers and Merena Auctions, Ira & Larry Goldberg Auctioneers and Superior Galleries, prices for coins graded the same are becoming much more varied. I watched as dealers, in heated competition, continued to pay prices that often exceeded Coin Values listings, just to land those they wanted. A few apparent bargains were snagged as well.

Renovations uncover old mine shaft underneath Smith House - he Smith House in Dahlonega may have been sitting on a gold mine for more than a century. Workers renovating the landmark hotel and restaurant on Sunday uncovered the entrance to what may have been a gold mine built in the late 1800s. They descended into the 19-foot hole for the first time on Tuesday afternoon. While tearing up concrete in what used to be the main dining room of the family restaurant, the contractor discovered a hole in the earth, said Chris Welch, whose family owns the Smith House.

In April, Spink will be auctioning the earliest known extant issue of the Bank of England in private hands. The simple black-and-white note is dated Aug. 30, 1705, and made payable “to Mr Thomas Shipman or bearer” for, “the Summ [sic] of Ninety Nine Pounds Seven Shillings & Fourpence.” (Image courtesy of Spink, London.)Queen Anne sat on the English Throne. Isaac Newton was wending his way to Trinity College. Detroit had been founded in British North America, with Paul Revere’s ride still 70 years in the future.

It seems that the recent weakness took many of precious metals investors by surprise and many are obviously wondering what's causing the weakness. I'm sure that there is some fundamental "reason" for this weakness. But, I rely on technical analysis, cyclical and trend quantification and I can show you why the recent weakness in gold developed and that it was expected. Before moving on here I want to explain that cycles in the market is really nothing more than a method of looking at the various trends of various degrees within a given market.

By David L. Ganz - Any old pre-1983 small cent now has at least 1.45 cents’ worth of copper in it. Surprised? With copper at historic highs of $2.24 a pound, the circulating inventory of billions of mostly copper one-cent pieces produced in the 20th century is in jeopardy of being melted for its metal content (Believe it or not, some are still being used, others ended up in the proverbial sock drawer). Current cents made since 1982 are made of zinc coated with copper and are virtually immune from similar copper cost factors.