An internet site that tracks the travels of U.S. dollar bills is helping scientists predict how viruses may spread in a pandemic. The rapid spread of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) in 2003 showed how air travel can unleash viruses worldwide in hours. In comparison, the Black Death spread about two kilometres a day in the Middle Ages, giving communities more time to evacuate or try to prepare. Researchers are looking for ways to model where and when people move during a pandemic.

Hundred of coin collectors flocked to Dallas Tuesday and were joined by 6,000 others on the internet to bid on the late war hero Jules Reiver's collection of rare coins. "This is the first coin the United States made," said Steve Ellsworth, a Virginia coin collector who traveled to Texas for a chance to buy a piece of American history as he eyed one coin. Many coin aficionados have called The Jules Reiver Collection Signature Auction the most complete collection of American coins.

LA GRANDE (AP) — A rare $5 Oregon gold coin minted in 1849 has fetched $125,000 from a collector who now has a link to a time when people in the Oregon Territory began to end a life of bartering with gold dust, beaver pelts, wheat, salmon and horses. The gold coin dates back a decade before Oregon became a state, to a time when it could have passed through the hands of mountain man Joe Meek, who later became the Oregon Territory’s first U.S. marshal. Or Dr. John D. McLoughlin, head of the powerful Hudson’s Bay Co. and Oregon’s most prominent figure for decades.

Steve Deeds likes to be right in the thick of things at a rare coin auction. “I like the action,” said the Bowers and Merena president, “and I like what Bowers and Merena is able to do for its consignors and purchasers. I like being able to bring two people together and make them both happy.”It’s something he’s been doing for around 40 years. Deeds got his start in numismatics at age 14, when he bought his first coins. “Then I started thinking about the other end of it,” said Deeds.

Dallas, Texas: Heritage Auction Galleries opened their Signature Auction of the Jules Reiver Collection of US Coinage on January 24, 2006 in their Dallas headquarters. This auction, held with no reserves, has realized $2,116,287 through two sessions so far, with 1,927 total bidders participating, 148 of them successfully, for 668 total lots. "This auction has been tremendously popular with the public," said Greg Rohan, President of Heritage. "Our lot viewing sessions have been consistently full, and bidding sessions have been standing room only.

Madrid - The Spanish government Thursday prohibited US treasure-hunters under contract from the British government from continuing to retrieve a 17th-century shipwreck believed to contain a gold treasure worth billions of dollars. The company Odyssey Marine Exploration had not met the conditions set by Spain, such as only seeking to identify the wreck and the participation of an observer designed by the Spanish authorities, the Foreign Ministry said.

Every day we throw our pocket change into a little box by the door, and once every six months or so, we sit down and roll it into bank coin wrappers while watching television. Sure, we could just take it to one of the coin-sorting machines at the local Commerce Bank, but rolling coins is relaxing and it only takes about an hour to roll a couple of hundred bucks worth of coins. Anyway, the other night we were doing this, and noticed something strange: we had 360 quarters, 200 dimes, 80 nickels and 300 pennies. Quarters, dimes, and nickels seemed really overrepresented-- and pennies were strangely scarce!

An Indian’s fetish for buying gold is no secret. But much of this gold is in the form of jewellery. Experts point out that this may not be the best way to invest in gold. Here are some tips on good investing.Globally, gold has been considered a must-have in your investment portfolio. Gold mitigates risk, diversifies your portfolio and offers you great liquidity. It is for these reasons that gold as an investment is gaining popularity worldwide.Globally, investments in gold increased from USD 3,410 million in 2002 to USD 6,250 million in 2004 – some of them in physical form and some in paper.

The radioactive United States dollars imported to Kazakhstan make serious threat to the health of people as the power of the exposure doze of gamma ray exceeds the norm hundredfold, Kazinform correspondent has learnt from the press department of the National Bank of Kazakhstan. According to the data of the Republican Sanitary Epidemiological Station of the Ministry of Public Health these dollars have been brought by a Kazakhstan citizen from Russia on November 11 last year. Totally USD 3, 950 have been imported into the republic. The National Bank possesses all numbers of the radioactive banknotes.

Would you pay $250,000 to $300,000 for a beaver? What if it’s a rare 1849 Oregon Exchange Co. $10 gold “Beaver”? That would change everything. Such a piece is going to be up for auction in Ira and Larry Goldberg’s Feb. 5-8 Pre-Long Beach Sale in Beverly Hills, Calif. Comprised of six sessions, a large part of the sale will take place at the Crown Plaza Beverly Hills in the Del Rey Ballroom at 159 S. Beverly Dr., Los Angeles, Calif.

MSN Money - With the price for the rare mineral at a rare high, many investors are thinking of digging in. Here are five ways to buy gold.Has the glitter of gold caught your eye? As the price of the precious metal surges to levels it hasn't seen in 25 years, investors who might not ordinarily dabble in such things are wondering if gold should be in their portfolio. Some investment advisers tout gold as a way to diversify a portfolio and protect against inflation and a decline in the value of the dollar.

The Royal Canadian Mint introduced its flagship products for 2006 and said it is still committed to programs of limited mint-ages and the continued appeal of its silver dollar, specimen set, and lunar and shinplaster series. “We have made a conscious effort, for 2006, to build on products that have been of keen appeal to collectors last year and to carefully assess mintages in an effort to increase the value of our coins for collectors,” said Marguerite F. Nadeau, acting president and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint.

What’s more important, a note’s rarity or its grade? Every collector knows that the interaction of rarity and grade determine the desirability of any note. Add the other dynamic factor, collector demand, and you have all the basic elements of market pricing. Notes for which there are currently more collectors than collectible examples to buy experience increases in price. Notes that are more abundantly available than there are collectors tend to have falling prices.

Hobby error experts who labeled 2004-D Wisconsin extra-leaf quarters the result of random occurrences were bolstered somewhat in their case by a report of the U.S. Dept. of the Treasury Office of the Inspector General. The report also pegged the number of extra-leaf quarters produced at up to 50,000 pieces, far higher than any previous estimate. The fact that these reached circulation was due to a press operator at the U.S. Mint in Denver who picked a bad time to go to lunch.

If the name John J. Ford, Jr., is attached to a auction, chances are it will be big. Stack’s Jan. 16-18 sale, held in New York City, brought in close to $9 million, including the 15 percent buyer’s fee.Part XIII of the John J. Ford collection, consisting of Colonial Americana, was featured in the sale, along with the Paul West collection of slave badges, and Stack’s own Americana offerings.

COLORADO SPRINGS – Washington State Superior Court Judge Mary E. Roberts has granted the American Numismatic Association’s motion for summary judgment in the case of Delmas Parker against the ANA, dismissing all of Parker’s charges. Parker, of Mercer Island, WA, brought legal action against the ANA after he was expelled from the association for refusing to comply with a mediation committee decision that was affirmed by the ANA Board of Governors in a complaint brought against him by two non-ANA members.

Ahh, love is in the air. It's that time of year when many people attempt to devise clever and meaningful ways to please their better halves, most often coming back to the usual flowers and chocolates. And while it's the thought that counts, today's typical Valentine's Day gifts really have no association with the history of the holiday or what it was meant to represent. In honor of St. Valentine himself, who is credited with the origin of the holiday and with sending the first valentine back in the 16th century, giving a love token may be the perfect way to woo a numismatic-loving woman.

Early and Bust half dollars stand out among the array of rarities available in Heritage Galleries & Auctioneers’ Feb. 9-11 Long Beach Coin Expo auction. “The Long Beach auction,” said Heritage President Greg Rohan, “is especially strong in Early and Bust half dollars, including a very desirable 1797 Draped Bust Small Eagle ,O-101a, half dollar, certified Fine 15 Professional Coin Grading Service.”That coin, one of only 3,918 minted, is expected to be a featured item in this, Heritage’s 56th Official Auction of the Long Beach Coin Expo.

The King of Siam set will highlight three exhibits worth a total of $17 million that will be on display at the Long Beach Coin, Stamp & Collectibles Expo. Running Feb. 9-11, the show will be held in the Long Beach, California Convention Center, 100 S. Pine Ave. “As part of their ‘World’s Most Valuable Coins Tour,’ Monaco Financial of Newport Beach, Calif., will have an impressive, $5 million display entitled ‘Early Americana Rarities,’ and this will be the show’s featured exhibition,” said Ronald J. Gillio, expo general chairman.

Creating a cashless society in the U.S. with either mobile phones or smart cards would require enormous effort by players in several industries, said the Yankee Group's Joe Levine, including credit-card companies, mobile-phone service providers, manufacturers, and retailers. Since the late 1990s, when the expansion and adoption of the Internet created a bona fide Mecca for retailers and shoppers, people have looked forward to the day when physical cash would no longer be the mainstay of payment transactions.

Northern Nevada coin dealers and collectors are flipping over the Silver State's new quarter. The commemorative quarter, with George Washington on the obverse and an image of three wild horses on the reverse side, is being released today in a special ceremony at the state Capitol.The coin is the latest entry in the U.S. Mint's popular 50 State Quarters Program. "This is a very exciting time for Nevada. The release of the quarter represents a sense of coming together as a community. It's our own special quarter," said Swope Middle School social studies teacher Carol Hines.

Excitement spread through the Military Payment Ceritificate community at the Florida United Numismatists convention in early January with the rumor that a previously unreported replacement had been found.David Seelye confirmed that the rumor was true: a Series 591 25 cent replacement had been found!After Seelye confirmed the note, we began a multiple-day negotiation that finally resulted in a record-breaking sale. You’ll have to take my word for it, though, as the price is not disclosed.