By University of Virginia - UVA Today

On Aug. 30, the United States Mint is releasing the latest in its series of gold coins honoring the spouses of American presidents. Because Thomas Jefferson had been a widower for 19 years prior to beginning his presidency, there was no First Lady to honor. Instead, his coin depicts Lady Liberty on the obverse, and on the reverse, an image of his monument, overlaid with his famed epitaph: “Here was buried Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of American Independence, of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom, and Father of the University of Virginia.”

In observation of the coin’s release and celebration of Jefferson’s beloved “Academical Village,” below is a sampling of Thomas Jefferson quotes relating to the great labor of his later years, the establishment of the University of Virginia. They are drawn from
“The Jefferson Cyclopedia: A Comprehensive Collection of the Views of Thomas Jefferson,” available through the U.Va. Library at http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/jefferson/quotations/foley/. (more…)

An ACCG Director participates in the ACE School Museum Program. Report by Souzana Steverding of ACE.
David Sear’s “foundation coin” starts a school Museum

Scott Uhrick (left) of ACE with teacher Anne Pearson and John, a student at Trinity Pawling school

When David Sear, internationally recognized numismatic scholar, read the thought-provoking “thank you” letter to the Ancient Coin Collectors Guild from teacher Anne Pearson, (whose school was the lucky recipient of an ACCG sponsorship for the Ancient Coins for Education program), he just knew that such a teacher could open young minds to enthusiasm for the ancient past and its amazing coins. That is how it started, and now David has donated a beautiful Hadrian “Africa” Denarius and his book to Anne and her school, Trinity Pawling, in NY state.

Ableauctions.com announced today that it will host Early American History Auctions, Inc. five day August “Mail Bid & Internet” auction on August 24th, 26th, and September 8, 2007, on eBay Live Auctions through its subsidiary iCollector.com. This event will feature autographs, coins, currency, encased postage, Civil War material, prints and other historic Americana items.

The auction house will showcase the highly anticipated first official commands for the United States Army. This original American military document dated June 14th to June 16th, 1775, represents the direct orders of the Commanding General of the American Forces, General Artemas Ward, Commander of the American Continental and Patriot Militias at Cambridge, on the three days immediately prior to the Battle of Bunker Hill.

Back in April we reported on Butch Parrish of Virginia finding a planchet in a roll of Philadelphia George Washington Presidential dollars. Now another Numismatic News reader, Thomas P. Van Zeyl of Illinois reports finding a planchet in a roll of 2007 Washington dollars from Denver.

Van Zeyl supplied an image of the planchet, seen to have the raised upset rim diagnostic to a planchet, which is the proper term for a blank after it has been run through the upset mill or rimmer.