That loose change might be worth something, antiques dealer says.

n 1999, when quarters honoring the various states began to be minted, lots of collections were begun. “They’ve been minting four state quarters each year,” explains Tom Jerpbak. “But there haven’t been the same number of quarters minted for every state, so some are already worth more than others.”

Take it to a bank, and you’ll get $10 for that roll of quarters. That’s face value for the 40 quarters contained in a roll. But a coin collector might pay $16 for a roll of Ohio quarters and $39 for a roll of Tennessee quarters. “The worst thing you can do is take them to a bank,” Jerpbak says. “Face value is all you will get.”

By David Ganz for Numismaster

The American Numismatic Association and Executive Director Christopher Cipoletti are gearing up for a Sept. 25 trial against former ANA employees and consultants.

The ANA board acted Aug. 13 to remove co-plaintiff Cipoletti from day-to-day management responsibilities of the ANA with instructions to focus on the pending litigation. He has been replaced on an acting basis by former ANA President Kenneth Hallenbeck.

Although Cipoletti was listed “of counsel” to a Colorado Springs firm as late as August 2007 while he was still the ANA’s full-time executive director, on behalf of the ANA and himself as co-plaintiff he hired Denver lawyers and sued former computer consultants to the ANA, as well as several former employees in El Paso County, Colo., district court, according to documents filed July 22, 2005.

The plaintiffs’ law firm of Davis, Graham & Stubbs, LLP, claim the suit was brought “to protect the security of its Internet site and the privacy of membership and other confidential information.”

Republicans are backing away from their proposed tax break on buying gold bullion. Gov. Jim Doyle and Democrats have latched onto the tax break included in the budget passed by Assembly Republicans as an example of how irresponsible the plan is. Republicans proposed removing the tax break at Thursday’s meeting of a bipartisan committee trying to reach a budget compromise. The sales tax exemption would have covered the sale of collector coins and other currency as well as gold bullion. It primarily would have benefited coin dealers and collectors and at a cost to the state of about $250,000 a year.

Be they rare coins, stock certificates, jewelry, personal mementos or family heirlooms, how we choose to protect the assets we deem valuable (and perhaps irreplaceable), is an important consideration involving many factors.

Most of us choose to secure our valuables and tangible assets in different ways, depending on our individual circumstances, experience and levels of trust. For example, if we need to access them frequently (e.g., jewelry), or if they are important, but replaceable and not inherently valuable (e.g., a stock certificate), we may simply keep them at home or hold them in a near-by safe deposit box.