Dallas, TX. The Official Auctions of the September 2007 Long Beach Coin Expo will be held by Heritage Auction Galleries the final week of September in Long Beach, California. Heritage will present Signature Auctions of U.S. coins (Sept. 27-28), U.S. tokens and medals (Sept. 27-28), U.S. currency (Sept. 28-29), and ancient and world coins (Sept. 27-28). Individual lots in Heritage’s 61st Official Auction at Long Beach, with descriptions and images, are currently posted at HA.com.

“The September Long Beach Signature catalog of U.S. coins,” noted Heritage President Greg Rohan, “contains numerous wonderful rarities from both the silver and gold series, with many high Registry-level coins; we are especially pleased to be offering The Jim O’Neal Collection of Indian Half Eagles and The #3 PCGS ‘Mile High’ Registry Set of Carson City Morgan Dollars. Altogether, more than 8,000 U.S. coin lots will be available for viewing in Long Beach, and when all of the other lots are added in, nearly 20,000 lots of numismatic treasures will be available for inspection and bidding.”

By Ken Potter

Several Numismatic News readers have alerted us of Presidential dollars that are afflicted by what I call gnarled rims. I’ve had reports on these ever since the George Washington dollar was released on through to the latest Thomas Jefferson dollars. The ones we show here are two of the Philadelphia Mint John Adams dollars sent in by a reader. In each case we see that the gnarled rims are on one side or the other but not on both. We also see that the high points of the gnarling goes hand in hand with edge characters that are heavily punched into the rim of the coin shifted to one side or the other. In effect the letters are shifted so close to one side of the rim that they are causing metal displacement to be evidenced on the rim they are bordering. The information on the submitter of this coin has been misplaced and I’d like for that person to contact me so that credits can be extended.

KATHMANDU, Sept 5 - For the first time in modern history of the country, the Nepal Rastra Bank Wednesday released new coins of two rupees denomination without the King’s name and any royal symbols.

On the front side of the coin, a farmer is shown ploughing a field while the image of Mt Everest is embossed on the flip side.

Altogether 100 million units of the coins have been circulated in the markets.

“The coin can be regarded as the new coin of the new Nepal,” a central bank official said. (more…)

“I Suppose I shall be impeached for it…”
Theodore Roosevelt, Augustus Saint-Gaudens and America’s most beautiful coin

New York, NY - The American Numismatic Society, in conjunction with the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, takes great pleasure in announcing the opening of an important and unprecedented new exhibition: “I suppose I shall be impeached for it…” Theodore Roosevelt, Augustus Saint-Gaudens and America’s Most Beautiful Coin. This exhibit, held at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York at 33 Liberty St., will be on view from September 20, 2007 through March 31, 2008.

2007 marks not only the centenary year of the death of Augustus Saint-Gaudens, America’s greatest sculptor of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but also the release of his revolutionary and controversial designs for the twenty- and ten-dollar gold pieces. Today these are hailed as the most beautiful coins ever produced by the U.S.

At a White House diplomatic supper in January 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt approached Augustus Saint-Gaudens with his hopes to improve upon the “atrocious hideousness” of America’s coins. Although the artist was reluctant to agree to the President’s wishes due to ill health and prior unpleasant experiences with the United States Mint, Saint-Gaudens took on the task. This partnership of artist and president to create new designs for coinage remains unparalleled in American history. (more…)