By Numismatic News

That the Jefferson First Spouse gold coins sold out the first day they were offered Aug. 30 probably is no surprise to most collectors.

The limited mintages of 20,000 for proof and 20,000 for the uncirculated versions have attracted many an eBay buyer. However, the nearly as brief length of time to achieve a sellout when compared to the June 19 offer of Martha Washington and Abigail Adams coins might be a surprise in light of the great lengths the Mint took to assure the fairest and widest possible distribution.

For the second year in a row, Southeast Community College in Lincoln, NE is offering a unique class in “Advanced Numismatics”. The class condenses a one-year, Master’s level college course in numismatics into eight, two-hours class periods.

According to instructor Larry Lee, the class is designed for hobbyists and collectors who wish to learn more about the academic aspects of coins. “The class is meta-cognitive”, explained Lee. “We are going to think about what it means to be a coin collector and what it means to collect coins.” Students use their own collection as their research base and are introduced to numismatic research techniques, numismetrics, methodology, literature review and collection management. Familiarity with coin basics is assumed as the only prerequisite.

Dr. Lee, former curator of the American Numismatic Association, designed the curricula as part of an on-going project to develop a university-level course in America similar to degreed programs offered in Europe and Asia. SECC is the only educational institution in the country where the class is currently being offered. (more…)

Posted by Lipcon Law Firm

In late 2006, Florida area coin collector Thomas Francisco hired attorneys Tucker Ronzetti and Chuck Lipcon to file a class action lawsuit relating to the misleading grading service designation First Strikes. In what turns out to have been separate actions, both PCGS and NGC were sued under consumer protection statutes for engaging in this misleading practice. (For the uninitiated, the designation First Strikes has nothing to do with when the coin was struck. The practice of designating coins as First Strikes is an embarrassment to many honest coin dealers, who refuse to handle them.)

The terms of the settlement between NGC and the class represented by Francisco are as follows:
NGC will pay $650,000 into a Settlement Fund, from which Francisco’s attorneys will receive fees of 30% ($195,000) and Francisco will receive $7,500. The remaining $447,500 will be donated to the American Numismatic Association (ANA), pending court approval.

New evidence in the form of coins suggests the existence of Telugu kingdoms ahead of the Satavahanas in the pre-Christian world

HYDERABAD: Epigraphic evidence could not help the ‘Telugu cause’ all these years. Quotes from the Puranas did not succeed in establishing the ‘age’ of the language and Telugu continues to be denied the ‘classical language’ status.

However, fresh evidence to support the claim has been unearthed and that could prove the existence of Telugu kingdoms ahead of the Satavahanas in the pre-Christian world. (more…)