DENVER - No one among the 25-member Utah delegation attending Monday’s ceremonial striking of the state’s commemorative quarter at the U.S. Mint here was happier than Bruce Griggs, president of the Utah Numismatic Society.

“It’s been a very anxious time since I began collecting all the state quarters,” said Griggs, a senior master sergeant in the U.S. Air Force. “I just wish more kids were here because it’s a great medium to teach children about geography.”

The quarter depicts the historic joining of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroad lines at Promontory, Utah, in May 1869, when the “golden spike” was driven, completing the transcontinental railroad route.

The coin design shows two locomotives nose-to-nose with the spike between the two engines, and the words ”CROSSROADS OF THE WEST” etched above the trains.

The interception of the treasure-hunt ship off the coast of Gibraltar is the latest broadside in a tense battle between a US-based salvage company and the Kingdom of Spain over an unidentified shipwreck and the ownership of its rich haul of gold and silver coins.

On Tuesday, patrol boats from Spain’s maritime police intercepted the 76m Odyssey Explorer, owned by underwater salvage firm Odyssey Marine International, three miles off the coast of Gibraltar. It was escorted to the Spanish port of Algeciras.

Spain’s Civil Guard has been keeping a close eye on the company’s vessel since a Spanish judge ordered that it be detained and searched if it left port in Gibraltar.

The company says its recovery vessel has been effectively blockaded since the ruling in June. Spain believes it could provide clues to the identity and location of the wreck that yielded half-a-million colonial era silver and gold coins.

It suspects that a Spanish galleon is being secretly plundered - or that the wreck lies in Spanish waters.

Odyssey Marine Explorations - which became the most famous deep water treasure hunting company when it announced the discovery last May - says it is keeping the location of the wreck secret, to protect the site from looters.

All it is saying is that the wreck - codenamed Black Swan - is somewhere in the Atlantic.

by Greg Reynolds for CoinLink

On Wednesday, Oct. 17, a Choice Uncirculated 1876-CC Twenty Cent piece will be offered by Stack’s in New York City. It is graded “MS-64” by the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS). As of 01:30 AM on Tuesday, Internet bidding already pushed the price over $200,000. A large variety of U.S. coins and many other numismatic items are included in this auction event.

This 1876 Carson City (NV) issue is an attractive coin, and is moderately brilliant. Its reverse (back) is very attractive and features a cool, very frosty eagle that glows in vivid contrast to gray-silver fields. There are a few hairlines and small contact marks here and there, but these are not particularly distracting. As on all 1876-CC Twenty Cent pieces, the letters in LIBERTY are doubled. Other design elements are doubled as well.

Twenty Cent coins were only minted for circulation for two years, in 1875 and ‘76. People confused them with quarters, and generally found them to be annoying. The silver mining industry, directly and indirectly, had influenced several members of Congress to sponsor legislation mandating a Twenty Cent coin.

Twenty Cent pieces have been favorites with collectors for a very long time. Even in the 19th century, collectors demanded them. For two additional years, in 1877 and ‘78, Proof Twenty Cent pieces were specially made, many of which were sold directly to collectors by the Philadelphia Mint. (more…)

The Us Mint has resumed sales of most American Eagle gold coins in both Proof and Unc after having previously suspended sales due to the rising price of gold. Sales have also resumed for the 2007 Buffalo Gold which has seen a price increase from $827.95 to todays posted price of 899.95

The 1oz Proof Gold AE and the 4 coin Proof AE Gold Sets remain unavailable, but a note on the US Mint website says the 4 coin sets are due to start shipping on Oct 30th.

All of the Platinum AE coins remain unavailable for sale with no new notations as to when these will go back on sale.

A statement announcing the resumption of sales of the gold coins, and the new prices, was released Oct. 15:

“The United States Mint temporarily suspended sales of American Buffalo Gold Proof Coins and American Eagle Gold Proof and Uncirculated Coins due to significant increases in the price of gold. (more…)