AIKEN, S.C. - A bank teller had a million reasons to deny this transaction.

Police say a man tried to open an account with a $1 million bill, which does not exist. The teller refused and called police while the man started to curse at bank workers, said Aiken County Sheriff’s spokesman Lt. Michael Frank.

Alexander D. Smith, 31, of Augusta, Ga., was charged with disorderly conduct and two counts of forgery, Frank said.

The second forgery charge came after investigators learned Smith bought several cartons of cigarettes from a nearby grocery store with a stolen check, Frank said.

Smith has a bail hearing scheduled Wednesday, but Deputy Angela Shunn of the Aiken County Detention Center did not know if he had an attorney. An off-hours call to the public defender’s office went unanswered.

Commentary Posted in the Washington Times by Richard W. Rahn, chairman of the Institute for Global Economic Growth.

Assume you, a Justice Department official, are a secret supporter of Texas Rep. Ron Paul for president and want to help your candidate. You know Mr. Paul wants to abolish the Federal Reserve, the Internal Revenue Service, the FBI, and wants money to be backed by gold, silver and/or other precious metals. You also know his critics claim he is paranoid about the federal government abusing its powers.

You then realize that in one lightening action you can demonstrate Mr. Paul is not paranoid and, at the same time, highlight the issues of sound money and government abuse of civil liberties.

To do so you could have the FBI raid the offices of a Paul supporter who is making and selling “Ron Paul Dollars” made of copper, silver, gold and platinum, and seize all the coins. Bizarre as it sounds, that is exactly what agents of the FBI did last week. Read Full Article

Designs Signal Conclusion of Popular Program

WASHINGTON - The United States Mint is announcing today the designs for the five new 2008 commemorative quarter-dollars in the 50 State Quarters® Program. The new quarters-honoring Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Alaska and Hawaii-signal the end of the most popular coin program in the history of U.S. coinage.

The first commemorative quarter of 2008 honors Oklahoma. It is the 46th coin released in the 50 State Quarters Program. Oklahoma, nicknamed the “Sooner State,” became the 46th state admitted into the Union on November 16, 1907. Designed by Artistic Infusion Program (AIP) Master Designer Susan Gamble and sculpted by United States Mint Medallic Sculptor Phebe Hemphill, the reverse of the coin features Oklahoma’s State bird, the Scissortail Flycatcher, in flight with its distinctive tail feathers spread. The bird is soaring above the State wildflower, the Indian Blanket, amid a field of similar wildflowers. The coin’s design also bears the inscriptions “Oklahoma” and “1907.”

The second commemorative quarter of 2008 honors New Mexico. It is the 47th coin released in the 50 State Quarters Program. Nicknamed the “Land of Enchantment,” New Mexico was admitted into the Union on January 6, 1912, becoming the 47th state. Designed and sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Don Everhart, the reverse of the New Mexico quarter features the Zia sun symbol. The symbol is superimposed over a topographical outline of the State. The coin’s design also bears the inscriptions “Land of Enchantment,” “New Mexico” and “1912.”

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A magnificent collection of United States coins, valued in excess of $10 million, will be offered in our Platinum Night session at the official auction at the Florida United Numismatists 2008 Convention in Orlando, January 9-12, 2008. The extensive scope of the Madison Collection ranges from high-grade early American Colonial silver to a magnificent example of the extremely rare 1933 gold Indian Head Eagle, and everything will be sold without reserves.

The Madison Collection is the product of much thought and even greater enthusiasm. The consignor had first been interested in rare coins as a young man, but the Madison Collection is much more a product of a conceptual framework that emerged from the mature reflections of a sophisticated collector and businessman. Conceptually, the collector sought a representative of everything that had passed for money in the geographical United States, from colonial to modern times. This was much more than a simple type collection, in conception or execution - it really is a series of type sets designed to tell stories through museum-quality coins. (more…)