A monster rarity which speaks volumes on its own. Quite likely one of the finest 3 specimens known of this famous rarity. Over the past decade, the 1802 half dime has abandoned its sleepy status as an overlooked rarity and come into the limelight as one of the most coveted of all U.S. coins in the catalog.

This particular specimen currently offered by David Lawrence Auctions in Sale 225 Lot #3146 is not only one of the finest known, but also has the distinction of having the richest pedigree of any specimen. For starters, it hails from the famous Pittman Collection. It was later immortalized by Logan and McCloskey as the plate coin for the date in their reference books on Bust half dimes.

The rarity of the 1802 half dime is well known to collectors of United States coins, and was recognized almost as soon as coin collecting became popular in the late 1850s. The first coin offered at public auction was in the 1859 sale by Edward Cogan of the J.N.T. Levick Collection.

As a testiment to the absolute rarity of this issue, several counterfeits have been manufactured over the years of the 1802 half dime. Both the Smithsonian and the ANA Money Museum both have counterfeits in their institutional holdings.

It is estimated that only 35 or so pieces are known in all grades.

Truly a choice coin for the connoisseur of major rarities, and the Bust half dime specialist. Bidding Ends March 3rd.

In the 2008 release of the “Insider’s Guide to U.S. Coin Values” Mike Fuljenz, President of Universal Coin & Bullion, once again assisted author Scott A. Travers in placing values on gold coins. This is a leading coin price guide published by Bantam Dell, a division of Random House, Inc. Collectors anxiously await this guide across the country considered “The most up-to-date comprehensive Coin Book in America” to evaluate their collections.

The most prestigious numismatic authorities in America assign the values to the coins covered in this guide. Mr. Travers is often sought by publications such as The Wall Street Journal and Business Week, and has served as a coin valuation consultant to the Federal Trade Commission. He has surrounded himself with other leading experts to provide coin collectors the most accurate coin values available. In his acknowledgements Travers give recognition to those numismatic experts he depends on to give him the values for his publication. His acknowledgement for Mike Fuljenz, read “Michael R Fuljenz” of Universal Coin & Bullion in Beaumont, Texas updated the values for gold eagles through double eagles. He is one of the Nation’s highest profiled and most esteemed gold coin authorities. His contributions, like the metal, itself, glitter.”

In past issues Fuljenz, the President of Universal Coin & Bullion has served as the gold coin price coordinator. Mr. Fuljenz is also a well-known numismatic author who has written numerous books relating to coin collecting, such as “The Collector’s Guide to Indian Head Quarter Eagles” and just recently, “The Collector’s Guide to $10 Indian Head Eagles.” Mike Fuljenz is also the recipient of a 2002 NLG Book of the Year Award for his “Type II Double Eagles: 1866-1876″ book.

The “Insider’s Guide to U.S. Coin Values 2008″ is available on Amazon.com and in most local bookstores.

This world-class collection of Ancient and World coins will be auctioned by Ira and Larry Goldberg on May 24-28, 2008 at the Crowne Plaza Beverly Hills and on Ebay Live.

Catalogues prices will be $15 US each, $30 International, or $40 US, $60 Int. for the entire set of 3. Catalogues: Ancient Coins, European Coins, and New World Coins (including Africa, Asia, and Oceana). Tentative date for catalogue availability is April 1, 2008. Call 1-800-978-2646 to place your order. (Subscriptions will include this catalogue.)

Because of the intense worldwide interest in this collection, we strongly suggest you make your hotel arrangements and bidding arrangements as soon as possible.

The Millennia Collection is now a featured gallery on the NGC website. Click here to view the gallery.

This gallery presents just a small sampling of the variety and extraordinary rarities that are included. Many predictions suggest that when the Millennia Collection sells, it will become the most valuable collection of world coins ever sold.

Selected examples from the collection formed the raison d’etre for Whitman’s recent award winning Money of the World: Coins That Made History, a gorgeous, full-color coffee table book co-edited by Ira and Larry Goldberg. The National Literary Guild awarded “Best World Coin Book” for 2007. This book presents coins as objects of purpose and importance, as well as having a fascinating history attached to them. The entire Millennia Collection far exceeds the hundred or so coins presented within this book, however; it is with nearly a century’s worth of cumulative collecting effort and skill that this astonishing array of over a thousand numismatic treasures have come to light.

Can you believe it’s been more than 35 years since the first of the great General Services Administration sales of silver dollars began in 1972? Of course, if you’re younger than 50 or so, then you probably know of the sales only through reading about them.

For me and the thousands of other bidders in the sales, it was the chance of a lifetime, although we didn’t realize it at the time. We were taking part in one of the signal events in the history of coin collecting in America - the dispersal of one of the greatest hoards of all time.

Technically, it was merely the continuation of the hoard’s dispersal, as the Treasury had been doling out its massive stockpile of silver dollars to interested parties for years before the GSA sales. However, in the early 1960s, this depletion accelerated enormously.

According to Leroy Van Allen and A. George Mallis’s Comprehensive Catalogue and Encyclopedia of U.S. Morgan and Peace Silver Dollars, “The Treasury holdings of silver dollars in Washington, D.C. dwindled from 180 million in January 1960 to 28 million on January 1, 1964.” Rumors of older Morgan dollars being released in addition to the more common Peace type resulted in a further run on the Treasury, which responded by calling a halt to sales on March 26, 1964. Read Full Article