Portugese banknotes from Pestrello collection could ‘float to the top’ at Spink
Paul Fraser Collectibles
A London auction of late 19th century notes is likely to capitalise on the upwards trend in collectibles London auction house Spink is holding another currency auction early in December – not the Ancient, English and Foreign coins auction on December 1-2, which as we’ve mentioned stars a ‘failed’ coin from the reign of Edward IV – but one using a more recent form of money.
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Sixth day of Christmas on Manx 50p
Numismatic News
Six geese a-laying appear on the reverse of a new Isle of Man Christmas 50 pence coin. The new coin portrays the sixth verse of the favorite traditional festive carol The Twelve Days of Christmas. A portrait of Queen Elizabeth 11, who is Lord of Man, is on the obverse. According to Pobjoy, the Christian tradition of celebrating the Twelve Days of Christmas, starting on the Dec. 25 through to the morning of Epiphany on Jan. 6, is based on a sequence of verses in the Bible
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5 Sleazy Gold Coin Scams
The Street
With gold prices rising thanks to the economic and market chaos, the shiny yellow metal’s profit potential is drawing some unscrupulous gold scam artists out of the woodwork. Here are five of the most common and most damaging gold scams out there right now — plus 3 safe ways to invest in gold. Gold Scam No. 1: Grading Games. The Coin Con: In gold coins, MS-70 is the top of the heap — a “mint state” coin that has never been handled. But what’s an easier way to increase the value of a coin than to lie about the condition?
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2010 Proof Silver Eagle Sales Debut
Silver Coins Today
Collectors wasted no time in purchasing more than a quarter of a million 2010 Proof Silver Eagles, indicating that there truly was pent-up demand for the silver coins. US Mint customers ordered 273,212 of them in less than three full days, according to the most recent sales figures. Those include all Proof Silver Eagle sales from their release on Friday, November 19, 2010, through this past Sunday, November 21, 2010.
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A Lustrous 1795 $10
Stack’s
Stack’s is pleased to announce it has been chosen to sell a small collection of early gold coins as part of our January 26-27, 2011 New York Americana Sale, the highlight of which is a 1795 $10 gold piece. This BD-2 variety is graded AU-50 by PCGS and is still in its original first generation slab. This lustrous and well-struck example shows some light circulation friction and light marks, but has a wholesome appearance.
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Fallen Marine David Smith Honored With Medal in His Name
The E-Sylum
This story about a fallen Marine mentions, toward the end, the establishment of a scholarship and medal program by East Carolina University in the name of the Marine, who died in Afghanistan in January. Of course the article calls it a “coin” but we know it to be a medal. Marine Sgt. David Smith’s parents and stepparents planned to spend Veterans Day at Arlington National Cemetery, sitting at the grave of their son, who was killed in Afghanistan in January.
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A rare $5,000 Federal Reserve Note, said to be one of only 342 known to be remaining in circulation, will be auctioned on Tuesday, Nov. 30, by Chicago auction house Direct Auction Galleries in an auction taking place in Chicago at 7232 N. Western Ave. Absentee bids are also accepted.

The $5,000 bill is one of 800 lots which also includes a 1934-Star $1,000 Federal Reserve Note (165,372 said to be remaining in circulation), and a 1934-A $500 Federal Reserve Note (Unc.), Brown & Green Seal Notes, 8 Gold Coins including an 1898 Unc. Gold Liberty Head Coin, and more in an auction also offering Furniture and Furnishings, Jewelry, a Vintage Nickel Slot Machine, Bronzes, Art, 1893 Columbian Exposition and 1933 Century of Progress items, and much more.

The last printing of high denomination bills ($500 to $100,000) was in 1945. Giving way to advancing and secure technologies, the large bills had been used by banks and the U.S. government primarily for bank transfer payments, and the Federal Reserve officially discontinued these notes and began removing them from circulation in 1969.

The rare $5,000 bill in this auction is graded approximately AU condition and has James Madison, the 4th president of the United States (1809-1817), the “Father of the Constitution” and chief architect of the Bill of Rights on it.

An interesting footnote about President Madison, he also helped establish the departments of war, treasury, and state, and also tried to establish a national brewery; and even a cabinet position for a secretary of beer, as reported on a recent “Sunday Morning” on CBS. Whoever has the winning bid for this item might be toasting with more than beer!

Direct Auction Galleries is a Chicago auction house specializing in estates and fine antiques, founded in 1962 by Mike and Barbara Modica, located at 7232 N. Western Ave. in Chicago. Auctions are held every other Tuesday with inspections Monday prior to auction day from 3:30-7:30pm and 2-3pm before the sale. For more information, call 773-465-3300 or for full listing, photos, and catalog, visit www.directauction.com.

Many ways to collect Seated design
Numismatic News
All those Seated Liberty coins. What’s a collector to do? Six different denominations, rarities, dates and mintmarks, spanning 54 years. Even for a devoted fan of the series, completing any set of these classic American coins seems hopeless. Or is it? Finding a set-within-a-set can enable a Seated Liberty fan to complete a set to his liking. Take each denomination within the series, and see how a nice collection can be assembled, maybe without a big cash outlay.
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London auction offers ‘failed’ $11,000 coin from the reign of Edward IV
Paul Fraser Collectibles
Here’s how a gold shortage in England in the 15th century produced a rare coin on today’s markets. It was one of the first-ever gold coins struck in Paul Fraser Collectibles’ home city of Bristol, nearly 450 years ago during the reign of Edward IV (brother of Richard III, pictured top right). And next month, an historic 7.48g half-ryal coin is set to auction at a Spink in London with a £5,000-7,000 ($7,988-11,183) estimate.
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The Completeness of Louis Eliasberg’s U.S. Coin Collection
The E-Sylum
Eliasberg’s collection was magnificent, of that there is no doubt. But those who follow stories like this closely know that Eliasberg did not quite succeed in his task; one of them, evidently escaped. My notes say that when the family turned the collection over for auction by Bowers & Merena in the early eighties, he was one coin down: an 1866 no motto $20 gold piece. The king of coins was by then deceased, his estate, or heir, offering the gold coin collection anonymously through Bowers & Merena, and from my perspective, there was a mystery to be solved of who was selling the Eliasberg coins without calling them such.
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1820 Cent Well Represented in Hoard
Numismaster
There are many interesting stories about large cents. The 1820 large cent is among the dates involved in the story of the Randall Hoard. If we go back to 1820 we find that the 1820 large cent had a mintage of 4,407,550. That was a very large total. In fact, it was a record for the time. Under the circumstances we would expect the 1820 to be an available date. This is basically true in every grade starting at $29 in G-4 and going up to $300 in MS-60. While the mintage would suggest the 1820 should be at available date prices, that is not always the case with coins of the era.
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New Lincoln one-dollar coin is introduced
MSNBC
Robert Hood writes: Consumers have shown time and time again that they favor paper bills over $1 coins. Most adults have not seen, much less held, one of the 1.3 billion $1 coins that have been minted over the years. It begs the questions why the government keeps producing and marketing the coins. Supporters of coin usage argue that it’s more economical to use coins. It costs about 16 cents to make a $1 coin, and that coin lasts 30 years. It costs about seven cents to produce a $1 bill, but that bill has a life span of about 21 months.
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