I remember my coin collection from yesteryear: A handful of silver dollars, some JFK 50-cent pieces, and an assortment of coins from faraway lands that I dreamed of someday visiting. My smattering of coins was a disorganized mess. Some were stuck in plastic bags, others wrapped in cotton, and all were tucked in a cigar box deep in my bedroom closet.

Compare that to today’s typical young coin collectors. They have plenty of fun options, from the 50 state quarters to the new presidential dollars to other special series of coins. Chances are the coins are stored in colorful booklets that include a bit of history about the images and other design features.

Coin collecting truly has become a cool hobby for youngsters since the 1999 launch of the state quarters program. Frankly, I think it is also one of the best ways to introduce young children to money. Not only can they learn about the value of money, how to count, and how coins are minted, but also the designs, mint marks and other patterns can make history come alive.
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The second and third in a year-long series of free Professional Numismatists Guild “Share the Knowledge” educational seminars will be conducted in conjunction with the Whitman Baltimore Coin and Currency Convention on February 29, 2008 and at the American Numismatic Association’s National Money Show™ in Phoenix on March 8, 2008. A complimentary light lunch will be available at both programs.

Robert Rhue of Denver, Colorado, a member of the PNG Board of Directors, will present a seminar entitled, “Collecting Coins, Medals and Tokens From the Back of the Redbook,” at Noon on Friday, February 29. The one-hour program will be conducted in room 303 of the Baltimore Convention Center.

“If you want to learn about many interesting areas of numismatics apart from Federal issue coinage, come to this short overview seminar on ‘the back of the Redbook’ (the popular, annual reference, A Guide Book of the United States Coins). Knowledge is king, and knowing more about Territorial coins, Lesher dollars, errors, patterns, Hawaiian coinage and other fun, esoteric areas, might just someday present an opportunity for you that could translate into a pleasant financial reward,” said Rhue.

Internationally known bank note expert, Tom Denly of Boston, also a member of the PNG Board, will present a seminar entitled, “The History of U.S. Paper Money and How to Collect It,” at Noon on Saturday, March 8, at the ANA’s National Money Show in room 102-A of the Phoenix Convention Center West Building. (more…)

As I left for Long Beach last week, I wondered if this edition would be different from the last few Long Beach shows I have attended. The answer—and some random observations about the market—are included below.

Unlike some of my competitors, I have made the decision not to attend the various and sundry pre-Long Beach auctions. I figure that at this point in my life I do not need to be spending an extra three weeks each year at Long Beach sales that are full of mostly uninteresting (to me) coins. This year’s sales did have a few interesting individual consignments including a nice run of Proof Bust Dimes at Superior and some better gold at Goldberg but, again, I was gearing up for the actual show itself.

On the Winter Show Grading Scale (WSGS) I would give the recent Long Beach convention a “B” which is actually better than I thought it would be. I did not bring many coins to sell and was more interested in buying new inventory. It was a struggle to find coins (surprise, surprise…) but some neat material did surface and I was pleased with what I purchased. Some of the highlights are: (more…)