The following interview was posted on the Blanchard & Company Website:

BLANCHARD: Is there an affordable area of the coin market that you think may be undervalued?

ALBANESE: We have experienced a rare coin bull market over the past three years and as it increases, it becomes harder and harder to find high quality coins. However, there has been a slight lag in the silver commemorative market, which has just begun to rise, but is still well below historical highs. I think we will see an increase in this sector of the market based on the low mintage, large variety and exquisite designs.

BLANCHARD: What is the long-term outlook and potential for the silver commemorative market?

ALBANESE: This sector has a very strong outlook. In addition to new investors and collectors, many of the silver dollar collectors have begun to collect and invest in silver commemoratives. In order to complete a high quality silver dollar set it would cost in the range of $3 to $4 million dollars, where a 50 piece silver commemorative set can be purchased for as little as $25,000. These coins are also becoming popular overseas in Europe, which will only increase demand. (more…)

EU citizens and residents have now selected the winning design of the new commemorative euro coin celebrating 10 years of Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) and the creation of the euro. See the results

Commemorative coins bearing this design will be issued by all euro-area Member States, starting in January 2009.

This is the second time that all euro-area countries issue a euro coin with a common design also on the national side, the first time being the issue of the commemorative 2-euro coin celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome in 2007.

Commemorative coins always have a value of 2 euro and are destined for circulation in the whole euro area, although they are often the subject of keen interest from coin collectors.

The winning design was created by Mr George Stamatopoulos who is a sculptor at the Central Bank of Greece. Commemorative coins bearing this design will be issued by all euro-area Member States, starting in January 2009.

The design symbolises that the euro is the latest step in the long history of trade, from pre-historic barter – evoked by the deliberately primitive design – to Economic and Monetary Union.

Voting was open to all citizens or residents of the European Union and took place between 31 January and 22 February 2008. Voters could choose between 5 designs pre-selected by European Mint Directors. 141 675 participated in the vote. The winning design received 41.48% of the votes. Full Story

By Stewart Huckaby

The first commemorative quarter the US produced was the Isabella Quarter, issue in 1893 as a part of the Columbian Exposition festivities. While no other quarters are included along with commemorative issues in current catalogs, the Washington Quarter, first issued in 1932 in commemoration of the bicentennial of George Washington’s birth, was originally envisioned as a one year commemorative issue. Little did the powers that be know at the time that modifications of the Washington design would still be in use over 75 years later!

The process that led to the design selection had its own share of intrigue. A design competition in 1931 called for entries based on the bust of Washington by French sculptor Jean Antoine Houdon. Out of a hundred designs submitted, one stood out – a powerful, left-facing bust, designed by Laura Gardin Fraser, the wife of Buffalo nickel designer James Earle Fraser and a renowned sculptor in her own right with several commemorative half dollar designs on her resume.

The Washington Bicentennial Commission unanimously chose Fraser’s design. However, Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon, whether out of stubbornness, chauvinism, or for other reasons, refused to accept the recommendation, instead choosing a design by John Flanagan. The Commission begged him to relent, and Mellon eventually allowed a second competition, which again was won by Fraser. In the end, Mellon’s wishes prevailed, and the familiar Flanagan design was used. (more…)