By Kathleen Duncan - Pinnacle Rarities

The new breed of collector wants the coin regardless of price. I envy them that luxury, but hope they are not made complacent by their equally exuberant under-bidders. The extremely strong prices for the Husak collection of large cents is understandable. These coins are truly rare and may not surface again for years.

Some of the other items experiencing extremely spirited bidding, however, are replaceable. These coins, or their equivalents, have sold recently for far less.

Here are three examples from the recently concluded Heritage Long Beach sale:

1867 25c PCGS MS63 $86,250

It has a PCGS population of 3 with 2 higher. Greysheet is a misleading $1,500 (wake up guys!), but I doubt there are any dealers who would have bought this coin for more than a quarter of the price without having a ready buyer. (more…)

It was a beautiful coin, with a profile of a crowned Lady Liberty on its face surrounded by 13 stars, one each for the original colonies.

And it shone brightly, made of pure gold, gold likely taken from the ground under Charlotte.

On March 28, 1838, the first gold coin — a $5 Half Eagle — was struck at the U.S. Mint branch. It was on West Trade Street where the federal building now stands. The old mint, moved in the 1930s, now houses the Mint Museum on Randolph Road.

The 170th anniversary on Friday connects to other events in the city’s history:

• The first gold rush in the United States, in Charlotte in the early 1800s.

• The first branch of the U.S. Mint, opened in 1837, a sign of the city’s future prosperity.

• The first museum in North Carolina, created when the Mint building was moved to its current site.

The gold rush and the location of a mint branch did not lead, as is sometimes said, to the banks that now tower over uptown. But these historic events made the city an economic center in the region. Read Full Story in the Charlotte Observer

NGC has launched a beta version of its expanded online catalog for coins recognized under VarietyPlus™, NGC’s attribution service. Included are descriptive detail photographs, diagnostic cues and general explanatory comments for many of the coin varieties described with a VarietyPlus™ number (e.g. VP-001). The catalog can be seen on NGC’s Web site.

In this catalog, only varieties described with a VarietyPlus™ number have detailed descriptions. This launch corresponds with the completion of the online technical platform, and a series of future content releases are forthcoming. During the beta review period, however, the catalog is available for free to all viewers. Users are also invited to send comments concerning the catalog to NGC’s researchers at varietyplus@ngccoin.com.

VarietyPlus™ includes the most popularly collected and most desirable die-specific coin varieties. For inclusion in VarietyPlus™ and to be attributed by NGC a coin must meet several specific criteria, including the following: (more…)

More than 130 collectors and dealers from around the country attended the Professional Coin Grading Service luncheon at the Florida United Numismatists convention in Orlando, January 11, 2008. Collectors Universe, Inc. President and PCGS co-founder, David Hall, and PCGS President, Ron Guth, discussed the history of coin grading, the possible future of grading, and answered questions from the audience.

Hall emphasized to the audience composed of members of the PCGS Set Registry, PCGS Collectors Club and PCGS authorized dealers, “We seek your input. We seek your help. It’s your grading service.”
Among the topics addressed by Guth and his comments:

• Computerized Grading: “Maybe someday, down the road.”
• Coin Recognition Software: “We are building a digital image database of rare coins.”
• Fractional grades: “MS-61.5? I’m not sure how possible that is.”
• 100-Point Grading Scale: “The 70-point grading system is so entrenched and big, it would be difficult and confusing to convert (to 100 points). It could wreck the market.” (more…)

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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