The Santa Clara Coin, Stamp & Collectibles Expo to be held on April 10 - 13, 2008, will be displaying the finest 1915-S Panama-Pacific International Exposition 5 coin set known.

The historic coins and accompanying documents related to the famous 1915 exposition will be exhibited by Steven L. Contursi of Rare Coin Wholesalers of Dana Point, California.

The display includes the original Shreve & Co. copper and glass frame and original box that housed the coins when they were sold. In addition a $200 invoice to a buyer in Kansas dated July 29, 1915, signed by Farran Zerbe, chief of the Coin and Medal Department for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, along with the June 8, 1940, signed letter and $575 invoice from Texas dealer, B. Max Mehl, who resold the set to a Los Angeles buyer.

The coins in the set in the exhibit are certified by Numismatic Guaranty Corporation as follows:

• 1915-S silver half dollar, NGC Mint State 66
• 1915-S gold dollar, NGC MS-67
• 1915-S gold $2.50 quarter eagle, NGC MS-67
• 1915-S gold $50 octagonal coin, NGC MS-65
• 1915-S gold $50 round coin, NGC MS-67

“The octagonal $50 denomination gold coin is one of five superb condition Panama-Pacific gold and silver San Francisco Mint coins that were registered by Panama-Pacific officials as the sixth of only 24 complete coin sets produced for the event in 1915,” said Ronald J. Gillio, Expo General Chairman. “The ‘Pan-Pac’ set that will be displayed at the show includes the original $200 invoice, but the coins and their original copper and glass frame are valued today at about $700,000.” (more…)

The rebirth of New Orleans as a tourist destination means collectors who plan a visit should arrange to stop by the New Orleans Mint Museum.

The museum has been back in business for six months, fully recovered from the wrath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. And there is a wealth of revamped and new exhibitions to see.

When the museum reopened this past October, most of the structure had been renovated, along with a new coat of paint, refurbished plaster, fencing and flagstones, a new carpet and an HVAC system. A brand new and enhanced copper roof replaced what had been stripped, twisted and tossed into nearby streets by the caress of Katrina.

Top of many numismatists must-do list will be the exhibits showing the full range of coins minted at New Orleans. The museum has been blessed by the many collectors and benefactors who have donated or loaned historic New Orleans-struck coins to ensure the display is as complete as possible.

Rick Demers provided his complete date collection of New Orleans Mint silver coinage, with other notable gold and silver coins and coin-related artifacts coming from Lynn Ourso, Frank Patty, Mark Sheldon, and Robert B. Lecce. Read Full Numismater Article

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 designs custom holder to house the 200 most rare, unique and famous American coins in the Smithsonian’s National Numismatic Collection.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History today announced a pilot project to assess the use of protective coin holders for the National Numismatic Collection housed at the museum. The 200 most rare, unique and famous American coins in the collection will be placed into customized plastic holders that will allow greater access to coins while improving their protection.

This initial group of coins was chosen because they are the most frequently handled. The project is a collaboration between the museum, the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation and the Numismatic Conservation Services, which donated their services and developed the holders to meet museum specifications. NGC also provided the materials necessary to re-house the coins, along with two storage cabinets which will offer enhanced security for these numismatic treasures.

“We are pleased to be able to provide superb protection for these rare objects while at the same time extending access to the research community,” said Brent D. Glass, museum director. “The coins are popular for scholarly study and now they can be handled safely.”

“NGC is privileged to work with the museum to help solve a collections management challenge. We are honored to make the full breadth of our expertise and our services available to the NNC and the greater numismatic community,” said Mark Salzberg, chairman of NGC.

David J. Camire, president of NCS, added “The focus that the museum has put on the long-term preservation of the NNC should be strongly commended. It’s a great privilege to commit our resources and energy to this important initiative.”

The holder is made of inert mold-injected resin and the label, identifying the coin in it, is printed on acid-free paper. Its overall size is roughly 60 mm wide by 85 mm tall. It can accommodate coins up to 45 mm in diameter and nearly 5 mm thick. Coins are placed in pre-molded cores that are semi-rigid which is then encapsulated in a clear outer shell. (more…)