Stanford Scandal Touches Rare Coin Industry…
Stella
The world is a small place indeed and the biggest financial scandal of the week (only $8 Billion, so it barely registered on the evening news…ho hum) touched the coin industry directly thanks to Stanford Coin & Bullion, which was directly owned and operated by the now-defunct firm. As I write this, the entire Stanford family of companies is in receivership and Mr. Stanford himself is on the lam. Personally, I don’t think SC&B’s demise will have any effect on the coin industry. SC&B was primary an investment-style broker of coins to non-collectors and, while, we will miss any firm’s ability to place overpriced five- and six-figure coins to unwary buyers, I’d much rather see rare coins sold to true collectors, who love owning them and don’t buy and sell on a whim.
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A penny for your thoughts – Chinese Coins
ChinaView
Collecting ancient coins is a serious hobby that requires considerable knowledge as they boast a long and colorful history within China. In China, there’s perhaps nothing smaller than an ancient coin that can fuse history and culture so perfectly. China was one of the first countries to use metal coinage that can be traced back more than 2,000 years. Despite the country’s often turbulent history, there remain several well-known ancient coins.
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The Gold Rush: Don’t Get Burned
BusinessWeek
If you had any doubt that the prime motivation for investors has shifted from greed to fear, look at the price of gold. The spot price for the yellow metal reached $992.43 an ounce on Feb. 20, its highest level since hitting $1,002.70 on Mar. 17, 2008, the day that Bear Stearns collapsed. The spot price has climbed more than 39% from a near-term low of $712.30 on Nov. 12, 2008. Demand for physical gold has exploded as the deepening financial crisis and ongoing slide in stock prices has pushed nervous investors into safe-haven investments.
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Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee Meets February 24
US Mint
The Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) will hold a public meeting at 10 a.m. (ET) on Tuesday, February 24, 2009, at United States Mint Headquarters, 801 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20220. The purpose of the meeting is to welcome and introducenew Committee member Doreen Bolger and Review design candidates for the Congressional Gold medals honoring Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and former Senator Edward William Brooke III
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FOR AND AGAINST NUMISMATIC MUSEUMS
E-SYLUM
In last week’s discussion of the possible sale of the coin collection of the Kings of Hannover, R. G. Doty wrote, ” If one numismatic museum is threatened, all numismatic museums are at risk.” One reader noted (in all caps) I HATE “SLIPPERY SLOPE” ARGUMENTS. I’d rather not debate the logic, but agree that any all-inclusive statement can be tripped up with counterexamples. Of course, when my wife tells me I “always” this or “never” that, I know enough to keep my trap shut.
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Cultural Patrimony Policy Still a Concern
By Richard Giedroyc, World Coin News
The possible change in U.S. policy toward antiquities including coins has been a constant concern in recent years, with the Ancient Coin Collectors Guild focusing particularly on Cyprus’ efforts to block the import of ancient coins during 2008. Without much fanfare even Italy has felt the effects of agreeing that ancient coins should be returned to the country of origin due to how the coins reached their soil. The Bulgarian daily newspaper Sega reported on Jan. 9 that “close to 3,800 antique coins and other archaeological objects” determined to have been smuggled into Italy during 2005 were recently returned to Bulgaria, from whence the objects originated.
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Vignette of Lincoln appears on FRBNs
Coin World
Series 1915 and 1918 $5 Federal Reserve Bank notes, featuring a portrait of President Lincoln, could be the perfect wedding accompaniment. The notes live up to the wedding adage of providing something old with something new, and something borrowed with something blue. The qualifiers are the historic vignette of President Lincoln gracing the face of a $5 denomination in a new type of federal paper money. The notes depict a back design borrowed from another paper money issue. The serial numbers and Treasury seal, in blue ink, complete the wedding requirements.
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Related posts:

1. Coin News Daily February 19, 2009
2. Coin News Daily February 25, 2009
3. Coin News Daily February 9th, 2009
4. Coin News Daily February 13, 2009
5. Coin News Daily February 5, 2009
6. Coin News Daily June 11, 2009
7. Coin News Daily March 4th, 2009
8. Coin News Daily January 26, 2009
9. Coin News Daily March 8, 2009
10. Coin News Daily May 18, 2009