Coin News Daily February 9th, 2009

By CoinLink on Monday, February 9, 2009
Filed Under: Coin News Daily

Naftzger large cents realize $3.2 million in Goldberg auction
Coin Values
All 476 lots sold in the second installation of the Ted Naftzger Collection of U.S. large cents. The coins were offered in a Feb. 1 auction by Ira and Larry Goldberg Coins and Collectibles in Beverly Hills, Calif., in conjunction with specialists Chris McCawley and Bob Grellman. The 476 lots were featured in one session preceding the Pre-Long Beach Coin, Stamp & Collectibles Expo auction, also conducted by the Goldbergs.
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Oldest German penny sells for 34,000 euros
Earth Times
Dortmund, Germany – A tiny silver coin thought to be “the oldest German penny” sold at auction in the city of Dortmund on Monday for 34,000 euros (44,000 dollars). The denarius coin was minted between 747 and 751 under King Pippin III of the Franks (714-768) to replace coinage of the ancient Roman empire and was rediscovered in 1981 in dirt in the western city of Trier.
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Birmingham MP’s crusade to bring back Britannia on coins
Birmingham Post
She’s been a symbol of Britain since Roman times, and her image has appeared on coins since 1672. But 300 years of history came to an end last year, when the Royal Mint decided Britannia no longer had a place on the nation’s coins. Now, a Birmingham MP has launched a campaign to bring her back. John Hemming (Lib Dem Yardley) wants Britannia to make a comeback and believes the £2 coin would be the perfect place for her return.
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Gold Coins in Shipwreck
By David L. Ganz, Numismatic News
Odyssey Marine, the southern Florida concern that has found more coin treasurers than any other salver, has a new discovery as of Feb. 2: the wreck of HMS Victory, which sank in the English Channel on Oct. 4, 1744 taking 1,150 sailors and four tons of Portuguese gold to the bottom of Davy Jones’s locker.About 200,000 gold coins are believed to be part of the treasure, whose sinking caused a major embarrassment to King George II in 1744, and whose recovery in 2009 could well become a cause celebre in international legal circles.
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THE ROYAL COLLECTION OF HANNOVER MAY BE SOLD
By E-Sylum
In his Numismatics and Archaeology blog on Friday, Nathan Elkins published a note from a colleague stating that the coin collection of the Kings of Hannover owned by the Deutsche Bank may soon be sold. Coming on the heels of the earlier news of the possible sale of the Hispanic Society of America collection (formerly on “permanent loan” to the American Numismatic Society), this is another potential blow to numismatic research and scholarship.
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Indian Half Eagles Drop
By Mark Ferguson for COIN VALUES
The most common pre-1934 gold coins, often referred to by coin dealers as “generic gold,” have been in demand for many months as alternatives to gold coins struck purely for bullion purposes such as the American Eagle gold coins. Strong public demand during past months has reduced inventories of bullion-related coins at coin shops all across America. Gold $20 double eagles are the most asked for alternative to current bullion coins, but customers have been buying other types of gold coins as well – just to be able to own some gold.
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Finest-Ranked NGC Registry’s Type Set Offered for Sale
NGC
Olympia, WA, dealer Pinnacle Rarities announces the acquisition of the number one ranked USA Type Set on the NGC Registry. Named for the Puget Sound, the Sounder Collection was carefully assembled by an astute collector from the Seattle, WA area. This collector’s name is also associated with finest known Walkers, as he assembled one of the finest graded sets. The collection of 99 coins, valued at over $2,000,000, includes examples of all major design types, in all metals besides gold.
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