Rare Coins Outpace Other Assets’ Values
By David L. Ganz, Numismatic News
The most catastrophic economic cataclysm since the Great Depression still doesn’t put the whole of events into perspective. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, which was a record 14,000 plus in October 2007, has had a meltdown. Back when I first started writing this column in 1965, if the Dow moved 10 points in any direction, it became front page news. In recent days, the Dow Jones Industrial Average has gone down over 400 points in a single day and now hangs above the 8,000 mark.
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10th Anniversary Platinum Eagle Set Back on Sale
Mint News Blog
The 2007 10th Anniversary Platinum Eagle Set quietly went back on sale at the US Mint within the last few days. It just noticed the listing this morning, but it appears that the sets may have went back on sale as early as Monday of this week. The sets are now listed for $1,249.95 with no ordering limits.
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Mint pushes new dollar coin in Portland
Oregon Live
Shirley Liu waited for 140 of them to tumble into her hands after she stuck seven $20 bills in the machine. Roben Estes wanted some for the tours he gives school kids at state and national parks. Others just wanted to feel the heft and see the sparkling, gold color of a freshly minted coin. [VIDEO]
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PCGS Unveils New ‘Horizontal’ Price Guide
PCGS
We have recently expanded the PCGS Price Guide to include prices for most U.S. coins in all grades. The new horizontal PCGS Price Guide is a great tool for collectors and dealers to determine the approximate retail values of their coins or their entire collection. The new and improved PCGS Price Guide contains four tabs at the top of each pricing chart. Each tab indicates “Most Active, Grades 1-20, Grades 25-60 and Grades 61- 70.” Clicking on any of these tabs will provide the most current pricing information within those grades for all U.S. coin series.
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Viewpoint: Mint Needs Clear Policy on Repricing
Numismaster
In mid-November the U.S. Mint unexpectedly suspended nearly all gold and platinum products and then brought them back after less than one day with mostly lower prices. Collector response to the price changes has been mostly negative. Some customers who recently placed orders felt that the Mint should issue refunds for the price differences. Others, who routinely purchase their coins as soon as they are released, felt betrayed by the Mint.
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In Memoriam Retired Lt. Col. Adna G. Wilde Jr. 1920 - 2008
American Numismatic Association
Retired Lt. Col. Adna G. Wilde Jr., former president, Board member, executive director, treasurer and parliamentarian of the American Numismatic Association, died on the morning of Nov. 17 in Colorado Springs. He was 88. “This is a sad time for our Association,” ANA President Barry Stuppler said. “Adna will be remembered as one of the most important leaders in our history.
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GOVERNMENTS CAN’T HANDLE GLOBAL RUN ON GOLD COINS
NY Post
THERE’S a worldwide run on gold coins. Even as the price of the precious metal itself comes under pressure along with commodities like oil and copper, people around the world are demanding so many of the valuable coins that government mints are having difficulty filling orders. A spokesperson for the US Mint tells me that gold coins in this country, for the past month, “are being allocated because of an increased demand.”
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MAS launches 2009 Year of the Ox coins
Yahoo News
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has launched the 2009 Year of the Ox Almanac Coins set. The coins are part of a series designed by Xu Yunfei, a designer from the Shanghai Mint. This year’s design features the Chinese seal characters “heavenly stems and earthly branches”, and a peony to reflect festive cheer.
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