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Coin News for April 27, 2010
Are the U.S. Banknote Presidents Getting Younger?
Newsweek
The other element of the redesign is aesthetic. “Two thirds of American money circulates outside the U.S., so it has to look uniquely American,” says BEP Director Larry Felix. As for the larger and easier-to-read numbers on more current bills, you can thank “an aging population,” he says. But that’s not all. NEWSWEEK has noticed something more subtle, something that would appear to be so indelible in American lore that it couldn’t possibly change over time: the styling of the portraits, which appear to have been altered in a strange way. Over time, America’s iconic forefathers come off looking good, even better than they used to—and it’s not just some airbrushing and smoothing out. Put simply, if the Founders and their notable descendants lived in modern times, they might find themselves on magazine covers beside words like “nip and tuck.”
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NGC Integrates Collectors Journal with Message Boards
NGC
The Collectors Journal has been a popular feature for Collectors Society members since it was first introduced in 2005. It is a place for members to share thoughts about their collecting experiences in general. Much like a “blog” or “web log”, it allows users to post articles in one coherent spot. Among users there has been great discussion generated by journal entries. To better facilitate ongoing discussion, we have integrated the Collectors Journal with our Message Boards. The Collectors Journal will work as it always has only now, users will have the option to simultaneously post their journal entry to the Message Boards for an even wider audience.
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2010 U.S. Boy Scouts Dollar on Waiting List Status
Mint News Blog
On Friday evening, the uncirculated version of the 2010 Boy Scouts of American Centennial Silver Dollar entered waiting list status. This means that the number of orders received by the US Mint has met the maximum limit, but orders can still be placed on a “first-come, first-serve” basis for any coins available due to order cancellation. It is a little surprising to see one version of the coin already on waiting list status. At the last available US Mint sales report, total sales for the Boy Scouts coins had reached a combined 312,653 across the proof and uncirculated versions. This meant that there were still 37,347 coins available before the maximum authorized mintage of 350,000 would be met. In the last week of data, the US Mint had sold about 22,000 coins, suggesting at least two more weeks of sales remained.
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Previously Unknown Military Payment Certificate Replacement Discovered
Numismaster
A previously unknown Military Payment Certificate replacement issue has been found. This fact was revealed by collector Al Glaser at MPCFest XI, April 17. Of the 90 types (as opposed to varieties) of MPCs only one remains unreported in collections. The new discovery is a Series 481 $5 certificate. This note was used worldwide by U.S. military personnel from June 20, 1951 through May 25, 1954. Obviously, collectors have sought replacements since the very first certificates were issued in 1946, but the number of collectors seeking the notes were low and therefore the number saves as well. There were not many collectors of MPC, and even more importantly most of them did not know how to identify replacements until about 1970.
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2010 U.S. Platinum Eagle Designs Reviewed
Coin Update News
The Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) and the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) recently reviewed design candidates for the collector version of the 2010 American Platinum Eagle. This coin will be the second release in a six year series exploring the core concepts of American democracy as stated in the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States. The 2010 Platinum Eagle reverse design will depict the principle “To Establish Justice” as inspired by a narrative prepared by John G. Roberts, Jr., the Chief Justice of the United States. The obverse design will feature a rendition of the Statue of Liberty designed by John Mercanti that has been used for all versions of the American Platinum Eagle issued since the coin’s debut in 1997.
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Thinking of Stamping Political Messages on U.S. Currency? Be Careful
BeldarBlog
The relevant statute is 18 U.S.C. § 333, which provides: Whoever mutilates, cuts, defaces, disfigures, or perforates, or unites or cements together, or does any other thing to any bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt issued by any national banking association, or Federal Reserve bank, or the Federal Reserve System, with intent to render such bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt unfit to be reissued, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than six months, or both. There’s only one reported federal decision — Keese v. Zerbst, 88 F.2d 795 (10th Cir.), cert. denied, 301 U.S. 698 (1937) — which deals with this statute or its predecessors, and it’s not really helpful since the court concluded that the defendant had been correctly indicted, tried, and convicted under the counterfeiting statute (and its more severe penalty), rather under this one. So there are no reported cases in which you can take comfort before starting your protest stamping.
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About the Author
Tim Shuck is a life-long Midwestern resident, and started collecting coins after finding an Indian Head cent on the ground at his childhood farm home. Additional encouragement came from looking through a collection of well-worn late 19th and early 20th century coins kept by his grandfather in an old leather coin purse. Current collecting interests include U.S. types from the Civil War era through the early 1930's, and Colonial and Early American coins.
