Coin News for February 10, 2010

By Tim Shuck on Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Filed Under: Coin News Daily

Major PCGS Announcement at the Forth Worth National Money Show
Collectors Universe
But all the things we’ve done so far and all the other things we’ll do this year pale in comparison to the announcement we’ll be making March 26, 2010 at the Mid-Winter ANA convention. At 1:00 on March 26, 2010 [rescheduled to 10:30 Thursday, March 25] in a gathering place to be determined we will unveil the “next step”…the “new way”…”the big one.” If you are going to be at the ANA convention in Fort Worth, don’t miss it. If you’re not going to be at the ANA, check the pcgs.com home page at 2:00 CST for all the info. THE BIG ONE IS COMING!!!!!
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Schoolboy Designs British Coin for the London 2012 Olympics
The Huddersfield Daily Examiner
A schoolboy has made history by becoming the first teenager to design a British coin. Theo Crutchley-Mack, a pupil at Rishworth School, near Ripponden, beat off thousands of pupils from across the country to create a 50p coin to mark the London 2012 Olympic Games. The 16-year-old’s winning cycling design, which has been approved by the Queen, means he will go down in history as being the first teen to design a Royal Mint coin.
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Central States Numismatic Society Convention Airfare Discount
Numismaster
Central States Numismatic Society’s 71st Anniversary Convention, to be held April 26-May 2 at Milwaukee’s Midwest Airlines Center and the Milwaukee Hilton City Center, has named AirTran Airways as its official air carrier. “We selected AirTran because of the fact that much of their service to Milwaukee is via full size, rather than commuter aircraft, offering our attendees greater overhead luggage rack storage space for their valuables,” said Kevin Foley, convention general chairman. “This is an especially important consideration for our out-of-town booth holders, as it enables them to bring more of their inventory to our event without resorting to the expense of outside transport agencies.”
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The Reality of Uncleaned Ancient Coins
S Capitis
The biggest downer with ancient coins however, is not their authenticity, but their condition. These coins have laid in the ground since the time of Constantine or thereabouts, and have corroded, degraded, and otherwise decayed. The pretty images of museum-quality ancient coins on the boxed coin cleaning sets and on webpages of uncleaned coin dealers are generally not what one will end up with (it happens, just very rarely). Likewise, gold is never going to show up in an uncleaned lot, and silver very rarely.
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The NGC Star Designation on Graded Coins
Coin Update
As for premiums, I’m willing to pay more for a coin with NGC’s “star” designation. NGC puts a star on coins with “exceptional eye appeal” or other enhancing characteristics such as an MS-65 proof cameo half “not necessarily close to the PF 66 grade” but almost an ultra cameo one. I have several NGC graded coins with a star on the label. Rather than use them as the basis for this column, I strove to be more objective and purchased from three different online sellers three 1956 Type II Franklin halves graded as PF67, PF67 cameo, PF67 cameo star.
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Labrador to Receive the Dickin Medal for Devotion to Duty
The Sun
The now retired eight-year-old Labrador, from 104 Military Working Dog Support Unit, Royal Army Veterinary Corps, twice saved soldiers and civilians from death while out on patrol in Helmand. His keen sense of smell found what bomb disposal experts call a “daisy chain” – a series of explosives linked together and primed to go off at the same time. Thanks to Treo, the Taliban’s plots to slaughter hundreds of soldiers and civilians were foiled. The proud pooch will be given his gong, called the Dickin Medal, by Princess Alexandra at a ceremony at the Imperial War Museum on February 24.
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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.