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Coin News for March 2, 2010
Coin Dealers Face Government Tarnish
Examiner
The national trade association for rare coin, currency, and precious metals dealers is sounding alarm bells for dealers, saying Washington lawmakers are considering legislation that would add regulatory burden to the coin and metals industy and encumber local deaers in the area and across the nation. The additional regulation proposal relates to what the industry calls the “cash market”–the over-the-counter portion of the business. The current proposal is similar to a failed proposal debated in the spring of 2008 that called for expanded regulatory powers over the rare coin industry.
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Bonded-Mated Pair of Proof 1972-S Cents to be Auctioned
Heritage Blog
“A bonded-mated pair.” While it may sound like the subject of a pulp magazine cover in the next Illustration Art catalog, it’s actually a coin term, used to refer to a particular class of error. A “mated pair” is a set of two coins united by a common strike; a “bonded-mated pair” is a mated pair in which the two coins were fused together instead of separating. This is what happened to the bonded-mated pair of 1972-S proof cents coming up for auction in the March 2010 Fort Worth Official ANA Auction.
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Hellenistic Coins Discovered in Northern Syria
Global Arab Network
A collection of Hellenistic coins dating back to the era of Alexander the Great were found near Najm Castle in the Manbej area in Aleppo governorate (northern Syria ). The coins were found by a local man as he was preparing his land for construction, uncovering a bronze box that contained around 250 coins. He promptly delivered the coins to the authorities who in turn delivered them to Aleppo Department of Archaeology and Museum.
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“These Are the New Obama Quarters”
NBC New York
They don’t look like regular quarters. The small discs actually look fake. “These are the new Obama quarters,” explained the clerk at a Yonkers UPS store as she handed over change. Huh? Doesn’t it take an act of Congress to put a person on coin or currency and doesn’t that person have to be deceased? The Obama quarters are gold plated and bear a picture — baby pictures, in some cases — of the 44th president on one side. Regular quarters are engraved with the face of George Washington and made of copper and nickel.
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Gold Coins ‘Belonging to Agatha Christie’ Found in Trunk
World Gold Council
A hoard of gold coins that are believed to have belonged to author Agatha Christie have been unearthed in a trunk that was bought for £100, according to reports. Jennifer Grant, an avid follower of the famed author, purchased the trunk at a sale of Christie’s former home – Greenway House – in Devon, the Telegraph states. Upon inspecting the trunk she found a locked box and when she became curious of the contents a few years later, she persuaded a builder to open it with a crowbar.
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Some Commemorative Coin Themes Hard to Justify
Numismaster
Commemorative coin issues of the United States have been around for more than a century, beginning with coins minted to celebrate (and help fund) the World’s Columbian Exposition held in Chicago in 1893. Typically, we divide commemoratives into an early group, or classical issues (1892-1954), and modern commemoratives (1982-date). As you can see, there’s a 28-year gap separating the two groups. The reasons usually given to account for the gap (i.e., the termination of the early issues) are that the coins were often issued for relatively unworthy reasons and many of the issues went on far too long.
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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.
