Coin Collecting News

“Originality.” It’s one of the most overused terms in all of numismatics. And it’s one of the most misunderstood as well. Given the choice, I believe that most people would rather own an “original” coin instead of one that has clearly had its appearance changed in recent years. With the help of some good quality images, I’d like to show some of the characteristics that I equate with “originality” and offer some suggestions on how to judge if a coin is original or not.

The first coin that we are going to look at is an 1844-D quarter eagle graded AU55 by NGC. (Disclosure: this coin is currently in my inventory and it is currently for sale. I am not using this coin as an example in the hope that someone will buy it as I am certain someone will and I don’t need to go to this much trouble to sell it. I am using it to illustrate this report because I believe it represents what I believe is complete originality.)

One other quick topic before we review this 1844-D quarter eagle. My definition of an “original” coin is one that appears to have never been cleaned, lightened or in any way altered. I would be quick to point out that the flaw in this definition is that, of course, there is no way to make such a comment without having had access to this particular coin at all times since 1844. Continued

Heritage is delighted to present perhaps the greatest sale of large cents ever held - the Walter J. Husak Collection of Early US Cents - as a part of our upcoming 2008 February Long Beach, CA Signature Coin Auction. While far from the largest collection ever sold, nor the most comprehensive collection extending to 1857, the Husak Collection includes nearly every Sheldon die variety in the 1793-1814 series, including many Mint State pieces and numerous Condition Census examples. The only varieties missing are 1793 S-15, 1795 S-79, and 1795 S-80. The collection contains all other Sheldon numbers with subvarieties, and die states of the 1804.

When Walter Husak started this collection, he had two goals in mind. His first goal was the acquisition of coins that are attractive and pleasant representatives, preferably in the Condition Census. His second collecting goal was the acquisition of coins with exceptional pedigrees. Either one of these two goals presents a major hurdle across a wide range of dates in the large cent field, and a few of the pieces in his collection fall short of his requirements… but very few indeed! Most examples meet at least one of Mr. Husak’s goals, and quite a few meet both.

An example of the last category, and one of cataloger Mark Borckardt’s favorite coins in the entire collection, is the famous 1799 Abbey Cent. It is solidly within the Condition Census of the Sheldon-189 die marriage, and it has a continuous, uninterrupted pedigree dating back to the 1840s.

Walter Husak began collecting coins while summering at his grandparents’ farm in Iowa in 1955. He took the pay he received for his farm chores and began to buy Buffalo Nickels and Lincoln Cents, his coins of choice at the time. During this time, his father worked at the Merchants National Bank in Cedar Rapids. Continued

What I most remember about my father designing the decimal coins in 1962 was the secrecy surrounding it all.

As an artist – he was a painter and taught life-drawing at the Royal College of Art – he’d been chosen as one of many designers to submit designs to a Royal Mint Committee, but decimalisation had not been announced and it was essential that no one knew anything about it.

And when his designs were finally chosen, we lived a kind of cloak-and-dagger life. The coins were first designed on paper, and then worked in reverse into large deep circles of plaster.

They would then be cast back to positive and my father would work on them, and then cast them back to negative and so on. Read Full Article

Ash Lawn-Highland, the estate of President James Monroe in Charlottesville, Virginia, will be the first place in the Nation to obtain James Monroe Presidential $1 Coins, a day before the coins are officially placed into circulation nationwide.

In a brief ceremony before the coin exchange, the new James Monroe Presidential $1 Coins will be presented to the American people, with a ceremonial “pour” of hundreds of shiny, new coins. The Acting Deputy Director of the United States Mint, Dan Shaver, will join Ash Lawn-Highland’s Executive Director, Carolyn Coggin Holmes, James Monroe Memorial Foundation President G. William Thomas Jr. and James Monroe re-enactor Dennis Bigelow for the event.

The news media and public are invited to the ceremony and coin exchange at 11 a.m. Wednesday, February 13, 2008. There will be no entrance fee at Ash Lawn-Highland until noon. Continued