Coin Collecting News

Wednesday , 02 Jan 2008 NEW ORLEANS (January 2, 2008) - As gold broke through its previous record high of $850 Wednesday, set in 1980, Blanchard analysts say that while the macro-economic conditions between now and then may be similar, the fundamentals driving gold’s ascent are vastly different.

“When gold achieved its 1980 high of $850 per ounce, it maintained that level for only one day and was driven purely by speculation,” says Blanchard Chairman and CEO Donald Doyle. “Today, gold has maintained a consistent price point above $800 and is being driven by dollar weakness, rising oil prices and geopolitical tension, each of which seem to be locked in long-term trends.”

Doyle also says investor demand is at levels not seen in decades, which has also played an integral role in driving the price up more than 33 percent in 2007 alone. Continued

OTTAWA, ONTARIO / WINNIPEG, MANITOBA - January 2, 2008 – One hundred years ago today, Governor General Earl Grey activated the press to strike a fifty-cent piece, Canada’s first domestically produced coin. What would become known as the Royal Canadian Mint was officially open for business.

“To celebrate the centennial of the Mint is to celebrate the history of Canada,” said Mr. Ian E. Bennett, President and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint. “Over the past century, the Mint has played an important role in the economic and social fabric of our nation, by creating circulation and commemorative collector coins which are a true testament to Canada’s rich heritage and values.”

The Mint’s Ottawa facility, which occupies the same premises on which the Mint was founded, produces hand-crafted collector and commemorative coins, gold bullion coins, medals and medallions. Established in 1976, the Winnipeg Mint is a high-tech, high-volume manufacturing facility where Canada’s circulation coinage is produced, as well as coins for countries around the world. Continued

The New York International Numismatic Convention is the United States’ most prestigious numismatic event targeting the needs of the world and ancient numismatic communities. The 36th Annual NYINC will be held at fabled Waldorf Astoria Hotel, located at 301 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10022, between 49th and 50th Streets. Our dates will be January 5-13, 2008.

The NYINC will feature a bourse area consisting of 100 of the leading specialists in world and ancient numismatics and will be held on the 18th floor meeting room level of the Waldorf Astoria. Our event will also include a full range of educational programs and meetings as well as multiple auction sessions cataloged and conducted by several of the leading numismatic houses in the world, including Heritage Galleries and Auctioneers; Gemini, Ltd.; Classical Numismatic Group; Baldwin’s Auctions, Ltd; M&M Numismatics; Dmitry Markov; La Galerie Numismatique and Ponterio and Associates, Inc.

Auction lot viewing will open on Saturday, January 5. Auctions sessions will be held Sunday, January 6 through Saturday, January 12. The bourse area will open from 2PM-7PM on Thursday, January 10 for the Professional Preview. For a $100 registration fee, payable on site, Professional Preview attendees will have access to the bourse area prior to the regular public admission hours to the bourse. The Professional Preview is open to both collectors and dealers without booths. Continued

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s latest effort to reduce Latin America’s highest inflation rate revives a coin rooted in Venezuela’s colonial past: the “locha,” based on the old Spanish “piece of eight.”

The locha is worth 12.5 cents, or an eighth of a new “strong bolivar,” a currency that debuted today with seven new coins and six new bills. Chavez says the new bolivar, created by lopping three zeros off the old currency, will simplify pricing and help slow consumer price increases.

“During the 1940s and through the 1960s, the locha was one of the most popular coins,” Armando Leon, a director of the central bank, said in an interview in Caracas. “It circulated during a very long period of stability.” Read Full Story