Coin Collecting News

Christmas Day yielded an unusual present for Salinas resident Art Ballesteros.

Ballesteros found a real, a Spanish silver coin from the 1500s, on an isolated beach near San Francisco. “It was a Christmas present not only for myself but also for California,” he said. “The coin is extremely valuable.”

He said Wednesday he had gone to visit his brother, Michael, in San Francisco for the holidays. On Christmas Day, they did what they both grew up doing: searching for hidden treasure. They took metal detectors to the beach and began scanning. Read Full Story

MOSCOW. (Nikolai Lukashov for RIA Novosti) - An international archeological expedition to Lake Issyk Kul, high in the Kyrgyz mountains, proves the existence of an advanced civilization 25 centuries ago, equal in development to the Hellenic civilizations of the northern coast of the Pontus Euxinus (Black Sea) and the Mediterranean coast of Egypt.

The expedition resulted in sensational finds, including the discovery of major settlements, presently buried underwater. The data and artefacts obtained, which are currently under study, apply the finishing touches to the many years of exploration in the lake, made by seven previous expeditions. The addition of a previously unknown culture to the treasury of history extends the idea of the patterns and regularities of human development. Continued

Launching Pilot Program to Increase Circulation of Presidential $1 Coins

WASHINGTON - Jingling in your pockets in 2008 will be Presidential $1 Coins bearing the images of James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren-the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth Presidents of the United States. The United States Mint released photographs of the four coins today.

The United States Mint will be putting a new Presidential $1 Coin into circulation every three months in 2008 beginning with the James Monroe Presidential $1 Coin on February 14. The John Quincy Adams Presidential $1 Coin will follow May 15. Then look for the Andrew Jackson Presidential $1 Coin on August 14 and the Martin Van Buren Presidential $1 Coin on November 13.

“We hope the next four Presidential $1 Coins will not only jingle in pockets but be spent as well,” said United States Mint Director Ed Moy. “These coins are convenient. Each Presidential $1 Coin weighs less than four quarters, and they’re especially useful for vending machines and mass transit.” Continued

WASHINGTON -Sales of the 2008 American Eagle Silver Proof Coin will open at 12:00 noon (ET) on January 3, 2008, the United States Mint announced today. This year’s coin is offered at $31.95. There is no production limit for this product, or mintage limit for this coin.

The American Eagle Silver Proof Coin, available in the one-ounce size, bears the distinctive “W” mint mark denoting production at the United States Mint at West Point. Each coin, containing 99.9 percent silver, is sealed in a protective capsule and housed in a satin-lined velvet presentation case. A Certificate of Authenticity, signed by the Director of the United States Mint, accompanies the coin.

Since its debut in 1986, the obverse of the American Eagle Silver Proof Coin has featured the full-length image of Liberty designed by Adolph A. Weinman. Liberty is rendered in full-stride with her right hand extended and carrying branches of laurel and oak in her left. The reverse of the coin, designed by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver John Mercanti, features the heraldic eagle clutching an olive branch in its right talon and arrows in its left. Continued