Coin Collecting

The results are in from Platinum Night at the Boston Worlds’ Fair of Money! Nearly $22.4 million of high quality rare coins changed in our Platinum Night festivities, with strong bidding being seen throughout. Overall, Heritage’s three Boston auctions are expected to realize over $40 million

The PCGS Coin Sniffer™, a process incorporating advanced technology for detecting foreign materials and other enhancements on a coin’s surface, will be used in two roll-out phases on all PCGS Secure Plus™ submissions with the first step beginning in September or October 2010.

In Doug Winter’s continuing series that has focused on the ten rarest coins in each denomination of United States gold coin struck from the late 1830’s to the early 1900’s, The next major denomination to discuss is the enigmatic Three Dollar gold piece.

Bowers and Merena Auctions realized an impressive $9.3 million at its Boston Rarities Sale on Aug. 7. The sale, conducted in two sessions with 1,750 lots, featured the rare condition census #4 1794 Flowing Hair Silver Dollar, certified MS-64 by NGC, that sold for $1.2 million.

Greg Reynolds new article: Prooflike 1857-S Double Eagle Gold Coins from the Shipwreck of the S. S. Central America.”As far as I know, these fifty-seven are the only gold coins, of any type, that the PCGS has designated as Prooflike. and the ONLY DMPL Gold coins ever graded”

Official ANA World’s Fair Of Money Starts Today in Boston Featuring Amazing and Historically Significant Numismatic Exhibits. More than 1,100 of the nation’s best coin dealers with the best inventory of coins, paper money, medals, tokens and other numismatic items will gather in Boston August 10-14 at the Hynes Convention Center for the largest coin show in the world.

Weekly Column by Greg Reynolds Coin Rarities & Related Topics: 1794 Silver Dollar sells for $1,207,500, and More Auction News ” comment upon the prices realized for three rarities in the August 2010 B&M auction that I discussed in recent columns.

The United States Mint today announced that seven new artists have been selected to participate in the Artistic Infusion Program (AIP) as Associate Designers. The AIP began in 2003 to help enrich and invigorate the design of U.S. coins and medals.

The Professional Numismatists Guild (PNG) presented its outstanding achievement awards for 2010 during the PNG Day banquet held in Boston, Massachusetts on August 9, 2010.
Patrick Heller of Liberty Coin Service in Michigan was given the Abe Kosoff Founders Award , David Hall, President of Collectors Universe, Inc. and a co-founder of Professional Coin Grading Service, received the PNG Significant Contribution Award……..

The United States Mint today announced that it will begin sales of the one-ounce >2010 American Eagle Platinum Proof Coin at noon Eastern Time (ET) on August 12, 2010. The 2010 coin features the second reverse (tails side) design in the six-year “Preamble Series” program introduced in 2009.

Greg Reynolds offers up the second part of his series on Dr. Steven Duckor’s All Time Finest Barber Half Dollar Collection. “Here in part 2, the historical and cultural importance of this set will be analyzed, with references to other landmark sets of Barber Halves.”

The United States Mint today announced that it will begin sales of the one-ounce 2010 American Eagle Platinum Proof Coin at noon Eastern Time (ET) on August 12, 2010. The 2010 coin features the second reverse (tails side) design in the six-year “Preamble Series” program introduced in 2009.

Doug Winter has posted the third part of a series titled San Francisco Double Eagles: A Date by Date Analysis. “In 1877, a third type of double eagle was created when the reverse valuation was changed from TWENTY D to TWENTY DOLLARS. Liberty Head double eagles were produced with just one interruption (1886) from 1877 through 1907. ”

NEW & UPDATED – Our coverage of rare coin and currency news has expanded with Tim Shuck taking over as Editor of Coin News Daily. This is a special section of CoinLink where we scour the web for items of interest related to numismatics and post a short excerpt and link to these “off site” resources.

We have also made changes to The Bullion Report with daily news and article updates, and a monthly analysis of the “Premiums Over Spot” for Gold and Silver Bullion products.

View all the latest rare coin news here

Selling the #1 All-Time Finest PCGS Registry Set in any category is an honor, and Heritage fully appreciates the hard work necessary to put the Joshua II Collection into that position. Completing the all-time finest set, especially in such a popular series, is an accomplishment of the highest order.

An Example of Yap Island Stone Money to be Auctioned During ANA’s Boston Coin Show. “Yap Island is part of the Federated States of Micronesia, and is notable for its stone money, known as Rai: large doughnut-shaped, carved disks of (usually) calcite, up to 4 m (12 ft) in diameter (most are much smaller).”

Stacks to offer a Curious Specimen 1914 Gold Eagle. Is it a Proof Coin without the Matte Finish? “The strike is clearly that of a Proof, with a high fin or wire edge around most of the extreme edge and the familiar textured fields (imparted by finely acid etched dies) and bountifully struck devices. However, there is no matte finish that normally is present on Proof eagles of this year, none whatsoever.”

DGS announced today that effective immediately, all grading and certification operations at Dominion Grading Service (DGS) has been discontinued. “As for DGS, we simply do not feel that there is enough demand for collector coins at this time to merit our further investment. We have discontinued grading at DGS at this time.”

Greg Reynolds weekly Column: Coin Rarities & Related Topics. Greg discusses the Specimen 1853-O Eagle in the Stacks Auction and two of the Ducker Barber Half Dollars to be sold at Platinum Night by Heritage, the 1893-O and 1895-S .

Doug Winter takes a look at Aging Baby Boomers and Rare Gold Coin Prices. “As boomers age, are we nearing a bubble in coin prices? At some point will the number of collectors with the financial means to collect rare gold decrease and will prices suffer accordingly?”

Bowers and Merena will be sponsoring a display of historic coins from the Cardinal Collection Educational Foundation include some of the finest known examples of large cents struck from 1793 to 1857. The number one-ranked collection of United States large cents in both the PGCS and NGC Set Registry listings will be publicly displayed for the first time in Boston, August 10 – 13, 2010, at the American Numismatic Association World’s Fair of Money.

Greg Reynolds New Article on the All-Time Greatest Collection of Barber Half Dollars. “On Wed., Aug 11, during the Platinum Night event of the Summer 2010 ANA auction in Boston, the all-time greatest collection of Barber Half Dollars will be auctioned. This set was assembled and consigned by Dr. Steven Duckor.”

The number one-ranked collection of United States large cents in both the PGCS and NGC Set Registry listings will be publicly displayed for the first time in Boston, August 10 – 13, 2010, at the American Numismatic Association World’s Fair of Money. The historic coins from the Cardinal Collection Educational Foundation include some of the finest known examples of large cents struck from 1793 to 1857.

Heritage will present The Collection of a Patriotic American, a complete collection of all 102 Friedberg numbers associated with Continental Currency and believed to be the finest collection ever assembled. It represents over a quarter of a century of dedicated research by one man with a passion for American history, collecting the finest examples that could be acquired.

During September of this year, Kolbe & Fanning Numismatic Booksellers will conduct two notable auction sales. The first, closing on September 12th, 2010, is comprised of the collection of early printed numismatic books formed by the late Anders Frösell of Sweden.

NEW & UPDATED – Our coverage of rare coin and currency news has expanded with Tim Shuck taking over as Editor of Coin News Daily. This is a special section of CoinLink where we scour the web for items of interest related to numismatics and post a short excerpt and link to these “off site” resources.

We have also made changes to The Bullion Report with daily news and article updates, and a monthly analysis of the “Premiums Over Spot” for Gold and Silver Bullion products.

View all the latest rare coin news here

A nearly 2,500-year old silver coin of Rhegion, an ancient Greek city located in would become Italy, is expected to bring upwards of $25,000 at the Heritage Signature® Auction of Ancient and World Coins at the ANA World’s Fair of Money in Boston, Thursday, Aug. 12

Japan’s money economy began earlier than textbooks have described when archaeologists unveiled 33 bronze coins from the late seventh century unearthed in the village of Asuka, Nara Prefecture in 1998.

Mark Borckardt gives some thoughts on The Most Important Coin I’ve Ever Handled : “During 30 years as a full time professional numismatist, I have had the opportunity to examine and handle many of the most important rarities in the American series….1907 Wire Rim Indian eagle with a plain edge”

Previously Unknown Specimen of 1855 $50 Kellogg & Co. Fifty Dollar available at Heritage Boston ANA Coin Auction. “In the words of B. Max Mehl, the Kellogg & Co. fifty dollar gold pieces are “the most beautiful of all Pioneer gold coins and one of the rarest.”

On August 23 an extremely rare gold coin,Tibet’s first gold coin, graded AU with an estimated price range US $30,000 – 60,000, will be one put on the block at Champion’s Auction 11 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel , Hong Kong.

The Professional Numismatists Guild (PNG) has created a definition of coin “doctoring” and now officially included it as one of the prohibitions in the organization’s By-Laws.

Doug Winter US Gold Coin Profiles: Revisiting The 1841 Quarter Eagle. “A few years ago, I wrote a blog about 1841 quarter eagles that basically stated that the currently-accepted belief that all of the known examples were Proofs was wrong.”

Greg Reynolds Coin Rarities & Related Topics: This week includes Proof 1804 Eagle, Kellogg $50 gold coin, Half Unions, and an 1854-S Quarter Eagle.

Mixed economic news around the world, concerns over a double dip recession and significant fiat currency weakness meant gold retained its lustre as a protector of wealth during the second quarter 2010, according to the World Gold Council’s (WGC) latest Gold Investment Digest (GID).

NGC Collectors Society has unveiled its newest website feature today – a comprehensive Collection Manager. This new tool allows collectors to organize and track their entire coin collections online in a secure password-protected environment.

The Official Currency Auction of the 2010 ANA World’s Fair of Money in Boston, MA will be conducted by Heritage Auctions Aug. 11-16. The auction includes 2800+ Lots from three floor sessions and one online session.

The Story of the Two Greatest Gold Shipments In The History of the United States Mints By Dr. Thomas F. Fitzgerald. “Twice within a span of almost twenty-five years, all of the gold from the vaults of the 2nd San Francisco Mint, sometimes called the “Granite Lady,” was sent to the United States Mint in Denver, Colorado. Yet the story of these two operations could not have been more different.”

One of the three known proof 1804 Eagles made on behalf of President Andrew Jackson and a rare 1804 Eagle silver pattern have been acquired by Legend Numismatics of Lincroft, New Jersey and sold Texas collector Bob R. Simpson .

Two hundred limited-edition copies of Paper Money of the United States, 19th Edition, numbered and signed by co-authors Arthur L. Friedberg and Ira S. Friedberg, will be available for purchase at the American Numismatic Association’s World’s Fair of Money in Boston.

Legend Market Report – The PCGS Invitational: This was by far the BEST one we have EVER attended since they began about 5 years ago. No, its not because our Jose sat down and in a few spins won a 4800 quarter jackpot, no activity on the bourse was strong.

The only known Plain Edge 1907 ten dollar coin with Wire Rim, designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens – and likely the only example of his coinage that he ever saw – is among the most historically important pieces in Heritage’s upcoming U.S. Coin auction. It will be offered on Aug. 11

NEW & UPDATED – Our coverage of rare coin and currency news has expanded with Tim Shuck taking over as Editor of Coin News Daily. This is a special section of CoinLink where we scour the web for items of interest related to numismatics and post a short excerpt and link to these “off site” resources.

We have also made changes to The Bullion Report with daily news and article updates, and a monthly analysis of the “Premiums Over Spot” for Gold and Silver Bullion products.

View all the latest rare coin news here