Coin Collecting

Doug Winter provides yet another interesting article, Why a Motley Coin Collection Just Might Make Sense. Winter states that “Numismatics is, in many ways, the Land of the Anal Retentive and collectors (and dealers) sometimes make decisions that are based more on personal obsessiveness that on sound business principles.”

The Schaumburg Sale, presented by Stack’s as the official auctioneer of the Mid-America Coin Expo showcases many interesting items as well as the traditional offering of U.S. coinage. The auction starts June 25, 2009.

Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc. has announced plans to file a written objection to the U.S. Federal Court Magistrate’s recommendation that Odyssey return over $500 Million in gold and silver coins to Spain. The treasure came from Odyssey’s “Black Swan” shipwreck , found in international waters off the coast of Spain.

Stella Coin News announced their 9th numismatic online reference book, The Hobo Nickel an Exclusive Upgrade of Hobo Nickel Artistry by Joyce Ann Romines. Published in 1996 after 17 years of research and study

Bowers and Merena Auctions, America’s leading rare coin and currency auction house, will bring nearly 2,500 lots of fine coins and currency to Baltimore, Md., for the Official Auction of the Baltimore Coin and Currency Convention scheduled for June 10-13, 2009. The standout highlight of the auction is lot 757, an 1876-CC Twenty-Cent Piece in PCGS AU-58 with a fascinating history, believed to be one of perhaps just 12 to 20 examples known

Leaders of five of the hobby and profession’s most influential organizations are launching a multi-pronged consumer awareness and protection campaign against counterfeit numismatic items sold and imported from China and elsewhere. The organizations in alphabetical order are the American Numismatic Association (ANA), the Industry Council for Tangible Assets (ICTA), Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC), Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) and the Professional Numismatists Guild (PNG).

Heritage has releases the results from the Long Beach auction. The combined totals for the Rare U.S. Coins and World Coins auction in Heritage’s annual start of summer event in California was approaching $18 million total as of Monday, June 1, with post-auction buying continuing to push the total even higher.

Heritage Auctions has sold the finest Known 1856-O Double Eagle at Long Beach for $1.4 Million. The coin graded SP-63 by PCGS and carried the CAC sticker. The status of the 1856-O double eagle as the rarest New Orleans twenty, from a paltry mintage of 2,250 pieces, was established as long ago as the Atwater Sale (B. Max Mehl, 6/1946). In lot 1338 of that celebrated catalog Mehl proclaimed, “1856 Strictly very fine; free from any nicks or dents. The rarest Double-Eagle of the New Orleans Mint. Smallest coinage, that of only 2250. Not in some of the largest collections of U.S. Gold. Not even in the recent Sale of ‘World’s Greatest Collection of U.S. Gold Coins.’ ”

Doug Winter has generally sworn off writing show reports. He states “…to be honest, they are as boring for me to write as they are for you to read.” However at this point, he figured he’d do reports on the Big Two shows (FUN and ANA) and leave the other reports to my fellow Bloggin’ Numismatists, well except for this report on the May Long Beach Show

Laura Sperber has contributed the Legend Market Report. She writes “Long Beach is a funny kind of show. The past few years we have been complaining how the show is dying-and that was during one of the strongest and longest bull markets we have ever experienced. Today, with a clearly weaker market, the show is starting to thrive again. Even management made an announcement on Thursday that attendance was up by 30% over last year. Go figure…”

Continuing with News across the web, we have a new posting of – Coin News Daily – providing short excerpts and links to other news across the web that we have found, and which you may find of interest. We also provide Daily Updates on Precious Metals in The Bullion Report, with Charts, Video Headlines and News.

You can access ALL the News Here

As Doug Winter has written before, he like coins with what he calls “multiple levels of demand.” What this means is a coin that is sought by a number of different sorts of collectors. His latest article examines “Five Rare Date Gold Coins With Broad Appeal”

Stacks completed its Altanta Auction on May 18th as part of the Whitman Atlanta Expo. At the sale, Gold Rarities Soared. Here is a summary of the sale with a number of the highlights.

The US Mint announced that collectors may begin placing their orders for bags and rolls of Guam commemorative quarter-dollar coins on May 26, at noon Eastern Time. The bags and rolls contain general circulating quality coins struck on the production floors at the United States Mint facilities at Denver and Philadelphia.

It’s been a longstanding tradition of Doug Winter to write a What’s Hot/What’s Not blog a few times a year. The last time he did this was, I believe, around the beginning of 2009. A lot has changed since then and, as we head into the summer, I’d like to share my thoughts about the coin market in general and United States gold coins to be more specific.

Continuing with News across the web, we have a new posting of – Coin News Daily – providing short excerpts and links to other news across the web that we have found, and which you may find of interest. We also provide Daily Updates on Precious Metals in The Bullion Report, with Charts, Video Headlines and News.

You can access ALL the News Here

Doug Winter has posted a New article on some thought about Third Party Certification and PCGS  hiring a new grader. He says “I’ve used this forum in the past as a venue to criticize the grading services. So, it’s only fair to give credit where credit is due and congratulate PCGS on their new hire as a grader, Charlie Browne.”

Award-winning numismatic author Scott Travers and veteran financial journalist Jim Kingsland will present a detailed, three-hour public educational forum about buying and selling gold on Saturday, May 30, 2009, during the Long Beach Coin, Stamp & Collectibles Expo in the Long Beach

International variety will be the name of the game at Heritage Auction Galleries Long Beach World Coin Auction , May 28-29 and 31, with an exceedingly rare 1770 Nuevo Reino Pillar Dollar anchoring the country and continent spanning collection.

The graders at Dominion Grading Service were very excited to receive some high powered submissions lately, including five numismatic gold rarities.

Another Unusual Item: Experimental Alluminum Alloy 1942 Cent Judd-2079. The pattern cents from 1942 are divided into two groups, those of the regular issue design and those modeled after the Colombian two centavo. Find out more about this rare pattern.

NGC is introducing two new certification services for coins that derive their value primarily from their metal content. They are NGC Certified Gold and NGC Authenticated Bullion.

A new Unusual items post: Heritage is auctioning off a 1836 Gobrecht Dollar, Judd-63 Name Below Base, Starless Obverse and Reverse. Extremely Rare, One of Only Three Known, The Farouk-Baldenhofer Specimen.

Continuing with News across the web, we have a new posting of – Coin News Daily – providing short excerpts and links to other news across the web that we have found, and which you may find of interest. We also provide Daily Updates on Precious Metals in The Bullion Report, with Charts, Video Headlines and News.

You can access ALL the News Here