Coin Collecting

Dr. Thomas F. Fitzgerald gives a historical look at the 1792 Half Disme.

Doug Winter writes 7 ways to improve your coin collection. “Are there any actual ways that you can make your collection better without dropping a lot of coin (bad pun intended)? I believe that there are and here are a few that came to mind.”

Bowers and Merena today auctioned an unusual item, a 1886 Eutopia Dollar. HK-1005. Rarity-8. Bimetallic (Silver and Gold). MS-62 (NGC).

Dan Duncan writes on the numismatic history of Ezra Meeker. According to the Meeker Mansion website, “Ezra Meeker became the self-appointed champion of the Oregon Trail in 1906, when at the age of 76, accompanied by two oxen, a wagon, a driver and a dog, he made his way from his front yard to Washington D.C., by way of New York City.”

Greg Reynolds, in his weekly column, discusses the CoinFest, Washlady dollar, 1861-O $20 gold coin and Connecticut Coppers.

Bowers and Merena Auctions has been selected by the American Numismatic Association as the official auctioneer for the ANA Pre-Show, which will immediately precede the World’s Fair of Money conventions.

William Shamhart gives his market report on Coinfest 2010. “After much anticipation, this years CoinFest has come and gone. In its third location in four years, I must say that this should be the permanent home for this show.”

Rare U.S. Coins continue to provide for steady, even stellar prices in a crawling national economy, as evidenced by Heritage’s $9.42 million COINFEST Signature® U.S. Coin Auction, held Oct. 27-30 at the Marriot Hotel & Spa in Stamford, CT, and by the auction’s top lot, a magnificent 1879 Washlady dollar, which brought $161,000.

The Swiss Helvetia (1897 – 1949) embodies Switzerland’s status as a financial center of the world. The coin’s long standing reputation among investors and collectors illustrates its outstanding beauty and quality. The Swiss Helvetia, like other European gold coins, has a rich and lengthy heritage.

Wayne Sayles discusses preserving the cultural record. “If none of the items listed above are ever destroyed, nor preserved in private hands, and each year the 100 year rolling window adds another layer of qualifying objects, then global warming will quickly become a very small issue in comparison to the space problem at institutional repositories.”

A coin profile on the Norweb Specimen of the 1796 15 Stars Small Eagle Half Dollar, a Highlight of the B&M Sale in Baltimore. “The Half Dollars that the United States Mint delivered in 1797 differed from the previous issues for this denomination from 1794 and 1795.”

The newest resource for paper money collectors is now available online. PCGS Currency has expanded the PCGS Currency Population Report, a report by grade of more than 250,000 notes authenticated and certified by PCGS Currency, to include population by serial number block.

NEW & UPDATED – Our coverage of rare coin and currency news has expanded with Austin Purvis 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

Gold broke $1,350 today just before data showed the U.S. gross domestic product grew by 2 percent in the third quarter on high consumer spending, meeting economic forecasts. In a big meeting Tuesday – also Election Day – the Federal Reserve will discuss the prospect of further quantitative easing, or QE, which will have a major impact on the dollar, inflation expectations, and gold prices.

Doug Winter asks if it is time to buy an S.S. Central America Double Eagle gold coin. “For many years, it’s been no secret that I haven’t been a big fan of the 1857-S double eagles that trace their origin from the famous S.S. Central America shipwreck.”

A new die marriage for the 1878 Morgan Dollar had been discovered by Kenneth Robb, a collector whose primary interest center around Vam varieties for the popular Morgan Silver Dollar series.

Two separate lawsuits filed in federal court in Manhattan Wednesday allege that the two banks [J.P. Morgan and HSBC] manipulated silver futures by “amassing enormous short positions,” according to a report from Dow Jones Newswires.

Doug Winter writes on pricing problem coins. “I’ve discussed many times the process in which how nice coins are assigned price levels. But how are problem coins valued?”

A press release from the United States Mint. “In honor of the release of the new Abraham Lincoln Presidential $1 Coin, the United States Mint invites the public to a launch ceremony on November 19, to be held at President Lincoln’s Cottage on the grounds of the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Washington, D.C. The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. Eastern Time.”

Greg Reynolds’ weekly column: “The purpose this week is to put forth clear, constructive points regarding the collecting of modern U.S. coins. Readers who are already familiar with modern coins may wish to skip to section three, where John Albanese, Jeff Ambio and I provide advice and guidelines for collecting modern coins.”

Gainesville Coins provides a coin guide on buying precious metals and bullion coins. “Precious metals have long been treasured both for their beauty and rarity. As a result, these metals have been used by many civilizations as a store of wealth, and in some cases, a foundation for currency.”

Steve Roach explains the minimal gains of generic coins as opposed to gold & silver. “Some of the coins that one would expect to rise such as generic Mint State Morgan silver dollars and Coronet and Saint-Gaudens gold $20 double eagles are showing only minimal gains, although they are trading at high volumes.”

A coin profile on the roman finish 1909 Half Eagle gold coin. “The proof five dollar coinage of 1907 through 1909 provides quite an object lesson in the evolution of Mint technology and consumer tastes.”

Another coin profile on the 2000-W Library of Congress bicentennial bimetallic ten dollars.

Bowers and Merena will conduct the official auction of the November 2010 Whitman Coin & Collectibles Baltimore Expo. Scheduled for November 4-5 at the Baltimore Convention Center, the sale will present more than 3,500 lots of important United States coins and currency.

Locked in a Pennsylvania vault for 43 years, one of the most comprehensive collections of colonial and early American coins ever to reach public auction, The W. Philip Keller Collection of U.S. Colonials, is the principle highlight of the upcoming Rare U.S. Coin auction, Oct. 28-31 in conjunction with COINFEST in Stamford, CT.

NEW & UPDATED – Our coverage of rare coin and currency news has expanded with Austin Purvis 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

Part 2 of Greg Reynolds’ column on coins from 1793 to 1933. “Usually, this column is published each Wednesday morning and not at other times. I came to believe, however, that this week’s topic is of tremendous importance and warrants two parts.”

Vic Bosarth writes about the Long Beach and Philadelphia shows as well as some previews for shows in the coming months.“This month I will write about some of the news from Long Beach and Philadelphia as well as previewing shows in Manchester, NH, St. Louis, MO, Portland, OR, Stamford, CT, Baltimore, MD, and Boston, MA.”

Greg Reynolds discusses, in a multi-part column, the classic era coins, being 1793 to 1933.

Steve Roach writes on gold prices. “Gold is up nearly 25 percent in 2010, and if trends continue, gold will be heading for its tenth consecutive annual gain.”

Doug Winter provides a case study on the AU58 New Orleans Eagles. “Take two 1842-O Liberty Head eagles in NGC AU58. One is worth $11,500 and gets multiple orders on my website within hours of being posted. The other sells in an auction for $6,325 and is a marginal value. Why is one coin worth nearly twice as much as the other despite the fact that they are the same date in the ’same’ grade?”

The American Numismatic Association delivers an informational article on where to turn for help if you fall victim to a gold coin scam.

A profile on Alex Shagin, a medal and coin artist. “Alex Shagin was born in Russia, near Leningrad, on January 21, 1947. Alexander George Shagin is the only child of George and Ekaterina Shagin.”

The first informational meeting of the recently created Gold & Silver Political Action Committee (GSPAC) occurred in Long Beach, California on September 22, 2010. The creation of the PAC was prompted by enactment of new Internal Revenue Service Form 1099.

An article by Wayne Sayles. “This week I was treated to a smorgasbord of views on cultural property from members of the archaeological and collecting communities.”

Laura Sperber and the Gold, Silver and Rare Coin Market Report.

Blanchard and Company writes on the possibility of $5,000 gold including a Wall Street Journal video on the subject. “After settling above a record $1,370 an ounce Wednesday, gold continued its blistering run Thursday by piercing the $1,380 level, going as high as $1,387. What do the experts say is driving gold?”

An email we received that may be an item of interest. “It was a slow day in a little East Texas town. The sun was beating down, and the streets were deserted. Times were tough, everybody was in debt, and everybody lived on credit…”

NEW & UPDATED – Our coverage of rare coin and currency news has expanded with Austin Purvis 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