Gold Eagle Price

Common obverse design of the 225th anniversary medal set. As Oct. 19 gets closer, potential buyers will have to determine how attractive the Mint’s $199.95 price tag is on a four-medal set of silver Liberty medals. When sales begin at noon Eastern Daylight Time, buyers will be able to order just two sets each. Maximum mintage is 50,000. The Mint 225th anniversary medal set features four one-ounce pieces struck in .999 fine silver. The head of Miss Liberty on the obverse is depicted as an African-American. Reverse is a new design of an eagle in flight. Each of the four pieces has a different finish and is struck at a different mint. There will be a regular proof version, with an “S” mintmark. The “P” mint will have a reverse proof finish, where the high points are mirror-like and the field is frosted. There will be an enhanced uncirculated finish with a “W” mintmark from West Point. The Denver “D” will appear on a medal with a regular uncirculated finish. These are not Ame...

Downtown Iola, Wis. When I walk down the street here in Iola, Wis., people say hello. I reply in a friendly way. Sometimes it becomes the start of a long conversation. You never know in a small town. Iola has 1,300 people. I realize that most of the population of the United States lives in an urban setting. The quarter of us who live in rural areas like Iola are considered to be throwbacks to a time gone by, or perhaps even hicks. No matter, it is a good life. If you are now wondering about where I am going with this, I will tell you. Collecting coins can be like a small town if you let it. If you go to coin shows, coin club meetings, and/or seminars, you will soon find that you have made so many new friends and acquaintances that it is like creating your own small town even if you live in a metro area with millions of people. That small-town feeling was something I enjoyed in the middle of September at the Northern California Numismatic Association seminar in Vallejo. Now Valle...

Over 50 attendees registered for the all-day Fourth Annual California Numismatic Seminar on Sept. 16. They were there to be educated and enjoy most interesting and informative programs by four noted numismatic speakers and numismatic advocates. This year’s seminar was again at the Vallejo, Calif., Naval and Historical Museum, and it was a sponsored educational gathering by the Northern California Numismatic Association. The four speakers at the NCNA seminar Sept. 16 in Vallejo, Calif., were, left to right, Paul Johnson, Robert Luna, Roger Lyles and Dave Harper. “We are quite proud that four respected numismatists spoke and shared their expertise. The reviews afterwards were completely positive and offer only compliments,” reported Lloyd G. Chan, NCNA’s current president. “Preparations and invitations began over a year ago, and much effort and energy was devoted not only by me but others, before the seminar’s day and during the seminar. The success is credited to the enthusiasm de...

Gold and silver futures fell Friday, deepening their losses on the week and month. The pair extended their streak of weekly declines to three, and snapped a string of monthly increases that had... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

From the Sept. 22 Numismatic News E-Newsletter: Have American coin designs improved in recent years? Here are some answers sent from our e-newsletter readers to Editor Dave Harper.   No. The U.S. coin designs have not improved but have maintained a low level of modern non-artistic design. When you place the modern coinage with past coinage such as the Mercury dime, Barber series, Morgan dollar, Indian Head cent, even back to the Seated Liberty series, you find a very vast downfall in the beauty of the coins in your pocket, or that are ones you wish to collect. Collecting today is a pure drive to investment. Few people would admit to being a real and pure collector with little or no tie to making a profit. I do it for my pleasure not profit and have done so for over 60 years. Johnny Trigg Mary Esther, Fla.   Methinks we are about the same age, and during the past 60-plus years have only seen a design change on the half dollar and the reverse of the cent. So if there ha...

John Mercanti (right) signs a book for dealer Ken Viets before being approached by a retired teacher with an opinion on handwriting. Mercanti’s wife, Marianne, looks on. Mercanti schooled on signature by retired teacher Your experience with the “cursive collector” brought to mind a rather humorous encounter at our PAN 2016 Fall Coin Show and Convention. John Mercanti attended our show as he has periodically done in the many years past. He has always tried to help us out with his appearances. We had a book-signing table set up. John was graciously signing his silver Eagle books and anything else that collectors brought and wanted him to sign. The line progressed without a glitch until it came to an old retired school teacher that had been waiting and observing the process. When it came to his turn, he directly instructed John not to sign his book in that scribble that he calls a signature. John paused and asked him how he would like him to sign his own signature. The old fellow rep...

Background image courtesy of AgnosticPreachersKid. The following is the second of a six-part series currently running on our sister site, Coin Update .  The American Memorial Park Quarter (Northern Mariana Islands) My late-morning flight from Atlanta to the September 19, 2017, Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee meeting in Washington was quick and easy—no delays, no bad weather or turbulence. It’s an hour-and-a-half trip from The Big Peach to our nation’s capital. Convenient travel is one of the advantages of living in Atlanta, home to the busiest airport in the United States. I’m well aware that other CCAC members sometimes have to fly in at the crack of dawn, or take trains that might or might not be delayed. At Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport I received in change two bright, freshly minted 2017 America the Beautiful quarters—one Ellis Island, and one Frederick Douglass. Their designs illustrate the amount of fine detail that can fit on the small canvas of a quart...

Maritime scenery and creatures are showcased in a new series of $20 collector coins from the Royal Canadian Mint. The Mint's "From Sea To Sea To Sea" collection includes three 1 oz. silver... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Buyers grabbed 15,000 one-ounce palladium bullion coins Sept. 25, the first day they became available. This latest addition to the American bullion coin family could only be purchased by the Mint’s Authorized Purchasers. However, they soon became available to collectors through the usual channels. With palladium trading at $930.10 an ounce, APMEX would sell a single example for $1,070.09 on Sept. 27. Quantity purchases of 100 or more saw the price dip to $1,050.09 per coin. Bullion coins fluctuate in value along with the price of the underlying metal. Also, APMEX expected to be able to ship the coins starting Oct. 6, according to the website. But the Mint said before issue that once the supply it has on hand is gone, it’s gone. The price Authorized Purchasers were charged included a 6.25 percent premium over the metallic value. That is higher than the Mint charges for one ounce of gold, but lower than for one ounce of silver. If you know the Mercury dime, you will instantly r...

Is it time for a little bullion heresy? I first began reading “get rich with bullion” when the price of silver was freed from Treasury control in 1967. That’s 50 years. Since then, coins and bullion have given me a good living. They have enriched my life. But bullion has never been a vehicle for me to hit the proverbial jackpot. I am innately cautious. I expect many people are. I believe in bullion ownership and have always had some. This morning, I want to ask the question of whether there is a jackpot to be had. The inflation hedge function of bullion, if you are true to its definition, is that the purchasing power is preserved over long periods of time. What that means is what you pay in in purchasing power is what you get back. Can we test this? The Treasury began controlling the price of silver during World War II along with the prices of everything else. It was a war measure. The government took control of peoples’ lives to fight the Axis powers. When the war ende...

U.S. coin production was relatively steady in August, although down from the previous month and from year ago levels, according to the latest round of manufacturing figures from the United States... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  The period of late seventeenth century was an era of muted general discontent amongst the Hindu populace of Deccan. Rampant lawlessness, injustice and displaying of religious intolerance made the people secretly desire a liberator. A liberator finally arose. He promised the people a land to call their own, free of oppression and religious bigotry. A great warrior his name is not unknown to any Indian. History names him as Chhtrapati Shivaji Maharaj .   In 1961, India Post issued a 15 naya paisa commemorative stamp of Shivaji Maharaj riding a horse. Another commemorative stamp of Shivaji’s coronation or ‘rajya-abhishek’ was issued in 1974. This 30 paisa 1980 stamp depicts Shivaji as a regal and just ruler against the backdrop of Raigad Fort. It was issued on his 300 th death anniversary. The most beautiful stamp of all is perhaps this stamp of 1999. It portrays motherly affection between young Shivaji and his mother Jijabai.   The first conquest of Shivaji Maha...