Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from April, 2018

Even though they’re primarily paying with cards, millennials still prefer the feel of metal between their fingers

Young German adults (millennials) protesting youth unemployment in 2014. Photo by Claus Ableiter. On April 23, 2018, an article by payments risk expert Douglas A. King revealed some shocking insight into the transaction habits of millennials, which Pew Research defines as an individual born between 1981 and 1996 (me). In a departure from the typical narrative, none of the eight millennials that participated in the panel currently live with their parents and all hold full-time positions (also me). While King is careful to note that a sample size of eight is nowhere near enough to draw conclusions about the general trend of millennial spending behaviors, he was nevertheless taken aback by some of the surprising responses that he received from the participants. While only one of the eight participants primarily relied on cash as their chosen form of payment, all of the participants showed a strong preference for metal cards, suggesting that plastic credit cards might be on their way o

Top officials on Assay Commission

Our now defunct Assay Commission included some coin collectors. I’m certain this wasn’t the original intent. Who were the commissioners initially? The first U.S. Assay Commission consisted of the Chief Justice of the United States, Comptroller of the Treasury, Secretary of the Treasury and the U.S .Attorney General – a high-powered group of officials if ever there was one. Such was the importance attached to coinage.   The 2000-P Library of Congress $10 coin is the first ringed bimetal coin issued by the United States, or is it? What about the 1792 Birch cent? The 1792 is a copper coin to which a silver plug was added. This makes it a bimetal coin, but I would argue it has a plug rather than a center and ring sandwiched together.   Why did the United States issue a ringed bimetal Library of Congress coin when the Mint could have issued a more traditional composition coin with no effort? The true reasoning behind this coin is likely buried in some correspondence filed somewhere i

Orlando home to next six winter FUN shows

Good news for those of us who enjoy attending the annual January Florida United Numismatists conventions in Orlando. The winter event not only returns to the city in 2019 but will continue to be located there each year through 2024, according to FUN President Randy Campbell. The contract has been signed. Better news for coin dealers is that there will be no bourse fee increases over this six-show run. Cost control is important. Campbell was particularly proud that his organization watches the financial backs of the nation’s dealers, which adds to the appeal of this event. He believes this restraint on costs is an important reason why the show has grown to reach 1,000 dealer tables at times. For the public, admission is free. Over many years, FUN has worked hard to make the Orlando location synonymous with good coin show results with gangbusters auction prices realized. Adding to the FUN organization’s hard work is the fact that Orlando has an appealing convention center that m

China celebrates four good wishes

This year, the People’s Bank of China will release its fourth series of coins celebrating different auspicious aspects of Chinese culture. Once again, four themes are featured, each with its own pair of proof 40 mm, 30 g .999 fine silver ¥10 and 20 mm, 5 g .999 fine gold ¥80. Mintages are 60,000 and 30,000 pieces, respectively. March 22 was all about “shou ju mao die” [longevity]. A longevity stone, peony flowers, a cat, and a pair of butterflies on the common reverse provide visual puns on longevity by way of homophones in spoken Chinese. April 20 wished blessings of “liu kai bai zi” [bountiful offspring]. The design here shows a boy shouldering a pomegranate tree branch. Pomegranates contain numerous seeds, and the implication is that the coin’s recipient will be similarly fruitful. A good marriage, “zhu lian bi he,” features on May 18. Both coins are heart-shaped with selective gold-plating on the silver reverse but otherwise both are of the same dimensions and weight as the c

Viewpoint: Take action to fight counterfeits

By Matthew D. Kohel Counterfeiting has become the largest underground industry in the world. Fake goods can be found in nearly all types of products, including gold and silver coins and bars. Counterfeiting operations are often sophisticated criminal enterprises with global distribution networks. The sale of counterfeit goods has exploded in recent years and has been dubbed the “crime of the 21st century,” and the anonymity of the Internet can make identifying and stopping these criminals very difficult. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development estimated in 2016 that counterfeiting was a $461 billion industry. That number is likely to continue growing, along with improvements in counterfeiting technology and the means and methods by which counterfeiters attempt to trick even the most experienced handlers of coins and bars. “We are seeing highly deceptive counterfeits of U.S. circulating, commemorative, and precious metals bullion coins as well as the plastic holders

Hamilton thought half cent necessary

Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton Both non-collectors and beginning collectors are surprised to learn that the United States once had a coin worth only one-half cent. Given what little value the cent has today, the natural inclination is to think that the half cent had very little purchasing power. Many non-collectors are surprised when they see a half cent for the first time. The natural reaction is to think that such a coin would have been of little use and to wonder why the Mint even bothered to strike them. To answer these questions, we need to go back in time to 1791, when Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton presented his famous report to Congress on the creation of a mint and coinage. The Secretary noted that “If there are only cents, the lowest price for any portion of a vendible commodity, however inconsiderable in quantity, will be a cent; if there are half cents, it will be a half cent, and, in a great number of cases, exactly the same things will be sold for a half

Silver dollars open Legend sale

Silver dollars will open a two-day, 855-lot Legend Rare Coin Auction Regency sale May 16-17. It is the official auction for the May 2018 PCGS Member’s Show at Harrah’s in New Orleans. “Silver Dollar Day” will be anchored by the P.F.M. Collection of Morgan dollars and the Crow River Peace Dollar Collection, according to the firm. Selections from the Aurora Borealis Collection serves as the backbone to the event’s toned dollar section. “The P.F.M. Collection is the current No. 6 set on the PCGS Registry, and features many exceptional gem quality coins,” said Julie Abrams, the firm’s president. “The Crow River Collection was assembled by the same collector who put together the record-shattering set of $10 Indians that Legend Auctions sold last October,” Abrams said. The second day of the sale runs from early copper to gold and patterns. Gold coins make up a great portion of the sale. A complete set of Classic Head quarter eagles, the Oak Crest Collection of Carson City Half Eagles,

New office means a new address

Saying hello from the new front entrance of F+W Media are current and former ‘Numismatic News’ graphic designers Rebecca Vogel (left) and Nicole MacMartin (right). Settling into the new offices of Numismatic News has occupied a considerable amount of time recently. But the process is now complete. It was not without drama. The worst snowstorm we have ever had in Iola, Wis., impeded the transfer of equipment and other materials from Iola to the new office in Stevens Point. Opening at our new location was delayed for a day as a consequence. I am now in the process of getting used to a half-hour drive. I was spoiled for 40 years by practically being able to roll out of bed into my desk chair. No more. I promised to publish the mailing address when I had it properly confirmed. I can do so now. Here it is: F+W Media, Inc. 5225 Joerns Drive, Suite 2 Stevens Point, WI 54481 You might wonder why I did not publish this a little sooner. Can I call it instinct? Blind luck? I waited

Gold Drops for Second Straight Week, Silver Snaps Three Weekly Win Streak

Precious metals futures ended mixed on Friday but they declined on the week with losses ranging from 1.1% for gold to 6.5% for palladium. Gold for June delivery rose $5.50, or 0.4%, to settle at... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Dogs steal the show at YN program

The Young Numismatists program held March 31 at the Manchester New Hampshire Coin & Currency show was a success, said Richard J. Hand Jr. Hand expressed his thanks to the New England Numismatic Association, Littleton Coin Company (Coin Folders), ANACS (Sample Slabs) and the U.S. Mint (book markers and other items) for their donations. Past and present presidents of the American Numismatic Association also showed their support. Gary Adkins gave needed rolls of coins, Hand said. Adkins provided 1917, 1924, and 1930-D Lincoln wheat ear cents. After putting them in 2×2 holders, the YNs were taught grading. They also played games like stack the cents, and there are free raffles. Near the end of the YN event, Hand’s wife was asked to come by. Hand said he asked the YNs present if they would like to meet their son and daughter. Jethro is three years and Jettee is three months. Naturally, when the kids saw that they were dogs, they stole the show.   This article was originally pr

Mint Statistics: I should have taken a week’s vacation

Did I forget to input new bullion coin sales numbers this week? You might think so. Not a single additional American Eagle, gold Buffalo or 5-ounce silver piece has been sold since I prepared this section last week. You’d think it was the dog days of August. There is some proof of life among the sales totals here and there. On the negative side, sales of the 2018 proof silver American Eagle collector coin dropped by 4,084. Did a buyer get cold feet when silver dropped by half a buck since last week? Perhaps. But even clad half dollar numbers went backwards. The 2018 200-coin bag of “P” and “D” coins fell by 682. The two-roll set dropped by 785. Can’t blame silver for those. World War I coin and medal sets all dropped again this week. This pattern is getting monotonous. Individual WWI silver dollar sales rose.   This article was originally printed in Numismatic News . >> Subscribe today.   More Collecting Resources • Subscribe to our monthly Coins magazine – a great resou

Community Voice Responses (May 15, 2018)

From the Apr. 20 Numismatic News E-Newsletter: Should the Mint sell its 1933 gold $20s to reduce national debt? Here are some answers sent from our e-newsletter readers to Editor Dave Harper.   The problem with this entire incident at the Philadelphia Mint Cashier’s office is that there was no indication that $200 in gold coin was ever stolen. I do believe that $200 of gold coin would be missed shortly after a cash count was performed. Did the head cashier intermingle 1933 double eagles to remove them from the office? Yes. Yet how was this any different from any other dealings by other Mint employees that used the United States Mint as a side business to supplement their income? Mr. Morgan comes to mind as someone that illegally used the Mint for his own enrichment. The Half Union affair and the pilfering of the Mint pattern cabinet and the illegal production of 1913 nickels are all illegal to own as they were produced illegally or obtained illegally. The prosecution of the 1933

Letters to the Editor (May 15, 2018)

Act now to create coin designs that win awards What does it say when the U.S. Mint did not have one 2018 Coin Of The Year category winner? It is telling us that we no longer make any new artistic coins the world is enjoying. It is not just us Americans buying less U.S. coins; every other country is not buying our coins, either. I do not know if you agree, but even our commemorative coins are not really interesting to us collectors and are not selling like the U.S. Mint hoped. The U.S. Mint has to get creative and make some changes. A Lincoln cent obverse goes back to 1909, a Roosevelt dime obverse goes back to 1946, and a Washington quarter goes back to 1932. Come on; it is time for a change. President Teddy Roosevelt wanted to, and he changed our coins in the early 20th century. Someone has to take the initiative and change our modern-day coins. Let the United States have some of the most beautiful coins minted, and maybe we may receive a couple of COTY Awards in the years to come

Rare gold $5 found in New England

It is every collectors dream to find a great rarity, whether in change or in some other manner as occurred recently in New England with this coin. A stunning gold coin find has been made by a lucky New England man. A fourth 1854-S $5 gold piece has been authenticated as genuine by Numismatic Guaranty Corporation. This raises the number known to exist from three to four. Wow. For those who think there is nothing new under the sun comes a reminder that this is not a true assessment of numismatics. New discoveries like this rekindle our enthusiasm and remind us of how much still remains beyond our knowledge. Some details to the story are lacking because the coin’s owner wishes to remain anonymous. However, the facts we know are fascinating. NGC says the coin’s owner thought it was counterfeit. Why? Because that is a reasonable assumption to make with such a rarity. The good news for the owner is he was wrong, but he was very smart in sending the piece to NGC. Let’s let NGC t