Rare Coin Exhibited in Long Beach

This year in Long Beach California there will be an extra special coin collection on display. The Long Beach Coin, Stamp & Collectibles Expo will be held May 31 – June 2, 2012 and will display one of only two known 1907 rolled edge satin proof Eagles in this proof state known to exist. It was previously categorized as mint condition but has since been upgraded. With it’s upgrade it has been insured for three million dollars. But this particular coin, thought to be one of 50 in total (but none of the others proven to be in such distinctly superb condition), might be even more special than originally thought.

Adam Crum, the Vice President of Monaco Rare Coins said, “Some researchers believe this coin may have been owned by President Theodore Roosevelt who asked acclaimed sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens to design the Eagle and Double Eagle coins that were introduced in 1907.  One prominent numismatist told me, ‘After all the research we did, your coin has to be Teddy’s.’  Obviously, more research is required, but that is what being a numismatist is all about, isn’t it?  I look forward to more discovery,”

Wouldn’t it be amazing to see a coin that was originally part of a President’s coin collection? You can see it this summer in California, don’t miss it.

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Hong Kong Coin and Currency Sale Realizes $10.5M

Last month, April 2012, Stack’s Bowers and Ponterio held their Hong Kong coin and currency sale in Kowloon. The auction lasted for four days and brought in a whopping $10,546,612. The coins up for sale came from collections like the Wa She Wong Collection, Part III, the Frank Robinson Collection, Part II, the Dr. John Abner Snell Collection, Duplicates from the American Numismatic Society Museum Coin Collection, the Neil Nelson Collection and more.

It’s no wonder then that hoards of collectors swarmed to this auction which featured everything from Chinese coins and provincial issues to modern Chinese coins and paper money. Who wouldn’t want to add some of this amazing Chinese history to their coin collections? Some of the highlights from the auction included a Gem Proof Yan Di 1993 500 Yuan which went for $167,750, a rare 1911 Tientsin Pattern 50 Cent coin which realized $95,600, and a 1897 Ornamental Edge Kiangnan Dollar which achieved a price of $298,750.

There will be another auction from Stack’s Bowers and Ponterio in Hong Kong in August as well as a few other auctions. These sales will include the Official Auction of the ANA World’s Fair of Money and the Official Auction of the Whitman Coin and Collectibles Baltimore Expo in November 2012.

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Casinos and Coins

Gamblers have been cashing in “chips” for ages. Now coin collectors can help their coin collections grow at those same casinos. The Golden Nugget Casino in New Jersey is beginning a run of gold ATMs at their establishments. Instead of gambling on what might come out in the slot of this machine, people can actually be guaranteed a price and a weight of their investment.

You see, this ATM is for purchasing and appraising those pieces of numismatic goodness for coin collections that the investors are so interested in. You can buy gold and silver coins to add to your collection at these ATMs. But that’s not all!

“The Stack’s Bowers Galleries GOLD to go™ ATM is convenient and very user-friendly, and fulfills a multitude of buyer needs on different levels — from serious gold collectors to guests seeking an exclusive high-end keepsake from their visit to the famous Golden Nugget. In addition to selling, Stack’s Bowers Galleries also buys gold at competitive prices, providing full service options and hassle-free transactions.”

So you see, the best of coins and purchasing pieces of coin history can be right at your fingertips, right next to the blackjack table. You can see this ATM at casinos starting in July 2012.

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Coin Bills in Congress

It’s so interesting to me that the government of the United States has the time to debate and pass bills that pertain, not to the governance of the country, but to the inclusion of new coins in my coin collection. As recently as April 18th a bill passed through the House of Representatives with almost no opposition. What was this bill proposing? It was bill number  H.R. 2453 and had to do with the production and distribution of a new coin in 2016. Not a coin commemorating our first African-American President or the end of the war in Iraq, but remembering 19th century writer and humorist Mark Twain.

Don’t get me wrong, I will definitely be adding the Twain coin to my vast coin collection commemorating past greats in our country. I also think that it’s important that these things are brought up before a body of government. Otherwise there would be people minting and distributing coins willy-nilly all over the place in different parts of the country. What I find fascinating is that there is time enough in their schedule and people so diametrically opposed to a Mark Twain coin that they voted against the majority to make their negative voices heard. Really, who doesn’t love Mark Twain?

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Coin Collections On TV

The value of a coin collection is hard for the every-man to simply quantify without at least a little help from some sort of professional appraisal service. Of course, we all know that the historic and craft implications of coin collecting can often lead to some really neat but also quite valuable finds that may hold some historical value to a collector or  an institution.

These are the reasons you see so many coin collections pop up on reality shows where people are looking to trade in old finds for cash. Used to be there was just Antiques Roadshow and every few episodes a rare coin or a collection would pop up and offer coin collectors a glimpse at what they may be sitting on. These days there are several shows about pawn shops(Pawn Stars, Hardcore Pawn) and people who bid on storage lockers (Storage Wars, Storage Hunters) to offer even more pricing of valuable collectible materials.

A coin collection is almost always a “get” for the people on these programs. It is the sort of thing that they can immediately identify as potentially valuable. In a business and in many ways a personal competition where turning a profit is the only way to win that is a safe bet.

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Coin Collecting Kids

So much parenting is simply trying to keep kids out of trouble. You get your kids piano lessons and sign them up for a Saturday morning basketball league because that idle time can become a real recipe for mischief. That said sometimes you need to just have your kid around the house. Chances are they want to plop in front of the TV or turn on some sort of video-game system. Chances are, you would rather them have a more educational home based hobby to explore.

This is one great reason for encouraging your child to take up coin collecting. Those shiny coins will be a big hit with your son or daughter. Soon they will find themselves understanding interesting details of history and having a better grasp of math and more complex economics driven be value of items. The result is guaranteed to make parents proud and kids will be thrilled simply to have their coin collecting hobby.

So with a purchase of some interesting coins and a coin holder you can start your son or daughter down on a path of well rounded interests. In many ways it is no different than the stimulation offered by piano and basketball.

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Coins Help Piece Together History

A great find in the Yukon recently might shed more light on the trade routes and relationship between China and the Alaska, Canada, Yukon region of the world.

A 17th centruy Qing Dynasty cash coin is real physical evidence that there was some sort of trading that went on between these two places. While the snow and permafrost is not the ideal coin holder, this particular coin was apparently in good enough shape that archeologists who found the coin were able to immediately identify it’s origin in the field.

Apparently this artifact is part of a small coin collection that has been found along a trail that a traveler likely took as a trade route. While it is not immediately clear what exactly the Chinese wanted from North America, it is irrefutable evidence that the seventeenth century Chinese were actually here. Their trades with the native people of this continent can only be surmised by the presence of the coin.

The coin reportedly has the square hole that all of the cash coins of this dynasty bear but also boasts four more holes around the outside. It is very possible these ancillary holes were drilled so the coin could be worn as jewelry.

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Foreign Coins Struck in US

In 1921 an amazing thing happened. A coin dealer in Philadelphia commissioned coins from the US mint for himself. These coins were struck in Philadelphia but had countries of origin far from the city of brotherly love. For example, new evidence has come to life that some of the world famous 1916 Chinese dragon gold dollars were struck there.

These particular coins have a long and storied history in and of themselves but now a few of them have added a different turn into the mix. Apparently Henry Chapman, avid coin dealer, had many different coins struck for his coin collection at the Philadelphia mint. There were Morgan dollars and other various “medals” (coins struck with no monetary value assigned to them) that are attributed to Chapman’s personal coin collection. Now, new evidence shows that we can add the 1916 Chinese Dragon coins to the list.

In only a few short weeks, the evidence of this minting will be auctioned off publicly. The list of evidence includes receipts from the master engravers of the mint to Chapman himself. One of these receipts, signed and dated November 25th 1921, lists the price of twenty-two dies of Chinese gold medals and fifty-five in silver for $678.96. I wonder how much that receipt alone will bring in at auction.

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US Marshals Service Gets a Coin

The US Marshals Service was created by President George Washington as he approved and appointed Nathanial Ramsay the US Marshal of the state of Maryland. Since then, the office has grown and morphed into one of the longest running and most respected domestic offices in the country.

Today, these fine young men and women have the duty to search, seize, make arrests, execute the court’s final judgement. They also protect judges, juries and courthouses all over the country. These are the people who safely move prisoners to and from the courts of law. This year, to mark the 225th anniversary of their inception, the senate is expected to unanimously consent to a commemorative coin for the US Marshals Service.

This coin will be a brilliant addition to anyone’s coin collection. As coin collecting grows as a hobby, a person might decide they want to only collect coins from one country or point of origin. This is the perfect addition to a coin collection that remembers the history of the United States of America and the men and women who serve this country.

It is expected that the coin will be voted on in the House and passed before going as a bill to the President to be signed later this year.

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Great Coin Collection Up For Auction

Ebay and the US Mint are teaming up to bring you an auction for one of the greatest collections of Lincoln pennies ever assembled. From March 15th to March 25th.

With a total of three hundred separate coins all graded and judged to the highest standards. This collection is valued at over one million dollars. This coin collection is not only valuable and one of a kind, it also took ten years to complete! With this many coins in the collection it is sure to go for a lot of money. With Ebay involved, it will be very interesting to see how high it will go! This is a coin collecting dream come true as it has been deemed the fourth best collection of Lincoln pennies of all time.

Some of the coins in this collection include:

Be sure to keep an eye on the auction if you’re an avid collector!

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