Indholdsfortegnelse for February 25, 2025 i Numismatic News

On Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, Stack’s Bowers Galleries (SBG) released a letter from CEO Greg Roberts, President Brian Kendrella, and CFO Andrew Glassman announcing that it had entered a merger agreement to be acquired by A-Mark Precious Metals. A press release from A-Mark Precious Metals, Inc. reads, “A-Mark Precious Metals, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMRK), a leading fully integrated precious metals platform, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 100 percent of the stock of Spectrum Group International, Inc., the parent of Stack’s Bowers Galleries.” The letter from SBG assured that the auctioneer would continue to work as a standalone, but the merger with A-Mark will provide them “with the resources and scale to accelerate growth and enhance the services….” The letter continues, “Going forward, our leadership team will remain in…

What’s the first summer American Numismatic Association (ANA) convention you attended? Where was it, and what did you think about the venue? Did you purchase any interesting coins? Were there any dealers who stand out in your memory? In March 2024, I asked the CoinTalk (CT) audience a series of such questions and received several interesting responses, which I will share with you in this column. To begin, I’ll tell you about my first ANA convention. The venue was New Orleans, and the year was 1972. The main reason I remember the convention was that it was the year my daughter was born. To help out with the cooking, our 2-year-old son and my mother-in-law came to our house from New Orleans. I, as the family cook, wasn’t needed for…

Taylor Swift and ancient coins? Has coin collecting once and for all gone off the deep end, and collectible coins are becoming of interest to this famous singer, songwriter, and cultural icon? Not in the traditional sense, however, Swift has been recently sporting, among other jewelry items, a necklace featuring a bronze coin of Roman Emperor Philip I (224-229A.D.). Her jewelry also includes a piece displaying a replica of a silver denarius of Roman Emperor Hadrian (117-138A.D.), a Ben-Amun bracelet mimicking coins of Syracuse and Corinth, as well as a Roman Republican silver denarius. By the time of the fall of the Roman Empire, the denarius was evolving into the pfennig throughout much of continental Europe, the English penny, and the U.S. cent. Right now, our cent may need rescuing.…

“They used to tell me I was building a dream, and so I followed the mob, When there was earth to plow or guns to bear, I was always there, right on the job. They used to tell me I was building a dream with peace and glory ahead. Why should I be standing in line, just waiting for bread?” — Yip Harburg Most songs of the Great Depression served as pure escapist fare for the unemployed masses. One song, however, confronted the desperate reality of soup kitchens and bread lines. Written in 1931 by Yip Harburg and Jay Gorney, “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” struck a nerve with its simplicity and honesty. But what could a dime buy in 1931? A gallon of gasoline for your car. Bread…

FOR COMPLETE SHOW LISTINGS VISIT numismasticnews.net The weekly Show Directory lists all coin and paper money events scheduled within one month of the issue cover date. Show dates and times sometimes change at the last minute. Please contact the show promoter BEFORE traveling long distances. SHOW PROMOTERS: Run your show announcement FREE! Just email the information indicated in the form below to numismatics@aimmedia.com. All timely listings are also included in both Bank Note Reporter and World Coin News at NO CHARGE. *Dependent upon date of submission relevant to deadline and space availability. Want to make your show really STAND OUT? Whether you need dealers on the floor or collectors at the gate, Numismatic News offers the best, most qualified coin and paper money collector and dealer audience around – AND…

Here are some answers sent from our e-newsletter readers. Read more responses at www.numismaticnews.net. What are some youth sports you’re hoping to see on the U.S. Mint’s 2027 coins and why? While this is a nice attempt to interest the youth of the country in coins, haven’t we had enough “programs” for a while? There are about 130 different Washington quarters currently circulating. Great if you collect foreign coins because cashiers rarely know which are U.S. coins and which are not. As long as the size is close, into the drawer it goes. I have collected all of these quarters and am struggling to find the enthusiasm to do so for youth sports! Gerald Ward Address withheld Soccer, soccer, and more soccer! Tom Pesacreta Address withheld The U.S. Mint’s plan…

To say there has been a fair amount of attention focused on our Washington quarters in the past few decades may be one of the biggest understatements in all of numismatics. Since 1999, the fine folks at the Mint appear to have been working overtime, pounding out hundreds of billions of our twenty-five-cent pieces with an impressive array of reverse designs. There are gorgeous proofs made each year, with many of them now produced in the 90 percent silver alloy of the pre-1965 time. There is now even a new obverse to go with the legion of reverses that have come out. Perhaps because of this, what can now be termed the classic Washington quarters have been relegated to the shadows a bit. And that means there just might be…

My favorite coin in this column is a PCGS-certified AU55 1927-D Standing Liberty quarter with a CAC sticker (green bean). If you’ve been reading my columns over the years, you probably know I have a complete set of Standing Liberty quarters, and all but five are in Mint State. The 1927-D in the set is in MS65, and I bought it from DLRC (David Lawrence Rare Coins) for $450 in 2019. So why am I talking about a circulated coin? Although it’s not worth all that much monetarily—$288 wholesale value with the CAC sticker—it’s of great sentimental value to me. It’s the only remaining coin I have that was added to my collection by my father. It cost a grand total of 25c when my dad retrieved it from the…

If the annual Coin of the Year (COTY) contest, conducted by Numismatic News’ sister publication, World Coin News, had existed in the 1940s, there’s little doubt that Canada would have been recognized in the “Most Innovative Coin” category for its nickel-saving, Morse code-bearing five-cent piece. Ralph Yates explored Canada’s response to World War II’s need to conserve nickel for the war effort in his article “V is for Victory” in the November 1965 issue of Coins. Yates wrote: “The five-cent coins, which Canada issued between 1943 and 1945, are among the most unusual and interesting of the century. The only numismatic reminders of one of the most popular symbols in modern times—the V for Victory—are also one of the most effective reminders of their nation’s recent history. While not great…

Do you know someone who has, during the past year, actively helped in the fight against counterfeit coins, paper money, and/or fake third-party encapsulation holders? If so, nominate that person for consideration to receive the Anti-Counterfeiting Educational Foundation’s Alan Kreuzer Memorial Award. The Alan Kreuzer Memorial Award recognizes the anti-counterfeiting efforts of collectors, dealers, law enforcement agents, or others who are diligently trying to protect the numismatic marketplace,” said ACEF President John Albanese. “Previous recipients have included individuals who helped catch counterfeiters or identified suspects selling fakes or significantly helped combat counterfeiting by generously donating to the foundation,” noted Albanese. The award is named for the late Alan “Al” Kreuzer, a Castro Valley, Calif., coin dealer who was instrumental in alerting the hobby to help identify counterfeit third-party certification holders…

Some coins are sleepers, but not all sleepers will ever wake. One coin that might be aroused from its slumber just might be the 1875 20-cent piece. In fact, prices have been creeping higher. The question could very fairly be raised as to why the United States ever made a 20-cent coin in the first place. It is certainly hard to imagine that there was any great outcry from the public. It is not hard to imagine that the West’s silver mines seemingly had all the silver anyone would ever need. In fact, there was more silver than anyone would ever use for coins. This created a problem with bullion prices, which did not make the mine owners or anyone else in the West very happy. People in the West…

Martha Washington and the 1792 Half Disme. The question of the portrait on the half disme has been a contentious matter since at least the 1850s. There are those who firmly believe that the profile is that of Martha Washington, while others, probably a majority, strongly disagree and see only a Liberty head, which is not all that well done. The following points apply: 1) The President was not as strongly opposed to his portrait as commonly believed. Although he may well have been opposed, circumstantial evidence indicates that he made little or no effort to oppose the original Senate bill mandating a presidential portrait. Martha Washington’s appearance would have honored the President in a subtle way. 2) The “GW Pt” pattern cent strongly indicates not only being official but…

The Kingdom of Bermania announced the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Big Fig Revolt and the subsequent ascent to the throne of His Royal Majesty King Alanus I. The first numismatic event in a year of festivities was the meeting of the Bermanian Guild of Numismatists held in conjunction with the New York International Numismatic Convention at the Barclay InterContinental Hotel in New York. Conducted on Jan. 18, King Alanus, garbed in full resplendent uniform, was ritually introduced by Eric, Grand Count of New Amsterdam. His Majesty retold the story of the Bermanian Fig Revolt and how it brought to his attention that he was the rightful King of Bermania, a country he previously had not known existed. The well-attended meeting was open to both nobility and the…

“Why would anyone counterfeit this?” I’ve heard that remark several times over the years from both students and successful professional coin dealers who should know better. As the prices of precious metals, and even common coins, continue to increase, the occasions for this question have become more frequent. Why would 1909 VDB Lincoln cents be counterfeited? Why would a Silver Eagle or recently made Australian dollar be counterfeited, especially when some of these fakes have the correct weight and test for silver? Make no mistake when I say they were not genuine. Buyer Beware! One thing that has kept us relatively safe from buying counterfeit coins in the past is the fact that expensive coins usually receive a lot of scrutiny; however, common coins and silver bullion not so much.…