Indholdsfortegnelse for January 27 ,2026 i Numismatic News

The rapid rise in precious metals prices in 2025 has revealed some pain points in the system, as prices for specific coins in certain grades were set based on a strict numerical value that is not tied to the metal’s value. For instance, a NumisMaster user alerted us that the 20 centavos of Chile from 1867–1893 (two subtypes, KM-138.1 and KM-138.2) both had pricing that is not truly linear. We dug into the database to find that most of the coins cataloged as KM-138.1 in Very Good-8 had a pricing formula indicated as Bullion Value or BV. This shorthand allows the prices of such coins to change when we periodically update bullion numbers in the database. Updating the base bullion values, upon which so much pricing is extrapolated, has been…

Many of the folks in the collector community who focus on quarters very often keep their eyes on the Standing Liberty design. The artwork of Mr. Hermon MacNeil is impressive. Collections of them can look beautiful. Plus, the price differences between what can be called “full head” specimens and the more common pieces, with some minor detail of Lady Liberty’s head missing or poorly defined, can be rather large and therefore noteworthy. And for those of us not looking to the classics, but looking forward, the 2026 quarters honoring the 250th year of the United States will most likely become a focus of attention shortly. Whether plucked from change or purchased in proof sets, these new twenty-five-cent pieces will probably command some serious attention. Such a keen focus can also…

The reason for the 1960s switch to cupronickel-clad coinage, as compared to other alternatives, was explored in-depth by Ralph Yates’ “Why Clad Coins Instead Of…: The search for a silver substitute utilized some intriguing and little-known facts about the art and science of manufacturing money” found in the August 1966 issue of Coins magazine. “When the government decided on nickel-clad copper as a coinage metal, the expectation was that this offered the best alternative to the old .900-fine silver coinage, particularly in regard to use in vending machines,” Yates wrote. “But what went into this decision? The treasury certainly didn’t guess at it. “No, behind the decision to make clad coins was a long, careful study which not only turned up excellent reasons for eliminating some other possible choices but…

For a comprehensive list of coin values visit: www.numismaster.com This may be one of the best times to be a coin collector in modern history. Attention is being directed towards the hobby through the demise of the Lincoln cent, the nation’s semiquincentennial coinage, and the ongoing arguments regarding whether a living president can get his portrait onto a circulating coin. A mock funeral was held for the “penny” at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, on December 20. The ceremony included eulogies and actors portraying former president Abraham Lincoln and his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln. Great publicity! I’ve never needed to adjust the price of common silver and gold composition coins as much as I have for this quarterly update. The intrinsic values for these coins have continued to climb…

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…

■ Is there any special labeling that is required to appear on genuine gold bars? All precious metal ingots or bars are, by law, marked with specific information. These rules are imposed by the London Bullion Market. These markings must identify the characteristics, weight, purity, producer, origin, year of manufacture, and a serial number for each ingot. These markings cannot change the shape, size, or weight of the ingot. ■ How are the ingots marked? Any of four technologies is used to mark bars or ingots. These are strike, microdot, smear, or laser markings. Striking is the fastest and most economical way to mark a bar. Microdot markings have the greatest flexibility since it uses electronic technology. Serial numbers are crucial for tracking the origin and history of trades of…

History in Coins Mr Brothers, A note to thank you for your recent article on “Macro-Numismatics.” The connection of coins and coinage with history and geopolitics is one of my main attractions to the hobby. I gravitate to any article in NN dealing with the response of coinage to historic and economic conditions in the U.S. and elsewhere. For years, I have patronized Joel Anderson, California dealer, because of his emphasis on the historic aspects of coins. For a long time, I printed out his description of the historic significance of individual coins to display with them. Finally, I didn’t have room for those features, plus I realized that most people viewing the coins had no interest in that aspect anyway. (Boring people.) So thank you, and I look forward…

The first twenty days of November found me on the go, wrapping attendance at a pair of coin club meetings, attendance at a local Sunday show, and the annual fall Michigan State convention weekend, and participation in the Iola Viking Market hosted locally on the historic Iola Mills property, with a couple of other tangential involvements thrown in. That all made for a pretty eclectic mix of experiences. My involvement got underway on the opening Saturday of the month at the Iola Viking Market, a modest semi-annual midday event that was launched in 2024, featuring Viking reenactor programs, and the sale of authentically hand-created Viking goods from foods to clothing, along with knives, craftsman tools and such. The Iola Historical Society has been participating as a sponsor of the event.…

The first coins to celebrate the Semiquincentennial of the United States entered circulation in early January. The Mayflower Compact quarter is the first to roll out in circulation, and will be the first to become available at the Mint in rolls and bags. Rolls and bags for this quarter go on sale on February 5. The obverse features two Pilgrims looking towards the New World. The Pilgrims signed the Mayflower Compact to establish a colony in place of the original intended charter. The reverse of the quarter shows the Mayflower with full sails out at sea.…

Perhaps one of the least understood coins in America today is the Trade Dollar, which does not have a large following among collectors. Yet it ought to have, for it is one of the most interesting denominations ever issued by the United States and one of the very few coins subject to so much dislike when it was actually being used. And thereby hangs a tale. In the days before the American Civil War, the United States was awash in silver coins. There was little silver mined in this country, but the coinage law of 1853 valued silver in such a way that it poured into the country. The outbreak of the Civil War in April 1861 was to change all of this as citizens hoarded every gold or silver…

Silver coins have been getting more attention than usual. There are some serious questions regarding whether common-date silver composition coins in “nicely circulated” or even in a cull condition are becoming as rare as scarce to rare date and upper Mint State level examples. The recent price surges in the spot price of this precious metal have led to higher volumes of common coins being sold for scrap. The problem dealers are facing is that the refineries lack the capacity to process this kind of volume in a timely manner. Values have been so volatile that coin dealers are checking the spot price of silver just about every time someone asks them for a price. These values have been changing rapidly. About the only thing missing from this scenario is…