Innehållsförteckning för June 2023 från Coins

ALTHOUGH MOST Americans are aware of the California Gold Rush, not all that many realize the profound effect it had on our coinage. Long after the event, the effects were still being felt and even today changes that came about in our monetary system 175 years ago are still with us. Prior to 1848 there was gold being mined in the United States but the quantity was not enough to sustain a strong gold currency. The principal area of such activity was in western North Carolina and northeastern Georgia though some ore was obtained in surrounding states, such as Tennessee and South Carolina. All of this would change dramatically as a result of the discovery by James Marshall of gold on the Sutter Ranch in late January 1848. Men by…

THE KEY Indian Head cent for more than a century has been the 1877. There is no serious debate. It is the king of the Indian cents with its 852,500 mintage. The 1909-S, with a total of just 309,000 pieces, has the lower mintage, but it’s widely known that the 1877 is a tougher coin having not survived in substantial numbers. Conventional wisdom would have it that way: the 1877 followed by the 1909-S with no other Indian cents even close. In recent times, however, there has been a challenge of sorts to that conventional wisdom from serious collectors and students of the Indian Head cent. They point to a number of other dates and particularly the dates from 1869-1872 as overlooked dates every bit as tough as perhaps even…

How do you feel about coin certification by the big three (ANACS, NGC, PCGS)? Are you for it or against it? Have you had any negative experiences with a major certification service? How about CAC? These were opening questions on a CoinTalk thread I followed recently. Not surprisingly, the responses were all over the place, but there were some commonalities and consistent complaints. The biggest complaints were that the major services, particularly NGC and PCGS, are expensive and have really slow turnaround times. The first responder said a number of things that most responders would agree with. “My two cents: PCGS currently brings most return on investments at sale time. NGC second, except on ancients where they are the leader. Neither is especially easy to submit to or affordable for…

Momentum is the key word describing the health of the market for coins. Coin shows, auctions and clubs are all well attended. Several major conventions held during the early part of 2023 have all reported strong sales for virtually anything, be it bullion related, reasonably available collectibles or rarities. Bullion and intrinsically valued coins have taken somewhat of a hit recently due to the marked drop in the spot price of gold, silver and platinum; however, this does not appear to have slowed the demand for such material from both collectors and investors. Dealers report sales continue to be brisk in this area. Likewise, coins that are collectible yet may be reasonably available are challenging to keep in stock due to collector demand. Collectors continue to watch for quality as…

THE EARLIEST coins we know of in the West come from what today is Turkey. They were made from placer nuggets of gold or silver, or a naturally occurring alloy of the two called ‘electrum,’ all of which could be pulled from the rivers and streams of that part of the world and stamped with some symbol of authority. So how did coins get from this rather humble beginning to where we are now? The story is actually quite interesting, and many of the coins related to it are still affordable today. The City-States Ancient Greece was not the unified nation it is in our modern world. Rather, it was a collection of small nations, what we call city-states, because each had one central city and influence in the area…

I received one 2023 nickel and three 2023 cents in change from a Wegmans grocery store in Rochester on February 13. On February 18, I received three 2023 Bessie Coleman quarters at the same Wegmans. All the coins are from the Philadelphia mint. This is about the time of year I start seeing new cents but it’s early for quarters and nickels. I’ll keep looking for the dime. Patrick Capuano Rochester, N.Y. I regularly get rolls of coins from the bank to hunt. For the calendar year of 2022 the total finds were as follows. 9 rolls of wheat cents, with the steel 1943 D being the most needed to fill a slot in my book, and 1 roll of 1958 D cents and 1 roll of 1954 S cents,…

Half Cent Cent 2 Cents Silver 3 Cents Nickel 3 Cents Half Dime 5 Cents Dime 20 Cents Quarter 50 State Quarters DC and Territories America the Beautiful Half Dollar Dollar American Innovation $1 Coin Presidents $1 (Gold) $2.50 (Quarter Eagle) $3 $5 (Half Eagle) $10 (Eagle) $20 (Double Eagle) COMMEMORATIVE COINAGE 18921954 Quarter Half Dollar Dollar $2.50 (Quarter Eagle) $50 MODERN COMMEMORATIVE COINAGE 1982PRESENT Dime Quarter American Women Quarters Program Half Dollar Dollar $5 (Half Eagle) $10 (Eagle) $20 (Double Eagle) $100 Commemorative Coin Sets Uncirculated Rolls Federal America Non Denominated 50 State Quarters Mint Sets Proof Sets FIRST SPOUSE GOLD COINAGE $10 (Eagle) AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL SILVER BULLION Quarter…