Numismatic News November 19, 2024

Stack’s Bowers Galleries announced the November 2024 Showcase Auction of U.S. Currency. Featuring over 400 lots, the sale draws together a diverse offering of bank notes, from iconic rarities to historic items that reflect pivotal times in American history. Leading these highlights is a Fr. 2231-B 1934 $10,000 Federal Reserve Note that was once part of the legendary assemblage of $1,000,000 in cash that was displayed at Binion’s Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas. Composed of approximately 100 $10,000 Federal Reserve Notes all issued by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, this display was contained within a giant golden horseshoe and was one of many Las Vegas attractions that appealed to tourists and gamblers alike. Broken up for sale in the early 2000s, the display itself has been replaced, but…

Here are some answers sent from our e-newsletter readers. Read more responses at www.numismaticnews.com. Which innovation in numismatics do you feel has most impacted the field? Number one on my list is the Sheldon Scale, with the second being the Red Book. Both work closely together to form an excellent way of grading and placing your item in the most proper and ethical way possible. With these tools, among others, I feel I am the closest to a third-party grader. I know, not the best, but close. Roger Quintana M.ED/M.CJAIdaho. The biggest innovation in coins for me has been the advent of the reverse proof. It’s not a new invention since proof coins have been around since the 80s, at least. But having the fields frosted and the image being…

The recent Oct. 8, 2024, Numismatic News, and prior reports in national print numismatic press, reported about coin dealers and sad, tragic incidents of robbery at and after coin shows. While these reports are informative, they are geared and specific to coin dealers; how about attending coin hobbyists? They, we coin hobbyists, are certainly targets and could be victims. Over the decades, having attended coin shows around California and even at the national level, certain practices have been engrained. Two of my fellow sojourners, whose names shall be anonymous for their personal security, have created and now present a collective program titled “Enhancing Your Collecting,”which has a personal security segment. So, to Numismatic News readers, here are my suggestions, welcoming your input and insights. One: Do not travel or attend…

Finding Silver in Change While visiting my local Burger King recently for lunch, I paid for my Whopper meal using cash instead of using my credit card, as I usually do. Receiving 77 cents in change, I looked at the coins to see if anything was interesting or worth holding on to. Not to my surprise, there wasn’t anything to take notice of. As I sat there eating my lunch (I know, I really shouldn’t be eating Burger King at my age, but I had an irresistible craving), I thought about when was the last time I received a silver coin in change? Or anything else that might be interesting to stash away. I always enjoyed the thrill of the hunt back in the day and had obtained many interesting…

Coin oddities, especially ones where the origin is something of a mystery, always attract. The July 1965 issue of Coins magazine featured one such coin. The story by Starr Gilmore was titled “JOP: When Joseph Olivia Patenaude stamped his initials on silver dollars, he wrote the first chapter of one of the most unusual stories in numismatics.” “One of the oddest episodes in coin history, Canadian or any other, centers on the JOPS,” Gilmore wrote. “That they should have attained any aura of respectability seems to many of us unusual. In fact, it may well be that they are unique in this way. “Viewed from the strictly logical angle, they make little sense since the overwhelming majority of numismatists and collectors look with decided distaste upon a coin with which…

The OH-KAN Coin Club in Pomeroy, Ohio held their monthly meeting. Members were entertained with a song presented by John and Ruby Lechler, and Laurel Huggins. These are three junior members of the club. Huggins introduced their group and song they were playing. The song was “I Ride an Old Paint,” a song from 1927. John spoke about the President and the U.S. coins that were in circulation in 1927. 1927 coins were handed out to members for the group to preview. Ruby shared information on the Standing Liberty Quarter and its designer, images and its meaning. She also shared other fun facts about 1927. The presentation was enjoyed by all members.…