Innehållsförteckning för January 28, 2025 från Numismatic News

Stack’s Bowers Galleries successfully executed a year filled with remarkable price records, numerous awards, and exciting growth. In the auction category, total prices realized set a new firm record of $275.6 million for the year. Several items crossed the million-dollar mark, and it was the only firm to sell any million-dollar coins from February through December, five in total. In addition, the company was selected to bring to market several unique offerings on behalf of the United States Mint and The Royal Mint. At the top of the prices realized list for 2024 was the newly discovered Undated (1652) Massachusetts silver threepence graded EF-45 (PCGS) CMQ-X. After heated competition, this piece set a record for any non-gold U.S. coin struck before the founding of the United States Mint when it…

■ Do the same rules apply to First Spouse gold coins regarding if the individual must be deceased before they can appear on the coin? The Presidential Dollar Coin Act, Public Law 109-145, doesn’t specify if a First Spouse must be deceased in order to appear on a gold coin for that series. Likewise, the law doesn’t specify if the First Spouse must be deceased to appear on a bronze medal. The law does indicate the material may be struck in tandem with eligible Presidential dollars. ■ Due to mint errors, there are what we call “godless” Presidential dollar coins due to the edge lettering In God We Trust missing. Is this the first time we have had a “godless” coin? In God We Trust has appeared on U.S. coinage…

After an extraordinary 37-year career, Thomas Michael, Senior Market Analyst for NumisMaster, announced his retirement, effective at the end of 2024. Tom’s last day will conclude an incredible journey of dedication and innovation in the numismatics world. Tom began his career at Krause Publications in 1987 as the Numismatic Market Analyst, where he quickly became an integral part of the team. He made significant contributions to the Standard Catalog of World Coins, a guide cherished by collectors. Over the years, Tom contributed to over 130 books. His commitment continued through the transitions to F+W Media and later to Active Interest Media in 2019. Among his many achievements, Tom played a pivotal role in developing and maintaining the NumisMaster database, serving as Senior Market Analyst. Beyond his analytical work, he has…

For a comprehensive list of coin values visit: www.numismaster.com Coin collecting scored another huge success story when an excessively rare 1870-CC $20 Double Eagle graded Extremely Fine 45 by Numismatic Guaranty Corporation realized a stunning $312,000 in a December Heritage auction. Collectors can look forward to a feast of large cents when, during the upcoming Florida United Numismatists convention, the Colonel Steven K. Ellsworth Collection will be offered. Overall, it’s been more than a topsy-turvy month for coins. It’s been a topsy-turvy year. Much of this can be attributed to the weakened U.S. dollar on world markets, which in turn impacted the spot price of precious metals. Sure, the gold, silver, and platinum bullion American Eagle coin prices were directly impacted, but due to rising values and even lower condition…

The Oregon Trail Memorial Half Dollar (1926-1939) will always have a special place in my heart. In the late 1970s, in response to the “You Name It” contest in Coins magazine, I entered an article about the Oregon Trail half dollar that I thought would win. The winning entry would be published in a future issue of Coins magazine. Most articles at that time focused on the abuses of the classic commemorative program and the gimmicks promoters used to try to sell their backlog of unwanted coins. Though true of the Oregon Trail half dollar, there was a story behind the coin that I felt was overlooked. It was the story of a real pioneer of the famed westward trail, Ezra Meeker, who appeared before Congress in 1926 at the…

Heritage Auctions has awarded a $10,000 auction credit to one lucky collector for over twenty years. This year, Fred Gutnick, a dedicated numismatist from North Carolina, was named the winner. The auction firm sends out a widely anticipated numismatic survey, gathering insight and feedback from collectors around the world. The participants in this survey are drawn for this annual prize. The $10,000 credit can be used on Heritage’s extensive inventory or applied toward bids in any of the firm’s upcoming auctions through the end of 2025. This opportunity significantly boosts collectors looking to expand their collections with rare, high-value items. Heritage Auctions will kick off the new year with several noteworthy events, starting with The U.S. Coins Signature auctions, which will include the sale of the COL Steven K. Ellsworth…

Here are some answers sent from our e-newsletter readers. Read more responses at www.numismaticnews.com. What historical era or event do you find most fascinating as reflected in coins? Why? The most fascinating era to me would be the American Civil War because it was probably the most trying period in our history. Fortunately, we had Abraham Lincoln to pull our great country through those trying times. Dave Burdis Charleroi, Pa. At first thought, I wanted to say the civil war with the hoarding of gold, silver, and copper coins and the first time we see the motto in God We Trust on the 2-cent piece, but I have to say the depression had more impact. First, with the closing of all banks and the FDIC being formed to prevent banks…

Serious collectors of classic United States coin series have no big problem swallowing the idea of a big, twenty-dollar gold piece issued because a growing nation had found gold in the West. Nor do we have any trouble with the little half-cent denomination, which has its origins all the way back at the beginning of a system and set of coins designated by Congress for the young United States. Likewise, currency collectors don’t have a big problem with fractional notes or with some countries opting to go to huge denomination notes as hyperinflation hits them. We take all this for granted, perhaps simply because they are now well established or are pieces of history. But how many of us collect based on denominations – or, more to the point, what…

The U.S. Mint recently held its third collaboration with Stack’s Bowers Galleries, selling the entire 230-coin mintage of the Historic 230th Anniversary Flowing Hair High Relief Gold Coins featuring the “230” Privy Mark exclusively through the firm. Prices realized totaled $8,230,000. According to the Mint’s latest report, the facility had 64 products outperforming their week-over-week sales in the week leading up to Christmas. Kudos to them as well as to the collectors making purchases. The mint has forged ahead, scheduling authorized bullion coin purchases of Gold and Silver American Eagle coins for January 6. These are coins sold to a selected list of qualified, registered, authorized purchasers rather than to the general public or coin dealers. The price of these sales is based on the bullion spot price per ounce…

Whitman, a leading publisher of numismatic literature, has announced the acquisition of worldwide intellectual property rights to several coin and currency reference works authored by renowned experts Art and Ira Friedberg. These acquisitions include globally recognized titles such as Gold Coins of the World and Paper Money of the United States, along with the universally respected Friedberg Numbering System™, the standard for cataloging, describing, buying, and selling gold coins and U.S. currency. These enduring references are celebrated for their scholarly accuracy, depth, and practical value to collectors and researchers. Gold Coins of the World is an indispensable guide for exploring gold coinage from ancient to modern times, while Paper Money of the United States, widely regarded as the definitive currency price guide, has been a cornerstone of U.S. paper money…

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…

The last year for the American Women Quarters kicks off with Ida B. Wells, a journalist, activist, and researcher in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Wells was born in Holly Springs, Miss., in 1862. Her parents were heavily involved in Reconstruction-era politics and instilled in her the importance of education. She began a journey of fighting for her and her fellow African American’s rights at an early age. While working as a teacher, she began investigating lynching cases, later publishing her findings in a pamphlet and local newspapers. She then found herself in Chicago, Ill., where she joined other activists. Throughout her career, Wells traveled abroad, shedding light on discrimination. She also began the National Association of Colored Women’s Club, which addressed issues related to civil rights and…

Are you putting aside pre-1982 cents for the copper they contain? Do you feel that one of these days, they’ll be worth more to you than face value? If so, I found chat threads on CoinTalk that I think you’ll find interesting. One of the threads even listed 83 things you could do with all the cents you’ve saved, even if you’ll never be able to cash them in. In this column, I’ll try to summarize the main points in the threads. One of the first comments was a negative response to the question, “Who’s collecting pre-82 pennies for copper value?” “No one should be, imo, but many of the uninformed still do so. It is illegal to melt U.S. cents for their metal value, and the alloy they are…

Author’s note: This is the fourth in a series of articles discussing the coinage of 1792 and the steps leading up to it. Previous articles, which covered 1776 to October 1791, appeared in Numismatic News beginning with the Dec. 10, 2024 issue. On Monday, Oct. 31, 1791, the Senate Journal recorded the following: “On motion, Ordered, That Messrs [Robert] Morris, [Rufus] King, [Ralph] Izard, [George] Cabot, and [John] Henry, be a committee to take into consideration the subject of a mint, and to report a bill thereon if they think proper.” No records have been found detailing the work done by this particular senatorial committee. Still, it is not difficult to determine the principal sources that would have been used in the deliberations. The first would naturally have been the…

With the exception of the 1916-D dime in G4 condition, my favorite coins have generally been pieces in excellent condition, often in Mint State. In this column, I’m going to the other extreme, a coin in AG3. You’re probably asking yourself why I would like such a low-grade coin. I think you’ll understand when I tell you about my AG3 1913-S Barber quarter. If you’ve ever thought about collecting Barber quarters, you’ve quickly discovered that there are three key dates, all from the San Francisco mint. The three “big” keys are 1896-S (188,039 minted), 1901-S (72,664 minted), and 1913-S (40,000 minted). If you thought that the coins’ values were directly tied to their mintage, you would be wrong, as the 1901-S is worth considerably more than the lower-mintage 1913-S. The…