Innehållsförteckning för October 7, 2025 från Numismatic News

Summer has ended, and I, for one, am excited for the ‘ber months! There’s just something about sweater weather, cozy fires, and watching the leaves change colors! October brings Halloween, which is celebrated most in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States; however, it is gaining popularity in countries such as Germany, Spain, South Korea, and China, among others. In honor of this upcoming holiday, I reviewed coins minted throughout the world from various years and selected a few examples for this month’s article. I hope seeing these helps get those of you who celebrate into the “Haunting Spirit!” ONLINE POLL THIS WEEK’S QUESTION: What coin in your collection holds the most meaning to you, historically or personally, and why? Email your response to numismatics@aimmedia.com. METALS September 17, 2025…

Two long-time collectors were celebrated during the Oklahoma City World’s Fair of Money®, Aug. 19-23, at the Oklahoma City Convention Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Their contributions to the numismatic community have made waves over the years, earning them recognition during the 134th Anniversary Banquet on Friday, August 22. The Elvira Clain-Stefanelli Memorial Award for Achievement in Numismatics is presented annually to a woman who has made significant contributions to numismatics through her research, leadership, and/or mentorship, and who has demonstrated a longtime commitment to the betterment of numismatics. This year’s recipient is Kathryn Freeland. With 32 years of service to numismatic organizations, Freeland consistently prioritizes education. When coin clubs celebrate historical events, she volunteers as a reenactor. Freeland coauthored the American Red Cross in World War II Collectors Guide,…

Charles Lee Mitton, affectionately known as Chuck, passed away peacefully with his family by his side on Aug. 31, 2025, in Littleton, Colo., at 81. Born and raised in Denver, Colo., Chuck was a proud second-generation native. He was the son of the late Charles Earl Mitton and Iris Helen Martin. Chuck graduated from the University of Denver with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. While in school, he worked for the University Hills Bank, where he learned hands-on training that proved more valuable than his formal education. Chuck built an accomplished career in finance and insurance. Beyond his professional life, he pursued his passions with enthusiasm and dedication. An avid traveler, he journeyed extensively throughout the US and the world, including many memorable trips to Africa with his father,…

Following the redemption of Silver Certificates in 1964, there remained nearly 3 million silver dollars, most from the famed Carson City Mint, in Treasury vaults, along with the question of what to do with them. The May 1966 issue of Coins magazine recorded one suggestion that gained considerable traction—that of donating the coins to charity. “The Treasury Department has been plagued with the dilemma of what to do with some three million scarce date silver dollars ever since March 1964,” Coins reported. “At that time, the Great Run on the Treasury was on, hundreds of people were standing, fighting and pushing in line at the Treasury buying silver dollars, and thousands of others had sent in orders from all over the country for silver dollars. “When the Treasury opened some…

The year 1925 marked the 75th anniversary of the admission of the State of California to the Union in 1850. It was during that year that the 1925-S California Diamond Jubilee half dollar was struck. Numismatic News is publishing this article in 2025 to honor the centennial of this beautiful and popular commemorative coin. Before statehood, California was explored and settled by Spain; it had become a region of Mexico. After the end of the Mexican War, it was yielded to the United States at a cost of $15 million under terms of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. January of 1848 saw the discovery of gold by James W. Marshall at Sutter’s Mill on the American River. That event led to the California Gold Rush and statehood within a relatively…

■ Can you name some coins on which the reeded edge number count varies? There are a number of U.S. coins with varied edge counts that make them collectible. Among these is the 1876-CC Seated Liberty quarter. This quarter has a reeded edge count of either 113 or 153 reeds, the latter being more common. The 1921 Morgan silver dollar has a reed count of either 189 or 157 reeds. Some Roosevelt dimes have either a fine or a coarse reeding, although the count is the same. ■ How can I tell if my Roosevelt dimes qualify as being Full Torch? To qualify as being a Full Torch Roosevelt dime, the top and bottom bands on the torch on the reverse must be fully separated. Furthermore, the vertical lines of…

Chuck was the author of the self-published book Ethnic Groups and Traditional Money of Africa: Cross Reference Guide. (2005). The 173-page, large-size, spiral-bound book was divided into five chapters, including African Ethnic Groups; Sorted by Ethnic group, African Ethnic Groups; Sorted by Country; Artifacts and Traditional Money; Sorted by name, Artifacts and Traditional Money; Sorted by Description, and Artifacts and Traditional Money; Sorted by Country. It’s an invaluable resource for those who collect, buy, sell, or catalog African Odd & Curious Money. In addition to the ANA (LM-4855) Chuck was a member of (and contributor to) the International Bank Note Society (IBNS), the IPMS (International Primitive Money Society), the Bill Henderson Supper Club, DAWN (Denver Area World Numismatists) and a founding member of PANDA, (Poker and Numismatics in the Denver…

In modern-day numismatic auctions, the collector often sees a four-dollar gold piece offered to the highest bidder. Usually known as the Stella, the four-dollar gold piece is not actually a coin but rather a pattern struck at the whim of just one man. It all began in the early 1870s. Dr. William Wheeler Hubbell was an eccentric scholar who believed that he had found the answer to the monetary problems of the world. He thought that a coin containing both gold and silver would circulate around the world and end the age-old rivalry between the two metals. Hubbell’s name for this new metal was Goloid. What Hubbell did not realize was that the mixture of gold and silver for coinage was not exactly a new concept. As early as 600…

A recent posting by AInvest.com may have been aimed at clients of the Melbourne Mint in Australia, but some good points were made that are worth repeating here. According to AInvest, “Investors seek numismatic coins as strategic wealth stores amid macroeconomic uncertainty, leveraging scarcity, historical value, and dual-metal/numismatic premiums.” This is true regardless of whether you buy coins of the United States or if you purchase coins originating somewhere else in the world. I will add to this that coins are more liquid than real estate due to the velocity at which they can be converted to cash (no pun intended). Coins may offer quick liquidity; however, they also offer privacy in an ever-increasing surveillance crazy cashless society. AInvest continues, “In an era defined by macroeconomic uncertainty—where inflation, geopolitical tensions,…

The number of national mints that have produced silver bullion coins that are larger in size than one ounce has risen rather dramatically in recent years. Some mints have actually gone up to 1-kilogram silver bullion coins, and a very few have even gone above and beyond that, such as the Royal Canadian Mint and the British Royal Mint. The United States Mint got into this big game in 2010, with the Arkansas five-ounce “quarter,” and kept up a steady stream of such pieces – or maybe we should say river of them – until 2021. The America the Beautiful five-ounce quarter program was a step into seriously big coinage. At the outset, plenty of collectors bought one or more directly from the Mint’s website. But the price tags for…

Heading into September, we’ve added the American Women Quarter ornaments to the report, and saw a significant jump in the American Liberty 1-ounce gold coin and the 1-ounce silver medal counterpart. They hadn’t been on the market long when we completed the last report, so now that it has been a month, the increase does not come as a surprise. At the time of writing, the next edition in the Comic Art series hasn’t been released yet, but it will surely be something to note next time. Many collectors are wondering how well they will do in the market, and it seems to be a fairly hot topic among hobbyists on their place in the community. This has been a quiet month for Mint Statistics. As usual, most lines have…

Some years ago, a numismatist (authenticator?) wrote that coins have three sides. I can assure you that this was well known to coin authenticators long before then, yet never stated in print. Back in the 1970s, I wanted to see if the edge reed count could be used to authenticate genuine five-dollar Indian gold. As I remember, it failed because both the genuine and counterfeit coins had the same reed counts. Next, I tried the same thing for 1916-D dimes. If the P-Mint coins had a different reed count, it would simplify the authentication of these commonly altered coins. Since then, both the VAM dollar reference and the Seated Liberty Half dollar book have contained charts showing the reed counts for the different dates and Mints. Presently, I’m counting the…

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 we have the means to reach…