Weekly World Numismatic News for September 20, 2020

News in the numismatic world of the United States has focused on the U.S. Mint. First, the U.S. Mint announced that they have partnered with the Royal Mint to collaborate a British coin and U.S. medal to commemorate the 400th Anniversary of the landing of the Mayflower in the New World. Response from the U.S. collecting public ranged from tepid to wondering if this is the best these two mints can do.

In the meantime, the Royal Mint issued a £2 coin commemorating the 100th Anniversary the publishing of Agatha Christie’s first novel, The Mysterious Affair At Styles. The exciting design featuring a puzzle with a missing piece and implements from the novel had several Coin Collectors Blog readers wondering why the U.S. Mint could not produce something similar for American literature.

Then there was the announcement that the late owner of the Utah Jazz amassed a collection of 1,600 quality coins that is estimated to be worth about $25 million. Larry H. Miller, an entrepreneur from Salt Lake City, was a fixture of the city’s business scene for his business and his support of professional sports. Miller died in 2009 at 64 years old, leaving behind the collection that nobody other than his family knew about.

The Larry H. Miller Collection, which includes an 1804 Draped Bust Dollar, will be auctioned by Stack’s Bowers Galleries later this year. The proceeds from the auction will go toward constructing a children’s hospital in Lehi, Utah, a city south of Salt Lake City.

The news of the Miller Collection appeared to excite more people in the collecting world than the other stories. Although the other coins are obtainable to the average collector, numismatic rubberneckers watch the rarities that most cannot afford.

Just as rubbernecking slows down traffic on the highway, numismatic rubbernecking slows down the growth of the hobby. The hobby can revel in a previously unknown collection uncovered from their hiding places, but it should not be the standard in which collections are judged.

We should be collecting stories with the coins. Without the stories, the coins are just pieces of metal with designs. Yes, the 1804 Dollar has a heck of a story, but very few can afford to collect that story. But show me someone who collects coins based on comic book characters, historical humans, historic events, sports themes, or has created a theme that tells their story, and you will be showing me someone who is enjoying their collection.

And now the news…

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