Aug 10, 2021 | coin design, coins, quarter
If you are a change hunter, you know the thrill that you can find in your pocket as you travel. Spend a few dollars here and there, drop the change in your pocket, then spend time later looking hoping that you find something interesting.
Earlier today, it was time to leave Atlanta. After the stress of dropping off a rental car, getting through the TSA checkpoint complete with physical and verbal molestation, I needed a cold drink. Braving airport prices, I bought a bottle of water and waited for my plane.
A few moments ago, I emptied my pockets and found the coins I have been hunting for since the beginning of the year: two nice 2021 quarters, the Tuskeegee Airmen National Historic Site and the Washington Crossing the Delaware quarters.
Obverse of the 2021 Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site quarter on the left and the 2021 Washington Crossing the Delaware Quarter on the right.
The first noticeable thing is that the obverse of the Washington Crossing the Delaware quarter looks closest to the last regular issue quarter in 1998. Washington’s bust is more prominent, and there are smaller fields. The compromise in the design is to fit “LIBERTY” in the field left of the bust.
If the U.S. Mint designers can use a smaller font for “LIBERTY,” they can produce an obverse similar to this 2021 revival. Remember, congress has passed legislation for circulating commemorative quarters for the next ten years.
Reverse designs of the 2021 quarters
The images produced by the U.S. Mint show promise for the reverse designs. However, when you look at the coin in hand, the design has a smooth feel. The design lacks the depth needed to bring out the design. It can be a good design, but the U.S. Mint’s tradeoff to lower relief coins to extend the die’s life ruins the intended effect.
Although the Tuskeegee Airmen National Historic Site quarter was struck in a similar relief, it appears that the dies were engraved to give the design a better image of depth and texture. The design and engraving of this coin gives the America the Beautiful Quarter program a well-designed closed.
Aug 8, 2021 | commentary, news
Greetings from Athens, Georgia!
New Change Find: a 2021 Roosevelt Dime
As of today, it looks like my next show will be the Whitman Expo in Baltimore next November.
Please don’t think that the trip is all work. When I come to Athens, I am reminded of my youthful days as a student at Georgia. It is always interesting to see how the area has changed, but it is fascinating as to what remains the same. Tonight’s dinner came from The Taco Stand on Milledge Avenue. The sign inside said it has been open since 1977, and I was a freshman in 1978. My Baja Burrito was a taste down memory lane.
When I received my change, one of the dimes is dated 2021. It marks the first time that I found a 2021 coin in my pocket change. It has only taken 219 days and a trip to Athens to find my first 2021 coin. I was hoping to find the new Washington Crossing the Delaware quarter first, but a dime is a good find with the year more than half-over.
Last week, The National Sports Card and Collectors Convention (The National) held its annual show in Rosemont. According to the reports from many collector publications, the show was a rousing success. Although there were a few complaints about Cook County’s mask mandate, the reports said it did not take away from the show and called it a success. Sports cards have made a big comeback that even some of the over-produced cards of the 1980s and 1990s are selling. It has helped players find ways to be accessible to fans and willing to sell their wares to anyone who will pay.
Finding new avenues to attract new collectors and existing collectors to spend more is always a challenge. Sports memorabilia collectors are beginning to see what can happen with the new market in college sports’ Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rules. The NIL rules allow college players to sell their name, image, and likeness and remain eligible for college sports.
There was always a potential for better college players to earn money for NIL, but the NCAA rules prevented this. The NCAA suspended Georgia’s Todd Gurley for four games for selling his jersey to a collector in 2014. He used the money to take his girlfriend to dinner. And I won’t talk about Reggie Bush who’s situation is a travesty given the new rules.
Numismatics has to consider what it will take to expand the base. The base is not going to be expanded by recycling the Morgan and Peace dollars. You expand the base by embracing everything new and welcoming everyone that does not care about the old. There is so much fun to have with modern coinage that I think I will explore more over the next few months.
In the meantime, if you can make it to Rosemont for the ANA World’s Fair of Money, have fun. If you are like me and have Real World commitments that prevent you from going, stay tuned. There is a lot more to come!
And new the news…
August 8, 2021
Archaeologists have uncovered 2,640- to 2,550-year-old clay moulds for casting spade coins as well as fragments of finished spade coins at Guanzhuang in Xingyang, Henan province, China. The technical characteristics of the moulds demonstrate that the site — which was part of the Eastern Zhou period (770-220 BCE) bronze foundry — functioned as a mint for producing standardized coins.
→ Read more at
sci-news.com
August 8, 2021
CARSON CITY — See historic Coin Press No. 1 in action Saturdays in August at the Nevada State Museum, Carson City, before it goes on hiatus in September for maintenance.
→ Read more at
carsonnow.org
August 8, 2021
A punch-marked silver coin that was dug out during the seventh phase of excavation at Keeladi last week has sent a wave of excitement among archaeologists, as they are further able to collate and establish trading activity of the civilisation believed to have flourished on the banks of Vaigai river more than 2,500 years ago.
→ Read more at
thehindu.com
August 8, 2021
A Roman coin of the last pagan emperor which might have been deliberately damaged as an "act of erasure" was found by two metal detectorists.
→ Read more at
bbc.com
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Aug 1, 2021 | coins, markets, news
2021-W American Silver Eagle Type 1 Proof
The answer was not a response to the weather but the market. According to his partner, they had a difficult time stocking inventory. The number of buyers is outpacing the sellers a lot. The limited inventory is also impacting dealer-to-dealer transactions. The low supply and high demand are causing prices to rise.
Aside from the typical demand for collector coins, modern silver is in high demand. Anything made of silver is in high demand, that many dealers cannot find enough inventory.
One observation was that after silver, collectors are looking for something different. International coins are seeing increased interest. New collectors are discovering their past and are looking for coins that their grandparents may have used. One dealer said there is an increase in people looking for 20th-century coins from Eastern Europe.
Another area that is becoming popular is hometown collecting. A currency dealer said that collectors are asking about obsolete and national banknotes based on their location. After suggesting to speak with an exonumia dealer, I learned that new collectors are discovering transportation and other tokens from their hometowns or the hometown of their parents. The dealer told me that two young collectors almost cleaned out their inventory of Iowa tokens.
The lesson is that the market is hot, prices are rising, and new collectors are entering the market looking to have fun. It makes for a healthy
And now the news…
July 26, 2021
A collection of 80 copper staters discoverd by archeologists at the site of the ancient city of Phanagoria. Courtesy of the Russian Academy of Science’s Institute of Archaeology.
→ Read more at
news.artnet.com
July 27, 2021
Nikola Tesla, pioneer of alternating current electricity, might have been shocked to know how his legacy would cause a row between European states.
→ Read more at
bbc.com
July 28, 2021
Loose change was scarce last year. Retail and restaurant industries collected less cash from customers, so had fewer coins to deposit with their banks, while limited hours and new safety protocols at mints around the country slowed coin production.
→ Read more at
newyorker.com
July 29, 2021
SALT LAKE CITY — In February 1848, Isaac Chase stalled the vigorous swing of his pick at the sound of something metallic in a hole by a creek in what is now Liberty Park.
→ Read more at
ksl.com
July 30, 2021
The claim: Microwaving a penny for one minute will shrink the coin Most everyone knows some things are not meant to be microwaved, like metal for example. But some social media users are contradicting that, claiming microwaving a coin will shrink it.
→ Read more at
usatoday.com
July 31, 2021
Numismatics – more commonly known as coin collecting – is a time-honoured pastime that has grown in popularity over the years. Often dubbed ‘the hobby of kings’ due to only the very wealthy being able to enjoy the activity – the good news is coin collecting is now something that pretty much anyone can take a shine to, regardless of status.
→ Read more at
eadt.co.uk
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