As I have been searching for hometown numismatics, I have been coming across merchant tokens that advertises deed to land for what seems to be a low price. All of the tokens have a Manhattan address, and all say that the business is open until 9 P.M.
None of the tokens have dates, but all have the same address. One side of the token describes what is being offered:
Finder will Receive / Deed to / One $150 / Building Lot / High and Dry / Near America’s / Finest Seashore Resort / Only $36.50/ Transfer Charge. / No Other Expenses / Open Evenings / Until 9 P.M.
The reverse says that the token has to be returned within 96 hours to the Advertising Department, Room 1274, in the Longacre Building at the corner of 42nd Street and Broadway.
According to public data available online, the Longacre Building was a 12-floor building in Times Square that opened in 1912. Before 1904, Times Square was known as Longacre Square, and the area was renamed when the New York Times opened its headquarters on the property of the old Pabst Hotel.
Some websites documenting old New York City buildings identify the same address as the Longacre Hotel from 1917 through 1932. It is possible that the building was turned into an inexpensive hotel, and the advertiser rented a room at the hotel.
Documentation suggests that the city demolished the building during the Great Depression using New Deal funding.
As I was looking for answers, a friend that is a professor in one of the city’s many colleges speculates that a Florida government issued the token. Early in the 20th century, Florida governments came to New York to entice New Yorkers to move to areas north of Miami or purchase land for second homes.
The condition of the sale or deed transfers is not known.
Many of New York City’s historical records are held at the main New York Public Library, not far from the Longacre Building once stood. Some day, I will go to the library to research the old records to find the story behind these tokens. Maybe it is an excellent excuse to go home in time for NYINC.
Hometown collecting now includes this medal from South Mecklenburg High School, where I went in the 1970s.
Over the last few years, I have become a fan of hometown collecting. Hometown collecting is personal, and it represents your past, your family’s past, and even the history of where you grew up or currently live. Some of us moved while growing up and can look for collectibles from multiple places.
My family moved from New York to just outside of Charlotte in 1974. The area was outside of Charlotte, and Charlotte fueled its growth by annexing unincorporated parts of the county just over its borders. Within a few years, we were living in Charlotte.
I went to high school at South Mecklenburg High School. It was in one of the county’s unincorporated areas with a mailing address of nearby Pineville. Pineville is famous for being the birthplace of James K. Polk, the 18th President of the United States.
South Meck was the local basketball power. Future college and pro stars like Bobby Jones and Walter Davis played for South. After Jones and Davis graduated, they went to play for the University of North Carolina and then starred in the NBA. We won the State AAAA Championship my sophomore year.
While doing my hometown search for numismatics from Brooklyn and New York City, I had an idea to search for items from other times in my early life. I entered “South Mecklenburg” in the search bar to see what I could find.
After scrolling past old copies of the school yearbook, I found a bronze medal for the high school. I do not remember a medal like this. After I dug through a box to find an old yearbook, it resembles a school’s logo in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Since I collect numismatics of my past, I bought the medal and waited for it to be shipped.
The seller was from Europe and waited for the mail to swim across the pond. It was better looking in hand than in the picture online. The medal is 42mm in diameter with something to attach to a chain or a ribbon. It is one-sided, and Herff Jones is engraved on the reverse. I tried to contact Herff Jones and said they do not think they have records going that far back. Someone was going to look and see what they could find.
I graduated from South in 1978 then enrolled at the University of Georgia. Although I have found a few medals from Georgia, I may change my search criteria and see what else I can find.
It is the time of the year where we look for stocking stuffers for our numismatic friends and relatives. Although there are a lot of coins to choose from, I was looking for some other ideas.
In keeping with the holiday themes, I looked for a coin to give someone that spoke of the holiday. After searching for a simple stocking stuffer, I settled on a 2012 Latvia One Lat coin with Christmas bells on the reverse. I chose this coin because I previously purchased the 2009 Latvia One Lat coin with a Christmas tree on the reverse. These were the only two Christmas-themed circulating coins issued by Latvia.
While looking for something interesting, I found a $5 Heavenly Angels coin issued by the Marshall Islands in 1996. The copper-nickel coin comes in a blister pack embedded on a card. Although it is not a current issue, the Christmas theme on a card can add a little spice to a numismatist’s collection.
I needed one more collectible and stumbled over a postcard-like holder, in its envelope and titles Merry Christmas From Around the World. The card contains coins from Mexico, Luxembourg, Columbia, Norway, Austria, Finland, and China. Each coin has Mery Christmas in the native language of each country, including Chinese. They are all base metal coins from 1964 or 1965.
I found the Latvian and Marshal Islands coins on eBay, and I purchased the card from the mid-1960s from a nearby antique shop. Be careful buying foreign coins online. The Latvian coin came from Latvia, and overseas shipping is slower than expected.
If you can find something that the seller can ship on time, you can make a good impression with your favorite numismatist by finding Christmas-themed coins for the holiday.
THE 1955 Lincoln obverse cent is one of the most unique coins in existence and you're very lucky if you happen to have one in your possession. Since 1909, the US Mint has struck cents that feature 16th US President Abraham Lincoln. → Read more at the-sun.com
The coins were found near Southampton by three amateur detectorists who examined the field after carrying out research on Google Earth. → Read more at bbc.com
A former deep-sea treasure hunter is preparing to mark his sixth year in jail for refusing to disclose the whereabouts of 500 missing coins made from gold found in an historic shipwreck. → Read more at cbsnews.com
After a bit of a hiatus, the Coin Week podcast resumed with a discussion of Free Coin Day. Free Coin Day encourages dealers to give away one coin to every customer to celebrate coin collecting.
Free Coin Day was founded by Coin Week’s editor Charles Morgan and joined this year by Rob Oberth of Round Table Trading. Both are members of the ANA Board of Governors. They encourage those participating in Free Coin Day to use the hashtag #FreeCoinDay to help promote the venture.
While Free Coin Day is a good idea, it is preaching to the converted in many ways. It requires someone to be motivated to walk into a coin shop to participate. Unfortunately, there are fewer brick-and-mortar shops, and most dealers are either working shows only or selling online, and access to dealers is limited.
While Oberth and Morgan have the beginning of a good idea but it does not go far enough. New collectors want experiences, and their collections represent something about their experiences.
Other collecting industries learned this the hard way. During the market downturn of 2008, most industries retrenched and figured out a way to revive old hobbies. The comics industry was not as vibrant. The idea of changing the industry beyond the paper book was not something the publishers wanted to do because it was the lifeblood of the industry.
The publishers realized that paper-based products were on their way out. The industry diversified with ancillary products, including movies, modern stories, collectibles, and experiences. One of the attempts to expand their reach was to embrace the existing ComicCons. The publishers poured more money into the ComicCons and used the larger Cons to launch products.
During the podcast, Oberth and Morgan all but dismiss the ideas learned from the comics industry. Rather than trying to figure out a way to make coin collecting an experience, they are giving away low-end coins trying to entice distracted Millenials and GenXers into coin shops.
The simple coin design was quickly replaced, leaving only 40 or so surviving specimens today. Courtesy of Morton and Eden → Read more at smithsonianmag.com
THE 1955 Lincoln obverse cent is one of the most unique coins in existence and you're very lucky if you happen to have one in your possession. Since 1909, the US Mint has struck cents that feature 16th US President Abraham Lincoln. → Read more at the-sun.com
Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and all other names given to special holiday sale days are relics of the past. Times have changed. Black Friday is no longer the day that most retailers begin to show a profit for the year. And with broadband available in many homes, the significance of Cyber Monday has disappeared as quickly as it arrived.
What has not changed is the desire to find gifts at a reasonable price. You can find sales on manufactured goods that do not have a supply chain issue, but you cannot find sales on collectibles.
The collectibles market remains very active. If it is collected, then the prices are higher than expected. I was reminded of this by a friend who has been saving to buy his first Carson City Morgan Dollar. When he thought he had saved enough, the price of the coin he wanted was now 20-percent more expensive.
Although collector coins are going up in value, there are affordable coins that can be stocking stuffers. Over the next week, I will look into what could become a gift for the collector in your life.
YOU might be surprised what your spare change could sell for online – and you would be quite fortunate to find a VDB penny. Typically, what makes a coin rare is either low mintage or a unique error – and in some cases both. → Read more at the-sun.com
This coin commemorates the 300th anniversary of the landing of the Mayflower. The image is of a pilgrim carrying a Bible.
The image is of the Mayflower, the ship that brought the pilgrims to Massachusetts.
Thanksgiving in the United States is traced back to the Pilgrims’ celebration of their first successful harvest in 1621. The three-day event was attended by 53 Pilgrims and 90 Native Americans that lasted three days. The tradition of giving thanks for successes was a tradition that the Pilgrims brought with them from England. This three-day celebration in 1621 is considered the first Thanksgiving.
Although there is no record of the menu, the meal likely consisted of food from the harvest, venison, and seafood. Legend has it that the local natives killed five deer as gifts for the celebration.
On the 400th anniversary of that event, Native Americans have been working on setting the record straight. One difference from the original story is that the local natives were not invited. The story goes that the warriors showed up when they heard gunshots coming from the European camps thinking that a war was to begin. It was not a war, but the colonists were shooting muskets to celebrate.
Uncovering historical information is similar to using ancient coins to gain a better understanding of history. If we better understand our past, we can improve the future. Let’s improve the future by being thankful and welcoming to all who call this country home.
When I created the poll asking whether the U.S. Mint should continue the Morgan and Peace dollar program, I expected most people would favor the program, but I did not realize how positive some people would be.
The email responses have ranged from people reconnecting with their parents collecting coins to the few who thought it was the biggest disaster since clad coinage.
One teacher said that she uses the quarters programs as a teaching tool. The coins allow her to talk about history using the depictions on the reverse. She has sets of Presidential and Native American dollars that are props to talk about those subjects. “They are great to introduce the kids to the 19th century presidents people don’t normally talk about,” she wrote.
Several people wrote how they plan to visit every national park or forest featured on the America the Beautiful Quarters Program reverse. Some have started their journey with the closest parks. One New England-based family has a quarters map and will insert a coin into every state after visiting a park.
One mom of Native American descent uses the Native American Dollar Coins to teach her children about their cultural history. “These coins have some of the best designs,” she wrote.
Comments about the Morgan and Peace dollar coins thought that using classic designs on modern coins gives new collectors access to those designs. “Given the rising cost of everything these days,” he wrote, “the U.S. Mint would allow more people to afford nice examples of popular gold coin designs.”
Currently, 69 of 95 voters said “Yes, I love them” to the poll. As we begin the season of giving thanks, let’s see whom else wants to weigh in.
Should the U.S. Mint Continue to Strike Morgan and Peace Dollars
Yes, I love them. (69%, 86 Votes)
NO! (insert your reason here) (14%, 18 Votes)
Ok, but I probably won't buy them (9%, 11 Votes)
I don't know... maybe. I mean if people really want to buy them... (8%, 10 Votes)
The U.S. Mint announced that they completed producing 2021 American Eagle bullion coins and will distribute the last of their inventory by next week. They are producing 2022 coins for distribution beginning on January 3, 2022.
The supply chain continues to plague the change market, especially in less populated areas of the country. Smaller towns, including in the distant suburbs in metropolitan areas, continue to report coin shortages. Additionally, NGC reports that they have run out of new scratch-resistant holders. New submissions will be encased in the older-style holders—no word as to when they expect to have more in stock.
The American Numismatic Association is soliciting themes for the 99th National Coin Week, April 17-23, 2022. Submission should focus on the artistry featured on numismatic objects and the artists. Submissions should be no more than eight words and easy to remember.
The winning theme will receive a 2022 American Eagle proof silver dollar. The submission deadline is TOMORROW, Monday, November 22. ANA members can submit their idea on the ANA website.
News, News, News An amateur treasure hunter out for a casual day of using his new metal detector in the Danish countryside uncovered a stash of 22 gold medallions inscribed with mystical symbols, the Danish government recently announced. → Read more at kovels.com
Enlarge / Nuclear physicists used micro-XRF scanning to produce elemental maps for Roman denarii coins and their color overlays. K.V. → Read more at arstechnica.com
The FINANCIAL — A study of gold coins from different moments of the Roman Empire has revealed the thriving economy at the time of minting, according to UKRI. To reach this conclusion, researchers brought three Roman coins to the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s ISIS Neutron and Muon Source for analysis. → Read more at finchannel.com
2022 National Purple Heart Hall of Honor Commemorative Half-Dollar Reverse
The news came hot and heavy this week. First, the U.S. Mint announced the designs for the 2022 commemorative coin programs, including the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum coins. Of all the baseball designs by the U.S. Mint, the NLBM commemorative coins are the best designs.
I am looking forward to the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor commemorative. Of the designs introduced, it will be interesting to see the implementation of the half-dollar reverse. As a line-art drawing, it can capture the feeling of the impact of the effect of a soldier earning the Purple Heart. It triggers memories of my grandfather, who earned his Purple Heart on the battlefield in Italy during World War I.
The biggest news of the week is the U.S. Mint saying they will continue the Morgan and Peace dollar programs in 2022. Based on the email I received, collectors seem to be excited about the future of this program. I am still looking for a Peace dollar in its original government package. If anyone is selling, contact me, and let’s make a deal.
Under the news radar was the sale of the Hawaii Five-01913 Liberty Head Nickel. The coin once owned by COL E.H.R. Green featured on an episode of the original Hawaii Five-0 television series, sold for the 14th time. Stack’s Bowers brokered the coins, graded PF the 64+ by NGC, sold for $4 million in a private sale.
Although it is fair to ask, was this news under the radar, or has the sale of coins breaking the $10 million barrier making a mere $4 million sale seem pedestrian?
An unnamed treasure hunter discovered the majority of the coins and gold objects between 2014 and 2020. British Museum → Read more at smithsonianmag.com
After acquiring more than 2,800 rare Islamic silver coins earlier this year, Louvre Abu Dhabi is preparing to unveil the objects as part of a two-year project. Photo: DCT Abu Dhabi → Read more at thenationalnews.com
Minted in Canterbury between 1493 and 1499, the silver half groat dates to the middle of Henry VII's reign, when a rebellion led by pretender Perkin Warbeck threatened to unseat the nascent Tudor dynasty. → Read more at smithsonianmag.com
RARE coins can sell online for a pretty penny, especially full collections. A set of 13 Morgan Silver Dollar coins sold for more than $3,000 earlier this month. → Read more at the-sun.com
On Friday, the Government Printing Office updated S. 2384, the Semiquincentennial Commemorative Coin Act, to include a summary. If passed, the bill will create a commemorative coin program in 2026 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of declaring our independence from England.
S. 2384: Semiquincentennial Commemorative Coin Act
Sponsor: Sen. Patrick J. Toomey (R-PA)
Introduced: July 20, 2021
Summary: This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue $25.00 gold coins, $2.50 silver coins, 25 cent clad coins, and proof silver $2.50 coins in commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the establishment of the United States. The designs of the coins shall be emblematic of the semiquincentennial anniversary of the establishment of the United States of America and celebrate 250 years of our nation. On each coin there shall be
a designation of the value of the coin;
an inscription of the years 1776-2026; and
inscriptions of the words Liberty, In God We Trust, United States of America, and E Pluribus Unum.
Treasury may issue coins under this bill only during the period beginning on January 1, 2026, and ending on December 31, 2026. All sales of coins issued shall include a surcharge as prescribed by this bill. All surcharges received by Treasury from the sale of such coins shall be paid to the America 250 Foundation to fund the restoration, rehabilitation, and interpretation of units of the U.S. National Park System and its related areas, as a legacy of the semiquincentennial commemoration.
Introduced in Senate — Jul 20, 2021
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. — Jul 20, 2021
An interesting addition to the bill is in Section 3, Paragraph d that reads:
(d) Mintage Limit Exception.—If the Secretary determines, based on independent, market based research conducted by the designated recipient organization identified in section 7(b) that the mintage levels described under this subsection are not adequate to meet public demand, the Secretary may increase the mintage levels as the Secretary determines is necessary to meet public demand.
If the America 250 Foundation finds that the mintage limits are too low, the U.S. Mint can strike more coins without asking permission. Given the current status of the U.S. Mint, it will be interesting to see how it is implemented.
December 3, 2021
→ Read more at 
Loading ...
On Friday, the Government Printing Office updated 
