Few things make me happier than music. I have been listening and playing music since I was young and learned to play the clarinet in elementary school. This was before I learned about collecting coins. As I get ready to fly to Chicago for this year’s World’s Fair of Money I keep hearing the Blues Brothers singing “Sweet Home Chicago!”
While you have image of Jake and Elwood Blues dancing on the stage at the Palace Hotel with the Chicago Police and the Good Ol’ Boys looking for justice and revenge, I am on my way to the Windy City to join other American Numismatic Association members in this year’s convention.
Over the next few days, I will be tweeting from the convention center. You can either follow @coinsblog on Twitter or use the widget on the right side of this page. I will also be adding pictures to Pinterest on the board I set up for this show. I will also try to provide a daily update here.
In the mean time, did you know that Augustus Saint-Gaudens, the designer of the last $20 gold double eagle and $10 eagle coins made for circulation also created statues that are in Chicago?
Credits
- Chicago collage is the box cover of the “Sweet Home Chicago” puzzle from Buffalo Games.
- Clip from the Blues Brothers is probably copyrighted by someone but it’s on YouTube and now linked here.
- Images of the statues by Augustus Saint Gaudens from the blog Public Art in Chicago.
Apr 14, 2013 | coins, news, other, personal
Series 1934 $1000 Federal Reserve Note
It is written as a one followed by three zeros.
In scientific notation it is written as 1 × 10³.
In the metric system, kilo- is the prefix for 1,000 of something like a kilogram is 1,000 grams or a kilometer is 1,000 meters.
A millennium is one thousand years.
One thousand days ago from today (April 14, 2013, the day this is posted) was Monday, July 19, 2010.
One thousand days from today will be Saturday, January 9, 2016. I wonder if it will snow?
“Grand” is slang for one thousand and Grover Cleveland appeared on the last one grand note produced by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
In Roman Numerals, one thousand is represented as “M.”
For the computer geeks, one thousand can be written as 1111101000 in binary, 01750 in octal (base 8), and 0x3E8 in hexadecimal (base 16).
If “A picture is worth a thousand words,” then what would one thousand blog posts be worth? You are reading what I never thought would occur. This is the one thousandth post to the Coin Collectors Blog!
When I started this blog on October 29, 2005, there were few websites for coin collectors. Back then, the numismatic publications were barely online and mostly as a place to subscribe to their print editions. Since starting this blog, there has been a growth in numismatic news outlets and other information. Rather than reporting the news, I moved to a little more analysis and opinion on the numismatic news of the day while keeping with other collecting information.
I like to think I started a trend but there are a lot of smart people out there with ideas of their own. I welcome them to online numismatic community.
It has been 7 years, 5 months, 16 days since my first post. I have had a lot of fun writing about my experiences, looking at the numismatic community, reporting some news, providing some analysis, and writing about whatever comes to mind. After all this time I can say that I am still having fun!
To those who have been around from the beginning, thank you for staying with me.
To those who joined since the beginning, thank you for reading.
Now onto the next 1000!
2007 Australia 1000 Dollars Lunar coins obverse
Jan 27, 2013 | ANA, news, personal
Montgomery County, Maryland—Newly installed Montgomery County Coin Club (MCCC) President Scott Barman announced that he would be running for a seat on the American Numismatic Association (ANA) Board of Governors.
“I would like to bring new ideas to the ANA that will increase its membership beyond the steady 25,000-28,000 of the last decade,” Scott said in his announcement. “Not only does the ANA need to embrace the future, but find ways of keeping young numismatists engaged after they reach 18 years old instead of waiting for them to find their way back after 40.”
Like many young numismatists, Scott’s collecting pursuits waned when he entered college. Although he carried his old blue folders and albums through adulthood, there was never time to engage in the hobby while growing a career and family. Like many, that changed in his 40s after becoming a widower.
Scott believes that if the technology was as available as it is today, he could have integrated collecting into his young adult activities into his life and continued with his collecting interests.
“Technology has changed a lot since I wrote my first program on punch cards,” Scott noted. “We use technology for everything from our work to talking with our neighbors. Schools teach classes online. Seminars are held online. Virtual organizations meet online. The ANA should embrace technology to keep those between 18 and 40 engaged.”
In keeping up with the technology industry, Scott knows that social media and computer-based learning are part of the fabric of life for those under 40. There is a lot that can be done with modest investments to keep young numismatists engaged as they advance to adulthood and help others interested to engage.
“A number of reports said that more than 3 million people were collecting State Quarters since the program started in 1999,” Scott said. “Why hasn’t that interest translated into more ANA members?”
Aside from making the services and resources of the ANA more available to its members, Scott is worried that the Association does not feel more accessible to the average collector. While the support from the commercial community is important, the ANA would benefit by engaging more collectors.
Building a service platform that the ANA can deliver its content to a wider audience will go a long way to engage current and new collectors. This will help make the ANA a leader in educating the public and possibly a model for similar organizations to emulate.
Another area that has to be addressed is the stability of the ANA Headquarters. For the second time, a dismissed executive director has chosen to pursue a claim against the ANA in court. This gives the appearance of a dysfunctional situation in Colorado Springs. Scott believes that the professionals working for the ANA are competent and qualified, but the Board of Governors must look into what it will take to create an atmosphere to support them and prevent the problems of the past.
“With support for the professionals in Colorado Springs and expanding the use of technology to engage more collectors, the future of the ANA will be very bright,” Scott added.
When Scott returned to collecting in 2002, he joined the Montgomery County Coin Club. Finding a club with an active membership, Scott embraced the challenge to become more active and looked to make an immediate impact. Shortly after joining, Scott became Webmaster of the MCCC website (montgomerycoinclub.org) and began to contribute to meetings with presentations. Eventually, Scott was elected to the MCCC Board of Directors before being first elected club president in 2008.
Scott served two terms as MCCC president including 2009, the club’s 50th anniversary. Club rules prohibited seeking a third consecutive term, so he became a board member and then vice president. Scott was elected president for 2013 and will continue to serve the club as its president and Webmaster.
After becoming hooked on numismatics again, Scott joined the ANA in 2003 and read everything he could find about his collecting interests. This has lead to Scott joining the American Israel Numismatic Association while collecting Israel currency and exploring his Jewish heritage, and the Royal Canadian Numismatic Association to learn more about Canadian coinage since his second wife’s family is from Canada.
Following his time as a club representative to the Maryland State Numismatic Association (MSNA), Scott became a member and the organization’s webmaster (mdstatenumisassn.org), board member, then was elected vice president for 2012. MSNA Vice President Scott Barman is serving his second term in 2013.
In 2005, Scott started the Coin Collectors Blog (coinsblog.ws) that he continues to write today. The Coin Collectors Blog is where Scott has spoken directly to other collectors writing about news, history, instructions, opinions, and whatever else has come to mind. This has lead to articles that have appeared in on-line and printed numismatic publications.
For the last year, Scott has worked with the ad-hoc ANA Technology Committee providing assistance to the ANA Board of Governors to repair and grow the ANA’s technology platforms. His work will continue with this committee and support it being made a permanent advisory committee to the ANA Board of Governors.
Recently, Scott has been working with the Gold & Silver Political Action Committee as political coordinator keeping the membership informed of the numismatic and precious metal news in his locale, Washington, DC.
When not involved in numismatics, Scott is an information security and systems architecture analyst for a not-for-profit corporation that works with the Federal Government. His job is to help the government build systems to serve the public and protect personal information. Scott holds a Bachelor of Science with a major in Computer Science from the University of Georgia and a Master of Information Systems Management with a concentration in information security and public policy management from Carnegie Mellon University.
Scott is currently finishing a book about collecting titled Enjoying Numismatics, A Conversation in Collecting. This will be published as an electronic book to reach the same audience he wants to interest in becoming ANA members.
Scott’s next project is tentatively titled The Policy and Politics of Money Manufacturing in the United States. The plan is to use his interest in public policy and numismatics and study what is behind the minting and printing of money in the United States. It will also help answer the perpetual question, “Why did the Mint do that?”
Scott’s collecting passion includes the coins of the 20th Century, numismatics representing his hometown of New York City and Inwood, Long Island; Maryland Colonial Currency; and Israel banknotes. He is also a fan of Philatelic Numismatic Covers also called coin covers with interesting themes.
Scott is passionate about collecting and the organizations that support the collector and dealer communities. He would like to use his unique background to bring a new perspective to the Board of Governors and to ensure the ANA’s future.
For more information, please contact Scott Barman at scott@vote4scott.info.
To read more about my platform, visit my campaign website at vote4scott.info.
Nov 24, 2012 | awards, exonumia, medals, personal
Cool collectibles come in various forms from a number of sources. This week, I received a nice collectible just for doing something I like to do: talk!
I have been a member of the Washington Numismatic Society for about a year and wanted to become involved. During the Whitman Show and the Maryland State Numismatic Association Annual Meeting, I was approached by the bulletin editor who is also a member of my home club sort of cornered me and convinced me to be the November program. He did not have to twist my arm (much) to get me to talk about Maryland Colonial Currency.
Not only have I posted articles about Maryland Colonial Currency (see this, this, that, and here), but I had published a full story in the Maryland Numismatist (Vol. 38, No. 1) that won the MSNA Article of the Year.
Since writing the article I had purchased a few notes and found more information. So I had taken the first presentation [PDF] I made to my coin club that inspired the articles and interest in Maryland colonial currency, and edited it for time and content.
After the presentation, I was presented with a bronze medal from WNS’s 75th Anniversary. WNS is the one of the oldest numismatic organizations in the area who celebrated their 75th anniversary in 2002. The medal is 38mm in diameter and 4mm at the thickest part of the design. It is nicely made by the Medallic Art Company of New York.
Doing this presentation not only reminded me that I have more research to fill in some of the details, but that I am missing notes in my collection. I also found a new group of collectors in the area to learn from, which is always good. I paid my dues for 2013 and hope to attend more meetings.
Nov 3, 2012 | coins, fun, personal, video
It is homecoming weekend at my undergraduate alma mater. For the first time in many years, I am off to join other alumni to relive some good times from our youth in front of more than 92,000 of our closest friends. I’m sure we will find time to watch some football.
In the mean time, let me leave you with this video for a little weekend fun. Magician Rick Lax performs a trick to penetrate a clear drinking glass with a coin.
Rick Lax sent the link to me in hopes I would give him some free publicity. Since it is a cool trick and it only costs $19.95 to learn how to do it, I thought I would give him a shout out for the trick. Click here to learn more about the trick.
If you want to really have some fun, you can watch my personal Twitter stream. I might take some pictures before the game, from the field during pre-game, and provide other commentary during the game!
Oct 22, 2012 | coins, exonumia, fun, other, personal, tokens
My dream car… in model form!
Saturday was the 2012 Rockville Antique and Classic Car Show, a yearly show supported by 25 local and regional car clubs. When I arrived around 1 o’clock I saw a field with more than 500 antique and classic cars. Although I was not interested in some cars, there were others that were absolutely stunning. While I did not find a 1959 Cadillac, there were a few cars that I would love to own. You can see some of the cars I found and a quick video of the inside of a Volkswagen Bus visit on my page at Photobucket.†
While the 1959 Cadillac is my dream car, my nostalgic car is a 1973 Plymouth Gold Duster. While it was not my first car, it ranks one of my favorites from my early days. This Gold Duster was “sunshine yellow” with the brown snake-skin three-quarter covered vinyl top. The 225 Hemi Slant 6 engine output 145 horsepower but was more than enough for this car especially since it did not have air conditioning! My father bought it as a new car in 1973 and I “inherited” it in 1980 while in college. Unfortunately, it met its demise on a rainy road while trying to avoid hitting a dog.
To satisfy my nostalgia, I was looking at the wares of the flea market dealers in the adjacent lot when I came across a brochure for the 1973 Gold Duster. “Get Ready to Stake Your Claim” screams the headline on the front cover. Open the brochure and it tells you that “You’ve Discovered Gold Duster.” While admiring the picture that reminded me of my youth, I noticed the coin image at the bottom right corner that said:
If you cannot read the image, it says:
BLAKE & COMPANY $20.00 GOLD PIECE
This gold coin is a replica of the fame Twenty Dollar California Gold Piece, struck in about 1855, that bought sustenance during the days of the great Gold Rush.
This is a replica of only two known specimens. The originals are so rare no value has been established.
Notice the very fine detail and workmanship. The press embossed on the coin is a good representation of what a coin press looked like in the 1800’s. The milling around the edge of the coin was done to prevent shaving the coin—thereby decreasing its value. The original coins were .900 pure gold.
You can make a complete collection of famous United States coins by consulting the back page of this booklet.
Interested in what this collection can be, I turned over the brochure see a 1973 advertisement for 12 “authentic replicas” of the Chrysler-Plymouth “Old West” Coin Collection. The collection appears to be replicas of various assay tokens from the famous gold assayers of the time. For $7.75 per set (or $40.39 today), you could have ordered a full set along with a vinyl/velour folder.
Chrysler-Plymouth “Old West” Coin Collection Order Form from 1973 Plymouth Gold Duster Brochure
At the intersection of cars and numismatics I found fascinating piece of automotive advertising history with a numismatic slant. I do not know if a version of this set has survived—an Internet search yielded more copies of the brochure—but it would be interesting to find a set.
† At the time this is posted, I have not labeled the images on Photobucket. I hope to finish that sometime this week.
Sep 16, 2012 | administrative, personal
To all my Jewish readers,
L’shanah tovah tikatev v’taihatem
May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year
Medal image courtesy of the Israel Coins and Medals Corporation.
Mar 23, 2012 | news, personal
Please excuse me while I allow my ego to write this post!
If you are subscriber to Numismatic News and received your copy of the March 27, 2012 edition, there is a story with an interesting by-line featured on front page. Yes, this is the article about the 2012 Star-Spangled Banner Commemorative Coin launch that was written by your favorite blog host!
I had a lot of fun covering the launch event. I will be covering other numismatic-related happenings in the Washington, D.C.-area so that I can report about them here on the blog and, hopefully, in a fine publication like Numismatic News.
Sep 24, 2011 | administrative, personal
Hello. I hope you are still out there!
I am still here. I had to take time off to take care of something personal.
Over the next few days, I will post a few articles I started but did not have a chance to finish before having to take time off. I also have ideas about alternative collection options—one given to me by a member of my local coin club.
Having some time off, I had time to think about the blog and what to do in the future. I really like writing this blog and appreciate the feedback from those who read these articles. But it’s time to do more and make it more interesting. It’s time to go beyond the blog!
Over the next few months, I will be transitioning this blog off of Google’s Blogger to another hosting platform. Moving will allow me to offer more information in way that I can better manage from a central location. The new platform will include the blog, a podcast, and more. The “more” will be announced in the future.
To my advertisers: I sincerely THANK YOU for your support and I guarentee you will be transitioned to the new platform with the same terms and placement options as you have today. Eventually, there will be additional options to reach what I hope is a larger audience.
To my readers: Please patronize my advertisers. Keeping them happy will convince them to continue their support which will help with my new plans.
I promise you that my plans will be fun and different from what everyone else is doing.
Thank you for hanging out with me on the Coin Collector’s Blog. It has been a fun (almost) six years and I hope we can do many more together!
Last year I reviewed The Official 2013 Blackbook Price Guide to United States Coins I received as an e-book from the publisher. In that review I was surprised as to the quality information that was in the book including articles that were written by numismatists sharing their expertise with the collecting public. Unfortunately, some of the information seemed dated and needed updating. Apparently the editors agreed and worked to update information.
The chapter opens with a brief history of how computers and the Internet has advanced my collecting experiences. This includes a brief history of the Internet from its birth as ARPAnet through the invention of the birth of the World Wide Web and the services we now take for granted. I wrote it so that when you hear something Internet and web history in the news you have the background to understand why it is important.
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