My story of the week comes from England, where a father, separated from the boy’s mother, lives 100 miles away from his son. To maintain their bond, the father and son collect coins.

Aside from using coins as their bond, the video notes that when they are together, the pair looks for coins in Britain’s version of thrift stores. Some of the stores are run by charitable organizations whose inventory relies on donations.

Jacob, 7, and his dad John are not hunting high-end coins. They are looking for interesting pieces, filling holes from pocket change, and anything else they can find. It is father and son time over a shared interest that each can do on their own and talk about later.

Watch the video below. Maybe it will give you an idea as to how to use coins to bond with your children.

And now the news…

 January 6, 2020

HUDSON, Wis. — St. Croix County prosecutors last week charged a Minnesota woman accused of stealing more than $42,000 worth of coins from her deceased father’s property in rural Somerset. Willernie resident Kathy L.  → Read more at rivertowns.net

 January 6, 2020

Local News by: Posted: Jan 6, 2020 / 11:41 AM MST / Updated:  → Read more at krqe.com

 January 9, 2020

Piggy bank full of gold coins An incredible find has just been made in Israel when lucky archaeologists discovered a series of gold coins hidden in what appears to be an ancient “piggy bank”.  → Read more at thevintagenews.com

 January 10, 2020

“How many people will I annoy when I try to pay with 18 coins?” I thought to myself.  → Read more at buffalonews.com

 January 12, 2020

A father who lives almost 100 miles away from his seven-year-old son says coin collecting has brought them closer together. John Gamble introduced Jacob to the hobby after separating from his partner.  → Read more at bbc.com

 January 12, 2020

It's a little discrepancy you may never even have noticed before but, once you spot it, it's hard not to wonder why. Queen Elizabeth's iconic profile faces to the left on postage stamps, perhaps so she can read the postcards, but to the right on all coins.  → Read more at mylondon.news

 January 12, 2020

Editor's Note: 2020 is expected to be another year of significant uncertainty and turmoil. But the question is what asset will emerge the victor when the dust settles from the global trade war, Brexit, recession threats, negative bond yields.  → Read more at kitco.com

 January 12, 2020

Keep an eye out for a shiny new quarter with a raised image of fruit bats and be careful not to let the coin fly out of your wallet or pocket. As part of the U.S.  → Read more at abcnews.go.com

After a week of being busier than a one-armed paper hanger, I sat down to write a blog post and found that this was marked as a draft and never published. Sorry for the delay!

The Brits love collecting these coins that would be called “gimmicks” in the United States
(Royal Mint image)

The study that was commissioned by the Royal Mint sampled 2,000 adults and showed that more than 50-percent of the respondents collected coins or stamps, the most in the survey.

Although age was a factor in the type and size of the collection, the study showed that themed coins were more popular with younger collectors than the traditional set building.

When it comes to advancement in electronic payments, e-commerce, and similar conveniences, the UK is no different than the United States. One Bank of England study showed that younger adults are adapting to credit cards and electronic payment options more than their parents and grandparents. The difference is that the average value of the transactions is higher.

In addition to the 1-, 2-, 5-, 10-, 20-, and 50-pence coins, the Royal Mint produces £1 and £2 circulating coins. Brittons are used to carrying these coins and using them for low-value transactions. While many stores will accept micro-transactions using credit cards, the cost structures are different that using coins is encouraged.

In the United States, the credit card companies have pushed the use of cards to the point of lowering transaction fees to the merchants to encourage microtransactions. While it is common to see someone in the United States pay for a $2 large soda with a credit card, the studies show that this does not happen as much in the United Kingdom.

Aside from the societal norms that continue to promote coins for commerce, the Royal Mint has done an excellent job promoting coin collecting by producing different designs. They produced 20p and 50p circulating coins that have promoted various aspects of British cultural history. It is common to see weekly stories of a limited edition circulating coins to sell for high values in online auctions.

Not only are these coins accepted by the British numismatic community, but they are also used to promote the hobby more than the sovereigns of the higher-priced collectibles. News reports demonstrate that the British collecting public would instead collect coins about Wallace & Gromit or Paddington Bear than a sovereign.

Rather than embrace change in United States coinage, the numismatic Illuminati would rather bemoan the state of “modern coinage.” They forgot how the 50 States Quarters Program brought back interest in collecting coins. But they were happy when people started showing up at their shops and shows while ignoring the hucksters out there who were selling overpriced packages which has lead to giving the hobby a proverbial black eye.

The situation is understandable. Dealers have to make a living, and it is more profitable to sell Morgan Dollars than it is to sell Presidential Dollars. Unfortunately, the way dealers turn their noses up to the lower-end market is turning away future customers. Collectors have to start somewhere and if it means getting someone interested in collecting National Parks Quarters or encouraging a series of quarters based on cultural icons, then embrace the change. Your future may depend on it!

And now the news…

 December 3, 2019

Half of Brits are proud owners of a collection – including everything from coins and fridge magnets to items from hotels. Stamps, candles and pens also made the list of collectable pieces.  → Read more at mirror.co.uk

 December 3, 2019

ÇANAKKALE-Anadolu Agency Turkish archeologists have unearthed a 1,800-year coin thought to feature Paris, an ancient figure some have blamed for starting the legendary Trojan War. More historically, Paris may have also founded the ancient city of Parion in the coastal Canakkale province, in Turkey's northwest, near the unearthed traces of Troy.  → Read more at hurriyetdailynews.com

 December 3, 2019

A drill site at Ascot Resources’ Premier project. Credit: Ascot Resources  → Read more at mining.com

 December 3, 2019

A hoard of Anglo-Saxon coins discovered in a field by an amateur detectorist has fetched £90,000 at auction – three times its original estimate. The collection, made up of 99 "silver pennies" thought to be 1,000 years old, was found buried on farmland in Suffolk in March 2017.  → Read more at bbc.com

 December 6, 2019

Massachusetts regulators have taken legal action against Metals.com for allegedly convincing seniors to invest millions of dollars of retirement savings into overpriced precious metals. A Quartz investigation linked the company with a web of Facebook ads and websites that specifically target conservative retirees.  → Read more at qz.com

 December 6, 2019

In 2012, the federal government—at the time headed by Stephen Harper—began to devise a strategy to take the penny out of circulation in Canada. One of the reasons behind this rationale was simple: the cost of making a new one-cent coin was estimated at 1.6 cents per coin.  → Read more at princegeorgematters.com

Sorry for being late. It’s the holiday season and those of us in retail are busy!

‘Tis the season… for scams!

Ericsson DBH 1001 (ca. 1931), the first combined telephone made with a Bakelite housing and handset.

According to the AARP Fraud Watch Network, the people perpetrating the scams are skilled in the psychological warfare necessary to get the intended victim to believe them. Most target the elderly because they are the ones with psychological issues that come from aging, such as reduced functionalities, loss of loved ones, and a changing culture that they do not understand.

Although gold and silver scams are not new, scammers are using the confusing language of new laws that allows these criminals to hide behind the mumbo-jumbo of words.

Unfortunately, these slick-talking salespeople are good at what they do. The result is separating their mark from their money, leaving the victim broke.

The best suggestion to deal with this type of fraud is not to buy anything over the telephone from someone you do not know. It does not matter how professional they sound or good they make you feel. These people are not looking out for your best interest.

Also, do not fall for the “we will hold your gold or silver in our vaults and give you a receipt” scam. While there are legitimate companies that will offer this service, for a fee, others are not licensed or insured to keep your assets secure. If you fall for this scam, they will run away with your money while you hold onto a worthless piece of paper.

Unless you initiate the call to a verified telephone number, do not give out any personal information to the person on the other end of the line. Even if the person claims to be from a charity, you will not be able to verify whether their story is true or not. Just hang up and go on with your life. You will be happier that you did!

RECOMMENDATION: If you want to learn more about how scams occur and how to protect yourself and your loved ones from them, you will want to listen to The Perfect Scam, a podcast from AARP. Although I have heard about many of these scams, the podcast puts them into a broader context by discussing how widespread it is. If there is a vulnerable person in your life, you should listen to this podcast to learn about the signals that they may be in trouble from a scammer. You can listen to it on your favorite podcast app or visit the podcast’s homepage.

And now the news…

 November 26, 2019

A chest containing 60 coins believed to have been in circulation in the 19th and 20th centuries was discovered in the basement of a dilapidated building, Russia’s state news agency TASS reports. The find is estimated to be worth up to 1 million rubles, or £2,200.  → Read more at express.co.uk

 November 28, 2019

@pixabay.com A record-breaking coin auction was held recently at the Hotel Metropole in Monaco.  → Read more at hellomonaco.com

 November 28, 2019

The Royal Mint has launched its largest coin ever, a creation that measures 175mm in diameter, weighs 5kg and has a denomination of £5,000. The coin has been created as part of The Royal Mint’s new Great Engravers series, which pays homage to artists who have worked on British coinage.  → Read more at independent.co.uk

 November 28, 2019

Lithuania announced it would celebrate Jewish heritage with a special coin, which some critics charge features a symbol associated with far-right admirers of Holocaust perpetrators. The 10-euro coin celebrates 2020’s labeling in Lithuania as the Year of the Gaon of Vilna and Jewish Heritage” and features a menorah atop a local symbol known as the Columns of Gediminas, commemorating that 13th-century ruler.  → Read more at israelnationalnews.com

 November 28, 2019

Photo: Shutterstock  → Read more at twocents.lifehacker.com