Weekly World Numismatic News for August 18, 2019
This past week the World’s Fair of Money was held in Rosemont, just outside of Chicago. I wish I knew more of what happened, but the coverage of the show was its usual light to non-existent.
For years, I have been calling for the ANA to broadcast from the convention. For many years, I have been saying that when the collector cannot go to the show, the show must go to the collector. Nearly every other industry that holds a significant show finds ways of broadcasting part of the show to people who cannot attend.
One of the reasons I could not be at the World’s Fair of Money was because I was attending two seminars from another show. These were classes that are required so that I can become a licensed appraiser. Rather then travel to the show, I was able to view these seminars as they occurred. The conferencing software also allowed me to ask questions.
For next year’s show, I would like to see the ANA start to broadcast the Money Talks programs. All business-related items like the meeting of the Board of Governors session could appear on a live stream. Let’s start with that before I go into the rest of my wishlist.
And now the news…
August 10, 2019The Royal Mint has revealed no new 1p or 2p coins were struck over the last year. Is the future of copper coins under threat again? 
→ Read more at which.co.uk
August 12, 2019The government’s latest wheeze to convince us that Brexit means Brexit was announced this weekend. Sajid Javid is drawing up plans for millions of 50p coins to be issued when the UK leaves the EU later this year. → Read more at independent.co.uk
August 14, 2019To ensure you the best experience, we use cookies on our website for technical, analytical and marketing purposes. By continuing to browse our site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. → Read more at antiquestradegazette.com
August 15, 2019Sen. Roy Blunt wants a commemorative coin to honor Negro League Baseball when it celebrates its 100 year anniversary in 2020. The Missouri Republican talked about his coin push during a tour of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, this week. → Read more at rollcall.com
August 15, 2019A woman from Asten found a very peculiar coin when she emptied out her purse after her vacation on Wednesday. A 2-euro coin, with the image of Princess Beatrix on it, that had also been minted with an image of an eagle with a swastika under it, De Gelderlander reports. → Read more at nltimes.nl
Olympic Commemorative Bank Notes
I am not a big fan of the Olympics. There are certain sports that intrigue me, but the drama of these games have drawn me in. Whether it is Michael Phelps, Dara Torrez, the beach volleyball teams, or even the running of Ussain “Lightning” Bolt, I found these games intriguing. I do understand the political aspects of the games and the comparison that I and others have to the 1936 Berlin Olympics, but that is not why I am writing today.
Numismatically, the 2008 Beijing Olympics has produced interesting collectibles. One collectible many have missed is a 10 Yuan note with an image of the The National Stadium, nicknamed the Bird’s Nest, rather than the traditional image of Chairman Mao Tse-tung. The reverse has the primary image of a discus thrower and smaller vignettes of other activities.
Although these notes are being printed as Renminbi, People’s Money, it is being reported that just enough of the notes are being printed for distribution within the Olympic Village. Traditional 10 Yuan Renminbi including the portrait of Chairman Mao will continue to be distributed to the rest of the country.
As of August 22, 2008, 10 Yuan Renminbi is worth US$1.46.
The Bank of China (Hong Kong) (BOCHK) also issued a HK$20 note (US$2.56). Long lines were reported outside BOCHK offices when the notes were made available to the public. Although 4 million notes will be printed, they are not expected to see circulation. Reports say that 3.76 million notes will be sold in Hong Kong for HK$138 (US$17.68) to HK$1,338 (US$171.53).
BOCHK will be offering several collecting options that will be offered through authorized dealers.
These are nice options for currency collectors and collectors of Olympics commemoratives.
10 Yuan Note from Reuters/China Daily
HK$20 note from China Daily
Click on the image to enlarge.
Thank You For The Dollars?
It is not new that the various dollar coins have not been circulating as the US Mint and congress would like. It is also not new that congress refuses to eliminate the one-dollar note even though there are more incentives to eliminate the paper note. What is new is the new attempt at marketing ploy to try to convince people to use the one dollar coins.
According to Golin Harris, Campbell-Ewald, and Momentum Worldwide, the partnership that will market the dollar coin for the Mint, the campaign will highlight the “green” aspect of the dollar coin. No, not green the color, but green as in recyclable and environmental friendly.
According to Ellen Ryan Mardiks, GolinHarris chief client officer:
With the $1 Presidential Coin, every man, woman and child will make a personal statement about the money they spend. The coin is 100 percent recyclable and lasts for decades, offering consumers—and Mother Earth—tangible benefits that are especially relevant today. In addition, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) estimates that increased usage of the coin can save our country as much as $5 billion over the next ten years. The time is right for consumers to embrace the $1 coin, and we intend to show them these benefits through a creative and dynamic integrated marketing campaign.
For some reason when I read this, I thought about the movie Thank You for Smoking. What do you think?
Pick Up That Penny
I like hunting for coins in change. But it has been since early June since my last find. Maybe instead of looking in my pocket, I should look at the ground. I was pointed to a story about two different people who hunt for change on the ground. They never pass any coin lying by itself waiting to be picked up.
One profile was the Humphrey family from Staten Island, New York who catalogs their finds on their blog, The Changepot. They post little snippets about their finds including what they were doing at the time. As I write this, the blog reports that they have found $383.65 in 2008 and $1,039.89 since 2005.
Scott Caulfield hunts for lost change in St. Louis, Missouri. According to his blog, Thoughts from the Change Race, Scott started as a race against a friend. At this time, he writes about his finds which now totals $275.55.
Sally Herships, who reports on the story, wrote about her “research” into the story on SoHoSally’s Blog. In 18 days Sally found 27-cents. I am surprised she did not find more in SoHo, a great neighborhood in New York City.
Caulfield, the Humphrey family, and the good people at Common Cents shows that “it’s just a penny” is worth being picked up. I may have to start looking down as I go through my day!
Silver Eagle Proofs Not On Sale
This morning, I was checking the prices of the various commodities market and noticed that metal prices rose a little in foreign markets. Gold is hovering just below $800 per ounce and silver is under $13. Both are significantly lower than their recent six-month highs. It made me curious as to whether the US Mint is still selling gold and silver at a significant premium.
As I looked through their online catalog, I noticed that Proof American Silver Eagles are no longer for sale!
Legally, there are no limits on the number of proof American Silver Eagles that may be sold. But the Mint has placed limits on the sale of these coins. In 2003, there was a published limit of 750,000 coins. However, since 2005, the Mint does not report there being any limit on the sales of American Silver Eagle proof coins.
Last week, the Mint halted gold bullion sales to dealers. A move that has been speculated to be tied to the downward trend in the price of gold. But American Eagle gold collectible coins remain for sale at their previous prices.
Are the American Silver Eagle proofs sold out or is there a production issue that the Mint has yet to announce? Inquiries to the Mint have not been unanswer at this time. Stay tuned.
A Different Error Collectible
An interesting part of coin collecting is to find a different niche that adds more to the collection than just the coin. I started with coin covers when the US Mint introduced them for various coins, including the 50 State Quarters series. Then I found that coin covers are popular in Europe, specifically in Great Britain and Australia where they refer to these collectibles as philatelic numismatic covers (PNC), to distinguish them from others like first day covers (FDC).
Recently, I was searching for PNCs on that famous online auction website when I came across an interesting cover. It was postmarked in 1972 and included a coin with an off-center strike. I did not know much about the cover but purchased it anyway because it had that “oh neat” quality.
When I received the cover, I examined it closely. It appears to be a souvenir from the Error-A-Rama Error Coin Convention held in 1974 at the El Cortez Hotel in San Diego. The convention is sponsored by the Numismatic Error Collectors of America, one of the two clubs that were merged to form today’s Combined Organizations of Numismatic Error Collectors of America (CONECA). The stamp was the common 8-cent stamp for the day and the postmark was made on the first day of the convention.
The coin is a Lincoln Cent that was struck 90-percent off center. The coin is held in place by a piece of cellophane tape on the reverse wit the entire inner card being wrapped in plastic. The envelope is sealed with the logo of the San Diego club and initials on the flap.
To find out more information, I wrote to several error experts sending images of the cover. I received a response from noted error expert and dealer Fred Weinberg. Weinberg said that the initials on the back of the cover are of Jim Heine, one of the organizer’s of the San Diego error club—one of three Southern California error clubs of the late 1960s through the mid 1970s.
“Covers like this were signed to both ‘authenticate’ the item,” Weinberg wrote, “and to show that the envelope hadn’t been opened or tampered with.”
Weinberg reports that these covers were issued for the Error-A-Rama shows in the 1970s. While there are no records of the number of covers made, Weinberg estimates that “at least 100-200 or so covers were made up” He also said that Heine also sold his own series of error covers with different error coins.
Aside being an interesting collectible, it is wonderful to be part of a hobby where you can email a leading expert for more information. I met Fred Weinberg at the World’s Fair of Money in Baltimore and thanked him in person. But I would like to repeat my appreciation here: THANK YOU, FRED!
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