The Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) meeting that I previously reported would meet on November 2 is now scheduled to meet on November 14. The primary agenda continues to be to review the designs for the obverse for the 2008 Presidential $1 coins and discussion of the CCAC Annual Report.
CCAC meetings are open to the public. Meetings are held at the US Mint Headquarters, 801 9th Street NW, Washington, DC, in Conference Room A on the 2nd Floor.
The US Mint announced on October 27 that they have begun striking San Francisco Commemorative silver proof coins at the San Francisco branch mint. Representative Nancy Pelosi and Senator Dianne Feinstein joined members of the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society to witness the striking ceremony.
Authorized by Public Law 109-230 [GPO: text/pdf], San Francisco Old Mint Commemorative Coin Act “require[s] the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the Old Mint at San Francisco, otherwise known as the ‘Granite Lady’.” Sales of the commemoratives will include a $35 surcharge for the gold coin and $10 for each silver coin. Proceeds will be distributed to the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society to rehabilitate “the Historic Old Mint in San Francisco as a city museum and an American Coin and Gold Rush Museum.” It has a potential to raise $8.5 million for the project.
The silver commemorative will be minted in a 90-percent silver and 10-percent copper alloy with the obverse design based on the San Francisco Mint Medal by Sherl J. Winter. The reverse will use the reverse design of the 1904 Morgan Dollar design by George T. Morgan.
Four months from passage of the law to first striking is the government and coin process mechanisms moving at light speed. Let’s hope that the coin will be as impressive as it sounds and produced in a similarly impressive manner.
One year ago, I started this blog by writing:
After spending some time to unpack and decorate, I am ready to welcome all readers to my blog on Coin Collecting. I started this blog to share my passion for coin collecting, share some news, and allow other collectors to converse about collecting and even brag about their collections.
Today, I celebrate one year of blogging with my one hundredth posting.
During the last year, I have written 99 different articles on numismatic gifts I’ve received, finds in pocket change, local shows, up coming collectibles, and many other topics. Each article being something of interest to me or the numismatic community and each a joy to write.
As part of writing this blog, I have been researching various topics and providing links to more information. These links are collected in an electronic notebook which is available to anyone by clicking on Numismatic Links on the sidebar to the left. Over the next few months I want to clean up the links and see about making them a more generic resource rather than be tied to blog entries.
The inner artist in me also created some numismatic-related artwork which is available on t-shirts and hats from the Collector’s Pride Store hosted on CafePress. I have a ideas for designs that I will try and may even solicit suggestions on new items.
I will continue to write and report on numismatics from my experiences and the numismatic-related news I find. I think this is fun and from the responses from my readers, some of you do, too! If you have any suggestions or comments, feel free to post them here or send me an email. I look forward to the hearing from you!
Thank you for reading!
I have been collecting coins off-and-on for over 35 years. I started searching my father’s change for wheat back cents and silver dimes, which were disappearing in the late 1960’s. When I started delivering the local afternoon newspaper, I was filling the holes in my blue folders. Later, my father helped complete a set of silver Roosevelt dimes by purchasing the missing coins and album from a dealer.
Like most people who started at a young age, my interest waned as I found other interests. As a poor college student, the saving of my pennies went to play penny-ante poker on the weekends in the dorm with the winnings going to after game libations. As I entered the workforce, I began to hunt through my change looking for the rare silver coin, wheat cent, bicentennial quarters, and the odd foreign coin.
When the American Eagle program started in 1986, my father began been buying American Silver Eagle proof for me as they are released by the US Mint. Thanks to him, I have a near-complete 20 year proof set—mission only the 1995-W 10th Anniversary Proof. Regardless of the difference that exist between father and son, coin collecting is one thing we share. Our collections may differ, but we have an interest in many of the new coins issued by the Mint. Then, with the 50 State Quarters® program and looking for something to do after my first wife died from cancer, I jumped back into coin collecting with both feet.
A few weeks ago, my father and I were talking about the new offers from the Mint. I mentioned that one coin I was interested in is the American Buffalo gold bullion coin. Like the Buffalo Nickel it was based on, if is a truely American design unlike any other coin ever minted. It is the only coin that represents a native American on one side and a beast that represents the growth and strength of a nation. But alas, the proof version is being sold for $800 from the Mint. Secondary market mark-ups start at $825 and have been as high as $1100! I joked about trying to sell more coins on eBay so that I could afford to buy one. The conversation moved onto the 20th Anniversary American Eagle sets and to the other Mint offerings.
After oversleeping last Friday, I was rushing to leave for work when a delivery person rang the doorbell asking for my signature in order to deliver a package. After scrawling a pseudo-signature on his handheld device, I looked at the return address and recognized that it was a delivery from the Mint. Knowing I was waiting for an order I placed, I opened the package and was curious to find one small blue box that is similar to those used for the American Eagle coins.
Once I opened the box and opened the velvet case, I was struck by the shiny beauty of a one-ounce proof American Buffalo $50 gold coin! What a beautiful coin. It is very faithful to the Type 1 Buffalo Nickel down to the “rough” background of the original. The contrast of the proof strike makes is a fitting tribute to James Earle Fraser’s design and the workmanship at the West Point branch mint. Although I am attaching pictures to this article and the Mint provides their pictures, no picture can do this coin justice.
But wait… I didn’t order this coin! I fumbled for the enclosed invoice and found that my father bought the coin and had it shipped directly to me. In my surprise, I called my father to thank him. I am still surprised and still thankful for such a wonderful coin.
Other than allowing me to show off, I hope this will inspire parents of young numismatists to maintain this interest over the years. Even if your interests may change and collection goals differ, numismatics is something that will get you through those tough times until the kids figure out that their parents aren’t as stupid as we thought they were!
Tuesday, the trial of Tom Noe, the indicted coin dealer who was charged with 44 felony counts for allegedly bilking the Ohio Bureau of Worker’s Compensation (BWC), began last Tuesday with opening statements and prosecution testimony. Prosecution opened with Noe’s former cataloger talking about the coins and the free flow of money. Testimony was followed by an appraiser from Southeby’s who said that he was surprised to find “millions of dollars” collectible Americana which was said to have been bought with proceeds from coin sales.
Last month, Noe pleaded guilty to three counts of campaign finance violations and was sentenced to 27 months in prison. Noe remains free on $500,000 bail during this trial.
Readers can follow the story at the Toledo Blade. Unless something extrordinary happens, I will report on the verdict when it is handed down.
The Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) will meet Thursday, November 2, 2006, at 10 A.M. The primary agenda will be to review the designs for the obverse for the 2008 Presidential $1 coins. Also on the agenda is a discussion of CCAC’s Annual Report.
CCAC meetings are open to the public. Meetings are held at the US Mint Headquarters, 801 9th Street NW, Washington, DC, in Conference Room A on the 2nd Floor.
The White House announced today that President Bush signed H.R. 4902, the “Byron Nelson Congressional Gold Medal Act” authorizing the award of “a congressional gold medal to Byron Nelson in Recoginition of his contributions to the game of golf as a player, a teacher, and a commentator.” This bill allows for the minting of duplicate medals in gold and bronze at a price and quantity set by the Secretary of the Treasury. Procedes will be used to cover the cost of minting with the balance deposited into the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
I have a modest collection of Canadian coins. Nothing special. Just some circulating coins and Silver Maple Leaf bullion coins. So when I received a note about the release of new Maple Leaf coins, I thought that it was just another alternative Mapel Leaf from the Royal Canadian Mint. The RCM has a lot of products for collectors that seems a bit too much. I limit my purchases to silver Maple Leaf coins and circulating coins.
When I finally read my email, it was from a Canadian dealer announcing the availability of 2007 Maple Leaf coins. Like any good consumer I went to the RCM website to check the prices there, but found no 2007 coins listed. After visiting the websites of a few other Canadian dealers to find they were advertising 2007 coins, I called the one who sent the original note. It was explained to me that the RCM has minted and delivered limited number of “popular” collectibles to dealers to help boost sales with the holiday season coming. The RCM will post these coins for sale online in November.
This dealer had both the 2007 one ounce gold and silver Maple Leaf and the special 2006-2007 season coins commemorating Canadian hockey teams. These coins carry the 2007 date. He was expecting more coins later this week.
So to all our Canadian friends, Happy New Year!
With the exception of the South Dakota State Quarter, the US Mint will not be introducing any more new coins this year. The Mint still has yet to deliver the uncirculated American Eagle coins with the “W” mint mark, the Greetings from America partnership products with the US Postal Service, and the San Francisco Old Mint Commemorative coins. All this from a mint that produces more coins and medals than any other production facility in the world!
While we wait for the release of these product, this gives us time to look to next year. With the Westward Journey Nickel Series ending this year, the design that appears in your change today will continue into the future. The five states honored in the 50 State Quarters® program are Montana, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, and Utah. There will be one more year of State Quarters in 2008.
Coming in 2007 will be the start of the Presidential $1 Coin Act. Beginning in 2007, the Mint will issue one dollar coins commemorating the past Presidents of the United States, four presidents per year (for more information see my article The Presidential $1 Circulating Commemorative). The presidents featured in 2007 will be George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison. Also being featured on their own ten dollar gold commemorative are the First Ladies Martha Washington, Abigail Adams, Martha Jefferson, and Dolley Madison.
For the fans of commemorative coins, 2007 will bring the Jamestown 400th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Program honoring the 400th anniversary of the Jamestown Settlement. For more on this program, see my article Commemorating 400 Years of Living in America.
It will be interesting to see how the Mint presents these programs. One prediction will be the continuation of the First Day Coin Covers as part of the Presidential $1 Coin series. Stay tuned!
A friend sent an article from Canadian Broadcast Company website entitled RCMP find fake coin factory near Montreal. The story claims that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Quebec Police “have broken up a highly sophisticated counterfeit ring that was manufacturing fake loonies and toonies”
For those who do not collect or use Canadian money, loonie; is the nickname of the Canadian one dollar coin. The name was adopted because the reverse of the coin has an image of the common loon. The toonie is the nickname of the Canadian two dollar coin as being worth “two loonies.”
The RCMP said that this is the first time that they have seen a counterfeit coin ring in Canada and worry about the number of coins that have been placed in circulation. It is being reported that the quality of the coins are so good that it may be difficult for the ordinary consumer to tell the difference between the real and fake coins.
It would be interesting to have a copy of these coins as a collectible. If you have one of these loonies or toonies, and can verify that they are counterfeit, I will pay US$10 (total, plus postage) for one of each of the fake coins plus a real 2006 loonie and toonie. Package them as tokens and numismatic collectible that are not to be used as currency to satisfy customs requirements. Contact me to make arrangements.
Buy me a coffee
Are you going to the World's Fair of Money
Total Voters: 17
Loading ...