Rather than reviewing a document, I am day dreaming about what I will find in Baltimore tomorrow. My biggest concern is how the price of gold and silver will effect coin prices. As I type this, gold closed at $787.20—hovering around the magic $800 price for most of the week—and silver closed at $14.52—nudging towards $15. Precious metals price watching has not been a big financial sport since the boom in 1980. We have already seen where it has affected the price of coins from the US Mint.
But I could be just worrying since I am not in the market for anything significant. In fact, I may be selling more than buying! After thinking about it, I decided to sell my set of modern dollars. The only coins worth more than $100 are a 1971 Eisenhower Dollar graded MS-65 by NGC and a 1999-P Susan B. Anthony Dollar with the Narrow Rim graded MS-65 by NGC. I am considering consigning them to one of the online auction houses to see what happens.
Finally, before I get back to work, the US Mint released the James Madison dollar today. As our fourth president, Madison was forced into the War of 1812 when the British Royal Navy blocked American trade with France while Britain and France were at war. The captured seamen were forced into conscription on behalf of the British. It was during the Battle of Baltimore that Francis Scott Key wrote the poem “The Defense of Fort McHenry,“ which is known today as the Star Spangled Banner.