Welcome to Something About Coins!
The initial numbers are in, and the Uncirculated U.S. Mint Set sales were high. One article reported
that the Mint made over $8 million in four days on that product alone. It's always a popular product, but this year it's special, with more coins than any annual set. According to the article, buying the Uncirculated Mint Set is the only way to finish a complete collection of this year's Lincoln Cents, Quarters, Presidential $1 coins, and Native American Dollar.
There's a new book telling the unique history and journey of the rare 1804 Plain-4 Gold Eagle coin, and it's called "King of Eagles." The remarkable story is told by someone who should know it well, Dean Albanese of Albanese Rare Coins. In a 2007 press release, he said he's sold the coin three times, and in that press release, the 1804 $10 gold coin graded NGC Proof 65 Ultra Cameo sold for a record $5 million. The value isn't the whole story, the fact that four special 1804 coins were struck in 1834 is sort of the beginning.
Another interesting U.S. coin is the 1876-CC 20-cent piece. No, the interesting part doesn't involve a journey across an ocean, but this type of coin has its own mysteries. Paul Green asks why the lowest graded 1876-CC is an MS-61 and wonders where all the others are. His article on NumisMaster.com examines the issue.
Obverse and reverse sides of a coin are usually obvious, but as Alan Herbert of Coins Magazine points out, they can also be debatable for many coins. Thankfully, he wrote two policies in his article to decide which is which. There are, of course, exceptions to the rules, and he explains those as well.
Finally, since there won't be any 2009 uncirculated American Silver Eagles, I thought it was interesting to find that the U.S. Mint is still selling 2008 Uncirculated Silver Eagles on their web site. It won't make up for the missing 2009 Eagle in everyone's collection, but it is also interesting that the 2008 version is still available in October of 2009.
That's it! See you again tomorrow!
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