Welcome to Something About Coins! Here are some quick summaries of various coin news from around the world.
Gail Bucknew on Fox Business described how people can profit from fake coins. She discusses counterfeiting and quotes several sources, like the Industry Council for Tangible Assets (ICTA), Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the Secret Service. In sum, buyers should verify the authenticity of a coin prior to purchase.
CoinValuesOnline.com and WorldMintCoins.com are talking about market values of the Lincoln Coin and Chronicles Sets. In Profits for the Patient, Coin Values says major coin dealers were offering about $100 above cost for pre-orders. The article called Lincoln Coin and Chronicles Still Hot on Secondary Markets reports the set is currently selling between $150-$200 on eBay. According to the Buzz with Dave Harper on Numismatic News, the U.S. Mint began delivering the Chronicle sets over the weekend, which is slightly earlier than the expected Oct. 30th delivery date.
With the high price of gold and the slow economy, some may be tempted to sell or consign their coin collections. A Nevada coin dealer offers some advice about working with dealers and consigning coins. He says consigning coins can be risky, so to lower the risk he suggests finding out more about the dealer, insurance, and ability to get paid.
In Doug Winter's market blog, he describes the rarity of the 1859-S Half Eagle. His stats are different than the PCGS and NGC population figures because he believes some were re-submissions and "optimistically graded." He believes there are only two Uncirculated coins, and he recently bought and sold one of them, officially graded in MS-61 by NGC.
Paul M. Green describes the Philadelphia Coronet Liberty Head $10 gold coin and the story behind nearly each year of the series in great detail. The Gobrecht designed Coronet Head eagle series started in 1838 and lasted until 1907. The only design change mentioned in the article was the addition of "In God We Trust" which was added in 1866. Mintages, values of various grades, and key dates are given. Green believes Mint State versions are hard to find for many dates because saving high denomination gold coins back then was rare. The California gold rush effected mintage numbers, as did the addition of the San Francisco Mint and the Civil War. The 1863-P Liberty Head may be a sleeper, says Green, since only 1,248 were produced and PCGS has only seen 221. He reports an F-12 at $2,400 and an MS-60 at $52,500. An 1875-P $10 coin, in any grade, might be the hardest to find, since only 120 were made.
Last week, the Austrian State Mint announced its 20th Anniversary Gold Vienna Philharmonic commemorative coin. It will be a special coin, weighing 20 ounces and measuring 74 mm (about 2.9 inches), with a limited maximum mintage of only 6,027. Orders are being accepted now.
Over the weekend, several news reports revealed treasure in a river belonged to the late Michael Ramsey, a former Archbishop of Canterbury. Some of the treasure included gold and silver coins and rare medallions. The article from the Associated Press gives details from the Durham Cathedral web site, but the article on BBC shows a video of the riverbed artifacts' mystery and also links to several photos. The divers who found the artifacts believe the Archbishop intentionally dropped the valuables in the river.
Here are some eBay Lincoln Coin and Chronicles Sets:
License for phpBay Pro is invalid.
Thank you and see you tomorrow!
