Welcome to Something About Coins! A few popular topics on the web right now are pennies that cost more than they're worth, the famous 1913 Liberty Head Nickel up for auction Jan. 7, and India's bank is seeking collectable coins. Summaries of those and more are below.
The Olsen specimen 1913 nickel will be auctioned by Heritage next month at the 2010 FUN Sale in Orlando, and I blogged about CoinLink's article on it in November. Today, CoinLink.com followed up with another article, a profile and history of the famous 1913 nickel. CoinLink's article is actually from the 2009 FUN Heritage Auction Catalog, and it's very thorough. Just to give you an idea, the article is 9,376 words, including sources. Besides giving multiple descriptions of the Olsen specimen from four experts, the article covers how the five Liberty Head nickels were made and became famous as well as each of their owners and how they acquired their nickel. January's auction will be only the "12th time that any 1913 Liberty Head nickel has been offered at public auction."
NPR.org published an opinion to abolish the penny, because the penny costs more than a cent. Apparently President Obama said during his presidential campaign that he would consider eliminating the penny. The article explains how the penny is made of mostly zinc, and the price of zinc has risen in 2009. It now costs 1.62 cents to produce one penny, and eliminating production would reportedly save the government a billion dollars.
Richard Giedroyc reported the Reserve Bank of India is buying coins for its monetary museum. The article describes the museum's situation and said that this is the third time the bank has sought Indian coins in the last four years. Giedroyc said they want Ashoka, Chalukya, Maurya, Satavahana, Samudragupta, and Pandava coins; Indo-Greek and ancient Roman issues; Bahamani, Chola, Mughal, Maratha, and Vijayanagar coins; and also British, French, and Portuguese India coins.
Susan Headley of About.com recommends getting coin wholesale price guides before negotiating with coin dealers. She advises buying a sample pack of the Grey Sheet for about $14 and says collectors should do this about twice a year. She said, "I've gotten many dealers' prices down just by having a copy peeking out of my satchel at coin shows and stating that I'd be back later after I look up the coin in the Grey Sheet."
PNG is hosting a scholarship competition for next year's American Numismatic Association Summer Seminar, it announced in a press release. Interested numismatists between 13 and 22 years old need to write a short essay about why they should win the scholarship. The submission deadline is March 31st. The article said, "The scholarship will cover airfare, tuition for one of the two, week-long Summer Seminar sessions in June or July, meals and six nights of dormitory accommodations on the campus of Colorado College, site of the ANA headquarters." The first seminar is from June 26 to July 2nd, and the other one runs from July 3rd to the 9th.
In another press release, GoldWhy.com announced their Silver Eagle Giveaway. One lucky person will win three 2009 American Eagle silver coins on January 1st. To enter, you must sign up for their newsletter.
See you tomorrow!
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