Coins

collector favorites among big u.s. silver

WHEN IT COMES TO COLLECTING United States coins, there are some series which are always in the limelight, which are always of interest to collectors. A person could certainly make this case for several different gold coins, but many folks find collecting gold to be too expensive a proposition. That then shifts the focus for us to a precious metal that is much more affordable – silver. Here then, for our consideration, are four series of classic United States silver coins that have kept their place in the sun for decades. Let’s look and see what we might find among the following big silver. Morgan dollars Morgan dollars always seem to be collector favorites, and if possible, the idea of them being the center of attention is perhaps even more obvious as…

whitman expo sale tops $14 million

More than $14.7 million in U.S. coins, currency and Americana was sold by Stack’s Bowers Galleries in its official auction for the Whitman Coin & Collectibles Winter Expo. This was the first such event held since the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic, with lot viewing offered in-person at the Baltimore, Md., Convention Center and the auction itself hosted remotely from Griffin Studios in the firm’s Costa Mesa, Calif., headquarters. Stack’s Bowers reports strong bidding activity and dozens of record prices realized across all categories in this final Showcase Auction of its 2021 season. United States coins in the sale were marked by several significant collections, notably the Aberg, Birdwatcher and Fricke cabinets, which spanned a variety of categories. The greatest treasures among U.S. Federal coinage were presented in the Rarities Night…

apmex serves hungry in oklahoma

A passion for service and a recognition of need fuels APMEX’s long-standing commitment to help feed hungry Oklahomans. The leading precious metals retailer is celebrating 10 years of supporting the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma with a major gift to feed the hungry during the holiday season. APMEX donated $250,000 to Regional Food Bank, which will help provide millions of meals to people who struggle with hunger. “This is an issue near and dear to APMEX, as our company founder struggled with hunger growing up,” said Ken Lewis, APMEX CEO. “It’s personal to our company, and our founder’s vision drives our support of the Regional Food Bank and our commitment to feeding hungry Oklahomans.” For 10 years, APMEX and its employees have worked in varied ways to fight against hunger, including completing more…

2022 commemorative designs

A NEW YEAR means new commemorative coins from the U.S. Mint. The two 2022 commemorative programs will honor Negro Leagues Baseball and the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor. Each program will consist of a $5 gold coin, a silver dollar and a clad half dollar. The Mint has released the coin designs in the form of line drawings. Details of the programs and their respective designs follow. Negro Leagues Baseball The 2022 Negro Leagues Baseball Commemorative Coin Program celebrates the establishment of the Negro National League, the first successful, organized professional African American baseball league in the United States. On Feb. 13, 1920, Andrew “Rube” Foster convened a meeting of eight independent African American baseball team owners in Kansas City, Mo., to address the problem of African American players being banned from…

my trades: wise and otherwise part 3

In this column, I’m going to tell you about my efforts to trade semi key and key coins for the 1909-S VDB Lincoln cent and the 1916-D Mercury dime. When I got back into coins after my college years, these were two coins that I needed to complete their respective sets. This trading adventure began with ads I ran in the Classified section of a major numismatic periodical. Trusting soul that I was at the time, my ad contained my home address and home telephone number. In my ad, I offered to trade semi key and key coins (e.g., uncirculated 1931-D dimes, uncirculated 1936-D quarters, etc.). This was in the early 1970s, and I didn’t realize how much things had changed while I was out of the action. I very quickly received…

the half dime 1794-1873

IT IS SOMETIMES SAID that the smallest coins are also the least collected yet it is in these very pieces that we see the everyday life of our forefathers. The silver dollar is large and impressive, but ordinary citizens rarely saw such a coin in their daily affairs. In this article we will examine the lowly half dime, little known today but once a very popular coin. There had been a small coinage, about 2,000 pieces of this denomination in 1792, by personal order of President George Washington, but it was not until the spring of 1794 that preparations for a regular silver coinage got underway. At first it was intended to begin with the half dime and a pair of pattern dies was executed by Chief Engraver Robert Scot. However,…