Numismatics

Two months after successful launch of Wirtland’s gold coin, Wirtland now introduces its first silver coin, the "Silver Crane". The new "Silver Crane" weighs 1 troy ounce (31.1 grams) and consists of .999 pure silver, its diameter is 39 mm. The coin’s denomination is 2 International Currency Units (ICU). The "Silver Crane" can be purchased online for 38 US dollars from Wirtland’s official mint . The design of new silver coin is similar to 1/10 ounce "Gold Crane" which was considered to... Read Full Story

Photos used with permission and courtesy of Heritage Auction Galleries Description: In 1836 Christian Gobrecht completed work for new Capped Bust half dollar obverse and reverse dies in preparation for the transition from man- or animal-powered coinage presses to new steam-powered presses. The new coins were slightly reduced in weight and diameter, but the most significant change was the use of a restraining collar around the coin blank that imparted a reeded edge to the coin during... Read Full Story

Seems like they're lawsuits popping up like daisies for eBay. Unfortunately, many of the actions filed against eBay are tucked away deep on the net.  Unless you have all access to public records and/or you're very specific in your Google search, it's unlikely you'll come across eBay lawsuits unless you stumble upon them. While the following lawsuit is not brand new, it's one which needs the attention of those selling and buying coins on eBay. A lawsuit was filed Jan. 10, 2008 against eBay... Read Full Story

Dwight N. Manley today donated $250,000 to the American Numismatic Association Florence Schook School of Numismatics to fund scholarships for young numismatists to attend the ANA’s annual Summer Seminar in Colorado Springs. Manley, a noted rare coin collector and sports agent, announced the donation August 5 during the opening ceremony for the ANA’s 2009 World’s Fair of Money® in Los Angeles. In 2002, the ANA Library was named in Manley’s honor after he donated $250,000 to the ANA... Read Full Story

Coins to mark 20th anniversary of Japan Emperor’s enthronement Japan Times Japan will issue 100,000 ¥10,000 gold coins and 10 million ¥500 nickel-brass coins later this year to mark the 20th anniversary of Emperor Akihito’s enthronement, the Finance Ministry said Friday. The pure-gold coin will depict a phoenix and the Imperial Palace’s Nijubashi double-arched bridge on the front and the chrysanthemum seal on the reverse. It will weigh 20 grams and measure 28 mm in diameter. [ Read Full... Read Full Story

After reading a recent post by Nathan Elkins on the American Numismatic Society discussion list, I had serious concerns that I might be suffering from a severe case of delusion or dementia. Mr. Elkins proposes to orchestrate a panel of archaeologists to discuss “ Contextual Numismatics ” at the 2009 AIA meeting. Granted, I have only been a professional numismatist for 41 years, but I rather thought that I might have heard most of the terminology used in the field. So, I hopped over to that... Read Full Story

Five companies sued eBay, the American Numismatic Association (ANA) and the Professional Numismatists Guild Inc. in January for defamation and unfair and deceptive trade practices. The complaint states that in September 2007, eBay put into place a policy in which only coins that have been graded by four grading services (NGC, PCGS, ICG and ANACS) may be listed for sale on eBay as "certified" coins, referring to all other coins as "counterfeit." Read Full Story Read Full Story

Four numismatic articles are referenced on CoinNews every Tuesday and Thursday. These articles are not authored by us, but we recommend collectors read them for their unusual or interesting content. Have you written or know of an article that should be highlighted on CoinNews? Please let us know! Here are today’s articles: Godless Coins Real or Just an Urban Myth? By Richard Giedroyc, World Coin News Urban legends regarding coins and bank notes can be entertaining. I wrote about many... Read Full Story

Desirée Croes, the dedicated curator of the Numismatic Museum, will surely change the way you look at money and museums.   Based on the private collections of her late grandfather, Mario Odor, the museum is packed with over 50,000 coins from over 400 nations.   There are more than 100 separate collections, including primate, strange, ancient, proof, counter stamp, over-struck, mini, chop-coins, errors, leprosarium, gold, ration, commemoratives, center-holed, scalloped, square, wooden, tokens... Read Full Story

Two months after successful launch of Wirtland's gold coin, Wirtland (www.wirtland.com) now introduces its first silver coin, the "Silver Crane". The new "Silver Crane" weighs 1 troy ounce (31.1 grams) and consists of .999 pure silver, its diameter is 39 mm. The coin's denomination is 2 International Currency Units (ICU). The "Silver Crane" can be purchased online for 38 US dollars from Wirtland's official mint . The design of new silver coin is similar to 1/10 ounce "Gold Crane", which was... Read Full Story