Gold coin 'worn by Caesar's assassin' to go on display at British Museum

A unique gold coin, minted by Caesar's betrayer, Brutus, was said to be worn as a talisman by a conspirator

A unique gold coin celebrating the assassination of Julius Caesar, which may have been worn as a boastful talisman by one of the emperor's killers, will go on display at the British Museum tomorrow – the Ides of March, marking the 2,054th anniversary of his death.

The British Museum was first shown the coin in 1932 but couldn't afford to buy it. Many private owners later, it has now been loaned to the museum, and will be displayed for the first time.

Caesar was struck down at the Senate, stabbed 23 times, in 44BC. The coin was among those issued by Caesar's former friend and ally, Brutus, leader of the conspirators, after they fled to Greece.

Although 60 surviving examples of the silver version are known, including several in the museum's coins and medals collection, there were only believed to be two in gold. Experts now believe one of those is a fake, making the newly displayed treasure unique.

The coin shows . . .

Full story and photos at: Guardian News

Musis Boxes to Send Multi-Millionaire Coin Collector into Bankruptcy?

Numismatics made this Florida collector rich, but another obsession led to his downfall

Mark Yaffe from Tampa, Florida, is a multi-millionaire who built up his fortune by trading in rare coins.

Yaffe's coin obsession began when he was at school in the 1970s, and culminated in him dropping out of college and abandoning his planned business career - because it was taking up too much of his time with coins.

"I was learning more with coins than in school," Yaffe later explained to the Tampa Bay Business Journal. "And I figured I was sleeping too much in class."

Nevertheless, Yaffe had apparently done the right thing. He rose rapidly . . .

Full story at: Paul Fraser Collectibles

How to buy rare collectible coins

Here are the Top 10 Tips to help you ensure that your rare coin collection is top-dollar

If you are a beginner numismatist, the grading and accreditations which surround rare coins can probably seem quite perplexing.

So, for the novice, here are some easy tips to set you on your path to becoming a rare coin expert - set out in ten questions you must ask yourself before buying rare coins.

The tips below apply primarily to US coins, which make up 95% of all . . .

Full story at: Paul Fraser Collectibles

Gold ‘Panic’ Buying Ends, Reducing Austrian Coin Sales by 80%

March 19 (Bloomberg) -- Muenze Oesterreich AG, the Austrian mint that makes the best-selling gold coin in Europe and Japan, said sales have fallen 80 percent this year after buyers began to regain confidence in the global economy.

“We’re getting back to business as usual rather than the hectic, panic demand we’ve seen over the last couple of years,” Vienna-based Marketing Director Kerry Tattersall said late yesterday in an interview.

Sales of all gold coin types fell to . . .

Full story at: Bloomber Business Week

$200,000 deal buys Lincoln VDB cent

Finishing a Lincoln cent set with top quality pieces got a little more expensive after a March 4 deal saw a 1909 VDB cent graded Proof-68 RB with star by Numismatic Guaranty Corp. and CAC sticker sell for over $200,000.

Though the exact price was not disclosed, Laura Sperber of Legend Numismatics wrote in her blog:

“Yes, the coin we had displayed and always said was not for sale got sold. While we are not . . .

Full story at: Numismatic News

Value Compression: A New Trend in the Dated Gold Market

In the past few years, I’ve noticed an interesting trend in relation to the pricing of rare date gold coins. I refer to this as “value compression.” Let me explain what I mean.

When I mention this term I am referring to a small price premium between grades. The classic value-compressed issues have long been the Iowa and Roanoke commemorative half dollars. According to the most recent CDN Greysheet , the difference in value between an MS60 and MS65 Iowa half dollar is a whopping $12 (!) while a Roanoke shows a value increase of just $70 between MS60 and MS65.

This phenomenon has begun creeping into the United States gold market as well. Areas which appear susceptible to value compression include . . .

Full story at: www.raregoldcoins.com

Congressmen want Ronald Reagan on $50 bill

RALEIGH, N.C. — A U.S. congressman from North Carolina wants the $50 bill redrawn to feature the face of former President Ronald Reagan.

Republican Rep. Patrick McHenry wants Congress to require the U.S Treasury to replace former President Ulysses S. Grant on the bill. McHenry announced his bill Tuesday, and he has 13 Republican co-sponsors. . . .

Full story at: Comcast News