U.S. Mint Employee Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Mint

A U.S. Mint supply department employee devised a scheme to defraud the U.S. Mint by sending more than $750,000 worth of business to a Feasterville company in which he had a financial interest.

The employee pleaded guilty to fraud and conflict of interest violations after he devised a scheme to defraud the Mint when he gave business valued at more than $750,000 to . . .

Full story at: The Intellegencer News

The Royal Mint Releases Prince William and Kate Middleton Engagement Coin

The Royal Mint has revealed the official design of the £5 Alderney coin commemorating the engagement of Prince William to Catherine Middleton. It is the first Royal Engagement coin ever produced in the long history of the Royal Mint and has been approved by Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness Prince William of Wales.

The coin will now go into production at the Royal Mint’s manufacturing plant in . . .

Full story at: The Royal Mint

Famous Warship Mary Rose Featured on Coin

The Royal Mint is commemorating the 500th anniversary of the Mary Rose’s launch in Portsmouth in 1511 by issuing a £2 coin depicting the famous English warship, part of King Henry VIII’s Tudor battle fleet. This limited edition £2 coin will enter circulation this year, finding its way into the nation’s change up and down the country.

Not only is the £2 coin entering circulation but special commemorative versions have also been struck in the precious metals Gold and Silver. Created in strictly limited numbers, these coins are finished to a higher quality than a circulating coin, showing the design in . . .

Full story at: The Royal Mint

Australia Releases New 20 Cent Coin Honoring War Historians

This is the third coin in what has become the admired and cherished Australia Remembers coin series.

The reverse design of this $1 coin is based on an image from the Australian War Memorial depicting an Australian official photographer, standing with tripod and camera on a British Mark V tank recording the advance of Australian troops through the Hindenburg line during World War I.

This is another coin that . . .

Full story at: Royal Australia Mint

100 Greatest U.S. Modern Coins is Available March 1

Whitman publishing announces the eighth entry in their popular 100 Greatest collection. Written by Scott Schechter and Jeff Garrett, 100 Greatest Modern U.S. Coins explores the most fascinating, rarest, most popular, and most valuable Mint products of recent generations.

Written by two of today’s most respected numismatists, it includes beautiful high-resolution photographs in an attractive, hardcover coffee-table book.

Other books in the 100 Greatest collection include:

100 Greatest U.S. Coins, 3rd ed.
100 Greatest U.S. Error Coins
100 Greatest American Currency Notes
100 Greatest American Medals and Tokens
100 Greatest Ancient Coins
100 Greatest American Stamps

Find more New Releases here!

Corrections Officer Uses Detective Work in His Search for Gold and Silver

Around his neck he wears the prized piece of his antique coin collection; a gold Portuguese escudo (coin), which he has fashioned onto a heavy, silver chain. The coin bears the date 1746 and the likeness of King John V of Portugal, who reigned from 1706 until his death in 1750. Other markings on the coin indicate it was minted in Brazil.

Shortly after discovering it on the beach in Cape May, part-time treasure hunter Fred Croasdale consulted a rare coins expert at the Sotheby’s auction house in New York and was told that his find was valued at approximately $2,000. That was . . .

Full story at: Shore News Today

Is There an Upward Trend in the CC Half Eagle Market?

(Doug Winter, DWN) While I hate to make bold pronouncements based on a small number of auction results, it looks like an interesting trend may be occuring in the Carson City half eagle market. Within two months, three important CC half eagles have sold at auction and brought tremendous prices.

Let’s take a look at the three coins in question, analyze the results, and try to make some sense of this market.

The first of these coins is a . . .

Full story at: Douglas Winter Numismatics

Is U.S. Mint Cashing in on Andrew Johnson Presidential Dollar Coins?

Finally, a $1 coin honoring Andrew Johnson, one of the most overlooked U.S. presidents.

OK, maybe James Garfield, who spent six months in office, was more forgettable. Or Warren Harding, the first sitting senator to move to the White House.

Until this minute, millions of Americans had no idea we needed an Andrew Johnson presidential $1 coin, which just . . .

Full story at: The Philadelphia Enquirer

Top Selling Ebay Auctions Include Rare Coins Topping $100,000

WhatSellsBest.com, a website tracking Best Selling eBay items, is reporting unusually strong sales of rare coins in the first few months of 2011. In one case bids exceeded $100,000 for a single coin.

According to James Massey, the publisher of WSB; "During the last year (2010), it was unusual to see a rare coin collect more than $20,000. In the first few months of 2011, I've already seen three coins fetch bids of more than . . .

Full story at: auctionbytes.com

8 Tips For Attending A Coin Show

Once you make the decision to collect coins, you become aware that there are many different ways to acquire coins for your collection. You can buy them from a local coin dealer, shop online, buy from online auctions, buy coins through the mail, and last but not least you can attend a coin show.

Of course most coin shows are located in or around major urban areas rather than in rural settings. If you plan to attend a coin show and you live in a rural area you may have to travel a distance to attend one. Coin shows can be a great source of satisfaction in adding new coins to your collection.

However, new collectors often find that attending a coin show can be very frustrating. Too often these . . .

Full story at: BellaOnline

Heritage to Host Smithsonian Benefit Auction

News-Antique.com - Feb 16,2011 - DALLAS, TX – In January 2012, Heritage Auctions will host a special auction at the Florida United Numismatist (FUN) Convention aimed at establishing a $1 million endowment for the renowned National Numismatic Collection, considered one of the finest collections of rare U.S. coins in existence. The collection is housed at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

Heritage is seeking donors who are willing to consign coins to this special benefit auction and have the full proceeds from their sale transferred to the Smithsonian Institution as a charitable donation. Heritage will waive all Buyer’s and Seller’s Fees in this auction, with 100% of all money raised going to this important endowment.

The National Numismatic Collection is global in scope, with unparalleled holdings of United States coins and currency. In total, there are more than one million . . .

Full story at: News-Antique.com

PCGS Estimates Over 235 Rare U.S. Coins Now Top $1 Million

"Our estimate for the total current value of all these coin rarities is $528,600,000!"

The second annual PCGS Million Dollar Coin Club reference guide has been unveiled by Professional Coin Grading Service.

Originally launched in January 2010 with 210 "charter member" United States rare coins valued by experts at $1 million or more each, the "club" now has grown to include 235 coins with a combined value of over a half billion dollars. Some individual coins have jumped in estimated value as much as 50 percent the past year.

The complete Million Dollar Coin Club listing is available online at . . .

Full story at: PCGS

Cartographer Finds Sunken Treasure Under the Oceans of the World

Spence sits in his treasure-filled office outside Columbia, S.C. A bank building with a 3-foot thick vault door serves as his repository for many of the shipwreck coins and valuable artifacts he has discovered under the oceans of the world.

Dr. E. Lee Spence, a marine archaeologist and modern pioneer of underwater exploration, has had a lifetime fascination with treasures and maps. He describes his maps as the “natural byproduct” of his research to locate sunken ships.

In 1970, Spence discovered the submarine H. L. Hunley, which sank on Feb. 17, 1864. His maps proved to be more than a natural byproduct. They were a necessary tool for preserving his discovery before souvenir hunters could destroy it.

“I read Treasure Island and was fascinated by its tale of pirates and buried treasure. I started . . .

Full story at: The Epoch Times

The Battle for the Mercedes $500 Million Treasure in Gold and Silver Coins

For 200 years, the silver coins settled silently into the Atlantic seabed, 3,000 feet beneath the waves. They gathered in clumps like rocks across a vast swath of ocean floor near southern Portugal, crusting over with sediment and weighing a total of 17 tonnes.

The coins were certainly of no use to the 250 sailors who carried them from Peru on what was probably the Spanish frigate Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, which sank in 1804, torn apart by British cannon fire. But now, transported from their watery-yet-lucrative grave to litigious landlubbers, those 600,000 idle coins, reportedly worth up to $500 million, are . . .

Full story at: The Independent

Virginia Bill on Minting Coins Advances

From his stance on gays to his views on illegal immigration and abortion, Democrats typically have a hard time making heads or tails out of Del. Robert G. Marshall's legislative leanings.

But the Prince William County Republican just might win the toss when it comes to his bill to mint Virginia coins.

The Senate General Laws committee on Wednesday unanimously passed . . .

Full story at: Times Dispatch

United States Mint Launches Andrew Johnson Presidential Dollar Coin

GREENVILLE, Tenn. - Officials from the United States Mint and the National Park Service marked the release of the Andrew Johnson Presidential $1 Coin with a special ceremony held February 17 at the Andrew Johnson National Historic Site.

"Beginning today, millions of Andrew Johnson Presidential $1 Coins will be released into circulation by Federal Reserve Banks across the Nation," said United States Mint Chief Counsel Daniel P. Shaver. "During 2011, they will make their way into the hands and pockets of many Americans, connecting America through coins to Andrew Johnson and his Presidency."

Joining Shaver to commemorate the coin's release were . . .

Full story at: usmint.gov

Standard Catalog of World Paper Money: Modern Issues 1961 - Present is Now Available

The new 17th edition of the Standard Catalog of World Paper Money: Modern Issues 1961-Present offers the most up-to-date pricing in three grades of preservation, with over 30,000 adjustments, most sharply upward.

Descriptions and listings have been expanded with more detail than ever before to assist in accurate identification. Extensively illustrated listing of world paper money from 1961 to date, including numerous varieties and newly added specimen notes in this one-of-a-kind reference. .

Get your copy here.

Current Editions of the Standard Catalog of World Paper Money include:

• Standard Catalog of World Paper Money: Specialized Issues, 11th Edition
• Standard Catalog of World Paper Money: General Issues 1398-1960, 13th Edition
• Standard Catalog of World Paper Money: Modern Issues 1961-Date, 17th Edition

Find more New Releases here!

2012 Red Book Now Available for Pre-Order

Scheduled to be released in just over a month, collector's can pre-order their copies today by clicking here.

Edited by Kenneth Bressett, Whitman Publishing has released the 65th edition of R.S. Yeoman's The Official Red Book: A Guide Book of United States Coins.

This edition includes all the historical background, detailed specifications, high-resolution photographs, and accurate mintage data that turn a new coin collector into an educated numismatist.

How rare are your coins? How much are they worth? The Red Book tells you, covering everything from early colonial copper tokens to hefty Old West silver dollars and gold coins.

Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned numismatist, this is the "must have" reference for every coin collector and is available in either hardcover or spiral editions.

Find more New Releases here!

United States Mint Discontinues Presidential $1 Coin Album

WASHINGTON - The United States Mint today announced that it is discontinuing future volumes of the Official United States Mint Coin Album - Presidential $1 CoinsTM.

The custom-designed album was intended to be released in multiple volumes throughout the life of the Presidential $1 Coin Program. Volume One (2007-2008) was issued in 2007 and Volume Two (2009-2010) in 2009. While Volume One was popular, sales of Volume Two dropped substantially. The United States Mint will continue to sell Volumes One and Two of the Official United States Mint Coin Album - Presidential $1 Coins until . . .

Full story at: usmint.gov

Anti-Counterfeit Technology Showcased at World Money Fair in Berlin

This past weekend, Berlin hosted the World Money Fair, one of the preeminent gatherings for coin collecting and minting.

Present on the show floor were manufacturers of coin minting machines, rare coin dealers, coin collectors and the national mints of a host of countries including the Singapore Mint, the Swiss Mint, the Polish Mint and the UK's Royal Mint.

There's one topic on everyone's mind: counterfeiting.

While counterfeiting has always been an issue in the numismatic world, the last few years have seen an upsurge in the amount of fake coins flooding the market.

In fact, earlier this month, the European Commission reported that . . .

Full story at: Deutsche Welle

State Says Rare Coin Dealer Bilked Seniors

Tory Hughes called his Edina coin and bullion business Reputable Rare Coins. Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson alleges that it's anything but.

Swanson filed a lawsuit Monday in Hennepin County District Court alleging the firm and one of its founders systematically defrauded clients, many of whom are senior citizens.

The suit alleges the coin dealership and . . .

Full story at: Star Tribune

New York Lawmakers Call for National Collectors Mint 9/11 Coin Crackdown

NEW YORK, NY (AP).- Two New York lawmakers called Monday for a crackdown on a company that is selling Sept. 11 commemorative coins supposedly containing silver from ground zero.

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer and U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, both Democrats, said Port Chester, N.Y.-based National Collector's Mint is "profiteering off a national tragedy" by advertising its coins as an . . .

Full story at: artdaily.com

Counterfeit Coins from China Turning Up in Washington State

PORT ANGELES, Wash. - Counterfeit coins by the thousands are turning up in Washington state, and authorities are warning coin collectors to be on the lookout for them.

All or most of the counterfeits appear to be from China.

"Stacks of ingots, bars, all kinds of stuff - they make everything from pennies all the way up to silver dollars," says Port Angeles police officer Duane Benedict. "China is making these things by the thousands."

Several of the fake coins were recently sold to . . .

Full story at: KBOI2.com

$500 Million Treasure in Sunken Coins Emerge Into Global Tug of War

For 200 years, the silver coins settled silently into the Atlantic seabed, 1000m beneath the waves.

They gathered in clumps like rocks across a vast swathe of ocean floor near southern Portugal, crusting over with sediment and weighing 17 tonnes.

The coins were certainly of no use to the 250 sailors who carried them from Peru on what was probably the Spanish frigate Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes, which sank in 1804, torn apart by British cannon fire.

But now . . .

Full story at: The New Zealand Herald

Andrew Johnson Presidential $1 Coin Goes Into Circulation February 17

U.S. Mint Image

WASHINGTON - The 17th release in the United States Mint's Presidential $1 Coin Program-bearing the bold portrait of former President Andrew Johnson on its obverse (heads side)-will enter into circulation on February 17. To mark the coin's release, the bureau will hold a ceremonial launch and coin exchange on the same day, at the Andrew Johnson National Historic Site in Greeneville, Tennessee.

The coin's obverse was designed by United States Mint Artistic Sculptor-Engraver Don Everhart and includes the inscriptions . . .

Full story at: usmint.gov

Should South Carolina Create Its Own Currency?

COLUMBIA, SC -- A bill in the South Carolina Senate would set up a committee to study whether South Carolina should create its own currency of gold and silver coins as an alternative to the U.S. dollar.

Sen. Lee Bright, R-Spartanburg, introduced the bill after seeing that Georgia, Virginia and Missouri are also looking at the same thing.

"I think a lot of folks are concerned about what's happening in our . . .

Full story at: WSAV.com

All About the Benjamins: The $100 Bill by the Numbers

In an attempt to thwart government counterfeiters, the government has designed a $100 bill even it can't print correctly. The redesigned C-note's February release had to be postponed after printing problems cause some bills to come out creased and partially blank. Here's a look at current U.S. monies . . .

Full story at: Fast Company