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CoinWeek editor Charles Morgan takes a deep dive into the 1909-S VDB Lincoln cent, the coin that changed American numismatics forever.

Buoyed by the issue’s low mintage and coupled with the controversy surrounding the removal of the designer’s rather prominent initials on the coin’s reverse, the 1909-S VDB Lincoln cent has been the stuff of numismatic lore for more than a century.

But there’s much more to this coin than its status as a series key. Not only was the 1909-S VDB the coin that popularized collecting coins by mintmark, but it also broadened the appeal of the numismatic hobby to the general public – with the help of an enterprising inventor, whose penny boards gave Depression-era Americans holes to fill.

After it quickly became apparent that the 1909-S VDB was hard to find, the rush was on. Learn about how one Maryland dealer turned a $250 investment into a $43,750 payday. Also, find out how Brenner’s beloved design almost met an early end when President Theodore Roosevelt tapped one of America’s most accomplished artists to reinvent all of America’s coinage from soup to nuts.

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The reviews are in! Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker’s 100 Greatest Modern World Coins has gotten five-star reviews on Amazon and Lou Golino and David T. Alexander both gave the book their highest recommendations.

The post The 1909-S VDB Lincoln Cent and How it Changed the Hobby: CoinWeek Streaming News appeared first on CoinWeek: Rare Coin, Currency, and Bullion News for Collectors.

CoinWeek Streaming News is brought to you by NGC. For information about NGC’s current grading specials and services, as well as to look up certs, pricing information, and current populations, visit www.ngccoin.com.

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CoinWeek Editor Charles Morgan takes a survey of all of the different $20 bills that have been issued since roughly 1976. Quite a few signature combinations and design changes have taken place over the period. You think American currency doesn’t change much? You’re about to be proven wrong, my friend!

$20 Bill from Series 1974

We start with the Series 1974 $20 note featuring the signature of Francine Irving Neff and William Edward Simon. Neff was the 35th Treasurer of the United States, serving from June 21, 1974, to January 19, 1977.

Neff was appointed by President Nixon and served under both Nixon and President Ford.

As Treasurer, Neff oversaw the Bicentennial program and saw the reorganization of her position, which was to report to the Undersecretary for Monetary Affairs.

Neff was a resident of New Mexico and passed away in 2010.

Simon was the nation’s 63rd Secretary of the Treasury. Appointed in 1974 by Richard Nixon, he served from May 9, 1974, until January 20, 1977.

A laissez-faire capitalist, Simon was against government bailouts for companies, thinking that competition in the free market was what created wealth and innovation. After his government service, he worked tirelessly for the U.S. Olympic Committee and served on the boards of various sports organizations, including the National Basketball Hall of Fame. Simon died in 2000.

The note we feature was issued for Boston and is one of 56,960,000 released.

There are serial star note issues with printings under a million. 2071-F Atlanta has a release of 480,000, while Dallas Star notes have a slightly higher emission- 608,000 but are somewhat more scarce.

A typical choice uncirculated note for this issue trades for $60 or more.

$20 Bill from Series 1977

Here is a cool offset print error. You can see the image from the reverse has been printed by mistake on the note’s front. This is a scarce error type but there are quite a few of these that turn up in 1977.

This example was printed for the Federal Reserve Branch of Cleveland. A common bank for the series. The note features the signatures of Azie Taylor Morton and W. Michael Blumenthal. 

Morton served as Treasurer from September 12, 1977, to January 20, 1981.

She is, to date, the only African American to hold the position.

Born in Dale, Texas, she attended school in the segregated south and graduated from high school at the top of her class at age 16. In 1952, she matriculated to the Houston-Tillotson College and graduated cum laude but was denied admission to the University of Texas due to segregationist policies.

Morton took a job at a school for delinquent girls and became involved in Democratic politics. She was nominated to the position of Treasurer by President Jimmy Carter.

A side note, in 2018, Austin’s Robert E. Lee Rd was renamed Azie Morton Road.

Blumenthal was born in Germany to a Jewish family who narrowly escaped the nazi regime. Upon leaving Europe, his family traveled east and were forced to live in a ghetto in Japanese-occupied Shanghai. He immigrated to the US with his family in 1947.

Blumenthal became active in democratic politics starting in 1961 and was considered for a senior role in the State Department during the Carter administration but ultimately took the position at Treasury. In 1979 he traveled to China as the Treasury Secretary and gave a speech in Chinese. His tenure ended in 1979 when President Carter turned over his cabinet following the US economic and energy crisis.

There are quite a few issues in the series of 1977 worth seeking out. The key to the series is the Minneapolis Star note, with a printing of just 512,000 pieces. Error aside, this Cleveland issue is one of the more common releases, with 189,440,000. Of course, expect many times more than the $50-$60 that a properly printed Cleveland sells for this dramatic error.

$20 Bill from Series 1981

There are two series for 1981.

The first one features the signatures of Angela Marie “Bay” Buchanan and Donald Thomas Regan.

G. William Miller actually preceded Secretary Don Regan, but there are no $20, $50, or $100 notes bearing Miller’s signature. There are, however, $1, $5, and $10 notes with Miller’s John Hancock.

Donald Regan served as Treasury Secretary from 1981 to 1985, and later was the White House chief of Staff during the majority of President Reagan’s second term. Regan has an incredible biography. He studied at Harvard and earned a bachelor’s degree before leaving Harvard Law School to join the US Marine Corps to fight in World War II.

After the war, Regan found success in banking, serving as the Chairman and CEO of Merrill Lynch from 1971 to 1980.

Bay Buchanan is the sister of former Republican official and presidential candidate Pat Buchanan.

Bay was heavily involved in Republican politics throughout her life and was especially close to California Governor Ronald Reagan as he sought the Republican presidential nomination in 1976 and again in 1980. When she took on the position of Treasurer of the United States on March 20, 1981, she was the youngest person ever to hold the position, at the age of 32. Buchanan served until July 5, 1983.

In our video, we feature a Boston note.  Boston saw a distribution of 191,360,000 pieces. The key to this issue is the Minneapolis Star note with an emission of 256,000. That note trades for over $200. Also, the Philadelphia Star note, with its emission of 384,000, sells for about $200.

A Second Series of 1981 note features the signature combination of Ortega & Regan. These were prepared after Treasurer Katherine Ortega assumed the role in September 1983.

None of our references point to a date of emission for the Series 1981-A notes.

Ortega served from September 26, 1983, to July 1, 1989, under Presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

Like Francine Neff, Ortega was a New Mexico resident. Ortega was born to Spanish-speaking parents who trace their family lineage to the New Mexican territory before it became a state. Ortega worked in the banking industry, starting as a teller and worked her way up to the position of Vice President of the Pan American National Bank. Later she served as the president of the Santa Ana State Bank.

The note we feature was also issued by the Boston, Massachusetts bank and is indicative of the type. None of the Ortega / Regan notes are particularly scarce.

There was a Series 1985, but unfortunately we don’t have an example to show you. The star notes from this issue are worth roughly twice the amount of the regular issues. They feature the Ortega and James Baker signature combination.

$20 Bill from the Series 1988-A

There were no Series of 1988 $20 bills issued, instead we get Series of 1988-A with the combination of Catalina Vasquez Villapando and Nicholas F. Brady. 

Villapando served as the 39th Treasurer of the United States, serving from December 11, 1989, to January 20, 1993.

She was appointed to the position by President George W. Bush.

Villapando was active in Texas Republican politics since the late 1970s and was a supporter of George H. W. Bush’s 1980 presidential bid. At the time of her service, she was the highest-ranking Latina in the federal government.

Unfortunately, Villapando’s tenure as Treasurer was marred by claims of illegal and unethical conduct concerning her personal use of substantial funds and benefits from a Georgia-based telecommunications company. She plead guilty to multiple crimes including tax evasion and was sentenced to four months in prison, three years of supervised release, 200 hours of community service, and a $150 special assessment for tax evasion.

Villalponda retired to Maryland.

Brady was born in Manhattan in 1930 but grew up in Far Hills, New Jersey.

After getting an MBA from Harvard, Brady went into the banking industry.

He was appointed to a Senate position by Republican Governor Thomas Kean, filling a vacancy caused by the resignation of Harrison Williams, Jr., Brady served for eight months and did not seek election.

Brady’s tenure at Treasury began in the final four months of the Reagan presidency and continued through the duration of the Bush administration.

This is an issue from the New York branch- the most heavily produced issue of the series with a total of 1,446,400,000 pieces. A couple of star notes to look for – none are particularly rare but are good to obtain examples: Philadelphia, Atlanta, Chicago, Kansas City, Dallas, and San Francisco.

$20 Bill from Series 1990

For our video, we show a Series of 1990 star note from Cleveland. 3,200,000 were printed of this type. Boston star notes, Atlanta star notes, and St. Louis notes are worth a slight premium over regular issues.

$20 Bill from Series 1993

This example has the Withrow / Bentsen signature combination and was printed in Washington, D.C. for the Boston Federal Reserve Bank. A robust 288,000,000 were printed making this a common issue for the series. For the lower print runs in this series you are looking for star notes from Boston, Atlanta, and Cleveland. Some notes this year were printed at the Fort Worth facility.

Mary Ellen Withrow was the 40th Treasurer of the United States, serving in the Clinton administration from March 1, 1994, to January 20, 2001.

Redesigns of notes were initiated under her tenure- seeing updates to all denominations except the $1. A native of Marion County, Ohio, Withrow also serves as Treasurer from the state of Ohio from 1892 until she was nominated for her role in the Clinton administration.

$20 Bill from Series 1995

Moving on to the Series of 1995. 

This note features the Signatures of Withrow and Rubin.

Robert Rubin was a career banker who served as the co-chairman of Goldman Sachs before getting the nomination. He was born in New York City and is the son of a wealthy Jewish family. Rubin was a prodigious student and active in the Boy Scouts, earning the coveted Eagle Scout rank. He graduated summa cum laude in economics from Harvard. He continued his post-graduate work at the London School of Economics and then later received a master’s from Yale.

Rubin was a key figure in Clinton’s economic policy team, serving as the first director of the National Economic Council for two years, before moving over to head Treasury.

Rubin’s term was consequential. Dealing with weak global financial markets, Rubin worked to secure loans for Mexico to help it navigate financial trouble and to stop the country from defaulting on its foreign obligations. He also worked with Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan to strengthen the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

This example is a star note from New York. 5,760,000 were made of this type. This is the last Series of this design type.

Two variations- The sample seen in our video, a Friedberg 2081 note, was printed in Washington, D.C. and covers New York, Philadelphia, Cleveland, and Richmond releases.

Friedberg 2082 notes were printed at the Western facility in Fort Worth, Texas, and covers Atlanta, Chicago, St. Louis, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Dallas, and San Francisco.

The Cleveland star notes are scarce, with 640,000 printed. But the rest of the issue is plentiful. Do expect to pay a premium of 50% to double face value for a choice uncirculated note.

$20 Bill from Series 1996

The Series of 1996 saw a major design change for the $20 note.

A larger, younger portrait of Jackson is used. It is thematically similar to the previous portrait, with several modifications. The new $20 slightly offset this portrait, eliminated the scrollwork on the legend, minimized the spirograph motifs, removed the Federal Reserve Branch bank seal, among other refinements.

The reverse is also simpler in its layout, featuring the portico of the White House. A change of perspective. This note was issued for the New York branch. New York issued 896,000,000 notes. This note features the Withrow and Rubin signature combination. In choice uncirculated, this issue carries a small premium over face.

$20 Bill from Series 1999

For the Series of 1999 note, we see Withrow and Summers signature combination. Larry Summers replaced Rubin on July 2, 1999, and served for the remainder of Clinton’s second term. Summers is the first baby boomer to serve as Treasury Secretary.

Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Summers was trained as an academic economist, taught at Harvard University, served as Chief Economist at the World Bank before taking a position as Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs in the Clinton administration in 1993. This example has a radar serial number that was printed for the Cleveland branch.

$20 Bill from Series 2001

This 2001 series was issued during the first year of the George W. Bush administration. This series features the signature of Rosario Marin and Paul H. O’Neill.

Marin was the 41st Treasurer of the United States, serving from August 16, 2001, to June 30.

Marin was the first Treasurer of the United States since William Clark in 1828 to be born in another country. Marin was born in Mexico City and immigrated to the United States at the age of 14 after her father was hired to work a factory job in California.

Marin gravitated towards Republican politics in her mid-20s and began a career in the banking industry, working for a regional California bank, first as a receptionist and later as the assistant vice president. For much of her professional life, Marin devoted much time and energy to advocate on behalf of the mentally disabled.

Paul O’Neill was 66 years old when he took the position of Secretary of the Treasury.

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, and spent years working for Alcoa and International Paper.

In the Bush administration, O’Neill was a fiscal conservative who often clashed with Bush and his other advisors. He opposed the war in Iraq, the second Bush tax cut, and navigated the country through the 2001 recession and the immediate financial fallout from the 9/11 attack.

$20 Bill from Series 2004-A

Marin and Snow feature on the Series of 2004.

This is Series 2004-A with a different signature combination of Cabral and Snow.

This note features the large younger Jackson portrait. The frame has been removed. In addition, color-shifting ink is used in the numeral. A large blue eagle is depicted on the left, blue-colored printing appears on the right.

The note’s front and back features a blue and peach background color. Other security features, such as microsized printing was utilized to thwart counterfeiters.

Anna Escobedo Cabral served as the 42nd Treasurer of the United States, serving from January 19, 2005, to January 20, 2009. She was the highest-ranking Latina in the George W. Bush administration.

Cabral worked in the Justice Department in the 1990s and was part of the Senate Republican Conferences’ Task Force on Hispanic Affairs. Her appointment to the Treasurer position ended a year-and-a-half long vacancy after the departure of Rosario Marin. While Treasurer she pursued her JD at Georgetown University. John W. Snow served as Treasury Secretary from February 3, 2003, to June 28, 2006.

Snow served in the Nixon administration as the Deputy Undersecretary of Transportation and later served as the Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. After Carter’s election in 1977, Snow taught economics at the University of Virginia.

Snow’s tenure at Treasury was short and relatively uneventful. He was replaced by Hank Paulson.

The example shown in our video was printed for the Boston Branch location and is one of 134,400,000 issued. A scarce issue of this series is the Boston star Note – with an emission of 384,000 pieces.

$20 Bill from Series 2006

Moving on to the Series 2006 $20, we have the Cabral / Paulson note.

Hank Paulson was born in 1946 and served as the 74th Treasury Secretary, serving from July 10, 2006 to the end of Bush’s second term.

His tenure as Treasury Secretary took place at one of the most consequential economic periods of modern American history. Paulson directed the federal response at the outset of the Great Recession of 2008/2009.

Before serving in the Bush administration, the Harvard-educated Paulson served as the CEO of Goldman Sachs. He now works to promote economic growth and environmental initiatives.

The note in our video was issued for the Richmond branch and is one 390,400,000 of the release. The San Francisco Star note is of particular interest for collectors, as it has a very low total of 128,000 pieces.

$20 Bill from Series 2009

The Series 2009 features two new signatures: Rosie Rios and Timothy Geitner. 

Rios was born in San Jose, California, and studied at Harvard University and Berkeley.

Rios was very friendly to the numismatic community and we had the opportunity to meet her once.

She now serves as a consultant for a private firm specializing in real estate development and modernizing infrastructure to comply with California earthquake regulations.

Timothy Geithner led the New York Fed before getting the job as Treasury Secretary.

Geitner was 48 at the time of his appointment.

Geithner received some strong scrutiny for the Treasury’s policies towards Wall Street in the aftermath of the Great Recession and the Financial Crisis that was born out of Wall Street greed, bad policies, and poor government oversight.

The AIG bailout proved to be a particular sticking point, once the company paid its senior employees bonuses with bailout money.

This note, issued by the Philadelphia bank, features a repeater serial number of 68686868. It is one of 345,600,000 notes issued for that bank. If you can, try to find a Chicago star note for this issue. It has a low emission of 320,000 pieces.

$20 Bill from Series 2013

The Series of 2013 has the Rios / Lew signature pairing. This release was intended to serve as the final Series featuring the likeness of Andrew Jackson. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew ordered the replacement of Jackson after a public petition garnered national attention. The Women on 20s campaign allowed the public to vote on a replacement figure for Jackson, citing the seventh President’s horrific record on race- he was a slaver who owed his entire fortune by forcing black men, women, and children to work tirelessly on his cotton plantation and as President, he disobeyed a United States Supreme Court decision and compelled the removal of Native Americans from lands that were discovered to contain gold deposits sufficient enough to warrant the opening of the branch mints of Charlotte and Dahlonega. Lew, following the lead of Women on 20s, chose to place abolitionist and civil rights advocate Harriet Tubman on the 20 dollar note.

With the election of President Donald J. Trump, the Treasury rescinded Lew’s directive and decided to continue using the Jackson design.

We’ll have more on that subject in a forthcoming episode of the CoinWeek Podcast, where we reveal new information about the shelved/delayed redesign. For more information about the timeline of the events in the Jackson/Tubman design change drama,click here.

Another funny story about Lew- he had this nonsensical looping signature that he had to reconfigure in order to sign the notes. His signature looked like a well-practiced series of loops drawn by somebody who had never learned the alphabet.

Lew was active in Democratic politics for years, his father was a rare book dealer. In our video, we show another example with a repeater serial number.

$20 Bill from Series 2017

With the Series of 2017 note we are now up to date.

The 2017 issue features the signature combination of Carranza and Mnuchin.

Jovita Caranza studied at the University of Miami and served as Treasurer from June 19, 2017 to January 14, 2020. She is now the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA). Kind of an important job at the moment.

Carranza worked in a senior position at UPS before taking a job in the current administration.

Steve Mnuchin is a billionaire investment banker who worked at Goldman Sachs as its Chief Information Officer before taking a job in the Trump Administration.

Trivia: Mnuchin visited Fort Knox in time to view the solar eclipse in 2017. I assume the gold was all in order. Also curiously, he was an executive producer of the Lego Batman movie (2017). And remember that Suicide Squad (2016) movie that sucked? He was executive producer of that, too.

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The reviews are in! Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker’s 100 Greatest Modern World Coins has gotten five-star reviews on Amazon and Lou Golino and David T. Alexander both gave the book their highest recommendations.

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The post How the $20 Bill Has Changed Since 1976 appeared first on CoinWeek: Rare Coin, Currency, and Bullion News for Collectors.

CoinWeek Streaming News is brought to you by NGC. For information about NGC’s current grading specials and services, as well as to look up certs, pricing information, and current populations of Awesome Gold Coins, visit www.ngccoin.com.

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CoinWeek Editor Charles Morgan takes a look at three Mint State 18th-century awesome Gold Coins that won’t break the bank and pack in so much history that you’ll wonder why they’re so cheap?

Discussed in this segment are the following coins from Europe and South America:

• 1793 Switzerland Duplone of Bern – NGC MS63
• 1775NR JJ Colombia 8 Escudos – NGC MS62
• 1776 Great Britain Guinea of George III – NGC MS61

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Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker’s 100 Greatest Modern World Coins has gotten five-star reviews on Amazon and Lou Golino and David T. Alexander both gave the book their highest recommendations.

The post CoinWeek Streaming News: Three Awesome Gold Coins You Can’t Afford to Miss appeared first on CoinWeek: Rare Coin, Currency, and Bullion News for Collectors.

CoinWeek Streaming News is brought to you by NGC. For information about NGC’s current grading specials and services, as well as to look up certs, pricing information, and current populations, visit www.ngccoin.com.

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CoinWeek Editor Charles Morgan and Eisenhower dollar specialist James Sego team up to talk about the current state of the high-end Ike dollar market and to show off some interesting high-end Eisenhower dollars that James will use to anchor a brand new Top Tier Collection. They also define what makes a “high-end” Ike in the first place, and show off a few spectacular mint errors as well.

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Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker’s 100 Greatest Modern World Coins has gotten five-star reviews on Amazon and Lou Golino and David T. Alexander both gave the book their highest recommendations.

The post CoinWeek Streaming News: Let’s Talk High-End Eisenhower Dollars (w/ James Sego) appeared first on CoinWeek: Rare Coin, Currency, and Bullion News for Collectors.

In this CoinWeek Live Stream on YouTube, noted ancient coin expert Shanna Schmidt joins Charles Morgan for an episode of Numismatic Grab Bag to discuss five fabulous ancient coins, including:

Silver stater of Gortyna, Crete

Gortyna. Circa 330-270 BCE. Stater. Europa seated half-right in tree, leaning her right hand on branch and propping her head on her left. The reverse side shows a bull.

Once upon a time, Zeus fell in love with Europa, a Phoenician princess. He transformed himself into a tame white bull and mixed with her father’s herd. Europa was so struck by the beauty of this bull – a universal symbol of potency – that she climbed on his back, whereupon he abducted her, swimming all the way to Crete. Europa settled there, married a mortal, bore a line of kings, and gave her name to a continent. From the fifth century BCE down to the Roman era, the coinage of Gortyn (or Gortyna) featured Europa and the bull. Tourists are still shown a great plane tree where Europa supposedly found refuge after she was ravished by the king of the gods.

Silver “archaic eye” tetradrachm of Athens. c. 430 – 420 BCE

In the fifth century BCE, Athens experienced an outburst of cultural creativity, in art, architecture, drama, philosophy, and many other fields that have shaped much of subsequent Western history. Athenians invented democracy – although it was a democracy that excluded women and slaves. This golden age was fueled by a flood of silver from the rich mines of Laurium near Athens. Most of this metal was struck into pure silver tetradrachms weighing about 17.2 grams, which became the most important coinage of international trade for over a century, circulating across the Mediterranean world. This coin shows the goddess Athena with the “Archaic eye” — even though the goddess is viewed in profile, her eye appears frontally, as in Egyptian art. Later coins show the eye drawn in profile. The reverse bears the image of Athena’s companion, the owl (symbolizing wisdom) which gave the coin its nickname.

Athenian owls are currently a bargain since the market is slowly absorbing a huge hoard that surfaced a few years ago. On Harlan J. Berk’s list of the 100 greatest ancients, this type is #10.

Silver “elephant” denarius of Julius Caesar

Military mint moving with Caesar in Gallia or Hispania, 49-48 BCE. CAESAR Elephant walking right, trampling on horned serpent. Rev. Priestly implements.

The most common lifetime issue of Julius Caesar, an estimated 22 million of these coins were struck from the spoils of Caesar’s conquests in order to pay his army. The meaning of the elephant symbol is debated by historians. The reverse celebrates Caesar’s office as high priest of the Roman state religion.

Lion and bull silver stater of Croesus. Lydia c. 565-546 BCE

These were some of the earliest ancient silver coins, issued in a wide range of denominations. “Rich as Croesus” became a proverbial expression. The bull is a symbol of fertility, while the lion (“king of the beasts”) is a symbol or royal power. The reverse is a simple punch mark. When the Persians conquered Lydia, they scrapped the complex denominations of Croesus, and issued a single silver type, the siglos of about 5.5 grams. On Berk’s list of the 100 greatest ancients, this type is #9.

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Shanna Schmidt is a leading dealer in ancient coins, specializing in Greek coinage. She currently serves a board governor for the American Numismatic Association (ANA). She is a fellow of the American Numismatic Society (ANS) and has served on the board of the International Association of Professional Numismatists (IAPN). Shanna grew up around coins and is the daughter of noted ancient coin dealer and author Harlan J. Berk.

Along with Arturo Russo and Giuliano Russo, Schmidt will be discussing a project of interest to collectors of ancient coins at the ANA World’s Fair of Money on August 17, 2022, starting at 2 pm Central in Room 12 of the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois.

Please let her know by August 11 at shannaschmidt@arsclassicacoins.com if you will be attending the event.

You can learn more about Shanna and review her current inventory by visiting her website.

This video and more are available on the CoinWeek YouTube channel.

The post Numismatic Grab Bag – Five Ancient Coins With Shanna Schmidt appeared first on CoinWeek: Rare Coin, Currency, and Bullion News for Collectors.

We cover a wide range of issues in this video. You will learn things about silver dollars that may have eluded you so far.

Here are just a few of the topics we cover:

• Quality of coins within the grade
• How to tell if a coin was dipped a long time ago
• When DMPLs (Deep Mirror Prooflikes) are less attractive than BU dollars
• How many coins of each date have been graded
• Price Premiums for PQ and Price Penalties for mediocrity
• Coin focal areas
• and much, much more…

This video and more are available on the CoinWeek YouTube channel.

The post Let’s Talk About the Current State of the Silver Dollar Market appeared first on CoinWeek: Rare Coin, Currency, and Bullion News for Collectors.

The post Watch: Paper Money Stashed Away Since the 1960s appeared first on CoinWeek: Rare Coin, Currency, and Bullion News for Collectors.

CoinWeek Streaming News is brought to you by NGC. For information about NGC’s current grading specials and services, as well as to look up certs, pricing information, and current populations, visit www.ngccoin.com.

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CoinWeek editor Charles Morgan breaks down five lots that you need to know about from the recently held Legend Rare Coin Auctions’ Regency 40 Auction. The Regency 40 sale was held on August 27, 2020, at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada, and comprised of 370 hand-picked lots of coins, all of which were graded by PCGS or NGC and the majority of which were CAC-approved.

Charles discusses a mix of numismatic notables, including the finest known 1837 N-16 large cent, formerly part of the Naftzger Collection; the finest known 1923-S Lincoln cent; a fantastic gem 1911-D “Strong D” Indian quarter eagle; a brilliant gem 1927-S Mercury dime with Full Split Bands; and a nearly perfect 1911 Barber quarter in Proof.

Each of these coins has an interesting numismatic and rare coin market back story. If you like learning about rare coins, you won’t want to miss this episode of CoinWeek Streaming News.

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The reviews are in! Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker’s 100 Greatest Modern World Coins has gotten five-star reviews on Amazon and Lou Golino and David T. Alexander both gave the book their highest recommendations.

The post Legend Rare Coin Auctions’ Regency 40 Recap: CoinWeek Streaming News appeared first on CoinWeek: Rare Coin, Currency, and Bullion News for Collectors.

Franklin Half Dollars are a popular silver coin series that was produced by the United States Mint starting in 1948 and continuing until the tragic death of President John F. Kennedy in 1963.

Each coin in the series is made of 90% silver and Proof issues were struck from 1950-1963. Specialists of the series seek out fully-struck examples and use the presence of the bell lines at the bottom of the Liberty Bell on the reverse as a primary indicator of the completeness and quality of the strike.

Charles explains why this isn’t the only thing you want to look for in Franklin Halfs and shares high-quality images of the bell of several different examples to give you a clear understanding of how to identify Full Bell Line Franklin Half Dollars.

Charles also breaks down the entire series from 1948 to 1963 by branch mint, to explain which coins are scarce and rare with Full Bell Lines.

The post CoinWeek Streaming News: Franklin Half Dollar Full Bell Lines Designation appeared first on CoinWeek: Rare Coin, Currency, and Bullion News for Collectors.

Legend Rare Coin Auctions is conducting Regency Auction #38 on May 14 during a live webcast. CoinWeek breaks down several key lots from the sale and provides its commentary on lots you should know about.

Lots discussed in this video:

Lot 17: $1 1888-O SCARFACE. PCGS MS62 CAC

This is a nice example of a dramatic Morgan dollar variety that features a giant die break across Liberty’s neck and cheek. It would have been poetic justice if a few of these were hidden away in Al Capone’s vault. Sadly, the vault was empty and Geraldo Rivera did a giant facepalm in front of 30 million people.

Whoever ends up taking this coin, however, will have a great example of a popular variety… and probably at a price that would have been unthinkable three or four years ago.

Lot 43: $20 1858-O PCGS AU55

This 1858-O, one of two New Orleans gold $20s we talk about in our auction preview, is graded AU55 by PCGS. This is Eliasberg’s 1858-O and we can trace its pedigree back to the William Atwater sale of 1946. That sale sizzled and signaled the strength of the coin hobby in the aftermath of World War II. 

This coin has lingered around the $25-$30k value for over a decade, which might scare off the investor types, but for the true collector, this is a satisfying piece to enjoy as you build that great New Orleans set or attempt to climb numismatic’s Mount Everest- the completion of the $20 lib date and mint set.

Lot 47: $20 1879-O PCGS AU53 CAC

The 1879-O is an important low-mintage issue in the $20 Liberty series.

In 1879, the New Orleans Mint reopened for the first time since it closed in the first year of the Civil War. The Morgan dollar was the principal driver for the Mint’s decision to reopen the Mint; Dahlonega and Charlotte saw no such love. In total, only 2,325 examples of this issue were struck.  Nearly impossible to locate in Mint State. Dell Loy Hansen has the sole example graded higher than MS60. There are 21 recorded grading events at PCGS in grades over AU50. 44 at NGC. It’s likely that these numbers are inflated by regrades and crossovers.

Legend describes the present piece as fresh and the only example with CAC approval at this level to be offered in a public auction. Nearly every AU53 eagle that has been offered for public sale in the past two decades has obvious eye appeal issues that are not apparent in this example.

$66,000 is the recent high price for an 1879-O at this grade. It is my opinion that this is as nice, if not nicer than that example, and that justifies a price in excess of Legends 55-65k presage estimate. I value this piece at $75,000.

Lot 58: 1C 1922-D PCGS MS66+ RD CAC

The Philadelphia Mint did not produce cents in 1922. This is why the 1922 “NO D” mint error is such an important numismatic oddity. It represents itself as something that it isn’t.

At Denver, 7,160,000 cents were struck in 1922.  This example is the plate coin at PCGS Coinfacts.

A PQ CAC-certified example with brilliant red luster. Four graded MS66+ at this point, two CAC certified. The other brought $19,975 at a 2017 Heritage auction. The current bid is $15,500.

Lot 60: 1C 1972 DOUBLED DIE OBVERSE. PCGS MS67+ RD CAC

The 1972 doubled die cent is one of the boldest and pronounced doubled dies in the Lincoln series and most certainly in the Memorial type. The pronounced doubling on the obverse runs north to south on the date and on the motto and east to west on the lettering of IN GOD WE TRUST. A naked-eye visible die gouge on the reverse just above the D in UNITED gives away that this is the FS-101. This is the most desirable of a slew of doubled dies for the year.

The last MS67+ RD sold at a June 2019 Heritage sale for $14,400. A more mellowed Rd with a CAC sticker- sold for $9,600 the year before. Bid here is $7,250 and reading the market right, I think this coin deserves to sell near or beyond the $14,400 number and the current bid of $15,500 speaks to the strength of this coin.

Lot 224: 50C 1964 NGC MS68

Ok, so here’s the deal, the 1964 Kennedy half dollar was struck in record numbers and hoarded upon release. In total 273, 304,004 coins were struck just at the Philadelphia Mint.

It’s an amazing thing to consider that this coin type was first struck on January 30, 1964- just two months after the president was slain in his Dallas motorcade.

The Denver Mint struck the coins first and then Philadelphia followed suit a week later.

A ceremonial first strike was held at both mints on the three month anniversary of Kennedy’s death. When the coins entered circulation, they were a national souvenir – a mortuary coin in the numismatic tradition.

In the 30 years since the modern grading industry has developed for the collecting market a better understanding of the strike quality of the 1964 Kennedy half dollar and to a certain degree the grade dispersal of original mint state coins that were spared damage from incidental contact with other coins.

The 1964 half dollar is not scarce in Mint States 65 or 66.

This does not dampen collector enthusiasm for them- at these levels, the coin trades routinely for between $30 and $60.

Scarcer are examples that meet the qualifications of MS67. To date, PCGS has reported 98 grading instances at the MS67 or MS67+ level. NGC reports even fewer, 73, including this example – the only one in their census at the MS68 level.

We did a little digging around on this coin and found out that it has been imaged and certified by PCGS before at the MS67+ level.

Now, let’s clear to you about this. The line between a 67+ and a 68 is subtle.

Both grading opinions can be right on the money and the typical market behavior of many premium coins in the plus grade is to ultimately find their true and final grade a half step higher. Any savvy buyer of this kind of material is going to do the homework we did on this coin and judge for themselves the value of the coin on its own merits.

NGC believes in this coin and has placed it at the pinnacle for the date. Bid accordingly. Current bid at $4,300.

Lot 271: $1 1922 PCGS MS62 CAC

We typically think of Morgan dollars as the monster toner dollar coins, but occasionally you see a flamboyant PEACE Dollar. This 1922 boasts exceptional natural toning and might be the prettiest MS62 peace dollar that you will ever see.

Current Bid is $1300 against an estimate of $2,000 to $2,500. I think it will exceed these numbers as Legend sold a PQ reverse toner for $3,643 in December 2019.

The post CoinWeek Preview: Legend Rare Coin Auctions’ REGENCY 38 Sale appeared first on CoinWeek: Rare Coin, Currency, and Bullion News for Collectors.

So hungry for fast food are we that CoinWeek editor Charles Morgan is contemplating the unthinkable–spending his valuable Chipotle Grill token in exchange for a FREE BURRITO.

Do you have one of these scarce tokens lying around?

It could be worth a lot more than a fully loaded Burrito with Guacamole.

Chipotle Mexican Grill began issuing these unusual numismatic items starting in 1998 and gave them out as an incentive program to select employees. The tokens are actually scarce and trade for significant premiums (over the cost of a burrito or burrito bowl) on online marketplaces such as eBay.

In this stream, Charles breaks down how he got his example and provides collectors with some tasty market insights into a few of the rarer dates.

The post Collect or Spend? Chipotle Mexican Grill Tokens appeared first on CoinWeek: Rare Coin, Currency, and Bullion News for Collectors.

A CoinWeek follower sent us an interesting care package filled with a variety of used but interesting banknotes and other numismatic items to enjoy while everyone is on lockdown.

For this CoinWeek video stream, editor Charles Morgan and his daughter Stella go through some of the most interesting pieces from the box and share insights into the stories they tell.

We hope everybody is having a good week and taking some time to enjoy time with their families and their hobby!

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Do you need paper money supplies to protect and preserve your collection? If so, CoinWeek Supplies has you covered. We carry a full line of coin and currency collecting supplies at affordable prices and we are still delivering these products in a timely manner. To protect your investment and support the free content that we provide at CoinWeek, consider making a purchase today.

The post Paper Money Care Package – CONTENTS REVEAL STREAM appeared first on CoinWeek: Rare Coin, Currency, and Bullion News for Collectors.

CoinWeek editor Charles Morgan discusses some great World War I medals struck in Europe to commemorate key moments in the Great War.

For much of the western world, World War I took on the air of a religious war–with zealous fervor wrapped in a flag of imperialism.

At the end of the great conflict, most of Europe’s imperial systems lay in tatters, the gold monetary standard was on life support, and all of the technological advances of the past two decades had created a capacity for destruction unparalleled in human history.

These medals tell part of that story and also speak of the heights of medallic art at this critical period for the art form.

Lot’s featured in this video:

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To bid on any of these medals and to see the entire lot selection, click on this link to go to Stack’s Bowers website.

The post CoinWeek Stream: Fascinating World War I Medals to be Auctioned April 22 appeared first on CoinWeek: Rare Coin, Currency, and Bullion News for Collectors.

In many cases, you may be right.

But there are great coins from the long-slighted series that should be in your collection and at today’s prices and you’d be a sucker not to consider picking a few of them up at these historically low pricing levels.

CoinWeek Editor Charles Morgan dishes on his favorites, including three of the four great Civil War commemorative releases, two dream coins from the 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition, the great 1935 Connecticut half dollar, and the Alabama 2×2.

The post Think Commems Are for Suckers? Seven You Should Own Even if You HATE COMMEMORATIVES appeared first on CoinWeek: Rare Coin, Currency, and Bullion News for Collectors.

In this video, CoinWeek Editor Charles Morgan gives an insightful rundown of the coin books that you need in your library to take your hobby to the next level. Each one of these selections contains money-saving insights, must-know insider information, and untold hours of inspiration for the numismatic enthusiast.

Price Guides:

U.S. Coins

• The Official Red Book: A Guide Book of United States Coins 2020 (Mega Red Deluxe Edition)… $27.48
• The Official Red Book: A Guide Book of United States Coins 2020 (Standard Version)… Starting at $8.78

World Coins

• Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700… $67.50
• Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800… $67.50

PAPER MONEY OF THE UNITED STATES. $40 – $60

STANDARD CATALOG OF WORLD COINS, 1901-2000. Over $50

WHITMAN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MEXICAN MONEY — VOLUME 1

GRADING COINS BY PHOTOGRAPHS. $14.96

THE OFFICIAL ANA GRADING STANDARDS FOR UNITED STATES COINS. $14.95

MAKING THE GRADE. $30

The post The Coin Books You Need to Succeed appeared first on CoinWeek: Rare Coin, Currency, and Bullion News for Collectors.