Innholdsfortegnelse for June - July 2025 i COINage

“Innovation is the ability to see change as an opportunity, not a threat.” —Steve Jobs Americans have always considered our country a nation of boundless innovations and innovators. To celebrate this fact, the United States Senate passed legislation that amended a House of Representatives bill honoring “innovation.” The legislation was named “American Innovation $1 Coin Act” and it was sent to President Trump for his signature on July 18, 2018. The bill mandated a series of dollar coins, limited to four per year, which would be struck commencing in 2018 and ending in 2032. The reverse of each coin would honor “an innovation, innovator, or group of innovators from an individual state or territory.” The obverse of these coins would display the Statue of Liberty (Liberty Enlightening the World). Each…

In the February/March 2025 issue of COINage, my column asked the rhetorical question, “Do ‘Pennies’ Make Sense?” I concluded that in the United States they do not. U.S. President Donald Trump posted his own statement on social media about cents and, without making mention of my column, expressed the same views as mine. Now, what about the nickel and paper dollar? Not so fast! While there are solid financial reasons to eliminate both of these, I believe we need to take a stairstep approach. Canada eliminated its penny and replaced its paper dollar with a coin. Anecdotally, Canadians I have spoken with told me it has worked well. But in this column, I want to address the nickel, or five-cent piece, which, in the future, should be the next U.S.…

Medieval coins hold great historical importance and tell especially fascinating stories. Some of the most significant British rarities capable of illustrating history were recently sold at auction. These rarities from English Kings Harold II, William I and Edward III, medieval coins that help to chronicle the story of Britain, were included in six landmark auctions at the New York International Numismatic Convention (NYINC) held in January 2025 at the InterContinental Barclay hotel, New York. Heritage Auctions; Classical Numismatic Group, LLC (CNG); St. James’s Auctions (Stephen Fenton, director); Dmitry Markov Coins & Medals; Stack’s Bowers Galleries and Spink & Son were the auction companies that staged the events that exhibited and offered these extraordinary numismatic artifacts and, by selling these important coins, made history themselves. Coins of King Harold II Godwinson,…

The American Eagle bullion coin program is a cornerstone of the United States numismatic collecting and investing scene. But American Eagles haven’t always been a U.S. Mint mainstay. Forty years ago, they were mere concepts on the proverbial drawing board. Many bullion investors and collectors were building numismatic sets and precious-metals portfolios with Canadian Maple Leafs, Mexican Libertads and Chinese Pandas. Those three programs debuted during the late 1970s and early 1980s as part of a small but growing body of modern bullion coins born after the debut of the South African Krugerrand in 1967. Yet, the U.S. Mint hadn’t begun minting high-purity silver and gold coins, let alone palladium and platinum coinage, designed patently for bullion investment. The origin story of the American Eagle traces back to the 1970s,…

1866-1883 SHIELD NICKELS 1866-1883 SHIELD NICKELS PROOFS 1892-1916 BARBER DIMES 1892-1916 BARBER DIMES 1892-1916 BARBER DIMES 1892-1915 BARBER DIMES PROOFS 1838-1891 SEATED LIBERTY QUARTERS 1838-1891 SEATED LIBERTY QUARTERS 1838-1891 SEATED LIBERTY QUARTERS 1858-1891 SEATED LIBERTY QUARTERS PROOFS 1858-1891 SEATED LIBERTY QUARTERS PROOFS 1892-1915 BARBER HALF DOLLARS 1892-1915 BARBER HALF DOLLARS 1892-1915 BARBER HALF DOLLARS PROOFS 1892-1915 BARBER HALF DOLLARS PROOFS 1840-1873 SEATED LIBERTY DOLLARS 1840-1873 SEATED LIBERTY DOLLARS 1878-1921 MORGAN DOLLARS 1878-1921 MORGAN DOLLARS…

Referencing Columbiana, my newly published book, is a reference on the medals, badges and souvenirs of the historic 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition event held in Chicago, which was dedicated to Christopher Columbus’ discovery of America. That “Chicago World’s Fair” attracted over 29 million visitors and it provided a wealth of medals for attendees and collectors. Columbian Expo medals are often submitted for identification by experts and are returned improperly described. Part of the reason for this is that the literature often relied upon is outdated. Referencing Columbiana was first released at the Georgia National Money Show held in Atlanta in February. The book references other published works that were well-received 60 years ago. There are over 350 medals that are described in depth for the first time. I provide 500…