Numismatic News August 19, 2025

Paul Hollis, a Louisiana state representative and long-time coin enthusiast, was nominated by President Trump to be the next Director of the United States Mint this week. A respected coin dealer and lifelong advocate for the hobby, Hollis makes a rare bridge between grassroots numismatics and federal coinage policy. The nomination comes at a pivotal time for the U.S. Mint, which continues to balance production demands with collector innovation amid increased public interest in coin programs. Hollis’s appointment signals a potentially more collector-conscious approach to upcoming designs, commemoratives, and marketing initiatives. Hollis’s nomination requires Senate confirmation, with a hearing before the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee to take place in the coming months. ONLINE POLL THIS WEEK’S QUESTION: Should the U.S. Mint focus more on collector engagement, circulating…

Here are some answers sent from our e-newsletter readers. Read more responses at www.numismaticnews.com. What qualities do you think are most important for a mint director? Why? The Mint Director is an appointed position, and I’m sure there are “networking affiliations” that are part of the process. Experience, background, and merit used to be required attributes. Thinking back to Joseph Wright, an accomplished portrait painter and coin designer, he was Washington’s first choice as Chief Engraver. Sadly, Wright died before confirmed, and Robert Scot was selected. I have made the argument that Joseph Wright designed the Flowing Hair Dollar. Over the past few years, some coin/medal programs seemed interesting; one medal should have been a coin, another medal seemed to be suppressed, and a few releases were rather dubious. With…

The collecting community keeps a sharp eye on the coins of the early United States, and virtually everything minted before the year 1800 has a hefty price tag attached to it, no matter the grade. Even a worn piece dated something like 1799 can be expensive, simply because it was produced in the earliest years of a very young United States Mint. But our Revolutionary War was over and won by Sept. 3, 1783, according to the Treaty of Paris, and we had no Mint and coins at all before 1792. What then kept the newly independent nation running when it came to everyday commerce? What sort of coins did we use? Spanish silver The short answer to those questions is: Spanish silver. The current Mint in Mexico City has…

For the second year in a row, the biggest American coin show will have official coins of its own. Minted Assets, in conjunction with the American Numismatic Association, is releasing official commemorative coins to mark the ANA’s annual World’s Fair of Money, in Oklahoma City. The show is scheduled from Aug. 19 to 23, 2025. The 2025 coins are issued for the Ascension Islands, and like similar coins issued for the 2024 event in Rosemont, Ill., feature designs by American artist Joel Iskowitz. Like last year’s issue, the distributor is handing out approximately 250 coins daily for five days of the 2025 event. The coins will be available at Minted Assets tables (1132 and 1134)—beginning at 1 p.m. on Aug. 19, and at noon every day thereafter, through Aug. 23.…

The 2025 American Liberty high relief gold coin will be available at the U.S. Mint starting on August 21. The obverse shows a sunflower with a small bee, symbolizing the stewardship necessary to maintain democracy. The reverse shows an eagle, with a stylized modern design. The United States Mint American Liberty Gold Coin Program was created to celebrate modern interpretations of the concept of American liberty, “exploring the theme beyond the classical tradition of portraits of allegorical ‘Liberty’,” states the Mint website. Liberty has been depicted on coins for many years, personified by allegorical female figures. Previous coins have depicted Liberty as a bristlecone pine and a bucking American Mustang horse.…

■ Are there any books on superstition and coins? To my knowledge, my long out-of-print Superstition, Urban Legends and Our Money and Michael Shutty Jr’s book Bent, Holed, and Folded are the only two books focused completely on the subject. There are numerous books on magic or superstition where some aspect of superstition and coins may be addressed. ■ Can you explain the origin of the phrase “penny for your thoughts?” Judge, lawyer, social philosopher, statesman, theologian, and Lord High Chancellor of England (to Henry VIII), Thomas More is generally credited as being the first to record this phrase in 1522. Despite being a low-denomination coin, a penny had serious purchasing power at that time. The phrase wasn’t meant to be taken literally; however, it suggested even idle musings have…