Among early United States cents one of the rarest and most mysterious is Dr. William H. Sheldon’s variety number 79 having a reeded edge, an example of which has just been certified by Numismatic Guaranty Corporation. Only eight pieces are confirmed to exist, and this one has been off the market for some 30 years. Its last public appearance was in a 1977 auction by the now-defunct Numismatic and Antiquarian Service Corporation of America (NASCA). NGC has graded ...
Full Article: NGC Certifies Rare S-79 1795 Reeded Edge Liberty Cap Cent - Numismatic Guaranty Corporation
In this interview, Colonial Coin Collectors Club president Ray Williams talks about early American coins. Along the way he looks at the differences between type and die-variety collecting and explains how the first mints were designed to be moneymaking ventures in more ways than one. Williams can be contacted via www.colonialcoins.org.
I started collecting coins at age ...
Full article: Interview with Colonial Coin Collector Ray Williams - Collectors Weekly
If you had arrived at the United States Mint in 1796 in Philadelphia to evaluate how the facility was doing when it came to coins and coin production, you might well have come away with a somewhat negative reports, although one that perhaps saw some light at the end of the tunnel.
Certainly based on the cent production since 1793 you could have easily come to the conclusion that there had been what might have diplomatically been called growing pains.
The size of the cent as originally authorized back in 1792 had been changed a couple times since the original ...
Full Article: Liberty Rendered 'Dignified' by Draped Bust - NumisMaster
History tells us that dramatic precious metal price increases only last for a relatively short period of time. In their wake they sometimes leave us with a host of new realities that will have an impact on the coin market for years and years. It’s not always the same, but what happens during a period of rising metal prices like we have today can well be a major factor in the coins that are available and the prices you may pay in the years ahead.
Realistically, there have been ...
Full Article: Fluctuating Metal Prices Left Mark on Coins - NumisMaster
I first thought about writing this last week and when the question of “what are my expectations for the September Long Beach show?” popped into my mind, the immediate answer was short and sweet: “Expectations? I have no expectations.”
But that was before gold made its inexorable sprint towards $1,000. Suddenly, the no-go coin show might grow some legs.
Do I think that $1,000 gold is going to bring a stampede ...
Full Article: My Expectations For The Coming Long Beach Show - RareGoldCoins.com
All 476 lots sold in the second installation of the Ted Naftzger Collection of U.S. large cents. The coins were offered in a Feb. 1 auction by Ira and Larry Goldberg Coins and Collectibles in Beverly Hills, Calif., in conjunction with specialists Chris McCawley and Bob Grellman.
The 476 lots were featured in one session preceding the Pre-Long Beach Coin, Stamp & Collectibles Expo auction, also conducted by the Goldbergs.
Full Article: Naftzger large cents realize $3.2 million in Goldberg auction - Coin Values
The question of which U.S. coin is the most historic can produce a heated debate. Whatever you opt for, it is pretty hard to keep the 1793 large cent with a chain reverse off the list.
The 1793 chain reverse cent was the first coin to be produced at the United States Mint, but we cannot really be sure of the thought process behind it. In fact, we cannot be sure whether the cent was actually intended to be the first denomination produced from the start.
Read article: Chain Backlash Put Mint's First Coin to Rest - NumisMaster
Designed by Christian Gobrecht, the 1855 Coronet large cent had a mintage of more than 1.5 million. The output would have been even greater if the Mint hadn't suspended coinage for several months while repairs and improvements were being made to the building.
"The operations of the mint, except the receiving of deposits and melting, assaying, and paying the same, were suspended on the 19th of July last," the Mint director wrote in March 1856 in his annual report, "at which time the repairs authorized by an appropriation made by the last Congress to the mint building were commenced.
Entire article: 1855 Coronet Cent - NumisMaster
