Coin Collecting (and other Numismatic Interests)

What does “two-bits” mean?

noreply@blogger.com (A.C. Dwyer) — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:35:00 +0000

Two-bits is American slang for a U.S. quarter dollar or Spanish-American 2 real coin. Until the late 1850s, Spanish-American coins were legal tender in the United States. By far the leading specie...

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What is the Master Hub when minting coins?

noreply@blogger.com (A.C. Dwyer) — Thu, 16 May 2013 17:48:00 +0000

The master hub is a steel bar with the coin's design on the end in raised relief just like the coin. It is used to create the working dies which are used to strike the coins. A master hub is...

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What is the exergue on a coin?

noreply@blogger.com (A.C. Dwyer) — Mon, 13 May 2013 15:53:00 +0000

Free Coin Price Guides Exergue is the area on a coin or medal that is below or around the general design and is used to give secondary details about the coin. Examples may include areas of the...

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What is a Janvier Reducing Machine?

noreply@blogger.com (A.C. Dwyer) — Wed, 08 May 2013 17:35:00 +0000

A Janvier transfer reducing machine traces a larger than actual coin design from a galvano or epoxy shell unto the end of a piece of steel which will become the master hub. The resulting design on...

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What is a “whizzed” coin?

noreply@blogger.com (A.C. Dwyer) — Mon, 06 May 2013 13:51:00 +0000

“Whizzed” is a term that refers to coins that have been unscrupulously altered via a wire brush attached to a drill. The purpose of “whizzing” is to remove a thin layer of metal on a lightly...

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What is a coin with Shipwreck Effect?

noreply@blogger.com (A.C. Dwyer) — Sun, 05 May 2013 16:23:00 +0000

“Shipwreck Effect” is a term used to describe a coin that could not be assigned a numismatic grade due to the coin showing signs of having been in a shipwreck. Generally, this impairment consists...

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What is meant when a Morgan dollar is said to have a good Cartwheel Effect?

noreply@blogger.com (A.C. Dwyer) — Fri, 03 May 2013 15:48:00 +0000

The Cartwheel Effect can be seen in this image of an American Silver Eagle Cartwheel Effect is a phrase used to describe the windmill-like effect of reflected light off a coin when it is...

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What was a Bank Note Reporter?

noreply@blogger.com (A.C. Dwyer) — Thu, 02 May 2013 14:38:00 +0000

After the failed Continental Currency of the 1770s and before federal bills were reintroduced in 1861, thousands of banks issued their own paper money. At first only banks that had been granted a...

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What is Fiat Money?

noreply@blogger.com (A.C. Dwyer) — Wed, 01 May 2013 16:48:00 +0000

Free Coin Price Guides Currency issued by a governing body as money that does not have any intrinsic value, and is not backed by any precious metal reserves such as gold or silver, is referred to as...

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Is it Legal to Melt Coins?

noreply@blogger.com (A.C. Dwyer) — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 20:56:00 +0000

Silver Coin Melt Values In the United States, it depends on the coins. In December 2006, the U.S. Mint issued a rule that generally prohibits the exportation, melting, or treatment of United...

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Two Australian Coins No Longer Legal Tender

noreply@blogger.com (A.C. Dwyer) — Mon, 07 May 2012 02:59:00 +0000

What two coins are the only Australian coins to have been demonetized by having their legal tender status revoked? The holey dollar and dump are the only two Australian coins to have lost their...

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The Arlington Collection: 1852 $10 Moffat & Co. Gold Coin

noreply@blogger.com (A.C. Dwyer) — Fri, 04 May 2012 15:33:00 +0000

When I was recently asked which coin was my favorite in my collection, this is the coin that immediately came to mind. It's far from the most rare or most expensive coin I have, but what it...

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What is a Goloid Metric Dollar?

noreply@blogger.com (A.C. Dwyer) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 06:21:00 +0000

Free Coin Price Guides In April of 1876, Dr. William Wheeler Hubbell of Philadelphia filed a patent in the U.S. for a new metal alloy to be used in coins. Referred to as "goloid," this alloy was a...

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Godless Canadian Coins! . . . Who Knew?

noreply@blogger.com (A.C. Dwyer) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:43:00 +0000

There is nothing like some Godless coins to spark a heated debate. Remember a few years ago when we had the uproar about the Godless Presidential dollars? I got more emails and comments over that...

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The Coinage Act of 1890: 25 Year Rule for U.S. Coin Designs Often Misunderstood

noreply@blogger.com (A.C. Dwyer) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 22:07:00 +0000

Barber coinage debuted in 1892 When I talk to coin collectors today, I find that most are aware of the law requiring that all coin designs for U.S. coins must be used for a...

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Massachusetts Firm Fights to Keep Dollar Bill

noreply@blogger.com (A.C. Dwyer) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 16:40:00 +0000

Free Coin Price Guides For over 100 years, a family-owned Massachusetts company has repeatedly won the contract to produce the paper for this nation's currency. Crane & Company won their...

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Godless SBA Dollars?

noreply@blogger.com (A.C. Dwyer) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 17:07:00 +0000

While much has been made in the press and in blogs about "Godless" Presidential dollars, this isn't the first time that dollar coins have been caught up in a godless controversy. In 1979 Susan B....

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Kim Kardashian Gold Commemorative Coins . . . This is Not a Gold Bubble?

noreply@blogger.com (A.C. Dwyer) — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 19:50:00 +0000

I'll never forget that day at work when my department secretary told me she wanted to buy a house simply to "flip it." She wanted to know what I thought and I told her I thought housing was in a...

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Trillion Dollar U.S. Platinum Coins

noreply@blogger.com (A.C. Dwyer) — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 15:14:00 +0000

In a recent post I talked about how a bill had been submitted to Congress to cancel the Presidential dollar program and therefore lose the half billion in seigniorage from the coins currently piling...

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Senator to Throw Away Half a Billion Dollars in Taxpayer Money To Repeal Presidential Dollars

noreply@blogger.com (A.C. Dwyer) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 18:19:00 +0000

The idea seemed pretty good at the time. Produce a series of Presidential dollar coins at 32 cents apiece and sell them to the public for $1. It's called seigniorage and it is simply defined as...

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Chicago Civil War Token Maker's Royal Connection to Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge

noreply@blogger.com (A.C. Dwyer) — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 20:29:00 +0000

Every now and then while I am doing some numismatic research, I'll come across a little known fact that has nothing to do with numismatics but that I find interesting none-the-less. This time it...

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Zero Currency Notes Fight Corruption Worldwide

noreply@blogger.com (A.C. Dwyer) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 20:06:00 +0000

When we think about corruption here in the United States, we often associate it with our politicians. I don't think there's a day that goes by where there isn't some news about a politician gone...

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A Brief History of Silver

noreply@blogger.com (A.C. Dwyer) — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 20:36:00 +0000

Here's a brief history of silver: April 25, 2011: Spot silver rose to $48.84 an ounce and U.S. silver futures to $49.82, highest since 1980. 2010: Spot silver rose to successive 30-year highs,...

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Royal Wedding Boosts Coin and Stamp Collecting

noreply@blogger.com (A.C. Dwyer) — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 03:36:00 +0000

It appears the upcoming Royal Wedding between Kate Middleton and Prince William is providing a boost, even if only short term, to both the world of numismatics and philately. It seems my...

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2011 Sacagawea Dollar Coins Are Now Available

noreply@blogger.com (A.C. Dwyer) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 15:53:00 +0000

The new 2011 Sacagawea dollar with a reverse celebrating the Wampanoag Treaty of 1621 is now available from the U.S. Mint's Direct Ship Program. I ordered a box of the new dollar rolls this...

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