And that’s a good thing, because there are lots of valuable coins floating out in circulation.

In addition to rarities, coins with errors on them keep popping up. The U.S. Mint has improved its quality control, but that doesn’t mean doubled die coins don’t slip through. And they are worth money to collectors.

The fourth edition of Strike it Rich with Pocket Change has just been released by Krause Publications. Ken Potter and Dr. Brian Allen give a thorough account of error coins that have been spotted in circulation. Each listing is accompanied by a clear photo and a price value.

We’ve heard from lots of collectors through the years about how  has made them money because it has taught them what to look for.

If you’ve got the spirit of a treasure hunter start checking your change. You may just strike it rich.

Check it out at here. 

Just in time for release of the movie “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” the New Zealand  Post has minted coins featuring the faces of Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf and Gollum.

And while they may be considered commemorative coins, since their face value of one to 10 New Zealand dollars, yet their retail prices, depending on size and composition, range from a low of $24 US to more than $3,000, these are are official legal tender coins.

The coins, which are inscribed with “Middle-Earth – New Zealand” in both English and Dwarvish, go on sale Nov. 1 at the Post website http://www.nzpost.co.nz/.

“We are the only country in the world with the rights to produce legal tender commemorative coins, featuring characters from The Hobbit Trilogy, and we are delighted to be involved and show support for the New Zealand Film Industry,” said Ivor Masters, head of Stamps and Coins at New Zealand Post.

Not to be outdone by the coin community, there will also be six stamps, special packs and a collection book featuring characters from J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic tale. The collection book will sell for about $314.

Frankly, I’m not a fan, so don’t get me one for my birthday.

I was given the opportunity to join a San Francisco Mint tour for journalists on May 15. It was being held in conjunction with the Mint’s 75th anniversary. But I had a scheduling conflict, so the Mint folks were nice enough to show me around all by myself the following day. I kind of liked that.

It gave me the opportunity to talk with the folks who mint some of our most beautiful coins. Of special interest were the American eagle silver reverse proof coins that will be part of a special set that goes on sale June 7.

There was so much pride among the employees who handled them, from the quality control department ensuring that the blanks were the proper weight to the press operators checking each coin before it was sent for packaging.

My favorite part of the tour was seeing the American eagle silver reverse proof dies take shape. It is an art, and a true combination of skill and technology.

While the folks at the San Francisco Mint (and many of us around the Numismatic News office) call the it the 75th anniversary set, the official name is the 2012 American Eagle San Francisco Two-Coin Silver Proof Set. It contains one American Eagle silver proof coin and one American Eagle silver reverse proof coin.

The set is being minted to demand. Orders will be taken from noon June 7 until 5 p.m. July 5. During that time the sales will be tracked on a “sales odometer” placed on the U.S. Mint’s website. That way the public will know how many sets are being ordered.

I can tell you what I’ll be doing on my lunch hour June 7. I’ll be placing an order for the 75th anniversary set. Trust me. It’s stunning. And now that I’ve gotten to know some of the people who are making it happen, I want one even more.

• Subscribe to the NumisMaster Coin Price Guide for access to the web’s most comprehensive list of coin values
• Join the NumisMaster VIP Program for free subscriptions, store discounts, and more!
• Buy and sell coins, currency, and more in our online classifieds

It was started 100 years ago by my grandfather who collected Indian Head and Lincoln cents. As a young girl I spent many rainy afternoons searching through his tins of coins and filling blue and green coin folders.

Later, I started saving half dollars. There was something majestic about the big coins. And of course I saved the shiniest ones; a few others were spent on baubles.

A few years back I started buying world coins with images of bears on them. Why? I don’t know. My husband likes bears and I thought they’d be great reminders of the various coin shows I’ve attended. And maybe grandkids would enjoy them some day.

Now, the collection grows as we travel around the world. I have rubles from the old Soviet Union and euros from London. For now, it’s just circulating coinage that finds its way into the collection, but with each added coin comes an added degree of interest as to what else we may want to add from that country.

My youngest son has an affinity for visiting Ecuador. He’s visited three times in the past three years as part of a group of college students involved in a program called “Building Bridges to Bunchee.” Although U.S. coins and currency are used in Ecuador, he managed to bring back a few centavos. I found a 50-centavo in my car’s cup holder yesterday and thinking it was a half dollar, I grabbed it. But the face did not look familiar. I do not know Eloy Alfaro, although now I’m curious. At least I know who was driving my car recently.

Sitting on my desk is a Canadian cent that hasn’t yet made it into the collection. A friend gave it to me a week ago in recognition of Canada’s decision to stop producing the cent. I understand Canada’s reasons for the decision, but I will miss the chance encounter with them in change.

Are we foolish to collect common coinage from various countries? Maybe. Maybe not. We don’t do it in hopes of making money on the coins someday. For now, they serve as a physical reminder of places and people visited. They tell our stories. And for me, that’s far better than a souvenir post card or a snow globe.

• Subscribe to the NumisMaster Coin Price Guide for access to the web’s most comprehensive list of coin values
• Join the NumisMaster VIP Program for free subscriptions, store discounts, and more!
• Buy and sell coins, currency, and more in our online classifieds

With classes, friends, studying and fun time occupying them 24/7, there is little time for keeping in touch with the homefront. Unless of course they need money, transportation or food.

So imagine my surprise when the college senior posted a link on my Facebook page with the comment, “Now THIS is cool numismatics.”

What got his attention was the new glow-in-the-dark Alberta dinosaur quarter from Canada. It features an image of Pachyrhinosaurus lakustai (spelling test next Friday). Bone fragments of the herbivore were found by a science teacher in 1974 by Grande Prairie, Alta.

The coin bears a brown image of the dinosaur (he’s kind of ugly) that glows in the dark. The Royal Canadian Mint says the photo luminescent technology used won’t wear off, giving collectors years of scary enjoyment.

The coin, which sells for $29.95, is the first of three coins in the Prehistoric Creatures series.

Yes, I will buy one for my son. Call it positive reinforcement. And it just might get him interested in collecting coins.

• Subscribe to the NumisMaster Coin Price Guide for access to the web’s most comprehensive list of coin values
• Join the NumisMaster VIP Program for free subscriptions, store discounts, and more!
• Buy and sell coins, currency, and more in our online classifieds

Canada has decided to phase out its cent at the end of the year. It costs more to produce than it’s worth. Just like the U.S. cent.

The logical part of me says, “Away with it.” The sentimental part of me says, “It still serves a purpose.”

Think of all those signs in the big superstores. One store boasts laundry detergent for $8.99. The store down the block offers it for $8.98. How many people will drive the extra block to save a penny?

And gas. We all talk about gas prices. We notice when they deviate up or down by 1 cent. We don’t save our opinions until the deviation is a nickel.

You can’t find penny candy like you could 30 years ago, but don’t take away the coin that reminds me of trips to Taylor Avenue Bakery in Racine, Wis., where one display case alongside the kringles and pumpernickel bread was devoted to penny candy. Who cared if the long strips of button candy meant you ate more paper than candy or that the little wax bottles filled with flavored syrup tasted horrible. What did you expect for a penny?

And what about my cent collection? I’m not quite ready to abandon it, thank you very much. I was kind of hoping one of my grandchildren would continue my Lincoln cent collection some day.

I know people say that eliminating the penny won’t really affect us because so much business is now conducted electronically. We pay with checks and debit cards. No rounding there.

But why wouldn’t a manufacturer decide that it “makes sense” to mark that laundry detergent at an even $9 now that the cent is defunct? And yes, I’m pessimistic enough to think it won’t change to $8.95 instead.

Let the U.S. retain the cent but alter it’s composition so it can be produced economically. And yes, I do believe it speaks to our economic stability. One cent still means something in the United States. And that’s something to be proud of.

• Subscribe to the NumisMaster Coin Price Guide for access to the web’s most comprehensive list of coin values
• Join the NumisMaster VIP Program for free subscriptions, store discounts, and more!
• Buy and sell coins, currency, and more in our online classifieds

Any numismatist out there would most likely agree that I have one of the greatest jobs around. Day in and day out I work with great people who are experts in the field of numismatics.

They are historians, writers, researchers and market analysts with a storehouse of information on U.S. coins and paper money, world coins and paper money, errors, tokens and medals. And although at times it seems they were born with this vast knowledge, they actually came by it quite honestly through study, curiosity and hard work.

Because the numismatic staff at Krause Publications has such expertise, we get our fair share of telephone calls from readers who have questions, most often about coins they have inherited or the latest offerings of the U.S. Mint. More often than not the switchboard operator will send the call to me so I can transfer it to the appropriate expert, whether the question be about paper money, world coins or the latest Presidential dollar.

At the top of my speed dial is George Cuhaj, editor of our world coin and world paper money Standard Catalogs. He also knows a thing or two about U.S. coins and paper money, tokens and medals.

Keep in mind that George, Tom, Dave, Bob, et al, really do have full-time jobs creating content, gathering images, updating pricing, tracking down new issues, writing articles and authoring books. So as helpful as they like to be, spending too much time on the telephone answering questions slows them down.

About a year ago, after a number of telephone calls had been transferred George’s way, he yelled over the wall that the next one would cost me. So, after sending yet another caller to his extension I grabbed a quarter from my change jar and plunked it on his desk. I paid him.

It wasn’t long before the quarters became dimes (I am not independently wealthy.), but my real goal was to cut down on the number of calls I had to transfer. Yes, before long, I was answering some of the callers’ questions. Ta da!

It’s amazing what you can learn from reading the right material. I collect coins but I’m “just” a hobbyist. I am far from an expert. But I’m learning. And I’m learning where to go for information that I don’t know off the top of my head. I read U.S. Coin Digest and Strike it Rich with Pocket Change. I read World Coin News, Bank Note Reporter and Coins magazine. I read all of Alan Herbert’s columns and his book Warman’s U.S. Coin Collecting. This stuff is all starting to make sense.

My newest favorite is a book by Robert R. Van Ryzin, editor of Coins, Coin Prices and Bank Note Reporter. Around here we call him Bob.

The book, U.S. Coins Close Up, is a perfect primer for the collector of U.S. coins. With clear images and understandable descriptions, he takes the collector through the various types of U.S. coins explaining their history and nuances. For instance, photos clearly show the difference between the Standing Liberty Type I and Type II reverses. Now I know.

You don’t have the privilege that I do of working daily with a group of numismatic experts. But you can still become more educated about the hobby you love. Buy some books. Read some articles. Check out some websites.

The saddest telephone calls we receive are from people who spent money unwisely on coins or bank notes merely because they hadn’t done their homework. The information is out there. Use it.

_ _ _

OK. Fade away now for the commercial.

Anyone interested in purchasing U.S. Coins Close Up can buy it at a discount through April 1. Go to http://www.shopnumismaster.com/product/us-coins-close-up-w7621 and at checkout enter code CloseUp10 for a 10 percent discount on the already discounted price. That means you get the book, which retails for $17.99, for only $10.80. Just don’t tell Bob!

• Subscribe to the NumisMaster Coin Price Guide for access to the web’s most comprehensive list of coin values
• Join the NumisMaster VIP Program for free subscriptions, store discounts, and more!
• Buy and sell coins, currency, and more in our online classifieds

A dealer packs up his car after a coin show and heads for home. It’s only a three- or four- hour drive. Makes no sense to fly.

It’s been a long week, he’s tired and his traveling companion is hungry. They find a nice, reasonably priced restaurant to stop at on the way home. It’s a convenient halfway point and a good opportunity to stretch their legs.

But not long after they’ve been seated at their table, another smash-and-grab hits out of nowhere. Their car window is broken and hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of coins are stolen from the back seat of the car.

That’s what occurred earlier this month to a Pennsylvania couple returning from a Maryland coin show. Mid-afternoon, driving home from the show, they decided to stop for a bite to eat. When they returned to their car, the back window had been broken and their coins stolen.

And don’t think their coins would have been safe if they had stored them in the trunk. Another Pennsylvania coin dealer was robbed two years ago after stopping at a restaurant on his way home from a coin show in New Jersey. He sat down at a table in full view of his car. But after ordering, he looked out and saw that his trunk was open. All of his inventory was stolen.

A year and a half ago well-known Maryland coin dealer Julian Leidman was dining with family on his way home from a Connecticut coin show. Two 50-pound cases filled with about $1 million in coins and currency were locked in the cargo area of his minivan. But that didn’t stop thieves who broke into the minivan and made off with the cases. That story has a happy ending, however, after an East Coast dealer who was offered some of the stolen coins contacted authorities and most of the inventory was recovered.

Doug Davis of the Numismatic Crime Information Center warns dealers to be alert to anyone overly interested in their activities, hovering near their tables or following them at the coin show or hotel. While there are lone thieves out there, it’s also well known that organized crime is behind many of the thefts.

But dealers aren’t the only people who need to be cautious. Buyers need to be just as wary when it comes to flashing a roll of money or showing off a newly purchased coin.

Bottom line, you can’t be too cautious. I remember the first big coin show I attended. As I left the show for the day my colleague advised me to take off my “Please rob me” sign, also know as my show badge.

So be alert, watch out for strangers, keep an eye on your rearview mirror, and pack an apple and some nuts to tide you over until you get home.

As Sgt. Phil Esterhaus of “Hill Street Blues” would say, “Let’s be careful out there.”

The first year I was married my aunt celebrated by giving me a Christmas plate with that year’s date on it. Each succeeding year I’d receive another plate to add to my collection, and when I became a mother, the Mother’s Day plates became gifts as well.

I love the soft blue plates with their delicate scenes of animals, landmarks and country sides. They were proudly displayed on the walls of our first home. But as the years went by, and the collection grew, I became less excited about the small square packages I received every Christmas. My interests were changing.

The same thing happens with coin collectors. While Morgan dollars may beckon a collector early on, it’s not an all unusual to find his tastes drifting toward Liberty quarters a few years down the road. And that’s more than OK.

Time after time after time we hear it said: “Collect what you like.” Whether that be Morgans, Barbers, Mercurys or Lincolns, it doesn’t matter.

Folks call here all the time asking advice on what to collect. How would we know?
The unsaid question is, “What should I collect that will ultimately bring me a profit when I decide to sell it?” If we knew the answer to that, we’d all be retired and living on the interest from our investments.

My husband used to grumble that the money spent on “those plates” was a waste.

“You’re never going to get your money’s worth out of them,” he told me.

But what he didn’t understand is that I didn’t care about the money. I wasn’t ever going to sell them. At the time they looked nice on the walls and matched my blue and red décor. And they were a right of passage from my family acknowledging that I was now a married lady deserving of such gifts.

Today I collect orange Czech vases. It really makes no sense because my house is decorated in cranberry and gold. There is no good place to display them.
But I fell in love with the glassware at an Antique Trader show about seven years ago, and after receiving the first little vase as a gift, I’ve continued to add to my collection. And I’m planning to repaint the bedroom walls this spring to a color that will complement the fiery orange glassware.

Will I ever get my money’s worth out of my glass collection? Probably not. But I don’t spend more than I can afford, and now, right now, I get enjoyment from looking at them.

Isn’t that what collecting is all about? To me, the chance to make a profit is a bonus. As long as I don’t spend the grocery money or the kids’ college funds, I’m doing OK.

Maybe a future daughter-in-law will enjoy them as much as I do. And if I’m lucky, she’ll have just the spot to hang some delicate blue plates.

The U.S. Mint is offering a 2012 Birth Set. It’s set for release at noon March 13.

Yes, for real. But for some reason, the Mint decided  not to say anything about it. Instead, it just popped up on the Mint’s list of new products at the end of February.

It’s the first time the U.S. Mint has offered a coin set to mark the year in which a child was born. And it’s not a random set of coins in a plastic holder.

It comes with a cute little card that will hold a baby photo, a lock of baby’s hair and five proof coins from the San Francisco Mint.

The five 2012-S proof coins are a Lincoln cent, a Jefferson nickel, a Roosevelt dime, an America the Beautiful quarter honoring El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico and a Kennedy half dollar.

The U.S. is a little late to the birth set game. Other Mints have been making money off the celebration for years. Britain’s Royal Mint offers three different sets, the Royal Canadian Mint has a set and The Perth Mint lets you choose from sets that feature a cuddly koala or baby dragon.

Then there are the precious metals companies that offer silver rounds with enamel overlays proclaiming “Baby’s First Birthday” and coin shops that will hand-select an assortment of coins and place them in a special folder.

It didn’t take long for the numismatic community to react once news of the 2012 Birth Set got out. If comments on hobby chat forums are any judge, the coin collecting community was under-whelmed.

As one commenter put it, “It’s totally unimpressive.”

Oh, yeah. The set costs $19.95.

But as one collector suggested, for another $12 you can buy a 2012 mint set. Put it in a nice card and you’ve made your own set.

So maybe that’s why the 2012 Birth Set made a timid entrance onto the numismatic scene. We finally have a U.S. Mint product with which to celebrate a family milestone, but it doesn’t exactly take your breath away.

Ho, hum. Maybe the Mint can add a balloon and some confetti to add a little pizzazz.

Jefferson Nickel Folder

• Subscribe to the NumisMaster Coin Price Guide for access to the web’s most comprehensive list of coin values
• Join the NumisMaster VIP Program for free subscriptions, store discounts, and more!
• Buy and sell coins, currency, and more in our online classifieds