Ottawa, Ontario, December 21, 2007 - Under the theme Our Values, the Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) will be launching an all-new ad campaign for Quebec on December 27, 2007. The campaign’s spokesperson will be none other than popular TV host and producer Véronique Cloutier, who has signed on to represent the RCM for three years.

The RCM’s choice of this public figure, a media personality the people of Quebec have practically watched grow up on TV, is in line with the new communication platform that the Royal Canadian Mint developed for the Quebec market.

One of the primary objectives of the campaign is to increase awareness and understanding of the various roles played by the RCM, and consequently, to create an emotional bond with the people of Quebec.

Read the rest of this entry »

Special Note is the First Graded Superb Gem New 69 of Any Large Size Type

IRVINE, Calif. – Teletrade, America’s largest fully automated Internet auction company for certified coins and currency, announces the record-setting sale of an 1899 “Black Eagle” Silver Certificate. Bidding on the note advanced to $30,000 during Teletrade’s December 10 auction, but the note did not meet the reserve.  A day after the sale, Teletrade sold the note to a private buyer who was previously unavailable during auction bidding.

Teletrade is not releasing the final price the buyer paid or the identity of the buyer, but will confirm the sale price was in excess of $30,000. According to Ian Russell, president of Teletrade, “This note sets records as the highest price paid for a non Serial Number One ‘Black Eagle,’ and it is the second most expensive for the type.”

Read the rest of this entry »

The Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) has their next public meeting Jan. 15. CCAC’s main responsibility is to review themes and design proposals for circulating coinage, commemorative coins, bullion coinage, Congressional Gold Medals and other medals.

It’s for this purpose they’ll next meet. According to the announcement, their main objectives in the meeting will be to:

• Review design candidates for the reverse (tails) of the fourth one-cent circulating coin in the 2009 Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial One-Cent Coin series

Read the rest of this entry »

Earlier in the month we started to report on news accounts of generous people dropping gold coins into Salvation Army kettles throughout the US. Unfortunately, we had to stop. People were just being too generous and we couldn’t keep up!

This time of the year often brings out the best in people, but it’s my opinion that so many are generous throughout the year. We just hear about it less often.

(Which reminds me… you may be interested in checking out HappyNews.com. It’s not a fluff site. As their tag line indicates, it offers real news, compelling stories and is always positive.)

If you’re a Friday Fun Blog reader, you’ve probably noticed I enjoy short videos. This week is no different. I was browsing YouTube™ and came across a WGAL News 8 report on donations. The gold tooth will catch your attention immediately along with the Krugerrand gold coin.

Read the rest of this entry »

The surging Canadian dollar known as the loonie struck many headlines throughout 2007 and now it gets at least one more - the selection by Time magazine as the Canadian Newsmaker of 2007.

The loonie started the year at 87 cents US and hit a peak on November at $1.10. Most notable for the loonie, however, was Sept. 20, 2007 when it struck parity with the US dollar for the first time in nearly 31 years.

Imports were cheaper for Canadians due to the rise. However, a large percentage of Canadian exports enter the US, resulting in painful constraints in sectors like manufacturing.

Read the rest of this entry »

In a blaze of actions and to get home for the holidays, the Senate and House tossed together a several hundred page bill named, The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008. The bill has been given to the President and while there’s no guarantee, the signing of it seems likely.

(Editor’s update: President Bush signed the act into law Dec. 26.)

Even with the latest and greatest computer, the digital document takes seconds to load. Reading it in its entirety… well, that’s hours of tedium. Thanks to modern search tools, quicker inspection is possible. And upon review, the bill contains a few nuggets of interest for coin collectors.

Read the rest of this entry »

Chester Endress, a 73-year old coin collector and owner of Chet’s Coins, was robbed over the weekend in Akron, OH.

Based on video footage provided by WKYC-TV, the thieves made their entry by cutting through Mr. Endress’s wall from an empty and adjacent store. A torch was then used to slice into the safe holding the coins.

Given the nature of the heist, it would appear the criminals had experience and they were familiar with the layout of the coin shop. They were able to gain access, disable the alarm and cut open the safe in a timely enough fashion to escape with the coins.

The short WKYC-TV article, Coin shop heist nets estimated $750,000 worth of rare and common coins, describes the incident and includes some photos of the break in while the more detailing video report provides the most insights.

Read the rest of this entry »

Alan Goldberg, an Austin, Texas entrepreneur, has set out to create a new definition for Jewish coins. Alan has founded SoulCoin Co. and is marketing the company’s first coins—the Humility and Joy Coin Set—as “Coins of the Spiritual Realm.”

“It was during the month before the Jewish High Holidays, when we think a lot about the larger topics of life,” Alan explains. “The idea just hit me. I went into a kind of trance, and when I came out of it, I had the idea for the coins and the initial design all worked out.” And so the Humility and Joy Coin Set was born.

Read the rest of this entry »

Copper used to be the problem step-child of metals. It was either not thought about or considered in a negative context, like the mental picture of paying for the repair of copper piping underneath the sink.

For some, copper has turned to gold. And better, it wasn’t purchased first - it just found its way onto some junk pile in the garage or back yard and it magically turned into money.

Today, if you have a pile of it sitting around, you can gather it up and make some decent bucks at $2.92 per pound. Even better, a scrap metal entrepreneur is likely to ask and do the work for you just to get a percentage of the return.

Read the rest of this entry »

Website and Catalog Feature Exclusive Input on Select Coins by PCGS Founder and Director, David Hall

IRVINE, Calif. – Bowers and Merena Auctions, America’s leading rare coin auction house, kicks off festivities in Orlando on Tuesday, January 8, 2008, with the Bowers and Merena Orlando Rarities Sales, featuring 670 rare and desirable coin lots sure to satisfy the tastes of the most discerning collector. The auction will be held at the International Plaza Resort & Spa in the heart of Orlando’s bustling entertainment district, two days prior to the Orlando F.U.N. Show.

As a special feature of this and future auctions that will be enjoyed by bidders and consignors alike, Bowers and Merena launches a new arrangement with PCGS founder and director, David Hall. Mr. Hall will be offering his exclusive input on many of the coins in this Orlando auction as well as upcoming Bowers and Merena auctions. For a limited time only, he will talk on video about coins offered at auction by Bowers and Merena. The videos will be available online before the auction for potential bidders to view, and also partially transcribed into the printed catalog descriptions. In addition, Bowers and Merena will keep an online video archive of these comments by Mr. Hall.

Read the rest of this entry »