IRVINE, Calif. – Bowers and Merena Auctions, America’s leading rare coin auction house, returns as Official Auctioneer of the Baltimore Coin and Currency Convention, with the next auction scheduled for June 4-7, 2008, at the Baltimore Convention Center.  

This is the second of three official Baltimore auctions by Bowers and Merena in 2008, continuing their longstanding and ongoing association with the convention.

The auction boasts more than 3,000 coin and currency lots and an impressive list of highlights.

Read the rest of this entry »

(Mandeville, Louisiana) – Nationally-known rare coin dealer Paul Hollis, 36, of Mandeville, Louisiana will formally announce his candidacy for the Republican Party’s nomination for the United States Senate on May 12.  A number of prominent numismatists are on his campaign committee, such as John Albanese, Jeff Garrett, Paul Montgomery and Douglas Winter. 

Hollis began collecting coins at the age of six after receiving a Peace dollar from his grandmother.  In recent years, millions of viewers watched him on air when he hosted “The Coin Vault” television program on the Shop at Home network, and he also is known by many collectors and dealers from his earlier work as chief numismatist at Blanchard and Company in New Orleans. 

A political science graduate of Louisiana State University, he is the owner of Paul Hollis Rare Coins in Mandeville, Louisiana.  In addition to rare U.S. numismatic items, he specializes in ancient coins that circulated during the lifetime of Jesus Christ. 

Read the rest of this entry »

The Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) has announced they will unveil and issue $2 circulating coins Wednesday to honour the 400th anniversary of the City of Quebec’s founding.

The public is invited to participate in the ceremonial event and presentation of the coins on Wednesday, May 7. The public may also exchange old coins for the new $2 commemorative coin honouring the city.

When the Mint initially announced the 400th Anniversary of Quebec City coin, Ian E. Bennett, President and CEO of the RCM stated:

Read the rest of this entry »

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) has released their April 2008 banknote production figures. The BEP produced 709,120,000 notes that were worth a total of $13,532,800,000.

April figures show a slight decease in volume by nearly 75,000 notes compared to March banknote figures, but the total value produced is almost identical. Also similar was the production of notes in $1, $5, $10 and $100 denominations and the need to print Star notes. No $20’s were reportedly produced.

For the monthly comparisons by total weight of banknotes made:

• February came in at 1,432,122 lbs or 649,600 kilograms,
• March notes weighed at 1,728,446,180 lbs or 784,010 kilograms,
• And April banknotes weighted 1,563,342 lbs or 709,120 kilograms.

Spread across the 30 days in April and counting weekends and holidays, the BEP averaged slightly over 23.9 million notes per day with a total face value of approximately $451 million. Read the rest of this entry »

The Royal Australian Mint has released a special one dollar coin featuring a detector dog on duty to mark the centenary of Australian Quarantine.

The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) is responsible for protecting Australia’s borders from exotic pets and diseases. AQIS also provides import and export inspection to support access to overseas markets.

The special uncirculated coin acknowledges the work and commitment of AQIS in protecting Australia’s unique environment and our multi-million dollar agricultural and tourism industries. The success of these quarantine practices has resulted in Australia remaining free from many of the world’s worst agriculture pests and diseases.

Read the rest of this entry »