Highlights of Bowers and Merena’s Baltimore Rarities Sale, which is prior to ANA World’s Fair of Money, include extraordinary 1866-S No Motto Liberty Double Eagle in NGC MS-60 and elusive 1808 Capped Bust Left Quarter Eagle in NGC MS-61

IRVINE, Calif. – Bowers and Merena Auctions, America’s leading rare coin auction house, will host their Baltimore Rarities Sale in July at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront, just prior to the ANA World’s Fair of Money. The auction of nearly 1,300 lots will be presented on Saturday, July 26, with lot viewing scheduled for Thursday to Saturday, July 24-26, and lot pick-up on Sunday, July 27. The catalog includes approximately 1,100 coin and 200 currency lots.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) announced the release of the 2008 Cleveland $2 Single Notes for collectors only to later announce its delay. Today, the BEP notified its customers that the Philadelphia $2 Single Note would be delayed as well.

The announcement said,

The BEP will postpone the release of the 2008 $2 Single Philadelphia Note previously scheduled for Monday, June 23.

No date has been determined for rescheduling the release of this product. This postponement is due to system maintenance improvements.

Read the rest of this entry »

Fifteen $20 Federal Reserve Notes from the infamous 1971 "D. B. Cooper" skyjacking were sold for more than $37,000 at Heritage Auction Galleries‘ Americana Memorabilia Grand Format Auction June 13, 2008. The notes were owned by Brian Ingram, 36, of Mena, Arkansas who was eight years old in 1980 when he found the only ransom money ever discovered from the still-unsolved skyjacking.

Cooper hijacked a Northwest Orient Airlines 727 flight from Portland to Seattle in 1971. During the flight to Seattle, Cooper said he had a bomb and demanded $200,000 and parachutes. When the plane landed, he released the passengers in exchange for the money and ordered the pilot to Mexico. While in flight, he jumped from the rear stairway, and was never heard from or seen again.

The 727 Cooper jumped from was flying at a speed of nearly 200 mph. His odds of surviving were low considering the complexity of the jump and the fact that it happened at night and during stormy weather with a wind chill well below zero.

In a statement announcing the auction of notes, Ingram commented on how the money was nearly destroyed,

"We were going to make a fire along the river bank." Ingram recalled.  "I was on my hands and knees smoothing out the sand with my arm, and I uncovered three bundles of money just below the surface.  My uncle thought we should throw it in the fire."

Ingram found approximately $5,800 of the $200,000 ransom given to the skyjacker, and the FBI later returned a small portion to his family.

In February of 2008, PCGS Currency discovered nearly three dozen serial numbers that apparently had not been previously recorded by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Read the rest of this entry »

Bowers and Merena Auctions realized more than $6.2 million as Official Auctioneer of the Baltimore Coin and Currency Convention. Highlights include the sale of an exceptional 1801 Capped Bust Right Eagle in PCGS MS-64 and Fr. 114 1901 $10 Legal Tender Note S/N 1, PCGS Very Fine 30PPQ.

IRVINE, Calif. – Bowers and Merena Auctions, America’s leading rare coin auction house, posted another highly successful outing in Baltimore as Official Auctioneer of the Baltimore Coin and Currency Convention. More than 3,000 lots crossed the block in three sessions June 5-6, 2008, realizing $6,258,873.

"The June Baltimore Coin and Currency Convention is the kick-off to the summer show season and we were very pleased with the attendance at the show and our three sessions of live bidding.

Bidding was very active for coins as well as currency and we are happy with the results," said Steve Deeds, president of Bowers and Merena.

"All three sessions were very busy and we were glad to see many bidders join us for their very first auctions, alongside our regular bidders that we look forward to seeing each time we come to Baltimore.

The atmosphere in the auction room and on the bourse floor was lively and enthusiastic and I am looking forward to what the rest of the summer season brings."

Read the rest of this entry »

When paper dollars are squared up against $1 coins, who comes out the winner and why? Clearly, as the "fun facts" money table shows, the one dollar bill wins out as the currency of choice by a wide, wide margin.

$1 Bill versus $1 Coin: Which is the Winner Today?

Read the rest of this entry »

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) had announced Monday’s release of the 2008 Cleveland $2 Single Notes for collectors. However, a follow-up message sent to customers on Tuesday, May 27, indicates there will be an unspecified delay in their sale.

The BEP message said in part,

"Due to system maintenance the Bureau of Engraving and Printing will postpone the release of the 2008 $2 Single Cleveland Note. Please check our website"

After two days, there is no indication of a new date for release, and the original sale date for the note was changed to: "to be determined".

Read the rest of this entry »

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld a 2006 district court ruling that could result in new banknote designs that are more distinguishable for the blind and visually impaired.

The appeals court ruled today by a 2-1 vote. It upholds the 2006 ruling by U.S. District Judge James Robertson in a lawsuit filed by the American Council of the Blind that claims the U.S. Department of Treasury is violating the Rehabilitation Act with its paper money.

The Rehabilitation Act was created to extend rights to disabled individuals so they can fully participate in society, and it includes a variety of provisions focused on rights, advocacy and protections.

Read the rest of this entry »

Rare and unique Banknotes from Russia, Mexico, China, Brazil, Canada, U.S., Venezuela, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Indonesia, Laos, Philippines, Greece and many other countries along with hundreds of Newly Discovered, exciting historic Stocks, Bonds, Stamps and security printing ephemera to be auctioned in Part III, June 2, 3 & 4, 2008 in Bethel, CT. U.S.A.

NEW YORK - H.R.Harmer, Inc. and Archives International, LLC announce the auction of historic worldwide banknotes, stocks and bonds, unique essay banknotes, U.S. Treasury Bonds and security printing ephemera from the American Bank Note Company archives.

Read the rest of this entry »

Five people were arrested in Southern California earlier this week for allegedly counterfeiting between $5 and $6 million in phony $20s and $100s over the past two years.

Laserjet printers were apparently used to make the money, and it all happened within a residential home in Lawndale, California.

According to an Associated Press article, those arrested in included:

Read the rest of this entry »

With the recently announced and already sold out $2 Dallas note, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) has sent out availability notices of the upcoming 2008 Cleveland $2 Single Notes for June 2, 2008.

Notes in these series typically sellout within hours. With the $2 Dallas BEP note, the BEP threw in an extra hiccup when their online ordering system went down for the day.

With an already fast-paced selling series, the inability to order notes online frustrated collectors further, as some could not get through phone lines. Planning is a must to purchase notes from this series. And, unfortunately, sometimes that is not enough. A touch of luck is helpful.

Read the rest of this entry »