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.

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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 article »

Dallas, TX. The Official Currency Auction of the Central States Numismatic Society convention, held by Heritage Auction Galleries, realized $14,164,504, the largest currency auction ever, and the final total will be even higher after Post Auction Buys are concluded. Combining the rare coin and currency results, total prices realized at Central States currently exceed $44.4 million. More than 6,700 bidders participated in Heritage’s Signature events, and another 3,000-plus bid in the Final Sessions.

The auctions were held in Rosemont, Illinois on April 16-18; Images, descriptions, and prices realized for all lots can be viewed at the Heritage website, HA.com.

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The Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) produced 784,010,000 U.S. banknotes in March of 2008 worth a total of $13,501,800,000.

March figures reflect a volume increase compared to the total notes printed in February. However, the total value is slightly lower. In further March to February comparisons, for whatever they may be worth, the BEP reported zero $20s printed while doubling the amount of $5s produced.

There chart below also shows March had a fair share of Star notes.

For the final comparison and perhaps the most interesting, the physical weight of all the banknotes produced in February was 1,432,122 lbs or 649,600 kilograms. March notes weighed in at 1,728,446,180 lbs or 784,010 kilograms.

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Earlier in the day the American Numismatic Association (ANA) sent out an e-mail notice letting members know ANA Money Museum Curator Douglas Mudd would be discussing the history, design and current use of the $1 bill on the Fox Business Network.

Unfortunately, the odds would have it that many likely read the e-mail only after the interview took place, which occurred at 12:45 p.m. (ET). Or, the daily business routine made it impossible to watch.

The good news is that the Fox Business video entitled, Decoding The Dollar, is now available online and embedded below.

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(Dallas, Texas) – Fifteen $20 Federal Reserve Notes from the infamous 1971 “D. B. Cooper” skyjacking will be offered to the public for the first time in June by Heritage Auction Galleries of Dallas, Texas (www.HA.com).  The notes are 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.

“Some of these notes have the initials of investigators who examined the recovered money after Ingram found it along the banks of the Columbia River near Vancouver, Washington in February 1980,” said Steve Ivy, Co-Chairman of Heritage and a long-time paper money collector.

“The serial numbers all match the FBI’s list of $20 bills given to the skyjacker known as ‘D.B. Cooper’ who parachuted from a jetliner with the cash somewhere between Seattle Washington and Reno, Nevada during a rainstorm on November 24, 1971.  The 15 pieces consigned by Ingram include two Series 1963-A and four Series 1969 Federal Reserve Notes.”

The D.B. Cooper cash will be offered as part of a big auction of Americana memorabilia in Dallas and online, June 13 and 14.

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Dallas, TX. A piece of rare and never-circulated Hawaiian paper money - a $500 note that was to be issued in 1879 - is being offered at auction in Rosemont, Illinois on April 16-18. The $500 note, which exists only as a set of proof printings of the face and back plates, is so incredibly rare that it remains unpriced in the standard currency reference guides.

The pair of proof printings is one of only two known as well. This pair of proofs is included in the catalog for the Official Auction of the Central States Numismatic Society convention, being held in Rosemont, Illinois on April 17-19. The catalog for the auction is now posted by Heritage Auction Galleries on their HA.com/Currency website. 

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The infamous skyjacker D.B. Cooper case is making headlines once again. This year the FBI was notified about the discovery of nearly three dozen D.B. Cooper serial numbers from stolen banknotes. Now the FBI has a possible D.B. Cooper torn and tangled parachute that was found buried by children in southwest Washington.

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.

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The newly redesigned $5 bill entered circulation March 13, 2008. While it will take time for everyone to receive their first $5, those that have seen it love it. Well, that’s what the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) is saying at least.

Based on their latest video showing consumer reactions to the $5, it’s a smash-hit.

For a new note that is promoted as being “safer, smarter and more secure,” building public acceptance and knowledge for the $5 is an absolute must. Hundreds of millions of the new notes will pass through people’s hands each year (1.4 billion $5s were produced in 2007). Reducing confusion during money transactions is better for everyone.

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The first new redesigned Lincoln $5 bills will start arriving in banks on March 13. On the same day, the very first $5 note will be spent in the gift shop of President Lincoln’s Cottage at the Soldiers’ Home in Washington, D.C.

Back in September of 2007, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) for the first time ever digitally unveiled the new bill redesign.

It includes two new watermarks, an enhanced security thread and other security features that promises to make the bill “safer, smarter and more secure”.

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