Silver is fast approaching $20 an ounce and crossed over a 27 year high this week. Signs would seem to indicate there is a solid chance of it reaching over the $20 barrier and perhaps very soon. As of this writing 11:45 a.m. (ET), New York spot silver is at $19.67 an ounce.

For coin collectors, silver could be the biggest news. The metal is so easily associated with many collectible coins and not so distant past circulating coins. It is "easier" to see precious metal price change impacts.

A couple cases in point for circulating coins using the CoinNews Silver Coin Calculator and the $19.67 spot price:

• 10 War Nickels from 1945 with a face value of $.50 have $11.07 in silver content
• 10 Roosevelt Dimes from 1964 with a face value of $1.00 have $14.23 in silver content
• 10 Kennedy Half Dollars from 1970 with a face value of $5.00 have $29.09 in silver content
• And finally, 10 Ike Dollars from 1976 with a face value of $10.00 have $62.18 in silver content

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While Congressman Ron Paul [R-TX] is running for President, he is also attempting to create new law. On February 13, 2008, Mr. Paul introduced a bill titled, the Tax-Free Gold Act of 2008.

Should the bill become law, it would eliminate taxes and fees on certain coins and bullion.

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Coin collectors are experienced in placing and arranging coins within albums, folders, holders and the like. Many collectors also enjoy showing their collection to family, friends and other collectors. However, the thought of taking collected coins, artistically arranging them into a portrait and sharing the results with the public is something, likely, most numismatists would never contemplate.

One father and son team did just that. Read the rest of this article »

New Presidential $1 Coins are certainly a hit with many collectors, but their acceptance elsewhere since they were first introduced in 2007 has been slow.

Frightening slow… and very similar to previous failed attempts at thrusting dollar coins into the publics hands.

Like the Susan B. Anthony and Sacagawea golden dollars, Presidential $1 coins face a daunting and nearly impossible task of competing with the one dollar bill.

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Oakton, VA — Wizard Coin Supply, a global provider of coin collecting supplies, recently launched its new website at wizardcoinsupply.com.

Currently offering one of the largest selections of coin supplies and coin collecting accessories on the web, Wizard Coin Supply is poised to service the recent surge in coin collectors around the United States.

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Some sites are successful by simply aggregating and centralizing news written by other organizations. Their sites become stickier for visitors because of the uniqueness of information in a specialized area, like coin or numismatic content.

Now with the CoinNews RSS feeds, you can add numismatic headlines and excerpts straight into your site and make it more valuable to visitors.

CoinNews is read not only by experienced coin collectors, but by new collectors wanting "down to earth" information. Why not offer the same information on your site from a source who’s readership is growing daily?

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New Mexico lawmakers introduced new legislation that would create coins commemorating the 400th anniversary of Santa Fe.

Santa Fe, New Mexico, the site of native occupation centuries before European incursions, was officially elevated from a plaza established in 1608 to a villa and capital city in 1610. It’s also the home to the oldest and continuously inhabited indigenous communities in North America.

Two bills were concurrently introduced into the House and Senate and each has been referred to committee. If a reconciled bill passes and is signed into law, a commemorative $5 gold piece and a $1 silver dollar would be minted for coin collectors in 2010.

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Today, Jan. 7, the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) has confirmed the existence of counterfeit replica holders.

NGC was founded in 1987 to objectively provide third party grades to coins. Coins sent to NGC are analyzed, graded, recorded and then encapsulated in tamper resistant, protective holders.

While there are several coin grading services in existence, NGC is considered to be one of the top two - PCGS being the other.

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Coin collectors have been awaiting for the expected announcement and it’s here.

It’s the 10th anniversary for the American Eagle Platinum coins and to celebrate, the U.S. Mint has changed it up with a limited edition, two-coin set that’s just for collectors.

Included in the set is one proof coin and, for the first time ever, one enhanced reverse proof platinum coin. Each contains one-half ounce of .9995 platinum.

Get your money ready, because the sets go on sale through the U.S. Mint website beginning December 13, 2007, at 12 noon (ET).

Pricing and product details for the platinum anniversary set

Before you get too excited, realize we’re talking about coins with platinum - that non too cheap metal. Otherwise, the price of this special set may take you for a bit of a spin. Hold on…

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In a sad twist of irony, newer import policy has stopped or severely restricted a number of ancient coins from entering the U.S., but at the same time lead-coated toys and dog-killing food entered too easily.

No one questions that the latter should never happen again. And certainly, safeguards should be implemented to help prevent looting in archaeological sites and the selling of stolen property into other countries.

But still and always, policy needs to be clearly stated, documented and balanced to allow and enable legitimate international exchange.

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