We are living in interesting times. The economy has problems and the experts cannot decide whether we are seeing a recovery or experiencing the proverbial dead cat bounce. Politics has gone berserk as the 24-hour news cycle cannot make heads or tails of the events in Washington as they watch the sausage making process of how to deal with 17-percent of the gross domestic product.
Collectors may have thought that we could withdraw into our world of numismatics and ride out this storm. The economy may be bad, but a creative collector can find other ways of enjoying the hobby. But this might now be the case.
From online forums to printed publication, there have been stories of collectors not being treated well by dealers. Stories have ranged from ignoring people at shows to dealers being rude in their own shops.
When I returned to collecting after my first wife died I felt a bit intimidated. I was interested in the hobby but I had forgotten what I had learned many years earlier. After 20 years away I found that the entire hobby changed with the growth of third-party grading. I was overwhelmed! But I found a dealer who was willing to talk with me, answer my questions, and point me in the right direction. I was so grateful that I purchased a starter collection of Peace Dollars from that dealer at a fair price. Read the rest of this entry »
A steamship that sank off the Louisiana coast during an 1846 storm has produced a trove of rare gold coins, including some produced at two largely forgotten U.S. Mints in the South, coin experts say.
Last year, four Louisiana residents salvaged hundreds of gold coins and thousands of silver coins from the wreckage of the SS New York in about 60 feet of water in the Gulf of Mexico, said David Bowers, co-chairman of New York-based Stack’s Rare Coins.
“Some of these are in uncirculated or mint condition,” Bowers said, predicting the best could bring $50,000 to $100,000 apiece at auction.
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Queensland, Australia. The Rare Coin Company is poised to set yet another world record when it bids to acquire the very first Australian Commonwealth Banknote ever printed, the 1913 Ten Shilling note.
Rob Jackman, the Company’s founder will attend the International Auction Galleries auction at the Sofitel Hotel Gold Coast in Queensland on Sunday 9th of March 2008 from 3pm. It is estimated that the banknote is valued at $1.3 to $1.4 million dollars and that the auction will attract a number of major coin dealers and private collectors.
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DAHLONEGA - The Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Office has thwarted a possible conspiracy to steal coins from the Dahlonega Gold Museum.
On Christmas Eve, an anonymous caller alerted the museum of the potential conspiracy.
Officials contacted one of the alleged co-conspirators, who had recently visited the museum and researched the value of the coins.
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There’s an absurd prickle to the mind upon first hearing someone is thrown into jail for trying to open a bank account with a fake $1M dollar bill.
It’s close to the same level of thinking as someone trying to pass off a video game token or 2007 penny for a million bucks to a rare coin dealer.
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It’s not exactly unusual to find free offers. They’re everywhere - TV, direct mail, e-mail, and all around the Internet.
Usually it’s clear or least understood that anything "free" comes with some sort of sacrifice. You’re likely to spend your time, money or both BEFORE you get ANYTHING for free.
There are many examples of free offers in the coin dealer and collector market. Some are good giveaways, some are absolutely terrible and, worse, some are very misleading.
The pros of free coin offers
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