2008 Proof Set from the United States Mint
Braided Hair Large Cent Struck on Half Cent Flan Discovered in...
Rare error to make its first appearance at Heritage's July 2008 Baltimore ANA Auction. Braided Hair large cent error is sized midway between a large cent and a half cent, and was struck on a half cent flan.
Dallas, TX. An amazing Braided Hair large cent struck on a half cent planchet will be making its first public auction appearance at Heritage Auction Galleries' 2008 Baltimore ANA Signature® Auction.

The coin has been consigned by a very private Northwest family whose members were unaware of its rarity or significance. The newly discovered rarity will be sold July 30-August 2, 2008, and the lot listing will be available online at HA.com during early July.
"In more than three decades as a numismatist," commented Heritage's Senior Numismatist Mark Borckardt," and after having examined tens of thousands of large cents, I have NEVER seen a similar error.
As soon as I spotted this amazing error coin, I gathered all of the senior numismatists, and none of them could recall a similar piece.
When they heard that the coin had sat on the front porch of a house for fifty years in a Mason jar - along with a bunch of other old coins in cans and jars - they were equally astounded!
It quickens all of our hearts to imagine that there are still major rarities out there waiting to be discovered!"
Archeologists Find Sword and Sceptre Gold Coin at Colony of Avalon
Archeologists at a Colony of Avalon dig site uncovered a Scottish Sword and Sceptre gold coin dated 1601.
The 22-karat coin was worth six pounds, weighs about 5 grams, and was discovered in an area of the dig believed to be from the earliest years of the colony.
A news release by The Colony of Avalon Foundation said it is the first ever whole gold coin found at the dig site, located at the southern shores of Ferryland, Newfoundland.
Coins of these type were issued during the reign of King James VI of Scotland two years before he ascended the throne of England as King James I.
According to the Colony of Avalon website, the area has a history of over 500 years, with Beothuk Indians, migratory fishermen from western Europe, and European settlers who first began to arrive in 1621. The colony was founded by George Calvert, later Lord Baltimore, that year.
Archeologist Jim Tuck told CBC Radio.
Bullion & Business Weekend Report – June 14
D.B. Cooper Notes make $37K at Heritage’s Americana Memorabilia Auction
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.
Inflation Calculator, Rate Charts Updated with New 2008 CPI Data
Gail Baker Named Chair of ANA Membership Committee
National Park State Quarter Series Comments by House Sponsors
Australia II 25th Anniversary Commemorative Silver Coin and Sailcloth
The Perth Mint struck and launched a silver proof commemorative coin celebrating the 25th anniversary of Australia II, which became the first challenger ever to win the America's Cup on 26 September 1983.
The Australian legal tender coin is made of 99.9% pure silver, contains one full ounce, and has a very limited mintage ceiling of 5,000.

The very attractive coin comes with a unique piece of history — a fragment of sailcloth taken from Australia II’s genoa, and worn as she crossed the finish line at the end of the decisive seventh race.




