CoinNews

It's not the largest or heaviest gold coin in the world, but this commemorative Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Gold Coin commands attention. Weighing in at 22 pounds (10 kg), a diameter 7.09 inches (18 cm) and made from .9999 fine gold, the 100,000 legal tender Chinese Yuan coin will cost one cool million to own.

A spectacular price for sure, but is the coin worth its weight in gold? At gold's current spot price of $942.80 an ounce and considering there are 12 troy ounces per troy pound, that puts the coin's bullion value at about $249,000.

It's rare to find any commemorative priced as low as its bullion value. Why?

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PBS' History Detectives is dedicated to exploring historical mysteries that will, on Monday, investigate whether a 1853 French Napoleon coin was split by sharpshooter Annie Oakley.

Annie Oakley was a superstar attraction in Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show who became famous by performing daring shooting feats.

Annie's marksmanship skills dazzled audiences by edge-splitting playing cards, snuffing out candles, and, of course, shooting coins.

Legendary Native American and Sioux warrior Sitting Bull, also in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show in the 1880's, called Annie "Little Sure Shot."

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U.S. Representative Jack Kingston introduced coin legislation Thursday, June 26, seeking a silver dollar coin commemorating "the centennial of the establishment of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America."

The coin bill is officially named H.R. 6404. It's so freshly new that the Government Printing Office (GPO) has not yet had the chance to enter the text of the legislation into their system.

It does, however, have an impressive cosponsor list of 41 other members in the House. That's strong showing for the initial stage of this bill.

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