Author Archives: Dave Harper

If savers of the old 95-percent copper cents struck until 1982 are watching the price of copper, they are probably increasingly disappointed. It is going down. The www.coinflation.com website monitors the prices of base metals and how they translate into … Continue reading →

Find any 2015 dated coins in circulation yet? A week ago I asked that question in my blog and in the e-newsletter that Numismatic News sent out that day. I was not exactly overwhelmed with responses. The first came in … Continue reading →

Is there such a thing as offering a popular Mint product too early in the year? The thought crossed my mind as early reports of sales of the 2015 proof silver American Eagle coin do not seem particularly strong. Going … Continue reading →

Are we any closer to changes in the cent and nickel than we were in 2006 when it became uneconomic to produce the two denominations? Under “Reforms” on Page 124 of the Treasury section of the 2015 fiscal year budget … Continue reading →

Coin collectors have long advocated an end to Presidential portraits on our circulating coins and a return to the allegorical depictions of Liberty. In the five decades that I have been active, this thought has gotten precisely nowhere. Sure we … Continue reading →

It is back to basics week for me as I read through emails. That is a good sign for organized numismatics. I hope it means new individuals are arriving in the hobby to take up coin collecting. One inquiry asked … Continue reading →

Have you found a 2015-dated coin in circulation yet? It is Jan. 20, almost three weeks into the month, and in some prior years, coins of the new year arrived in the hands of Americans just a few days after … Continue reading →

“I hate you, I hate you, I hate you,” says the angry teen to the parent. Most people would agree that the teenager is not thinking particularly clearly as these words are uttered. “I hate the U.S. dollar, I hate … Continue reading →