Frenzy or not, here Eagle set comes

It is not a Facebook initial public stock offering, but for numismatics, it is close. When the U.S. Mint begins to sell the two-coin silver American Eagle set June 7, everybody who made money on the October sellout of the 25th anniversary American Eagle set and every collector who missed that opportunity will be doing the math and wondering how many sets to buy. Continue reading

Posted in Articles, Class of '63, Features | Tagged | Leave a comment

Silver about more than current price

I like ice cream. I tend to eat too much of it. I don’t need the calories. I don’t need the cholesterol, but what would a birthday or anniversary party be without it? Continue reading

Posted in Articles, Class of '63, Features | Tagged | Leave a comment

Mind your security for peace of mind

When you are eyeing that flashy new convertible, what are you thinking? Certainly not that it might be stolen or end up in a flaming wreck. That’s what insurance is for. You buy insurance and think nothing of the dangers the policy protects you from. Continue reading

Posted in Articles, Class of '63, Features | Leave a comment

Give someone a pat on the back

I have just returned from the Central States Numismatic Society convention that was held in Schaumburg, Ill. While it is easy to get caught up in the convention and hotel facilities themselves, it is important to remember that it is the many club volunteers and workers who make shows of this kind possible. Continue reading

Posted in Articles, Class of '63, Features | Leave a comment

Current problems pale beside 1965

If you are working for the U.S. Mint today, it might not seem to be the best of times judging from the letters of readers that appear on this page. However, the Mint is catching at least one break: It isn’t 1965. Continue reading

Posted in Articles, Class of '63, Features | Leave a comment

Sometimes collecting is all about you

What’s the future of the hobby? Who will be collecting coins after we’re gone? Those questions, or some form of them, are often tossed at me to initiate a discussion about what we should be doing to inspire youngsters to take up the coin collecting challenge. Continue reading

Posted in Articles, Class of '63, Features | Leave a comment

Making a career out of cent’s fate

If the U.S. cent will hang on just a few years longer, I will be able to someday claim that I spent an entire career periodically writing about the coin’s potential demise. Continue reading

Posted in Articles, Class of '63, Features | Tagged | Leave a comment

Does stability rest on lowly cent?

While I was on an automobile trip across Wisconsin to Minnesota, I stopped for gas. Anybody who pays to fill up a motor vehicle these days certainly thinks that the gold standard advocates have a point. A more stable monetary system might preclude some of the price shocks that we all seem to be experiencing for gasoline and other things that we must buy regularly. Continue reading

Posted in Articles, Class of '63, Features | Tagged | Leave a comment

Just how erratic can a fellow get?

I would like to think I am rational in all of my coin purchase decisions. But looking at it dispassionately, I know that I am not. This is particularly in evidence when I look at my record of purchasing modern Mint issues. Continue reading

Posted in Articles, Class of '63, Features | Leave a comment

Mint’s future might be very different

With the U.S. Mint due to report on the future of U.S. circulating coinage in 2013, perhaps now is the time to also look into the relationship of the U.S. Mint and its products with coin collectors. We are a critical constituency for the U.S. Mint and our opinion of this government institution is going to become ever more important. Continue reading

Posted in Articles, Class of '63, Features | Tagged | Leave a comment