Here’s a fun bit of trivia I’ll bet few in the hobby know. What coin-related magazine appears on a newspaper kiosk in the Golden Globe-winning movie, “The Truman Show,” starring Jim Carrey? It’s Coins magazine—the October 1996 issue to be … Continue reading →

Among the many false rumors spread about U.S. coins over the years was that the appearance of the “fasces,” an ancient Roman symbol of authority, on the Mercury dime (1916-1945) was linked to a secret support of fascism in this … Continue reading →

Next month, I’ll be attending the California State Numismatic Association’s Eighth Annual Northern California Educational Symposium, slated for Oct. 27 in Vallejo. I’m one of four speakers at the symposium, which focuses mainly on California and its relation to gold. … Continue reading →

I love coinage history, particularly when it’s a bit bizarre. A great example of this appeared in the January 1915 issue of Mehl’s Numismatic Monthly under the title, “An Automobile for Four Mint Marks.” B. Max Mehl, a prominent early … Continue reading →

Don’t drink and clean your coins! Actually, it’s best not to clean coins in the first place. It’s too easy to damage the coin, resulting in an unnatural color or miniscule scratches that can be seen under magnification and lower … Continue reading →

I’m flippin’ angry. It has to stop. The shameless abuse of collectible coins has to end. I called this blog “The Flip Side” after a column I used to write, but I never advocated the flipping of coins and particularly … Continue reading →

I spent much of last week at the American Numismatic Association’s World’s Fair of Money in Milwaukee. I highly recommend that if you ever get a chance to take in an ANA anniversary convention that you do so. This year’s … Continue reading →

With the recent uproar over the supposed “godless” Presidential dollars, created when the “In God We Trust” motto failed to be placed on the edge of a few of the new Washington dollars, it might be good to look back … Continue reading →

Next week I head off for the American Numismatic Association convention in Milwaukee, and I am looking forward to it. The first ANA convention I attended was in 1986, which was the same year I joined staff of Krause Publications. … Continue reading →

And the award for overly conservative and wretchedly honest coin grading goes to… Of course, everyone knows that coin grading is subjective. All attempts to standardize coin grading have left something to be desired. Beauty remains in the eye of … Continue reading →