Base Metal Prices Force the Issue

In U.S. numismatics the one cent piece (penny) and five cent piece (nickel) are the current hot buttons. High prices for the base metals, copper and nickel, used in their production have driven up manufacturing costs above the face value of these coins and hobby professionals, like friend and fellow blogger Dave Harper have been talking up the subject for some time now.

Costs always push these discussions out to the broader public and media however and this morning I noticed a story on CNN. Historically, in our field lots of collectors and professionals have been debating the need for the cent for many, many years. In general, we collectors do not want to see the cent dropped from coinage and at the U.S. Mint we have an ally in Director Edmund C. Moy, who has been wonderful at listening to collectors.

Still, paying more than face value to produce a penny or nickel is economically unsound. The suggestion that both coins be switched in content to steel is an interesting one. I am not sure how the public might react to such a change, but I can say that as a collector I, personally, would enjoy such a move. A metal change is the simplest way to move the type collector into action. Most numismatists would certainly make a point of adding a new steel cent or five cent to their collection. They might even take the opportunity to encourage kids to do the same, as collecting pennies and nickels has always been the lowest cost, smallest downside, easiest access channel into numismatics.

In addition a metal change would force U.S. collectors to take a better look at the long date runs of the Lincoln cent and Jefferson nickel. Generally only the highest grades garner interest currently, but if the composition of these types changes, perhaps markets would begin to mature and structure might develope for marginal differences in date and grade scarcity.

Consider taking a moment and expressing your opinion on this subject. Post a comment here, or stop over at NumisMaster, where several surveys, blog posts and articles have already been generating lively discussions among collectors.

Tomorrow is Free Comic Book Day!

One of my many interests includes comic books. I am a fan of Archie Comics and other teenage comics from the golden and silver ages. I like funny animal comics too and even some super heros, but the teenager ones are my favorite type.

If you like comics too and are looking for something to do tomorrow, think about stopping by a comics shop near you and picking up a few free comics to read or pass on to a friend. Bring along your children! Free Comic Book Day is great fun for the whole family. If you haven't looked at comics in years, you may even discover some of the old titles you used to enjoy for sale in the back issues bins.

For more information on Free Comic Book Day check out the FCBD website or the Comics Buyer's Guide website - CBGExtra. Take a look at the neat countdown to Free Comic Book Day clock my comics friend Brent Frankenhoff installed in his FCBD forum!

Tom's Recommended Film of the Week

Paradise Road

After I recommended No Country For Old Men a few weeks ago, I found that friend and fellow Market Update writer Maggie Pahl is also a Coen brother’s fan. This led to some DVD lending and a little local Coen revival. I rewatched Miller's Crossing and Blood Simple and then got to thinking. What other films has Frances McDormand done without the Coens?

A little checking turned up a healthy number of interesting sounding movies, two of which I was able to watch this week. City by the Sea is a well-acted action thriller, with Frances McDormand, Robert De Niro and James Franco (of the Spiderman franchise). Director, Michael Caton-Jones, keeps your attention with a simple, yet compelling plot that pulls the viewer in its emotional directions. Honor, character and personal choices are the driving themes, but this film maintains high entertainment levels as well. Extras on this disc include a six point film making school by Michael Caton-Jones which is well worth watching if you enjoy the behind the scenes stuff.

The second film, my recommended film of the week, was Paradise Road, starring Glenn Close, Pauline Collins, Frances McDormand and Cate Blanchett. Set during WWII, this film tells the story of a group of woman who end up detained by the Japanese military in an internment camp in Sumatra for the duration of the war. The lyric flow of class, cast, race and nationality distinction being broken down and rebuilt as comradery and fellowship through hardship and common threads makes for an outstanding piece. It’s hard to recognize the British ladies you saw dinning in Singapore at the beginning of the film by the time the gates are opened by the defeated Japanese at the end. It is also rather hard to watch what they went through, given that this film is based on a true story.

Though music is the tool that these women finally use to bond and regain strength and dignity for themselves, it is the journey to a broader acceptance of humanity and the rejection of prejudice that I found to be the gem of this film.