1892 Expo has wide collecting scope

How many numismatic items were issued for the 1892 Columbian Exposition?

If you want to start a collection, there’s plenty to choose from. Nathan N. Eglit is quoted as listing “well over 600.” Coins, medals, elongated coins, political pieces and even telephone slugs are among the items listed.

Didn’t the Treasury Department at one time try to claim that private use of the terms “mint” and “coin” was illegal?

The department started out on such a course back in the 1960s but abandoned the effort when legal advisors decided that the terms were so much a part of the language that it would be difficult to enforce. However, the term “coin” has been both legally and professionally banned from use in the hobby to prevent applying it to medals, tokens and other similar items.

Learn how to create a collection of United States coins by type!

Our coin club is running out of ideas. Any suggestions for a meaningful project?

An idea I suggested some time back is appropriate. Get the members together and assemble a type set of U.S. coins to show new members some of the coins that they can collect.

Did the world price of gold match the U.S. price of $20.67 an ounce prior to 1933?

The world price was above the U.S. price from 1907 to 1930, ranging from $21.90 to $30 an ounce.

What was the Hobby Protection Act date?

It was signed by President Nixon on Nov. 29, 1973, one day before it would have gone in effect without his signature. However, the regulations to implement enforcement were not published until July 19, 1974. The final regulations were not published until March 10, 1975, when they went into effect.

Didn’t President Johnson say silver coins would not become scarce?

In a speech marking the signing of the Coinage Act of 1965, he said: “Some have asked whether silver coins will disappear. The answer is very definitely no. Our present coins won’t disappear and they won’t even become rarities. If anybody has any idea of hoarding our silver coins, let me say this: Treasury has a lot of silver on hand, and it can be and it will be used to keep the price of silver in line with its value in our present silver coins. There will be no profit in holding them out of circulation for the value of their silver content.”

Could the San Francisco Mint strike coins after the 1906 earthquake?

The Mint building and machinery were not seriously damaged, but the quake disrupted the gas supply so it was impossible to strike any coins. Instead, the San Francisco Mint acted as the banker for the city until the private banks were able to re-open.

How do they put the cents in those little bottles?

The bottle is separated into two parts. The cent is placed inside the glass bottom of the bottle which is melted onto the top portion.

When did “Numismatic News” become a weekly?

It started in 1952 as a monthly, went to twice a month, then on Jan. 7, 1969, to its present weekly schedule.

Has there ever been a coin struck that was based on a quantity of energy rather than intrinsic value?

A joule is equal to about 75 percent of a foot pound of energy, and a promoter by the name of Jim Mangan had silver coins of this denomination struck for his “Nation of Celestia,” which had a territory consisting of all of outer space.

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