Gold rich in history

The March 2017 issue of Coins magazine focuses heavily on U.S. gold coins.

R.W. Julian tells the story of the first gold $20s, those with James B. Longacre’s design gracing them.

Mike Thorne explores the world of gold $1s.

Both of these denominations started coinage in 1849 and were products of the California Gold Rush.

Also in this issue is an article by Mark Benvenuto on the gold $5s of the Coronet series. There are still some affordable examples.

I don’t collect much in gold. Probably my biggest purchase in that regard was the 2009 ultra high relief Saint-Gaudens that the Mint put out in tribute to the early 20th century design. I would love to own an original, but that is well out of my price range.

There’s also an interesting piece on the Buffalo nickel. This feature, written by Coins magazine regular Tom LaMarre, looks at the history of James Earle Fraser’s famed design.

It’s one of my favorite coins, and I’ve done considerable research on the models for the coin’s obverse design. I hope you enjoy reading about the coin as much as I did.

Happy collecting!