What catches your eye?
This looks like a “this and that” day. Pay attention to whatever catches your eye. What do I mean by that? So many things cross my desk that you might…
This looks like a "this and that" day. Pay attention to whatever catches your eye.
What do I mean by that?
So many things cross my desk that you might describe everyday that way, but today is more so.
We seem to be completing stories and thoughts from prior weeks.
In my email this morning was news that the delayed Mark Twain commemorative silver dollar will go on sale at the Mint’s website on Monday, Feb. 1.
The original release date was Jan. 14, but a delay became necessary when it was discovered that there was an error in the Certificate of Authenticity that messed up a reference to Huckleberry Finn by mistakenly mentioning Tom Sawyer.
A 17-day replacement cycle is not bad when one considers the many pieces that must be brought together by the Mint in order to ship out a collector coin from capsules to boxes to COAs. The initial discount pricing for the coin will stay in effect until March 2.
The first discovery of a Denver 2016 cent that was reported to me directly came from Bill Randall who said he received one in change Jan. 26 from QuikTrip in Wichita, Kan.
This is approximately a week later than the initial report of Philadelphia 2016 cents being discovered in Pennsylvania by Kurt Bellman on Jan. 19. He received his at a Wawa convenience store in Reading.
Bellman’s report was quickly followed by others from sharp-eyed readers around that state.
Collectors and investors have been keenly following the news of sales of the Mint’s silver bullion American Eagle coins.
The Mint has been able to make a supply of six million silver Eagles available for the month of January.
As I write this, the latest word is 5,727,000 have been taken up by Authorized Purchasers.
Will all 6 million be taken before January ends? I expect so, but I cannot write about a sellout of the available supply until it actually is confirmed by the Mint.
The Professional Coin Grading Service released images of its beautiful 30th anniversary labels yesterday.
This anniversary coincides with the 30th anniversary of the American Eagle program.
FirstStrikes of silver Eagles will carry a special label that notes the coins were delivered in the first 30 days of release.
Buyers will want them, but six months from now I expect some confusion to develop between these bullion coins with 30th anniversary labels released now and the special collector versions of the anniversary 2016 silver pieces that will be sold by the Mint with an edge that is smooth rather than reeded and with a 30th anniversary notation made with incuse edge lettering.
So keep in mind that 30th anniversary bullion coins have reeded edges and 30th anniversary collector silver Eagles will have the smooth and lettered anniversary edges.
Another way to tell the collector coins from the standard bullion issues is that they will have mintmarks on them while the standard bullion coins do not.
Got it?
As I say, today is a "this and that" day.
Now get out there and look for 2016 cents, nickels, dimes and quarters in your change.
Buzz blogger Dave Harper has twice won the Numismatic Literary Guild Award for Best Blog and is editor of the weekly newspaper "Numismatic News."
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