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Leading Rare Coin Retailer Launches Their First North American Bison Coin to Benefit the North American Bison and The Wildlife Conservation Society

Grand Re-Opening of Historic New York City Institution

Leading Precious Metals and Collectibles Retailer and Auction House Unveils New York's First-Ever Gold-Dispensing ATM Machine

Rare Dime Sells for Record $1.84 Million at Auction in Philadelphia

August 2012 | Vol. 1, No. 30

The Just Having Fun Collection Leaves
Its Mark On Philadelphia 2012 ANA

By Frank Van Valen, Numismatist and Cataloger, U.S. Coins
Standing Liberty Quarter Collection Bidding Goes Sky-High

Our recent August 2012 blockbuster Philadelphia ANA auction extravaganza – over $41.8 million in rare coins, currency, tokens, and medals sold – was an event that won't soon fade from memory. Whether you collect U.S. coins or currency, medals or tokens, or anything else under the numismatic sun for that matter, the series of sales no doubt included something to your liking.

Among the highlights of the week-long auction event was the Just Having Fun Collection of Standing Liberty quarters, a set, complete by date and mintmark, ranging from the first year of Hermon MacNeil's heraldry-rich design type, 1916, through the terminal year, 1930, with virtually every coin in the set either tied for finest certified or the finest certified of its date. Read More

This Week's Coin Is A Fake! Or Is It?

By Todd McKenna, Numismatist

Can a coin be a fake if the true coin it is meant to represent never existed? This conundrum was brought up in our office with the appearance of this week's coin of the week, a contemporary imitation West Indies Joe made to imitate a 1778-R Brazilian 6,400 Reis. This would be simple enough except that the counterfeiters created a coin in the style of the Rio mint issues for King Jose I who had died in February 1777; apparently the makers were not up to date on international news. The Brazilian coinage of 1778 (and for that matter the latter half of 1777) bears the conjoined busts of Maria I and Pedro III, making this a coin that simply never existed. Despite being a counterfeit the piece is indeed made of good gold as these were produced from authentic gold coins. The counterfeiters made their money by modifying the thickness of the coins they made. By the use of pressure a genuine coin would be made about 25% thinner, struck with counterfeit dies, cut down to the appropriate diameter and then remilled. These could then mix in with the West Indies Joes, which would also be clipped and remilled, with the only obvious tells being the cruder artistry and flatter look of the strike, both of which were easily overlooked in day-to-day use. Read More

SPECIAL LIMITED TIME OFFER

By Q. David Bowers, Chairman Emeritus

Coming up quickly is the deadline for consigning coins, tokens, medals and paper money to our auction in connection with the Whitman Coins & Collectibles Expo to be held in Baltimore in mid November. A grand event is planned – one that will attract worldwide attention.

A special focus will be coins and related items from colonial and early American times. Silver coins from the Massachusetts Bay Colony; copper coins of Vermont, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Massachusetts; tokens and medals relating to George Washington and other specialties will be highlighted. The Colonial Coin Collectors Club (C4), formed in 1993 by Michael Hodder, has grown into a dynamic association in the intervening 20 years. Today its journal and its annual meetings are highlights for members. For the first time this November, the annual meeting will be held in conjunction with the Whitman show, a change in venue from Boston. Draw a 500-mile circle around Baltimore and the vast majority of active numismatists are included. Read More

Harvey Stack Remembers:
Stack's A Numismatic Saga, Part 4

By Harvey G. Stack, Senior Numismatic Consultant

Stack's Refurbishes its Coin Shop in New York City



On August 23, 2012 when we celebrated the refurbished store, it was just about 60 years since Stack's relocated from its store and offices on West 46th Street in New York City to its present location. I was given the honor of making the opening remarks about our famous, long time coin shop in midtown New York City, found just a short walk from Fifth Avenue at 123 West 57th Street.

After World War II, the New York City area around West 46th Street was changing from catering to arts and antiques (with the jewelry center of NYC on the adjacent block) to a focus on the "white goods" household trades, a different market and clientele. New York was moving uptown, closer to Central Park, and the Stack family felt that this environment would appeal more to coin collectors. Located adjacent to Steinway Hall, Stack's was across the street from Carnegie Hall and opposite the famous Russian Tea Room, to mention but a few landmarks that surrounded our new location in 1953. And these landmarks are still the same today. Read More