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| Above, a collection of "wheat" Lincoln cents. Photo by Armand Vaquer. Goodbye, penny. The last pennies (Lincoln cents) had been producted on November 12 and no more will be made. Pennies actually cost more to produce than their face value. It will be interesting to see how this will affect purchases. According to The Tennessean:
To read more, go here. |
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| Above, a collection of "wheat" Lincoln cents. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
It has long been said that each penny costs more to make than its face value. People have found it to be more a nuisance than an asset.
The end of minting the Lincoln cent is the topic of an article in The Hill.
It begins with:
(NEXSTAR) — The U.S. appears poised to ditch the penny, with recent reports saying the U.S. Treasury made its final order of penny blanks in May. With no new blanks on the way, the U.S. Mint is reportedly producing the last new pennies the country may ever see.
You may feel inclined to rush out and purchase a few rolls of one-cent coins and stash them away, either to use to cover oddly-priced purchases or for a potential payout from collectors.
Generally speaking, you may not have to do either.
While a wind-down plan for the use of the penny hasn’t officially been released, it may be similar to the process followed in Canada, which parted ways with its penny in the early 2010s for the same reasons U.S. officials have expressed.
I have a tin cookie can full of pennies, so I won't be doing any buying.
To read more, go here.
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| Above, a proposed design for the Superman coin. |
Other nations have featured pop culture characters in coins over the years.
A couple of years ago, I picked up Godzilla and King Kong silver coins issued from the island nation of Niue.
This year, several DC Comics super-heroes will be featured on coins to be issued by the U.S. Mint.
According to EIN Presswire:
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, UNITED STATES, April 7, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- What do Homer Simpson, the Olympic games, Elvis Presley, and Superman have in common? They've all been featured or will soon be featured on coins. This year’s annual National Coin Week, April 20-26, 2025, explores the fascinating ways pop culture influences money.
The nonprofit American Numismatic Association (www.money.org), based in Colorado Springs, Colo., has sponsored National Coin Week since 1924. This year’s theme is “Iconic Change: Pop Culture & Coins Unite!”
“Coins are not just money,” explained Thomas J. Uram of Pennsylvania, president of the American Numismatic Association. “They're pop culture time capsules. From superheroes to sci-fi, sports legends to blockbuster movies, coins have captured the icons we love. National Coin Week 2025 celebrates the surprising ways money and pop culture come together.”
This year, the United States Mint will begin producing collectible coins and medals featuring three iconic DC superheroes “who reflect American values and culture,” according to the Mint. Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman will be the first characters featured.
To read more, go here.
Back in February, it was announced that a special collaboration between the U.S. Mint and the Royal Mint resulted in a special Liberty & Britannia Silver Medal.
I ordered one at the time and the release of the medals would take place in May.
Well, mine arrived Tuesday.
Here it is:
Likely the next coin (or medal) I will be buying is the silver 2024 Britannia and Liberty. It is a joint collaboration between the U.S. and Royal Mints. It is also available in gold.
According to the U.S. Mint:
Over centuries, the United States and the United Kingdom have become close allies. For the first time, the 2024 Liberty and Britannia Coin and Medal bring the world’s two largest mints together for one joint design collaboration. Representing each Nation equally, the iconic symbols of Liberty and Britannia take center stage on the obverse design. The reverse design includes a Bristlecone Pine and an English Yew separated by the Atlantic Ocean, which represents the connection between our two countries. Don’t miss your chance to own this historical coin and medal.
For more information, go here.
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| Above, obverse and reverse of the 2024-W American Silver Eagle coins. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
The order was for 2024-W American Silver Eagle uncirculated coins. The "W" at the date indicates that they were minted at the West Point Mint in New York.
They were only $3.99 over spot price, which is a reasonable price.
For those who follow this blog, they are aware that my favorite coin to collect is the Morgan silver dollar. This began when I inherited several Morgan dollars from the Carson City Mint.
CoinWeek has posted an interesting article on the history of the Morgan silver dollar. Morgans were minted from 1878 to 1921 (with a break of a few years in-between).
Here's some snippets:
Though it might seem to be a modern phenomenon, the problem of dollar coins that don’t circulate has a long history. For the large silver dollars of America’s past, the metal value of these coins often lead to them being melted as bullion rather than being spent as money in everyday commerce.
The first Morgans were produced in 1878. As per the law, millions of silver dollars were minted each year, even though the coin did not circulate widely due to the fact that paper dollars were more convenient. This wasn’t the case everywhere, however; in the American West, silver dollars proved more versatile. Still, the mandated quantities produced each year far outpaced demand and most Morgan dollars were struck, dumped into bags, and put into longterm storage in Treasury vaults.
In 1921, even though millions of the coins could still be found in government vaults, nearly 87 million new Morgan dollars were minted as a stopgap before the legally mandated Peace dollar design could be produced. But the storage of silver dollars was about to end.
A massive run on silver in the 1960s saw the era of face value silver dollars come to a close. The Treasury held back a few million dollar coins that were marked as having been struck at the defunct Carson City Mint and developed a plan to auction them off to the general public through the General Services Administration.
It was this dwindling of the government’s stockpile followed with the public sale of “the coins that Jesse James never got” that ignited a modern collector market for Morgan dollars.
To read the full article, go here.
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| Above, some Franklin half dollars in my collection. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
For some reason, there are coin collectors who shun the Franklin half dollar and there are others who covet them. Since I like the coin, I guess I am in the latter category.
Lucky for me, I found several Franklin half dollars in a strongbox last year.
CoinWeek has posted an article on the history of the Franklin half dollar and its significance in U.S. coinage.
It begins with:
The Franklin half dollar was a silver half dollar coin produced by the United States Mint from 1948 to 1963. The coin featured the likeness of founding father Benjamin Franklin on the obverse and the Liberty Bell on the reverse. It was the first circulating half dollar to feature a historical portrait instead of an allegorical portrait of Liberty.
The Act of September 26, 1890 specified that the Treasury Department could modify coin designs without explict Congressional authorization only after a minimum of 25 years of use. Based on this law, the Walking Liberty half dollar design, which had proven difficult to strike, was eligible for replacement in 1941.
To circumvent the Act of September 26, 1890, a law was passed by congress and signed by President Lyndon Johnson authorizing the minting of the Kennedy half dollar to replace the Franklin half dollar in 1964. The Franklin half dollar, because of this, was only minted for 15 years.
To read the full article, go here.
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| Above, U.S. Mint Director Ventris C. Gibson with yours truly and Mitch Geriminsky last March. |
The American Numismatic Association's World's Fair of Money in Pittsburgh is over, but there was some interesting news to come out of the show from the U.S. Mint.
Coin World reported:
Sometime this fall, the United States Mint will launch a website separate from its main online presence to solicit suggestions for numismatic products to recognize the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026.
The bureau’s director, Ventris C. Gibson, made the announcement Aug. 11 during the 50th anniversary celebration of the Liberty Seated Collectors Club, held during the American Numismatic Association World’s Fair of Money in Pittsburgh.
Although the convention, one of the largest in the world, boasted millions of dollars in numismatic products from around the world, purchase of food items on the bourse was “cashless,” requiring credit cards to complete transactions
The United States Mint had a strong presence during the convention Aug. 8 to 12.
To read more, go here.
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| Above, yours truly, U.S. Mint Director Ventris C. Gibson and Mitch Germinsky at the National Money show in Phoenix. |
U.S. Mint Director Ventris C. Gibson will be participating at the World's Fair of Money next week in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The event is put on by the American Numismatic Association.
According to InvestorsObserver:
Washington, DC, Aug. 02, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- United States Mint (Mint) Director Ventris C. Gibson will participate in the official ribbon-cutting ceremony for the American Numismatic Association’s (ANA) World’s Fair of Money ® at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, 1000 Fort Duquesne Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. The ribbon cutting will occur on Tuesday, August 8, at 12:00 p.m. (EDT), and attendees will have an opportunity to meet with Director Gibson while visiting the Mint booth at Halls A and B – Booth 1430. The Fair runs from August 8 to 12, 2023.
Attendees will have the exclusive opportunity to participate in a daily drawing. Four ANA Director’s Strike Silver Tickets will be drawn each day, giving the ticket holder the ability to purchase one of 20 2023 Peace Silver Dollar Uncirculated Coins that were personally struck by Director Gibson.
Mitch Geriminsky and I met Director Gibson last March at the ANA's National Money Show in Phoenix.
To read more, go here.
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| Above, a screen capture of the ad. |
Facebook has been very lax in vetting advertising from so-called silver coin dealers and allowing obvious fraudulent ads appear on the social media platform.
The latest is a scheme to sell alleged proof American Silver Eagle coins with presentation boxes for $9.98 each by a company called Avaliry. This price is way below the current silver spot price of a little over $23.00/toz.
I bought an American Silver Eagle Proof coin directly from the U.S. Mint at the National Money Show for $80.00. While doing so, the director of the U.S. Mint, Ventris C. Gibson, autographed my purchase.
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| Above, a real American Silver Eagle proof set signed by the direct of the U.S. Mint. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
I have notified Facebook. I am sending this blog post to Doug Davis at the Anti-Counterfeiting Educational Foundation (ACEF).
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| Above, 1964 Kennedy half dollars containing 90% silver. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
It was 2001 when the U.S. Mint last intentionally minted Kennedy half dollars for general circulation.
This year, the Mint apparently is producing Kennedy half dollars for general circulation. For some reason, numismatists are all excited over this. Frankly, as far as I am concerned, the only half dollars, Kennedy or otherwise, that interest me are the ones containing silver. I have plenty of 1964 Kennedy half dollars, the only year with 90% silver. For the following few years after that, the silver content was at 40%.
According to Coin World:
The difference between the overall number of 2023-P and 2023-D Kennedy half dollars struck in circulation finish by the U.S. Mint and the numbers of them sold at numismatic premiums above face value suggest that the Federal Reserve has ordered coins from the bureau for general circulation distribution.
As of June 21, circulation quality Kennedy half dollar production for 2023 posted at the U.S. Mint’s website records 5.4 million coins from each of the two Mint production facilities, a total of 10.8 million Kennedy half dollars.
Numismatic products that contain 2023 Kennedy half dollars went on public sale May 15 and include $100 face value canvas bags of 200 half dollars, comprising 100 coins from each Mint, offered at $147 per bag, and two-roll sets priced at $34.50, comprising one 20-coin roll from each Mint.
The 200-coin bags are limited to sales of a maximum of 11,000 bags, and two-roll set sales are limited to 25,000 sets.
As of June 18, bag sales reached 7,655 bags, while two-roll set totals were at 26,689. Those numismatic sale totals account for 2,598,560 coins from the overall circulation quality Kennedy half dollar output, or about 25% of the total.
To read more, go here.
Since Bidenflation reared its ugly head during the past two years, I have been diversifying my investment portfolio with silver coins. This included buying American Silver Eagles.
American Silver Eagles are great-looking coins and I have purchased several of them including a proof one that I bought at the U.S. Mint booth at the National Money Show.
The question arises, Why should I invest in them?
U.S. Gold Bureau posted an article that answers that question.
They begin it with:
In 1916, production ensued for Adolph A. Weinman’s “Walking Liberty” half-dollar. The image of a billowing Lady Liberty, stepping forwards with confidence in what lies ahead, inspired the obverse design for Silver American Eagles.
Much like precious metals investments themselves, the coin’s reverse depicts a heraldic eagle, symbolizing virtues of strength and endurance. For numismatic hobbyists and investors alike, this guide will cover how adding silver eagle coins to your portfolio can help protect your wealth.
What Are Silver Eagles and Why Should I Invest in Them?
Over 565 million Silver Eagles have been coined since 1986. The weight and purity of each American Silver Eagle bullion coin are guaranteed by the U.S. government, making them a reliable investment.
Freshly minted bullion coins, particularly, are coveted for their precious metals content and can be an entry point into precious metals investing. Each coin contains at least one troy ounce of 99.9% pure silver. Thanks to their regulated precious metals content, they can even be held in a Precious Metals IRA.
Furthermore, Silver Eagles can act as a hedge against inflation. Thanks to their previous metals content, they carry an intrinsic value, pose no credit risk, and are immune to federally induced inflation— you can't print more of them, and there’s a limited mintage.
To read more, go here.
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| Above, a 2023-W American Silver Eagle I bought months ago. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
The U.S. Mint has started selling the 2023-W Uncirculated American Silver Eagle coins.
According to Coin News:
Last week, on May 25, the United States Mint started selling the 2023-W Uncirculated American Silver Eagle for $76.
U.S. Mint sales figures show collectors purchased a total of 117,035 coins in the first four days, making it the Mint’s best weekly seller. As a comparison, last year’s edition opened with five-day starting sales of 143,738 coins.
As a side note, the Mint also reported opening sales of 803 units, or 32,120 coins, of the 40-coin bulk option for dealers last year, bringing the 2022-dated Silver Eagle’s starting total to 175,858. However, this year, the Mint did not publish any bulk sales data for the 2023-W Uncirculated Silver Eagle.
Unfortunately, with the spot price of silver at $23.38/toz (at this writing), $76.00 for an uncirculated coin is a bit pricey. That's a big mark-up! I paid $80.00 for the proof version set at the National Money Show.
What's the difference between these coins and the brilliant uncirculated 2023-W American Silver Eagle coins JM Bullion has been selling for weeks starting at $41.41? (These are the ones I have.)
Here's the answer: https://libertycoin.com/american-silver-eagle-differences/
To read more, go here.
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| Above, 2023 American Silver Eagle proof set. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
When I bought my American Silver Eagle proof set at the National Money Show in Phoenix in March from the U.S. Mint booth, it had only been days after the coins were released. The set was signed by Mint Director Ventris C. Gibson.
Since then, sales of the gold and silver American Eagles has been brisk, although the silver version lags from the previous year's sales during the same period.
Coin News reported:
Sales of American Eagle and Buffalo gold bullion coins from the U.S. Mint decreased in April after a strong performance in March, but their year-to-date totals have significantly exceeded those from the first four months of last year.
Meanwhile, sales of the U.S. Mint’s silver bullion coins remained steady for a third consecutive month in April and continued to lag behind their performance during the same period last year.
In April, sales of American Eagle gold bullion coins totaled 170,000 ounces, a 20.9% decrease from March’s highest monthly sales since January 2021 of 215,000 ounces. Nonetheless, it still reflects a 93.2% increase compared to April 2022’s sales of 88,000 ounces. Year-to-date sales of 605,500 ounces show a 17.7% increase from the 514,500 ounces sold during the same period last year.
For the third consecutive month, American Eagle silver bullion sales increased by 900,000 ounces, marking a 5.9% rise from April 2022’s 850,000 ounces. Nevertheless, sales have declined by 21.1% to 6,649,000 ounces year-to-date, compared to the 8,431,500 ounces sold during the same period last year.
To read more, go here.
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| Above, 1964 Kennedy half dollars with 90% silver. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
Up until this morning, I wasn't aware that the Kennedy half dollar coins hadn't been minted for circulation since 2002 until two years ago. The only Kennedy half dollars that were minted after 2002 were for collectors ("numismatic purposes") until 2021.
This year, the US Mint is minting circulation Kennedy half dollars.
Coin News reported yesterday:
Today, the United States Mint releases rolls and bags of circulating 2023 John F. Kennedy Half Dollars. These coins pay tribute to the 35th President of the United States, featuring a portrait of the former President on one side and a rendition of the Presidential Seal on the other.
Made for collectors, there are two products available. The first one is a two-roll set, which includes one roll of 20 coins from the Denver Mint and one roll of 20 coins from the Philadelphia Mint. This set is priced at $34.50. The second product is a 200-coin bag, which contains 100 coins from the Denver Mint and 100 coins from the Philadelphia Mint. It is priced at $147.
Kennedy half dollars made their debut in 1964, just a few months after the assassination of Kennedy. They were released into general circulation annually until 2002 when the Mint began striking them exclusively for numismatic purposes. However, in 2021, the situation changed when the Federal Reserve ordered millions of the coins for circulation. More halves were ordered again for circulation in 2022. The chart below displays the recent mintages.
The circulated half dollars are the usual copper-clad coins with no silver content.
To read more, go here.
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| Above, the Lincoln Silver Presidential Medal. Image by the U.S. Mint. |
President Abraham Lincoln will be honored with a presidential silver medal issued by the U.S. Mint.
It will be issued on May 1.
According to the Numismatic News:
The medal contains one troy ounce of 99.9 percent fine silver. It measures 1.598 inches in diameter.
To be honest, I am not impressed with the image of Lincoln on the coin. It just doesn't look right to me. The Lincoln penny has a far better image of the 16th president.
With the current spot price of silver at around $25.11/toz, The medal's price tag of $75.00 is a bit too pricey.
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| Above, Franklin half dollars. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
There was a time when silver Franklin half dollars were commonly found in pocket change as quarters and dimes. I remember those days.
This year marks 75 years since the U.S. Mint introduced the Franklin half dollar into our coinage in 1948. The Franklin half dollar superseded the Walking Liberty half dollar.
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| Above, a 1945 Walking Liberty half dollar. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
CoinWeek has an article celebrating the Franklin half dollar's 75th birthday.
It begins with:
Benjamin Franklin, the subject of the Franklin Half Dollar is perhaps one of the most famous Founding Fathers to have never become president of the United States. The Boston-born Franklin became a Philadelphia icon after running away from home at the age of 17 and serving as a printer, a postmaster, and a scientist in the City of Brotherly Love. He would even eventually invent bifocals, the glass armonica, the odometer, and several other contraptions.
As the American colonies worked harder to break free of their ties to Great Britain, Franklin took an active role as a patriotic statesman who eventually signed the Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Paris, and the United States Constitution. He was 84 when he died in 1790 and has ever since been recognized as an amiable diplomat, a prudent philosopher, and one of America’s most enduring heroes.
To read more, go here.
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| Above, yours truly and Mitch Geriminsky with U.S. Mint Director Ventris C. Gibson at the National Money Show earlier this month in Phoenix. |
With things going haywire in the financial world lately, delegates representing the world's mints (including the U.S. Mint) will be holding a conference in Canada in October. One would think they would meet sooner given the situation the financial markets are in.
Numismatic News reported:
Readily accessible cash is critical to the ability of societies to go about their daily lives, according to the International Mint Directors Association.
The IMDA and the International Mint Directors Network will gather more than 300 delegates from the minting and related industries to discuss the future of circulation coins, collector coins and bullion on October 15-18 in Canada. It is the first time in five years the Mint Directors Conference will be held.
Looking ahead a Foundation of International Mint Industry Association statement reads, “2022 closes with a world economy struggling to deal with heightened geopolitical uncertainty and with growth rates for 2023 at best challenged and potentially in decline. The inflation ‘genie’, generally under control over the past decade or so, is now out of the bottle and as central banks attempt to reign it in, the impact of a rapidly increasing interest rate response is placing households and consumers under serious strain.” The FIMIA was established as the successor to the Mint Directors Conference in June 2022, the former organization having been founded in 1962.
To read more, go here.
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| Above, Ronald and Nancy Reagan at Los Angeles International Airport in 1980. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
U.S. Gold Bureau posted an article on the release of the proof version of the 2023 American Silver Eagle coin on March 2.
While at the National Money Show in Phoenix a couple of days later, I purchased one.
While the news on the release of the proof coin is now "old news", the beginning of the article caught my attention. It was about how the American Silver Eagle coins came to be.
Here's a snippet:
Silver American Eagles became the global standard of sovereign silver coins shortly after President Ronald Reagan signed the Liberty Coin Act in 1985. The Liberty Coin Act granted the U.S. Mint authority to produce both bullion and proof versions of the Silver American Eagle. In 1986, the first Silver American Eagle was minted in San Francisco, and the world has never been the same.
The first Silver American Eagle was produced ceremonially on October 29, 1986, at the U.S. Mint's San Francisco Assay Office. Secretary of the Treasury James Baker dramatically reached for the button to turn on the press and said to the media, "I don't need a pick and shovel to start the San Francisco Silver Rush of 1986." Baker’s remark playfully referred to the San Francisco Gold Rush of 1849, which directly led to the opening of the San Francisco facility in 1854. Baker correctly predicted the coming silver rush. Since 1986, more than 750 million Silver American Eagles have been sold. Read the fabled history of the San Francisco Mint here.
To read more, go here.
