Numismatic News

THE TRUE RARITY OF THE 1916-D MERCURY DIME

“Few people ever captured … a 1916-D Mercury dime, but there was always the thrill of the chase.” ---- Q. David Bowers, 2016. “Obtaining a 1916-D Mercury dime … is the ultimate dream for many hobbyists.” ----Al Doyle, 2021. “Every coin series has...

A LOOK BACK AT 2025

What a year! Within the last 12 months, the numismatic world has stayed busy. New issues of every shape and design entered the market, as currency from times past sold for amazing sums. NumisMaster saw updates to its database and its team, while...

A History of Design Changes

Authorizing Classic Commemoratives

he mid-1930s were the peak of submissions and authorized coinage for what today is known as the classic commemorative series of U.S. coins. Among 1936-dated coins, for example, you had 16 first- time issues, ranging from the 1936 Providence, R.I.,...

Holiday Gift Guide

As the holiday season approaches, it seems to many of us like the pace of an already hectic life speeds up even more, if that were possible. There can be all sorts of get- togethers, friends and relatives stopping in, and sometimes even folks we...

Silver Dollar Substitutes

The U.S. Bi-Metallic Commemorative

Coining Courage: Jovita Idár’s Story on the U.S. Quarter

The U.S. Mint’s American Women Quarters Program has highlighted figures whose achievements left a lasting mark on American history. Among them is Jovita Idár (1885-1946), a Mexican American teacher, journalist, and activist whose work in education,...

What’s New in NumisMaster

Summer has ended, and I, for one, am excited for the ‘ ber months! There’s just something about sweater weather, cozy fires, and watching the leaves change colors! October brings Halloween, which is celebrated most in Canada, the United Kingdom, and...

Austria Wins Coin of the Year!

The Creation and Reception of the Morgan Dollar

Among the most popular coins collected today is the Morgan dollar. This coin, originally called the Bland dollar, is collected by many, and at coin shows, both big and small, is easily found in significant numbers on the bourse floor. What does the...

Florida Eliminates $500 Threshold for Bullion Sales-Tax Exemption

Florida has officially removed the $500 minimum purchase requirement for its sales- tax exemption on gold, silver, and platinum bullion. Effective today, this important policy change allows all qualifying bullion purchases to be tax-exempt, regardless...

Examining the 1931-D Lincoln

The Artistry of Designer John Reich

Three-Cent Coinage

Three-cent coins made out of coppernickel have long been an embarrassing stepchild of American numismatics. They arose from the terrible conflict of the Civil War, but were genuinely popular with the public for only a limited amount of time. In many...

U.S. COINS SIGNATURE AUCTION

Highlights Offered in Our July Signature Auction View All Lots & Bid at HA.com/1384

Launch of the 250th Anniversary Army Silver Eagle

The United States Mint released the special edition 2025-W American Silver Eagle to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army on June 13, 2025. The coin features a U.S. Army privy mark, incorporating elements of the official Army seal,...

The 1928 Hawaiian Commemorative

My favorite coin in this column is a 1928 Hawaiian commemorative half dollar, which is considered the “big kahuna” if you’re trying to put together a complete 50-piece type set of the classic silver commemoratives. These are the early U.S....

PLATINUM SESSION & SIGNATURE AUCTION

Highlights from The David F. Schmidt Norse American Collection

$5 Gold Commemoratives with Low Mintages

COTY 100 Announced: U.S. Mint Receives Four Nominations

The process for the 2025 Coin of the Year (COTY) awards began in early January with a worldwide call for nominations. From roughly 7,000 coins released in 2024, mints, banks, and enthusiasts submitted nearly 550 for consideration. A nominating...

From the Field to the Mint: Collecting Sports Coins

Nothing brings people together, or tears them apart, quite like sports. When meeting someone new and you discover they love a sport as much as you, there is a burst of excitement until you learn they root for your rival team. When moving to a new...

Treasure from the Rush: Exploring America’s Gold Rush Coinage

American history might not be as long as the histories of other nations, but it’s just as rich, both literally and figuratively. There have been seventeen official gold rushes, with six being generally listed as major or key. Most people will probably...

Medals Marking the Beginning and the End of the Revolutionary War

Pauli Murray: Hope Brought to Life in Numismatics

Anna Pauline Murray was born on Nov. 20, 1910, in Baltimore, Md. She was the fourth of six children. Her mother, Agnes Fitzgerald, was a nurse, and her father, William Murray, was an educator. When Agnes passed in 1914, Murray was sent to live with...

The Lexington-Concord Sesquicentennial Half Dollar

Not many Classic Commemorative half dollars actually honor significant events in our nation’s history. Among those few is the Lexington- Concord Sesquicentennial half dollar of 1925, also known as the Patriot half dollar, which was struck on the 150th...

Outside Influence on United States Coinage

For those of us who collect coins of the United States, the changes in designs and denominations made from time to time seem natural and merely economic in nature. Sometimes, this has been true, but it has also been the case that outside influences...

President Stops Penny Production

Wartime Innovation: The Canadian Five-Cent Piece

If the annual Coin of the Year (COTY) contest, conducted by Numismatic News’ sister publication, World Coin News, had existed in the 1940s, there’s little doubt that Canada would have been recognized in the “Most Innovative Coin” category for its...

2024-P Dr. Mary Edwards Walker Doubled Die Found at Walmart

As we enter the new year, I thought it might be interesting to take a look at a fairly major Doubled Die Reverse reported on a 2024-P Dr. Mary Edwards Walker American Women quarter. This was reported to me a few weeks ago by Axer Enrique Cotto...

Ida B. Wells: Advocating for Equality

Born on July 16, 1862, near Holly Springs, Miss., Ida B. Wells was the first child of James Madison Wells and Elizabeth “Lizzie” Warrenton. Both were enslaved. Thus, Ida was born enslaved as well. The home in which she and her parents served, the...

2025: The Year of the Snake

the sixth of the twelve Chinese zodiacs, begins on January 29, 2025, and ends on February 16, 2026. According to legend, the snake is the sixth sign because, during a race across a river, it wrapped itself around the hoof of a horse to make up for its...

Carson City Mint Double Eagle Takes Flight in U.S. Coins Auction

Among the treasures that will be in play in Heritage’s January 14-19 FUN U.S. Coins Signature Auction is an array of extraordinary $20 gold coins from the Mississippi Collection of Double Eagles. “Condition, completeness and rarity are three of the...

California Gold Reaches Over $1 Million in Record Sale

Stack’s Bowers Galleries presented its highly anticipated November 2024 Showcase Auction, in which incredibly fresh anchor collections saw intense bidding as many rarities set new price records. The offerings ranged from the earliest years of the...

Collectors Weigh In: Cleaning Coins, Yes or No?

2025 ANS Gala to Honor the New York International Numismatic Convention

The Board of Trustees of the American Numismatic Society (ANS) is pleased to announce the 2025 Trustees’ Award to the New York International Numismatic Convention (NYINC), to be presented at the ANS Annual Gala on January 16, 2025, at the Century...

Joseph Wharton: The Man Who Gave Us the Nickel

When collectors look at their coins, they tend to think that some faceless bureaucrat was responsible and the public had little to do with the Mint or its operations. It is, of course, true that ordinary citizens have little input, but there was a time...

COINS AND THEIR DATES

When beginning collectors find a coin dated in the 1800s or earlier, they automatically assume that was the year in which it was actually struck. Not the year before or the year after. Unfortunately, this is not always true, even today. When the 2025...

COLLECTING NATIVE AMERICAN DOLLARS

VIDEO GAME POWERING UP NEW GENERATION OF COIN COLLECTORS

Nice Gang (www.NiceGang.com), a new mobile gaming studio, follows DC Comics as the second company to collaborate with the United States Mint to promote special, limitededition coins. The innovative collaboration between Nice Gang and the U.S. Mint will...

MOST VALUABLE MODERN COIN

Three sisters raised on an Ohio dairy farm were astounded to learn from rare coin experts that an incorrectly made 1975-dated San Francisco Mint dime purchased by their mother and brother 46 years ago for $18,200 is now expected to bring a half-million...

Mint Seeks CCAC Applicants

The United States Mint is seeking applicants for appointment to the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) as a member representing the interests of the general public. The deadline to email submissions is no later than 5 p.m. EST on Oct. 18. The...

WORLD’S FAIR OF MONEY

From August 6 to 10, the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Ill., became a hot spot for the collector community. More than 9,000 budding and experienced numismatists flocked to the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center to attend the American Numismatic...

COLLECTING INNOVATION DOLLARS

The United States Mint certainly has a long and robust history when it comes to producing commemorative coins, and an impressive one when it comes to producing precious metal bullion coins. We can even make the case that it has done an excellent job...

$30,000 FOR LINCOLN CENT

An extremely rare 1983 Lincoln cent struck on a solid copper- alloy bronze Lincoln planchet has traded via auction for just under $30,000. The coin was graded by Professional Grading Service (PCGS) as MS-65 Red. GreatCollections auctioned if off on...

Mint Joins Forces with DC

The U.S. Mint announced July 10 a collaboration with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products to launch a new collectible coin and medal series celebrating comic book art as a uniquely American art form, featuring DC comic book characters and...

COTY Winners Announced at ANA

Join us for the Coin of the Year (COTY) ceremony scheduled for 11 a.m. on Aug. 8 at the American Numismatic Association’s World’s Fair of Money to be the first to know who won the 2024 awards for 2023-dated coins. Both the show and the ceremony will...

Precious Metals, Collectibles Spur Long Beach Attendance

The Long Beach Expo, widely known as The Collectibles Show, saw its best-ever June attendance over the three days it was held from June 6-8. The Southern California convention is also marking its 60th anniversary, having been held three times a year...

Royal Mint Expands into U.S. Market

The British Royal Mint has signed an exclusive distribution deal to grow its commemorative coin business in the United States. The deal with the Rare Coin Company of America (RARCOA) is projected to turn over £100 million ($127 million) over the next...