Whitman News

Georgia's official weather prognosticator and groundhog, General Beauregard Lee, once again appeared at sunrise today at the Yellow River Game Ranch in Lilburn to make his annual prediction.

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I recently came across an interesting 1946-P Booker T. Washington Commemorative Half Dollar that I thought other collectors might like to look for.

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Whitman Publishing has released the first edition of a brand-new work on Canadian numismatics. The Guide Book of Canadian Coins and Tokens, by Dr. James A. Haxby, is available now from booksellers and hobby shops, and online including at Whitman.com. The 464-page hardcover book is illustrated with more than 1,600 full-color photographs. It retails for $19.95 in the United States ($22.95 in Canada).

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1. Buy reference books on the coin(s) of your choice and read them before spending a lot of your money. Learn everything you can about them FIRST.

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Recently I sat next to a fellow coin collector as we traveled by plane to a national show. The long flight gave us time to talk about our collections, numismatic books and publishing, the U.S. Mint, and other hobby topics.

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SELLING TO A DEALER AT A COIN SHOW
The United States is home to hundreds of city and regional coin clubs, and many of them sponsor regularly scheduled coin shows. There are national (and even international) shows as well; some are always held in the same place, some are set up in different cities each time. No matter where you live, chances are a show is held somewhere nearby at least once per year.

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SELLING TO A COIN SHOP
Your local coin shop has the advantage of the personal touch that might be lacking in, for example, mail-order sales or Internet auctions. Good coin-shop proprietors do more than just run a cash register: they are fonts of numismatic knowledge, and are happy to educate and advise their customers.

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Every year, NGC recognizes outstanding achievement in Registry set building. The winners of the 2011 Registry Awards show how vibrant and active the collecting community is. Take a look at the winners. Congratulations!

Every year, Colonel Steven Ellsworth of the Butternut Company analyzes security at dozens of coin shows nationwide. He ranked the Whitman Coin & Collectibles Baltimore Expo one of “The Best Secured Coin Shows for 2011.”

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Is it time to sell your coins? Perhaps you don’t consider yourself a collector, but you’ve inherited a cigar box full of Grandpa’s old pocket change.

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In One of a Kind, everyone wants to get in on the action when a unique 1873-S silver dollar is put up for auction at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York.

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Simultaneous with the production of half eagles at the Dahlonega mint, Georgia seceded from the Union on January 19, 1861. The production of half eagles continued until shortly after the mint was seized by the Confederacy on April 8, 1861.

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One of the highlights of the Florida United Numismatists (FUN) Show in Orlando was the Educational Seminar hosted by Scott Travers. Held on Friday afternoon, January 6, in a room near the bourse floor, the event drew a packed gallery.

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These numismatic authors will be autographing their books at the Whitman Publishing booth: Q. David Bowers, Bill Fivaz, Cliff Mishler, Selby Ungar, and Arthur Friedberg.

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In last week's "Numismatic Insider," Q. David Bowers mentioned the 150th anniversary (in 2011) of the start of the American Civil War. This brought to mind The 1861 Project: a collection of new, original songs inspired by the people who fought and lived through the U.S. Civil War.

Visit The 1861 Project to learn more about this album, recorded by some of Nashville's top musicians and songwriters who pay honor to the human circumstance of that time and place.

New Year's Eve has always been a time for looking back to the past, and more importantly, forward to the coming year. It is a time to reflect on changes to make and resolve to follow through on those changes.

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A soon to be released new book from Whitman Publishing will cover the coins of Canada — a series very popular with collectors in the United States. (A recent informal poll indicates that 60% of U.S. coin collectors also collect Canadian coins.)

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The expanded and updated second edition of Carson City Morgan Dollars, by Adam Crum, Selby Ungar, and Jeff Oxman is now available from booksellers and hobby shops nationwide, as well as online (including at Whitman.com). It is hardcover bound, 128 pages, in full color, and retails for $24.95.

Carson City Morgan Dollars begins with the accidental discovery of gold in California in 1848.

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Americans send nearly two billion Christmas and holiday cards each year. We can thank British civil servant Henry Cole for introducing the world’s first commercial Christmas card. (For our philatelist friends, Cole is at times credited with the design of the world’s first postage stamp — the Penny Black.)

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At this moment, in Baltimore, the United States Mint is unveiling the designs for the Star-Spangled Banner Commemorative Coins (shown here).

Authorized by an Act of Congress signed by President Obama on August 16, 2010 and sponsored by Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Rep. C.A. "Dutch" Ruppersberger (D-MD), the commemorative coins mark the 200th anniversary of the writing of "The Star-Spangled Banner" that was destined to become our National Anthem.

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When is the last time you used a dollar coin? If you’re like most Americans, it’s been a while.

Back in 2005, Congress enacted the Presidential $1 Coin Act, which mandated that the US Mint issue new Presidential $1 Coins with the likeness of every deceased President. The only problem: nobody wants to use them.

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These notes, with HAWAII overprinted on the face and the back and with a special brown Treasury seal and brown serial numbers were used from 1942 to 1944 in the Hawaiian Islands, then under threat of Japanese invasion. If the islands had fallen into the hands of the enemy, such notes could be repudiated and would have no value on world markets.

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For many, the holiday season means more time socializing -- whether with coworkers, friends, or loved ones, or at intimate family dinners or noisy office parties. But no matter what size the get-together, the most welcome gift you can bring is good conversation.

Read "The Art of Conversation" to hone your conversation skills.

“There is no Santa Claus in numismatics,” Lee F. Hewitt, founder and editor of the Numismatic Scrapbook, said. The reference was to coins advertised as bargains. If a coin price seemed too good to be true, the coin had some problems.

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Eureka!

GOLD. - A gentleman of the first respectability in Habersham county, writes us thus under date of 22d July: "Two gold mines have just been discovered in this county, and preparations are making to bring these hidden treasures of the earth to use." So it appears that what we long anticipated has come to pass at last, namely, that the gold region of North and South Carolina, would be found to extend into Georgia.

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Spectrum Group International has moved to a new Location to serve you better!

As of November 28, 2011, Spectrum Group International and our U.S. collectibles companies are relocating.

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Giving Thanks

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A special exhibit of Latin American Rarities is a part of this year’s Whitman Philly Expo.

Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) is displaying, near their booth, 10 outstanding examples of coinage from America’s neighbors to the south.

Each of the coins are either very scarce or high-grade rarities. Each specimen tells a story of historic or cultural significance, making this a collection that both dealers and collectors alike will not want to miss.

Congratulations, team --- for the third year in a row, a Whitman Publishing title has won the Numismatic Literary Guild's highest honor, "Book of the Year."

The Secret History of the First U.S. Mint, by Joel Orosz and Leonard Augsburger, was the recipient of this prestigious award. It was deemed the book having the greatest potential impact on numismatics. Criteria include overall reader appeal, research quality, photographic, printing, and graphic excellence, cover, and typography.

Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. Visitors to the Nova Constellatio pattern coins exhibit at Whitman booth #1057 will receive a free six-page souvenir reprint of Coin World’s 1980 coverage of the famous pattern coins, including interviews with John J. Ford, Jr.

Whitman will also raffle off copies of The Secret History of the First U.S. Mint and other books that study the early coinage of the United States.

An exhibit featuring the Nova Constellatio pattern coins, including three coins that were considered for the first coinage of the newly formed United States of America will be on display at booth #1057 during the American Numismatic Association World's Fair of Money®.

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Whitman Publishing, Whitman Expo, and several other companies with ties to Florence, Alabama, have been working with the United Methodist Church to assist in disaster relief following last week's devastating tornadoes in the Southeast.

Their effort is ongoing, with donations being accepted at the Anderson Press Distribution Center at 4001 Helton Drive, Building A, in Florence. (Large banners are set up directing contributors to the drop-off point.) Donations are being sorted and delivered to the communities in need.

By Sunday evening, May 4th, associates of Whitman Publishing, Whitman Expo, Burnes of Boston, Dalmation Press and TNT Fireworks, working with members of the local community, had delivered 30,000 bottles of water to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and another 30,000 bottles to Haleyville, Moulton and Hackleburg.

In addition, food, water, clothing and other emergency supplies were delivered to two locations in Phil Campbell, Alabama.

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You are invited to meet and hear THREE WINNERS in Waltham, Massachusetts, on April 11. A great evening program about coins, tokens, medals, and paper money featuring three well-known numismatic personalities awaits you at a special combined meeting of the New England Currency Club and the Boston Numismatic Society.

Tis the Season to be Jolly, and nothing is more “Jolly” then looking at an old obsolete note depicting a vignette of Santa Claus. Roger Durand’s, “Interesting Notes About Christmas,” released in 1993 has a comprehensive listing of the known Santa’s, along with the seven known vignettes (that the Santa is depicted on). From the Ming Dynasty notes to the current Federal Reserve Notes, and all the other notes issued in all the countries, we don’t think that any of them compare to the beauty of a Santa Claus vignetted note.

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A childhood memory of Thanksgiving brings to mind a popular riddle. “If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring?” The answer - Pilgrims! A young numismatist might say the riddle's answer could be a Pilgrim Tercentenary Half Dollar! Regardless, school children everywhere are taught that the Mayflower brought Pilgrims to America from England. The riddle is still a favorite of children today.

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Irish folklore is credited for the custom of the jack-o'-lantern. A legendary drunkard and trickster named Jack tricked Satan into climbing a tree. The devil could not climb out of the tree because Jack carved the image of a cross on it.

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Please extend your heartiest congratulations to Whitman’s authors for these 2010 Numismatic Literary Guild Awards, bestowed at the ANA World’s Fair of Money, Boston, August 2010.

These award-winning titles can be a part of your numismatic library today! 

Why do we call the hot, sultry days of summer “dog days?” Are you familiar with the Dog Star? Sirius the Dog Star was named after the ancient Egyptians' god Osirus, whose head resembled that of a dog in a pictogram.

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Fred Reed’s Abraham Lincoln: The Image of His Greatness has added a third literary award to its roster. The Society of Paper Money Collectors bestowed its D.C. Wismer “Book of the Year” Award at its annual gathering in Memphis.

The book had previously been named the Numismatic Literary Guild’s 2009 “Book of the Year” (the work most likely to have an impact on numismatics), and it earned the Professional Currency Dealers Association’s 2009 Literary Award.

It also was an Invited Candidate for The Lincoln Group of New York’s annual Award of Achievement—a rare honor highly prized in Lincoln-research circles.

WASHINGTON, May 25 -- The U.S. Department of the Treasury's U.S. Mint issued the following news release: The United States Mint will begin accepting orders for products featuring the Yellowstone National Park quarter beginning at noon Eastern Time (ET) on June 1, 2010. Available options include a two-roll set priced at $32.95 and 100-coin bags priced at $35.95 each.

The coins in the bags and rolls were struck on the main production floors of the United States Mint facilities at Denver and Philadelphia for use in general circulation. The two-roll set includes one roll each of 40 coins-one each bearing the "P" and "D" mint marks-wrapped in distinctive packaging displaying the name "Yellowstone," abbreviation "WY" for Wyoming, mint of origin, and "$10," the value of its contents.

Each canvas bag has a tag with "Yellowstone," the "P" or "D" mint mark, "WY," and "$25," the value of its contents.

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Here it is: Saturday! As the show winds down, I hope you can reflect upon having had a great event. To paraphrase an old advertising saying, “If you’ve had a wonderful show, tell all of your friends and customers. If there has been a glitch, let General Manager David Crenshaw know and he’ll make it better for next time.”

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Welcome to the second day of the Whitman Coins & Collectibles Expo. Many of us are “making friends” with Nashville. For me, there is much to learn. I’ve only ever been here twice before, and not within 30 years. Ask me about the other Whitman Expo cities—Baltimore and Philadelphia— and I could stand on the proverbial soap box and declaim for a half hour.

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Every registered dealer at the first-ever Whitman Coin & Collectibles Nashville Expo should have received a complimentary Hatch Show Print commemorating your participation. Each Hatch Show Print poster is a unique creation, individually handcrafted in a process that dates back several centuries. Hatch has been a Nashville institution since 1879, and they have created posters for the biggest names in entertainment, dating back to the early 20th century. Your collectible Hatch Show Print poster was created expressly for the Expo. Visit Hatch at 222 5th Avenue South in Nashville.

E Pluribus Unum. From one, many. The United States of America has always been defined by the idea of diversity: diversity of ideas, of experience, of cultural and national backgrounds. The Founding Fathers knew that the great strength of America was in her many parts - the states, united. Each state brings a particular and unique character and strength to the nation. Each state has its own distinct history and contribution.

In 1964, the year before the discontinuation of silver coinage, an official audit of the vaults of the Treasury Building in Washington, D.C., uncovered an astounding three million U.S. silver dollars struck in the late 1800s at the historic Carson City Mint.

Though it had produced coinage for only a little over two decades, from 1870 to 1893, the U.S. Mint at Carson City, Nevada, left behind a magnificent legacy.

If you're considering attending the first-ever Whitman Coin & Collectibles Nashville Expo, May 20-22, 2010, be certain to plan some extra time before or after the Expo to visit the many amazing attractions Music City has to offer, many of which are within easy walking distance of the convention center and the headquarters hotel.

Among the most interesting, perhaps, is the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, just two blocks from the Expo site. Here you can step into the entire history of country music in multi-media displays that will interest even those who don't count country music among their greatest enthusiasms. A range of permanent and temporary exhibits chronicle the entire sweep of America's music with memorabilia, movies, and artifacts like Elvis' golden piano.

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The Long Beach Coin, Stamp and Collectibles Expo has been held three times a year since 1964. The Expo spans 100,000 square feet in the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center and draws over 2,000 dealers and 10,000-12,000 public attendees each show from around the world.

Ah, the month of romance! All in the name of St.Valentine, candy, flowers, and gifts will be exchanged between loved ones across the country on February 14th.

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Written by Bill Fivaz, and made available by Whitman Coin & Collectibles Expo, WhitmanCoinCollecting.com Download or view a PDF of the book. (Right-click and save.)

Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell signed a new state budget on October 9 and the good news for coin collectors and dealers is it did not include a repeal of the hard-won sales tax exemption for investment coins and bullion established in 2006.

Following Gov. Rendell's pronouncement that he would seek a repeal of a range of sales tax exemptions, the coin and currency collecting community moved quickly to help the Governor and his staff understand the very strong public policy considerations in favor of leaving the exemption intact, not the least of which was the economic impact of shows like the recent Whitman Coin & Collectibles Philadelphia Expo, which alone added an estimated $10 million to the Pennsylvania economy.

Welcome to the first Whitman Coins & Collectibles Expo to be held in Philadelphia! Expectations are high, and we all hope that this inaugural event will land the Philly show on the numismatic map—to become a regular event. We will all wait and see.

Certainly, there has been a lot of anticipation stirred up, and last month in August at the ANA show quite a few people were looking forward to the event you are attending now.

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"How much is it worth?" is by far the most frequently asked question about any odd looking coin.

It is normal to think that a coin not generally seen in daily circulation must be rare and therefore very valuable. Those who seriously collect, study or deal in coins may have a somewhat different opinion. They know that not all unusual coins are rare and that many have only a nominal value (overlooking, for the moment, whatever sentimental value a coin may hold).

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Congratulations to these Whitman authors for winning the following national literary awards, presented at the Numismatic Literary Guild banquet in Los Angeles Thursday, August 6:

Norton - The Merchant
Joshua Abraham Norton was the younger of two children born to John and Sarah Norton in London, England, in 1818. As part of the early Jewish pioneer movement, Joshua's family left England in 1820 and moved to Cape Town, South Africa, in search of an opportunity for a better life. Eventually, John Norton bought a farm and became part owner of a ship chandlery and general merchandising store, and an agent for shipping interests. As a young man, Joshua gained valuable experience by working at his father's store and later started his first business at the age of 22. Unfortunately, his first attempt was unsuccessful, and in 1844 he was forced to abandon the venture.

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As the sun began to set on the ramparts of Battery Marshall that cold night of February 17, 1864, Confederate soldiers and curious onlookers watched as final adjustments were made to the submarine's torpedo barbed metal head. With the ever-tightening Union blockade, the citizens of Charleston were hopeful that the blockade could be broken by this curious torpedo boat.

The crew of the vessel grew anxious as the sun disappeared over the marshes behind Sullivan's Island.

Thanks in part to efforts by Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC), the recently renovated National Museum of American History now has a coin and currency exhibit, titled "Stories on Money." The new exhibit is the only one at the venerable Smithsonian dedicated entirely to numismatics.

According to the full story on NGC's website:

The 1930's was an era of frenetic activity surrounding the issuance of commemorative US coins. A number of very colorful characters were bent on promoting whatever cause they thought would justify yet another production run at the mint. This flurry of activity and the resultant alleged abuses would culminate in the US Congress holding hearings to determine if legislation was needed to protect the public.

One of the principal parties in this drama was L.W. Hoffecker. In spite of being damned by some and praised by others, his part in the history of the commemorative coin industry should not be overlooked. Born in 1869, a long time resident of El Paso, Texas, LW's first foray into the commemorative world was in the 1920's when he promoted a coin that was supposed to commemorate the Gadsden Purchase. He was successful in getting Congress to pass legislation but President Hoover, not a fan of using public resources for private purposes, vetoed the measure.

I recently attended my ninth American Numismatic Association (ANA) Summer Seminar in Colorado Springs -- and spent my eighth year as a Young Numismatist (YN) chaperon. Upon arrival at the Colorado Springs Airport on Saturday afternoon, I walked to the baggage-claim area, where, I was greeted by the ANA volunteers welcoming the seminar attendees and shuttling us to our destination.

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Kenneth E. Bressett has been honored with a Doctor of Numismatics degree from the American Numismatic Association at its annual Summer Seminar banquet. Mr. Bressett, the author of A Guide Book of United States Coins -- better known as the "Red Book," was honored for a life-long pursuit of numismatic excellence that began when he listened to Little Orphan Annie on the radio and responded to an Ovaltine advertisement offering a prize of foreign coins The official citation tells the story:

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Working to benefit the hobby, Whitman Coin & Collectibles Expos, in conjunction with the American Numismatic Association (ANA) and the Industry Council on Tangible Assets (ICTA), has successfully lobbied to change the trader’s license law concerning tax and corporate registration in the State of Maryland.

This removes burdens that numismatic dealers would have otherwise faced this year, if they participated in more than three coin shows in the state within a 365-day period. With four major coin shows planned in Baltimore this year (three by Whitman Coin and Collectibles Conventions, plus the American Numismatic Association World’s Fair of Money®), dealers would have had to apply for a state trader’s license. With the new legislation, that requirement now excludes non-profit national organizations.