$100 Million of Rare Coins and Gold Rush Sunken Treasure at Chicago World’s Fair of Money®

Jul 13, 2022 | ANA, Announcements, Shows & Conventions

The public can view historic coins, banknotes and medals, and learn what their old money may be worth at this family-friendly event

More than $100 million of historic rare coins and currency including the first Midwest displays of recovered California Gold Rush sunken treasure, centuries-old George Washington medals, and a mis-made 1943 penny valued at $1 million will be displayed at the family-friendly Chicago World’s Fair of Money® (WorldsFairofMoney.com) in Rosemont, Illinois, August 16-20, 2022.

Visitors can also see museum-quality displays of documents signed by Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and others; a $3 million nickel; and a rare silver dollar insured for $4 million. Another highlight of the show will be an extraordinary exhibit of historic California Gold Rush artifacts recovered from the 1857 sinking of the fabled “Ship of Gold,” the S.S. Central America, including the remnants of a Wells Fargo treasure shipment box.

“More than 500 dealers will be buying and selling rare coins, vintage paper money, medals and tokens in all price ranges, as well as gold and silver. The U.S. Mint will be in attendance along with recently-appointed Mint Director, Ventris Gibson. Many of the experts will provide free, informal evaluations of the public’s old money,” said Kim Kiick, executive director of the nonprofit American Numismatic Association (money.org), organizer of the five-day event.

“The public can take photos with costumed Abraham Lincoln and Ben Franklin reenactors and participate in educational seminars, and children can enjoy a treasure trivia game,” she added.

“Money is history you can hold in your hands. Every coin, banknote, medal or token has a story to tell about people, places and events,” explained Dr. Ralph Ross, president of the 28,000-member organization. “The World’s Fair of Money is an educational event open to everyone. It is considered the biggest week of the year for coin collectors and anyone interested in the fascinating history of money.”

Attendees can book a hotel room at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare or the Hilton Rosemont hotels at a reduced convention rate. The special ANA rate is guaranteed until July 19 or until the ANA hotel blocks have been filled. Mention the World’s Fair of Money when booking to secure the promotional rate.

Hosted by the Chicago Coin Club, the Chicago World’s Fair of Money will be held in Hall F of the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, 5555 N. River Road, in Rosemont.

Public hours are Tuesday, August 16, from 1 to 6 pm; Wednesday through Friday, August 17 to 19, from 10am to 6 pm; and Saturday, August 20, from 10 am to 4 pm. (Last admission is 30 minutes prior to closing.)

Public admission Tuesday through Friday is $10 daily. Children 12 and under are admitted free daily and admission is free for everyone on Saturday.

Corporate sponsors of the World’s Fair of Money include GreatCollections®, the ANA’s official auctioneer; and Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC®), Paper Money Guaranty (PMG®) and Numismatic Conservation Services (NCS®), the ANA’s official grading and conservation service.

Additional information about the American Numismatic Association is available by visiting money.org or calling (719) 632-2646. To learn more about the World’s Fair of Money, visit WorldsFairofMoney.com, call (800) 482-9828 or email convention@money.org.

2022 United States Mint Uncirculated Coin Set® Available July 12

Jul 8, 2022 | Announcements, U.S. Mint

WASHINGTON – The 2022 United States Mint (Mint) Uncirculated Coin Set will be available for purchase on July 12 at noon (EDT). The set contains two cards of ten coins each—one from the United States Mint at Philadelphia and the other from the United States Mint at Denver. The following coins are included, along with a certificate of authenticity:

Five 2022 American Women Quarters™ honoring:

  • Maya Angelou–celebrated writer, performer, and social activist
  • Dr. Sally Ride–physicist and first American woman in space
  • Wilma Mankiller–first woman elected principal chief of the Cherokee Nation
  • Nina Otero-Warren–a leader in New Mexico’s suffrage movement
  • Anna May Wong–first Chinese American woman to be a Hollywood film star, director, and producer

One Native American $1 Coin featuring Ely S. Parker, who served as military secretary to Ulysses S. Grant during the U.S. Civil War. During the surrender at Appomattox, Parker rendered formal surrender documents in his own hand. Parker is shown with a quill pen and book, and a likeness of his graceful signature, as symbols of his experience as an expert communicator. The inscriptions “TONAWANDA SENECA” and “HA-SA-NO-AN-DA” recognize his tribe and the name given to him at birth. Additional inscriptions include “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” and “$1.” The obverse retains the central figure of Sacagawea carrying her infant son, Jean Baptiste, by sculptor Glenna Goodacre. Inscriptions are “LIBERTY” and “IN GOD WE TRUST.” The year, mint mark, and “E PLURIBUS UNUM” are incused on the edge of the coin.

One Kennedy half dollar
One Roosevelt dime
One Jefferson nickel
One Lincoln penny

The 2022 United States Mint Uncirculated Coin Set is priced at $25.25. Production is limited to 250,000 units. To initiate a REMIND ME alert, visit https://catalog.usmint.gov/uncirculated-coin-set-2022-22RJ.html (product code 22RJ). This recurring set is also available for purchase through the Mint’s Product Enrollment Program. Structured like a magazine subscription, this program affords customers the convenience of signing up to receive automatic shipments of products in a series. The shipments continue until the enrollment is cancelled. For details, visit https://catalog.usmint.gov/uncirculated-coin-set-enrollment-MW.html.

This set is sold through the Numismatic Bulk Purchase Program and the Authorized Bulk Purchase Program.

Additional United States Mint annual coin sets are available at https://catalog.usmint.gov/coins/coin-sets/annual-sets/.

Note: To ensure that all members of the public have fair and equal access to United States Mint products, the United States Mint will not accept and will not honor orders placed prior to the official on-sale date of June 28, 2022, at noon EDT.

Please use the United States Mint catalog site at as your primary source of the most current information on products and services, or call 800-USA-MINT (872-6468).

11 Facts you didn’t know about one of the nation’s most iconic coins: the £1

Jul 7, 2022 | Announcements, Royal Mint

The £1 Coin & Banknote Set

The Royal Mint has released a special collectable set celebrating one of the UK’s most iconic coins: the £1. The set celebrates the rich coinage history of the £1 ahead of the 40th anniversary of the modern pound next year.

The collectable set includes a UK ‘round pound’ dated 1983 featuring a reverse design by Eric Sewell, a 12-sided UK £1 coin dated 2016 featuring a reverse design by David Pearce, and a Bank of England £1 Series D banknote featuring a design by Harry Eccleston.

11 facts about the £1

  • The earliest ancestor of the £1 can be traced back to 1489, when Henry VII introduced the Sovereign – made of solid gold and worth 20 shillings, this is considered England’s very first £1 coin
  • The Sovereign, nominally valued at £1, was devalued and revalued several times in the medieval period. It was replaced in the reign of James I by another gold coin called the unite, and again in the reign of Charles II by the guinea. Each of these coins is part of the ancestral tree of the modern £1 coin.
  • By the end of the eighteenth-century, and in reaction to wartime hoarding, gold was needed to finance wars with France, leading the Bank of England to introduce an alternative to the gold coins in 1797: the £1 banknote.
  • The Sovereign returned in 1817 following a review of Britain’s coinage after the Battle of Waterloo, with its well-known St. George and the Dragon design by Italian designer Benedetto Pistrucci.
  • By 1915 gold was no longer a part of the nation’s circulating coinage. £1 banknotes were again issued in its place, and the government encouraged people to use them in place of gold coins, which were needed for the war effort.
  • Over 443 million ‘round pound’ coins were minted in 1983, the first year the modern pound coin was introduced.
  • The first design to feature on the ‘round pound’ introduced in 1983 was The Royal Arms of the United Kingdom.
  • Four bridges have featured on the reverse designs of the round pound: the Forth Railway bridge, the Menai bridge, the Egyptian Arch bridge and the Millennium bridge.
  • The 12-sided £1 introduced in 2016 saw almost 650 million coins minted in its first year
  • The current 12-sided coin is a symbol of cutting-edge technology and includes a hidden high-security feature to prevent counterfeiting. It is considered the most secure coin in circulation today.
  • 2023 will mark the 40th anniversary of the modern £1 coin and a new reverse (tails) design by Kenyan artist Michael Armitage will be released into circulation to mark the occasion. The design will celebrate the people of Britain and our diverse culture.

Director of Collector Services Rebecca Morgan holds 1983 Round Pound and 2016 GBP1 coin with GBP1 banknote

Rebecca Morgan, Director of Collector Services at The Royal Mint said, “There is something truly special about the £1; its ancestor, the sovereign, is one of our collectors’ favourites and as the original maker of coins, The Royal Mint has had the pleasure of seeing the £1 evolve over the years. The £1 coin is a symbol of Britain that is recognised around the world as well as being one of the nation’s most iconic coins. This collectable set captures three different iterations of the £1 and showcases its fascinating history and evolution over the years.”

For more information, please visit The Royal Mint’s – The £1 Coin & Banknote Set | The Royal Mint

04.07.22 – Royal Mint – Picture shows Rebecca Morgan, Director of Collector Services at the Royal Mint with the new collectors one pound coin (£1) which is being released alongside a one pound note.

The £1 Coin & Banknote Set
Title First Round Pound First New £1 £1 Bank Note
Denomination £1 £1 £1
Issuing Authority UK UK UK
Alloy Cupro nickel Nickel-plated nickel brass
Outer – Nickel Brass		 N/A
Weight 9.6g 8.75g N/A
Diameter 22.5mm 23.03mm 134.5mm x 66.7mm
Obverse Designer Arnold Machin Jody Clark
Reverse Designer Eric Sewell David Pearce
Quality Circulated Circulated
Additional Features N/A Micro/Latent + more
RRP £45.00

The Royal Mint celebrates Alan Turing on a collectable 50p coin

Jul 4, 2022 | Announcements, Royal Mint

The Royal Mint has launched a collectable 50p to celebrate the life and work of Alan Turing for the first time on official UK coin, available in gold, silver and base metal from Monday 4 July.

Alan Turing’s achievements range from formulating ground-breaking theories in the fields of computing, mathematics and biology to ingenious codebreaking during the Second World War.

The life and work of the ‘father of computing’ inspires the new 50p design by experienced coin artists Matt Dent and Christian Davies. The reverse side of the coin features the British scientist’s name alongside a representation of the Bombe machine used during World War II. In a special nod to his work, the designers have incorporated hidden word sequences as part of the 50p design, representing a Turing quote and significant location, as well as the designers’ initials.

The coin made to honour Turing’s legacy is the final release in the Innovation is Science 50p series, which recognises some of history’s greatest scientific minds including Charles Babbage, John Logie Baird, Rosalind Franklin and Stephen Hawking, and the Discovery of Insulin.

The sixth and final release is an enduring piece of art celebrating work that has left an undeniable mark in the field of science, made with British craftsmanship and innovation at the home of precious metals.

Nicola Howell, Chief Commercial Officer at The Royal Mint said: “Alan Turing was a scientific innovator whose work shaped Britain and it is fitting that his life and achievements will be commemorated for the first time on a collectable 50p. Made at the home of precious metals, where we have a rich heritage of British craftsmanship and innovation, the collectable Alan Turing coin will honour the father of computing in a range of gold, silver and base metal finishes. The release is the sixth and final 50p in the Innovation in Science collection and the design by Matt Dent and Christian Davies concludes the series brilliantly by incorporating hidden messages as part of the design, which we know is popular with collectors of the science series.”

The Royal Mint’s latest release is supported by Sir Dermot Turing, nephew of Alan Turing. Speaking of the collaboration and the commemorative coin, he said: “I am delighted with The Royal Mint’s new Alan Turing coin. It is impressive how much effort they have gone to in checking the historical background, and the attractive design they have come up with perfectly encapsulates his genius and achievements.”

The Life and Work of Alan Turing coin is available at The Royal Mint, where you can also find out more about the Innovation in Science series.

Update to James I British Monarchs collection

Jun 24, 2022 | Announcements, Royal Mint

The Royal Mint has today revealed an extremely limited edition 10oz silver proof coin featuring the portrait of James 1 as part of the British Monarchs range launched earlier this year.

The seventeenth-century monarch appears on this new coin in the same classic design that would have featured on the coins of the Jacobean era. Whilst the design first appeared on British coinage more than 400 years ago, this coinage portrait has been faithfully recreated as close to the original as possible using state-of-the-art technology.

Rebecca Morgan, Director of Collector Services at The Royal Mint said: “There is strong appeal for collectors with this coin series. There are very few high-quality examples of coinage from the Stuart period, and they are coveted by collectors for their iconic design and rarity and the effigies have been faithfully recreated in fine detail using state-of-the-art technology and numismatic processes. People love to collect the coins of different monarchs, and this series gives the chance for collectors to add key monarchs to complete their collections.”

For more information about the James I 2022 coins please visit The Royal Mint website.

Bidding Already at $5,500 For Extremely Rare Dual Serial Number Error $5 Note

Jun 23, 2022 | Announcements, Auctions

Certified by Professional Coin Grading Service, this banknote has mismatched serial numbers and is also missing some serial number digits

(Santa Ana, California – June 23, 2022) – Bidding has reached $5,500 for a strange $5 Federal Reserve banknote that was discovered by alert collector Alex Allis who submitted the bizarre error to Professional Coin Grading Service (www.PCGS.com). Bidding on the note with both mismatched and several missing serial numbers will close on Sunday, June 26, at GreatCollections (www.GreatCollections.com).

“Errors like this simply don’t turn up every day,” remarked PCGS President Stephanie Sabin.

This rare $5 bill error contains mismatched serial numbers and was graded Extremely Fine 40 PPQ by Professional Coin Grading Service before crossing the GreatCollections auction block for several thousand dollars. Courtesy of Professional Coin Grading Service.

“Our graders were stunned when they found this remarkable error come through. It speaks volumes about the trust collectors place in our grading and error diagnostics team that PCGS was top of mind for Ms. Allis upon her discovery of this incredible piece.”

“I was a coin collector for many years,” explains Allis, who said she began poring through banknotes during the pandemic when coin shortages stemmed the flow of coinage for her to search through. “Banks would give a thousand $1 bills but not a single roll of coins. I kept my dollar bills I received from change in a separate box, but when I was putting the $5 into the box it demanded my immediate attention.”

She recalls this error specimen feeling to the touch just like a brand-new bill might. “I looked at it about a thousand times. I checked all the usual signs of authenticity for bills.” She adds, “Of course, I didn’t sleep that night!” Recounting a flurry of errands that led her to landing this unusual $5 bill, Allis notes, “That day I went to the bank, grocery store, and a convenience store. I can’t be certain what establishment I received the bill from, but my guess is the convenience store.”

She submitted the error note to PCGS because of her positive impressions of the third-party grading company from having attended coin shows. “I chose PCGS because they are the premier grading service. I have attended shows in the past, and all the people were happy to help and garner excitement for collections.”

Allis says that throughout the pandemic she tried sparking an interest in her kids that might lead to them studying and collecting coins and banknotes. “Although I have had coins and currency put away, the pandemic reminded all of us how fragile life is – and how would my children know what to do with my collection?” She goes on to say, “They are totally engaged now!”

Nearly a decade ago, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) introduced new, state-of-the-art banknote production equipment meant to increase output and tighten quality control. large examining and printing equipment (LEPE systems, as they are known, were installed at both BEP facilities to augment decades-old currency overprinting and processing equipment (COPE) system capacity. This subject $5 error banknote is a product of the relatively novel LEPE system, which had just recently been approved for production of the $5 denomination in 2019.

With new technology comes new potential for the generation of exotic and mysterious mistakes, as evidenced right here. Research into the complicated technical specifics that caused the error continues, although it has been established that an LEPE system setup issue was fundamentally to blame. While it is not yet certain whether that configuration problem was digital or mechanical, accidental or intentional, or something else entirely, what remains wholly clear is that this $5 error type is guaranteed to induce jaw-dropping, breathtaking, and head-scratching reactions everywhere it goes.

About Professional Coin Grading Service

Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) is a third-party coin and banknote grading company that was launched in 1986. Over 35 years, PCGS has examined and certified more than 50 million U.S. and world coins, medals, and tokens with a combined value of over $49 billion. For more information about PCGS products and services, including how to submit your coins for authentication and grading, please visit www.PCGS.com or call PCGS Customer Service at (800) 447-8848.

ANA Honors Distinguished Numismatists with Awards

Jun 22, 2022 | ANA, Announcements, News

Every year, the American Numismatic Association (ANA) recognizes members who go above and beyond with their service and dedication to numismatics. The following awards, which are presented at the World’s Fair of Money®, will be awarded during the Member & Awards Celebration, Thursday, Aug. 18 at 3 p.m. in room 25/26 of the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois.

The Adna G. Wilde Jr. Memorial Award for Exemplary Service recognizes collectors and hobbyists who are active at the regional and/or national level and work to advance numismatic knowledge among the general public. Recipients promote and strengthen the hobby by serving as club officers, newsletter editors, coin show volunteers, and the like. This year, three individuals will be recognized: Patrick McBride, David Schenkman, and Jeffrey Swindling.

Patrick McBride joined his first coin clubs in the mid ’80s, all in western Pennsylvania, and has consistently volunteered for those organizations since then. He holds several offices for the Pennsylvania Association of Numismatists and was the host club chair for the ANA’s 2019 National Money Show®. He has contributed extensively to the ANA’s educational efforts, including loaning several of his rare issues of The Numismatist when the ANA digitized the entire run of the magazine in 2015. Additionally, he lobbied for both versions of the bills proposing the creation of 2021 Peace and Morgan dollar centennial commemoratives. His efforts contributed to the successful passage of the legislation.

The Numismatist “Tokens &anp Medals” columnist David Schenkman has cheerfully and selflessly contributed countless hours to both the ANA and any fellow hobbyist who has sought his expertise. He has taught ANA Summer Seminar classes and has given talks for local, regional, and national numismatic organizations. He regularly shares his knowledge through the many columns, books, and articles he has written over the past five decades. A former president of the Token and Medal Society (TAMS), he was editor of the TAMS Journal from 1982-2010 and currently serves on the board of directors. The recipient of dozens of literary and achievement awards – including numerous ANA Heath Literary Awards – he was inducted into the ANA Hall of Fame in 2015.

Jeffrey Swindling has recruited over 500 members to the ANA in addition to donating his time as a regular ANA convention volunteer and district representative. He is committed to sharing the hobby with the next generation and has served as a Coin Collecting Merit Badge counselor since 2002, helping thousands of scouts earn their badges. During his time as chair of the ANA’s YN and Scout Committee, he instituted several key initiatives, including the “Coins for A’s” and the ANA College Scholarship programs. Swindling has received several ANA Member Booster Awards and continuously shares his extensive knowledge with collectors and non-collectors alike.

The ANA’s Medal of Merit honors individuals at the regional and/or national level who have dedicated numerous years of service to the ANA and hobby. This year’s recipients are passionate volunteers who spread the joy of numismatics everywhere they go.

Sandra “Sandy” Hill worked as an employee in the ANA’s membership department for 21 years until she retired. She now serves as a national volunteer and recruits throngs of new members at ANA conventions every year. She became a member of the Century Club in 2016 and has received the John & Nancy Wilson Member Booster Award twice (2019 and 2020). Her cheerful, charismatic persona is magnetic and is glad to help anyone with any task. She has even jumped in as a substitute Summer Seminar instructor when the scheduled teacher experienced travel delays.

Since 2011 she’s served as a district representative for Washington. She founded the Kalama Coin Club in Washington in 2008 and currently serves as its president. She also plans to introduce an incentive program for youngsters using world coins as educational tools.

Hill’s work ethic demonstrates that one doesn’t need to be a scholar to be an instrumental member of the numismatic community. She was recognized with an ANA Presidential Award in 2011 and Glenn Smedley Memorial Award in 2013.

During his 45 years of service, Bob Hurst has volunteered and exhibited at many coin conventions. He has also judged displays and given educational talks at state shows hosted by the Florida United Numismatists (FUN), Central States Numismatic Society, Georgia Numismatic Association, and others. He was the bourse chair for the Blue Ridge Numismatic Association for six years. A respected leader, he currently serves as president of both FUN and the Tennessee State Numismatic Society, where he’s been instrumental in stabilizing the latter organization’s finances.

Hurst developed an interest in ancient coins in 1973 while he was serving overseas in the U.S. Air Force, and he founded a club for like-minded collectors in San Vito dei Normanni, Italy. He participated in several archaeological digs in the country, and he led a dig under the auspices of the National Museum in Napes that unearthed an assortment of Roman coins. As a dealer and enthusiastic student of ancient and world issues, he’s become an authority on these pieces, particularly crown-size coins and talers, and he’s given numerous educational talks on the topic. Hurst has been recognized with several hobby accolades, including two ANA Presidential Awards (2007 and 2021), the Numismatic Ambassador Award (2008), and the ANA Glenn Smedley Memorial Award (2009).

Gary Lewis served in the U.S. Air Force, which took him on a journey from Illinois to Thailand to Colorado to Florida, and his travels didn’t stop there. He’s attended 54 ANA conventions since his first in 1963 and has visited all 50 states, attending coin shows or club meetings in about half of them. Lewis became an ANA district representative for Colorado over 50 years ago, and since then, has served in many capacities for the Association, including chief exhibit judge, National Coin Week chair, regional representative, governor, vice president, and by 2003, he was elected president. He has served on more ANA committees than anyone else in Association history, and today, he mentors students enrolled in the ANA’s Numismatic Diploma Program. A creative problem-solver, Lewis offers forward-thinking ideas. Years before technology evolved to its current state, he was looking ahead to the digital world he knew was imminent.

Lewis has served as an officer in nine local and regional clubs, including six presidencies in a 47-year time span. While he was president of the Colorado Springs Coin Club from 1972-74, he started the annual coin show that is now integrated with Summer Seminar. His reach extends beyond the collecting community – he was a member of the U.S. Assay Commission in 1974 and chaired the Florida State Quarter Selection Committee from 2001-2003. Lewis has written articles for several numismatic publications on a variety of topics that have interested him in his 66 years of collecting. He was named the ANA’s Outstanding Adult Advisor in 1979 and received the Glenn Smedley Memorial Award in 2005.

The ANA has named John Brush the 2022 Harry J. Forman Dealer of the Year. Presented annually, the award honors a professional numismatist who shows uncommon dedication to strengthening the hobby and the ANA; exhibits high ethical standards and integrity; and treats all members of the numismatic community and the general public fairly and consistently.

The Virginia Beach, Virginia, resident is well-known for his role as president of David Lawrence Rare Coins (DLRC), a position he’s held since late 2015. Brush joined the company as a staff numismatist in 2006 after working as a wholesale trader at Spectrum Numismatics (now Stack’s Bowers Galleries). As president, Brush oversees the direction of DLRC and serves as the chief buyer, traveling to all major shows on an annual basis. He is respected for his inviolable ethical standards and oversees what many consider the leading website in the industry. Brush also assists with curating the D.L. Hansen Collection for his business partner Dell Loy Hansen, a Utah real estate and business mogul.

Brush serves as chairman of the National Coin and Bullion Association and is the treasurer for the Professional Numismatists Guild. The former Summer Seminar attendee and later instructor has been a hobbyist since age five. He joined the ANA in 1987 at the urging of his father, and he has inspired countless others to do the same.

SS Central America Gold Rush-era artifacts at Chicago World’s Fair of Money®

Jun 21, 2022 | Announcements, Shows & Conventions

Historic items from legendary “Ship of Gold” that sank in 1857 include Wells Fargo treasure shipment box remnants, gold miner’s jeans, and a mysterious “Mona Lisa of the Deep” photograph

June 22, 2022 — After a century and a half on the ocean floor and then decades in secure storage, dozens of historic California Gold Rush-era sunken treasure artifacts from the 1857 sinking of the fabled “Ship of Gold,” the S.S. Central America, will be displayed at the Chicago World’s Fair of Money®. The exhibit is jointly hosted by California Gold Marketing Group and Holabird Western Americana Collections at booth #1926.

Visitors will also see the first public display of the remotely operated vehicle nicknamed “Nemo” that was used by scientists and engineers to locate and recover the SS Central America treasures deep on the Atlantic Ocean seabed four decades ago. The six-ton submersible has been stored in an Ohio warehouse since 1991 and will be transported to the convention.

“Among the notable, recovered items that will be exhibited are a unique lid to the remnants of the oldest known Wells Fargo treasure shipment box; a pair of the oldest known San Francisco Gold Rush canvas jeans with a button fly that may have been made by Levi Strauss in his early years in business; and jewelry made from California Gold Rush ‘mother lode’ native gold in quartz as gemstones,” said exhibitor Fred Holabird, president Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC (www.HolabirdAmericana.com) of Reno, Nevada.

Insured for $1 million for this display, the jeans were discovered in a trunk belonging to passenger John Dement who survived the tragic sinking.

The S.S. Central America sank 7,200 feet deep in the Atlantic Ocean off the North Carolina coast during a hurricane on September 12, 1857. She was on a voyage from Panama to New York carrying tons of California Gold Rush coins, ingots, and gold dust from the San Francisco and Northern California area. The tragedy took the lives of 425 of the ship’s 578 passengers and crew members, and the loss of the gold cargo was a major factor in the economically devastating financial panic of 1857 in the United States.

Also in the display is a 19th-century daguerreotype metal plate photograph of an unidentified young woman that the scientific mission recovery team nicknamed, “Mona Lisa of the Deep,” after retrieving the photo in 2014 from the seabed where it was discovered in a scattered pile of the ship’s coal.

The exhibit also includes the Central America brass name tag attached to a set of keys that belonged to the ship’s purser, Edward W. Hull.

“Because these keys are larger than the type usually used for passengers’ rooms, we think these purser’s keys were for the locked room where the gold treasure cargo was kept on the ship,” said Holabird.

“These incredible artifacts that were kept in secure storage in three different states since the 1980s are now giving us a glimpse of daily life for passengers and crew in the 1850s. They are a time capsule from the California Gold Rush,” said Dwight Manley, Managing Partner of the California Gold Marketing Group of Brea, California which owns the recovered items.

These items are among nearly 1,000 recovered artifacts from the Central America that Manley and his group consigned to Holabird for auctions planned for later this year.

Recovery from the undersea site of what has been described as “America’s greatest treasure” occurred in several stages between 1988-1991 and again in 2014. Thousands of retrieved gold coins and hundreds of gold bars have been sold since 2000; however, these latest items were kept in storage in three different states, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Ohio, until a court-approved settlement was reached ending a decades-long ownership dispute.

“Seemingly ordinary items from the passengers and crew today give us extraordinary insight into the everyday lives of the people who traveled on the steamship,” said scientist Bob Evans who was on each of the recovery missions.

Conducted by the American Numismatic Association (www.money.org), the 2022 Chicago World’s Fair of Money (www.WorldsFairofMoney.com) will be held August 16-20 at Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Hall F, 5555 N. River Rd., in Rosemont, Illinois.

Fresh-to-market SS Central America treasures in Goldberg’s June 2022 auction

Jun 20, 2022 | Announcements, Auctions

First-time offerings of California Fractionals and other important items recovered from the legendary “Ship of Gold”

(Los Angeles, California) June 20, 2022 – California Gold Rush-era treasures recovered from the fabled “Ship of Gold,” the SS Central America that sank in 1857, will be offered for the first time in the Pre-Long Beach auction by Goldberg Coins & Collectibles (www.GoldbergCoins.com) on June 27, 2022.

The auction includes 15 of the finest condition California Fractional Gold coins offered to date from the legendary sunken treasure, a 51.78-ounce Justh & Hunter assayer’s gold ingot. and one of the finest known surviving 1854 New Orleans Mint Seated Liberty quarter dollars that was retrieved from the purser’s safe on the ship.

“The SS Central America is a time capsule of the California Gold Rush. Each of the treasure coins in the auction is housed in a special PCGS holder containing gold dust from miners’ pokes that were also recovered from about 7,200 feet below the Atlantic Ocean’s surface,” explained Larry Goldberg, co-owner of Goldberg Coins & Collectibles in Los Angeles.

“The California Fractionals being offered for the first are the finest quality coins released to date from the 103 found during the 2014 recovery mission. There are some beautiful gems and prooflikes,” said Dwight Manley, managing partner of the California Gold Marketing Group which consigned the sunken treasure items to the auction.

Highlights of the auction session include:

Justh & Hunter 51.78 oz gold bar

  • 1856 Octagonal Liberty gold half dollar, Breen and Gillio-311, graded PCGS MS-66 PL;
  • 1856 Round Liberty Head gold half dollar, Breen and Gillio-434, PCGS MS-65 Plus;
  • 1854-O Arrows At Date, Huge O Mintmark, Seated Liberty quarter dollar, PCGS AU-55;
  • Justh & Hunter 51.78-ounce, 889 fine gold bar. It was stamped by the Gold Rush-era assayers with its value at the time of creation, $951.57. Its current value is estimated at between $150,000 and $200,000.

The SS Central America was a 280-foot long, three-masted side-wheel steamship carrying what Life magazine later called “The Greatest Treasure Ever Found,” tons of California Gold Rush-era gold coins and assayers’ ingots. She sank in a hurricane about 150 miles off the North Carolina coast in September 1857.

The Goldberg’s Pre-Long Beach auction will be conducted June 26-29 with the SS Central America coins offered as lots number 747 through 764 in the June 27 session. The entire auction catalog with lot descriptions and color photographs can be found online at https://auctions.goldbergcoins.com/m/view-auctions/catalog/id/92. Printed copies of the catalog are available for $15 each postpaid.

For additional information, contact Goldberg Coins & Collectibles at 310-551-2646, by email at info@GoldbergCoins.com, or visit online at https://GoldbergCoins.com.

Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games UK 50P Coin

Jun 20, 2022 | Announcements, News

With a storied history that dates back to 1930, the Commonwealth Games is one of the biggest sporting events in the world. Sandwiched neatly in between summer Olympic years, the quadrennial event has long established itself as a true hub of athletic excellence, covering a wide array of action-packed sports and featuring the very best athletes from across the Commonwealth.

This year, the Commonwealth Games returns to England for only the third time in its history and will emanate from the city of Birmingham for the very first time. The motto for Birmingham 2022 is ‘Games for Everyone’, with a conscious focus on inclusivity – a stance that is backed by the largest female and para-sport programme in the history of the Commonwealth Games.

The Royal Mint is proud to celebrate the Commonwealth Games and its incredible 92-year legacy with a UK 50p coin dedicated to Birmingham 2022. Featuring a bespoke reverse design by The Royal Mint’s own Natasha Preece, this coin captures the essence of the Commonwealth Games through the striking geometric patterns associated with Birmingham 2022.

KEY FEATURES

  • Celebrating the first Commonwealth Games held in England for 20 years
  • Features a design that cleverly incorporates the unmistakable geometric patterns of Birmingham Library
  • Year-dated 2022 commemorating the historic 22nd Commonwealth Games
  • The perfect memento to celebrate the very first Games held in Birmingham
  • Collaboratively developed with Birmingham 2022 and each home nation’s respective team.

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