Dec 19, 2018 | News, U.S. Mint
15-year initiative celebrates the Nation’s significant innovations and pioneering spirit
WASHINGTON – The United States Mint (Mint) hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony today to kick off the American Innovation™ $1 Coin Program, a multi-year initiative honoring innovators and innovations from each state, the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories–Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Mint Director David Ryder and Marc Landry, Acting Associate Director of the Mint’s Numismatic and Bullion Directorate, presented the introductory coin to the public, signaling the official launch of the program. Following the ceremony, products containing the introductory coin were available for purchase at the U.S. Mint Coin Store and Ryder signed packaging, certificates of authenticity, and other Mint items for customers.
The introductory 2018 American Innovation $1 Coin bears an obverse (heads) common to all coins in the program. It consists of a likeness of the Statue of Liberty and the inscriptions of “IN GOD WE TRUST” and “$1.”
The reverse (tails) design features George Washington’s signature and the inscriptions “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” and “AMERICAN INNOVATORS.” The stylized gears represent industry and innovation. “The gears remind me of how the many contributions, thoughts, and ideas of Americans continuously mesh together to propel our Nation forward,” said Ryder. The design also includes the inscription “SIGNED FIRST PATENT” under Washington’s signature. “E PLURIBUS UNUM,” the year of minting, and the mint mark are incused on the edge of the coin.
Ryder believes that the symbols of innovation chosen by the states and territories will have unifying and educational value. “The very nature of this program provides an opportunity for us to become better connected with each other by learning more about this vast land that we call home,” he said.
In addition to sales at its coin store, the Mint also began accepting orders for products containing the introductory coin today at noon EST at catalog.usmint.gov/ and 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468). Hearing- and speech-impaired customers with TTY equipment may order at 1-888-321-MINT. Information about shipping options is available at catalog.usmint.gov/customer-service/shipping.html.
Dec 10, 2018 | News
(Santa Ana, California) December 10, 2018 – As part of the strategic plans by parent company Collectors Universe, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLCT) to improve and expand services and products for collectors and dealers worldwide, professional numismatist Brett Charville has been named President of Professional Coin Grading Service (www.PCGS.com), effective January 1, 2019.
“Brett Charville is a respected and hard-working individual who has clearly established himself in the coin industry. The PCGS staff has always been composed of dedicated people with immense numismatic expertise and Collectors Universe is delighted to add Brett to this impressive team,” said Collectors Universe Chief Executive Officer Joe Orlando.
Charville has been a dealer in collectible coins for over 15 years. An expert in grading and evaluating U.S. vintage coins, he got his break in the world of professional numismatics like many others have, as an intern at Heritage Auction Galleries in Dallas, Texas. After graduating from Miami University, Charville was employed by Heritage as a wholesale buyer and grader. He then spent two years at Carter Numismatics in Tulsa, Oklahoma, also as a buyer and grader. In 2012, Charville founded Standard Numismatics, a wholesale-focused trading company based in Chicago.
“I am both very excited and humbled about this opportunity to be part of PCGS, the most storied brand in numismatics worldwide. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I’m looking forward to leading PCGS in their next chapter forward,”stated Charville who will be meeting with collectors and dealers at various times at the PCGS booth (#1203) during the upcoming Florida United Numismatists convention.
“We have a responsibility to many different stakeholders: to deliver a consistent and marketable product to our submitters as well as provide liquidity, security and act as a bulkhead against counterfeiting. We have an obligation to our shareholders to grow our brands and business in sustainable, consistent, and innovative ways. Joe Orlando and I are deeply committed to driving PCGS forward in a manner that ‘checks all the boxes’ and ensures that PCGS is the market leader in numismatic authentication and grading for generations to come,” he emphasized.
Charville currently serves on the board of directors of the Professional Numismatists Guild. In 2018, he became a board member of the Anti-Counterfeiting Educational Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to aiding law enforcement in the fight against counterfeits. Additionally, Charville has served as an instructor of numerous coin grading courses at the ANA’s Summer Seminar educational program.
“In addition to having the requisite skill set and attributes for the position of PCGS President, it is clear that Brett will also approach the challenge with the right attitude. We are all excited about the future of our company and its leadership,” said Orlando.
“PCGS is a premium brand with a great foundation, and we have an opportunity to further improve our services. One way we can accomplish this is by empowering more people, both existing employees and new staff members, so they have the authority to make independent decisions. PCGS is a service business. We can be more responsive to our loyal customer base and more efficient in our operation. This is just one step, with more to follow, which shows our commitment to investing in the future of PCGS,” explained Orlando.
Charville succeeds Don Willis who stepped down in November after ten years as PCGS President.
Professional Coin Grading Service was established in 1986 and now authenticates, grades and certifies coins from over 100 countries. In addition to its international headquarters in Santa Ana, California, PCGS has submission centers in Europe (www.PCGSEurope.com), Hong Kong and mainland China (www.PCGSAsia.com).
The popular PCGS Set Registry® (www.PCGS.com/setregistry) now contains more than 94,000 U.S. and world coin sets. The free PCGS Photograde™ Online (www.PCGS.com/photograde) feature makes it easy to determine the approximate grade of your coins, and the ever-expanding www.PCGSCoinFacts.com is the most comprehensive online resource for information and illustrations about United States coins.”
For additional information about PCGS and its services, visit www.PCGS.com or call PCGS Customer Service at (800) 447-8848.
Dec 4, 2018 | News
The first known 1868/6 overdate Australia sovereign has been authenticated by PCGS. (Photo credit: Professional Coin Grading Service www.PCGS.com)
The historic gold coin depicting a young Queen Victoria recently was submitted by a sharp-eyed professional numismatist on the Australian island state of Tasmania, and it now is certified PCGS AU58+.
“The sovereigns from 1855 to 1870 are among the most important and valuable series in Australian numismatics. These were the first coins struck by the Royal Mint in Sydney that was established in 1855 as the first branch of the British Royal Mint,” said Scott Thompson, PCGS World Coin Department Manager.
“These sovereigns have a distinctive ‘Sydney Mint’ reverse. This is the only time the Royal Mint permitted a design unique to a branch mint,” explained Thompson.
John Haddad, Managing Director of Tasmanian Numismatics in Moonah, Tasmania, recently submitted the coin to PCGS. He obtained it six months earlier from England, and when PCGS confirmed it is a previously unknown overdate Haddad said he “was filled with joy, so happy, fist pumping and over the moon!”
“I have a keen eye for varieties and I enjoy finding and studying them. This particular coin was advertised at the time as being an 1868/6 overdate, although it was not formally recognized as such. I was skeptical at first but after enlarging images of the coin I could clearly see the overdate. I had to have it with intentions of having this variety authenticated by PCGS,” Haddad explained.
“Since obtaining the coin I have researched images for this variety from past sales going back 30 years and have not seen another. There may be others out there but as I have not seen another, it may be the only example in existence,” he stated.
The coin has been consigned to Heritage Auctions and it will be offered on January 6, 2019 in their New York International Numismatic Convention World Coins Signature Auction.
How did the overdate occur at the Sydney Mint?
“Logistically, getting supplies and skilled labor was challenging for the branch mints in the 1800s. Reworking dies and creating overdates was a practical solution for getting around the difficulty of obtaining new dies from the Royal Mint in England. Only a handful of overdates in the Australia sovereign series are known, and of those seen in person by PCGS experts, this 1868/6 is the most pronounced with a good portion of the 6 still visible underneath the 8,” said Thompson.
Other overdate examples of the Australian Reverse sovereigns PCGS has graded are: 1861/0, 1865/4, 1865 6/5. There are some other combinations listed in numismatic publications, but not yet confirmed by PCGS.
A close up image of the date on the first known 1868/6 Australia sovereign. (Photo credit: Professional Coin Grading Service www.PCGS.com)
“In a series that is already rare, these overdates are in a category all their own. Many examples known today are unique, such as the 1868/6,” Thompson stated.
Founded in 1986, Professional Coin Grading Service has authenticated, graded and certified more than 40 million coins. PCGS has offices in the United States, Paris, Shanghai and Hong Kong. For additional information about PCGS and its services, visit www.PCGS.com.
Nov 20, 2018 | ICTA/NCBA, News
The Industry Council for Tangible Assets and the Anti-Counterfeiting Educational Foundation have jointly announced an agreement to transfer the Anti-Counterfeiting Task Force and the position of director of anti-counterfeiting from ICTA to the non-profit 501-C-3 foundation.
The transfer became effective Nov. 15.
The volunteer task force and the director of anti-counterfeiting position were created and launched by ICTA in January 2017 following an industrywide summit in August 2016 that decided the numismatic community should harness its resources and commit to fighting the invasion of counterfeit coins threatening the marketplace. The summit was spearheaded by leaders of ICTA, the American Numismatic Association, and the Professional Numismatists Guild.
Beth Deisher joined the ICTA staff as director of anti-counterfeiting and has coordinated the 44-member task force for the past 23 months. She will continue in the position, working under the authority of the Anti-Counterfeiting Educational Foundation. She works out of her home office located in Sylvania, OH.
ACTF’s mission is to mobilize law enforcement to protect the integrity of U.S. coinage by educating officials about the growing threat that counterfeit circulating coins, collectible classic coins, and investment bullion coins and precious metals bars pose to the collecting community and the public. The task force also provides education and training for law enforcement, the collecting community, and the general public.
“We believe this is a perfect fit,” said ICTA Executive Director Jimmy Hayes. He noted that the task force and the foundation share the same mission.
Hayes said that ICTA will continue to assist the task force, especially with regard to legislation needed to stop the flow of counterfeit coins and precious metals bars entering the marketplace or changes to provide more effective enforcement of current laws.
Hayes also explained the transfer will allow ICTA to focus on another looming problem, the effects of the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision regarding South Dakota vs. Wayfair, which permits states and localities to tax all retail sales (brick-and-mortar and internet) based on the location of the buyer. ICTA will seek a legislative remedy to the costly and burdensome mandate requiring coin dealers to collect and remit taxes to every taxing jurisdiction throughout the nation.
ACEF Acting President Gary Linthicum expressed the ACEF Board’s appreciation for ICTA’s leadership, work, and financial support in launching the task force and guidance during its formative period.
Linthicum said that ICTA is gifting to the foundation the office equipment that it purchased for use by the director of anti-counterfeiting and will provide administrative support during the transition.
“We expect the task force and Beth to continue their work uninterrupted during the transition and we look forward to making major headway in our shared mission of defeating the counterfeiters and making our marketplace safer for all buyers and sellers,” Linthicum said.
The task force and foundation are totally funded by donations. Tax deductible donations to support the work of the task force can be made to the Anti-Counterfeiting Educational Foundation at P.O. Box 903, Sylvania, OH 43560. For information about donating contact Beth Deisher at 567-202-1795.
Nov 17, 2018 | Auctions, News
Activity from the start was strong and the pace clearly carried through the live sale. In sale 29 more than 90% of the sales were to collectors. In many cases, there were multiple bidders per lot. It is clear to us, that buying from an auction is becoming the preferred choice for collectors. That is why LRCA is always working to improve and operate a better platform.
As we mentioned, activity was strong. Here is how we saw the sale: marginal, Non-CAC coins sold cheap. Coins with the CAC sticker and or were fresh (like the commems) sold strong. When the “right” coins were offered that were PCGS CAC and of the highest quality: prices were strong to near record-breaking. Overall, the coin market is really two-tier. Anything less than 100% and it simply will not bring a full price.
Highlights from this sale included:
H.01 1793 PCGS AU53 CAC — Price Realized: $41,125.00
1C 1814 PCGS MS 66 RB — Price Realized: $88,125.00
5C 1912-D PCGS MS67 — Price Realized: $41,125.00
5C 1900 PCGS PR68 CAC — Price Realized: $21,150.00
10C 1959-D PCGS MS68 FT — Price Realized: $5,288.00
$1 1889-CC PCGS MS63 DMPL CAC — Price Realized: $73,438.00
$1 1924-S PCGS MS65 CAC — Price Realized: $17,038.00
$10 1857-S PCGS MS64 CAC S.S.C.A — Price Realized: $76,375.00
$2.50 1909 PCGS PR65 CAC — Price Realized: $88,125.00
$3 1888 PCGS PR66+ CAC — Price Realized: $67,563.00
$5 1795 PCGS MS62 CAC — Price Realized: $176,250.00
$5 1811 PCGS MS64 CAC — Price Realized: $52,875.00
$20 1906 PCGS MS66 — Price Realized: $$64,625.00
There were many other coins that sold for strong prices. It was clear, the market wants only fresh or “super quality” pieces and will pay up for them every time. Laura Sperber Founder of LRCA said ” I was sweating out as to what direction this sale was going take. It wasn’t until the very last minute that collectors began appearing and really putting in strong numbers on the better coins. Right now it is all about quality”.
Legend Rare Coin Auctions is now moving forward preparing for our first “stand-alone” sale to be held in Beverly Hills CA Pre Long Beach on January 27th, 2019. We already have 2 major anchor collections and many single neat coins which will be announced shortly. Our consignment deadline for that sale is December 3rd.
Nov 16, 2018 | Announcements, News
(Santa Ana, California) November 15, 2018 – Professional Coin Grading Service (www.PCGS.com) has announced the resignation of Don Willis who served as PCGS President since 2008.
“We sincerely thank Don for his service during the past 10 years and appreciate his contributions to the company, the hobby and the profession,” stated Joe Orlando, President and Chief Executive Officer of Collectors Universe, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLCT), parent company of PCGS. Collectors Universe is the leader in third-party authentication and grading services for high-value collectibles including rare coins, trading cards, tickets, autographs, and memorabilia.
“In addition to further developing our current team, we will be adding new talent to PCGS as part of our long-term investment in providing outstanding products and services. We eagerly look forward to 2019 as an exciting year for us and our worldwide customers,” Orlando stated.
“Since its founding in 1986, Professional Coin Grading Service has represented the industry standard in third-party certification. PCGS provides outstanding service to collectors and dealers around the world through our offices in the United States, Paris, Shanghai, Australia and Hong Kong as well as on-site service at major coin shows,” he added.
PCGS experts have certified over 40 million coins with a total market value of over $34 billion. The popular PCGS Set Registry® (www.PCGS.com/setregistry) now contains more than 93,000 U.S. and world coin sets. The free PCGS Photograde™ Online (www.PCGS.com/photograde) feature makes it easy to determine the approximate grade of your coins, and the ever-expanding www.PCGSCoinFacts.com is the most comprehensive online resource for information and illustrations about United States coins.
For PCGS related inquiries, dealers should contact Sandy Locker at SLocker@collectors.com and for customer service inquiries contact David Talk at DTalk@collectors.com. For information about PCGS products and services, including how to submit your coins for authentication and grading, visit www.PCGS.com or call PCGS Customer Service at (800) 447-8848.
Nov 16, 2018 | News
We are excited to announce that CDN is partnering with eBay’s Coin and Paper Money category. So far in 2018, eBay’s Coin and Paper Money category has over 31M active buyers, and every minute 16 items are sold in the Coin and Paper Money category.
CDN Exchange, or CDNX, is a growing network of over 200 state-of-the-art coin and currency dealers that stand alone in the vast marketplace of sellers, including the largest dealers, grading services, and auction companies in the industry.
Being a partner with CDNX will help enhance and enrich the category for both buyers and sellers by providing a positive buying and selling experience to all customers.
The link below will provide further detail about the CDNX member experience on the eBay platform:
www.ebay.com/cdnx
We are thankful for this relationship, and look forward to working with you towards continued success.
Nov 10, 2018 | Bureau of Engraving and Printing, News
The Monthly Production Report for October 2018 Has Been Posted.
Please click here to access the report.
Nov 10, 2018 | News, PNG
RARCOA and Standard Numismatics Merger
Finalized With $100,000 PNG Anti-Counterfeiting Donation
(Willowbrook, Illinois) November 9, 2018 – Rare Coin Company of America, Inc. (RARCOA, www.rarcoa.com) of Willowbrook, Illinois and Standard Numismatics LLC of Chicago have completed their previously announced merger. In recognition of finalizing the arrangement, leaders of both firms, RARCOA Chief Executive Officer Wayde Milas and Standard Numismatics President Brett Charville, are each donating $50,000 to the Professional Numismatists Guild (www.PNGdealers.org) to help combat counterfeits.
“RARCOA has been in business for over 80 years, and I’m not sure our profession has ever encountered a danger as real as the current threat of counterfeiting. For the profession and the hobby to thrive for another 80 years we must pull out all the stops to combat counterfeiters,” said Milas who serves as PNG Treasurer.
“Over the years I have come to realize just how fortunate I am to be part of the numismatic community, and I want to make sure I’m doing my part to combat the very real dangers that threaten our beloved profession every day by counterfeiters. The successes I’ve enjoyed may not be possible to future generations if counterfeiters have their way,” said Charville, a member of the PNG Board of Directors.
“The PNG is delighted that Wayde and Brett are so generous with a combined donation of $100,000 to support the fabulous work of the Anti-Counterfeiting Task Force (ACTF). The PNG looks forward to working with Beth Deisher, ACTF’s Director of Anti-Counterfeiting, to continue and advance the success of the program,” said PNG Executive Director Robert Brueggeman. He serves on the steering committee of the Anti-Counterfeiting Educational Foundation.
Now that the merger has been completed, Evan Clarke, a staff numismatist with Standard Numismatics, will be leaving RARCOA on November 21, and Charville will leave on December 31.
“Both Brett and Evan worked tirelessly to merge our two organizations and their efforts did not go unnoticed. We thank them for their assistance during the merger and we wish them both the best in their future endeavors,” said Milas.
Former PNG President Jeffrey Bernberg has moved up from RARCOA Vice President to become the firm’s Chief Operating Officer, and RARCOA trader Cole Twitchell now is the firm’s Managing Director of U.S. Gold Trading.
Another Standard Numismatics staff member, Ryan Cook, has become Director of Modern and Retailer Programs at RARCOA.
This past summer, the PNG donated more than $15,000 to the Anti-Counterfeiting Task Force. The money was raised through donations from PNG Board members and from a portion of the fees from PNG members who took tables at the PNG/ANA Numismatic Trade Show in Philadelphia in August.
The Professional Numismatists Guild is a nonprofit trade association composed of the country’s top rare coin and paper money dealers who must adhere to a strict Code of Ethics in the buying and selling of numismatic merchandise. The organization also has an Accredited Precious Metals Dealer program (www.apmddealers.org).
The PNG and individual PNG member-dealers have provided expert assistance to local, regional and federal law enforcement agencies to help solve numismatic-related crimes. Contact PNG at info@PNGdealers.org or call 951-587-8300.
Nov 8, 2018 | News
A survey commissioned by The London Mint Office has shown the levels of knowledge of World War I amongst the people of the UK in this centenary year to commemorate its end – including 44% of 18-34 year olds who don’t know when the First World War started, and 36% of all ages who don’t know if any of their relatives served in it.
The London Mint Office produces coins, medals and ingots to commemorate world events and historic milestones and to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War, The London Mint Office has partnered with In Flanders Fields Museum, which conserves the very strong Word War I links with the West Flanders region of Belgium where more than 600,000 fell.
An online survey of over 2,000 adults from across the country was undertaken in October by Opinium on behalf of The London Mint Office, and it throws up some interesting findings. It is encouraging that 86% know that Remembrance Day is 11th November, 77% know the length of the war, and 70% are aware that 2018 marks 100 years since WWI ended. However, a surprising 28% (increasing to 44% for 18-34 year olds) are unaware that the war began in 1914. And sadly 36% of respondents were unaware if any of their relatives served in the First World War.
Falklands war veteran, Simon Weston, in the City of London
Over four in five (84%) UK adults think we should be commemorating the 100th anniversary of the end of World War One, including 82% of 18 to 34 year olds. In terms of casualties, 49% of those asked are correct in thinking there were approximately 40 million military and civilian casualties of WWI, yet a third (32%) believe incorrectly that fewer people died in the Second World War.
When it comes to the Axis powers who fought against Britain, only 41% of the survey listed Austria and 29% counted Turkey amongst them, and surprisingly 22% thought Japan was on the side of the Germans in WWI, confusing history with the Second World War.
WASHINGTON – The United States Mint (Mint) hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony today to kick off the American Innovation™ $1 Coin Program, a multi-year initiative honoring innovators and innovations from each state, the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories–Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
