Coin Designer Jamie Franki Signs Exclusive PCGS Signature Label Deal
(February 10, 2020) – Coin designer Jamie Franki has signed an exclusive deal with Professional Coin Grading Service (www.PCGS.com) to hand autograph label inserts for certified coins bearing his designs. PCGS is excited to announce this partnership in time for the first of three 2020-W Jefferson Nickels released in this year’s U.S. uncirculated, proof, and silver proof sets, all of which feature Franki’s designs.
Franki’s popular portrayal of the American bison, or “buffalo,” on the reverse of the 2005 Jefferson Nickel is exquisite, and his modernized design of the 2006 “Return to Monticello” Jefferson Nickel gained the University of North Carolina Charlotte Department of Art and Art History associate professor very positive reviews from coin collectors. Franki has also designed medals for the United States Olympic Team and has created more medals for the American Numismatic Association World’s Fair of Money and National Money Shows than any other artist.
Franki has been working as a professor, illustrator, and designer for the past 39 years. His love for numismatics was first inspired as a young boy when he received his first Buffalo Nickel. He has since provided illustrations for a variety of commissions, including national and international competition medals, designs for his own medals, and concept art for the United States Mint Artistic Infusion Program.
PCGS is proud to continue the growth of the United States Coin Designer hand-signed label program with the addition of Jamie Franki’s hand-signed labels. These special inserts will be available for pairing with the following coins:
- 2005 Westward Journey Nickel Series (American Bison Reverse)
- 2006 Westward Journey Nickel Series (Return to Monticello Reverse)
- 2007-Current Jefferson Nickels (all finishes and strikes)
“Working with United States coin designers is a wonderful opportunity to bring attention to the artists behind the intricate designs seen on currency millions of Americans use every day,” says PCGS President Brett Charville. “This signature program shines a light on the talented individuals who commemorate classic American scenes and symbols that are immortalized on our coinage every year.”
About Professional Coin Grading Service
Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) is the premier third-party coin and banknote grading company that was launched in 1986. Over nearly 35 years, PCGS has examined and certified some 43 million U.S. and world coins, medals, and tokens with a combined value of more than $36.6 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.
1855 proof Kellogg $50 sold for record $1 million
Will be exhibited at Witter Coin’s large, new San Francisco location
(San Francisco, California) – The finest of only 14 known Kellogg & Co. 1855 proof $50 gold coins has been privately sold for a record $1 million by dealer Seth Chandler, owner of Witter Coin Co. (www.WitterCoin.com) in San Francisco, to a local collector who enjoys historical items related to the California Gold Rush. It will now be publicly displayed for several weeks in its “hometown” during Witter Coin’s grand opening beginning February 10, 2020.
The 1855 proof Kellogg $50 is graded PCGS PR64 Cameo CAC. It sold for $763,750 in its last appearance in a public auction in 2014.
The finest known 1855 proof Kellogg $50 gold coin, graded PCGS PR64 Cameo CAC, has been sold for a record $1 million by Witter Coin in San Francisco and will be exhibited by its new owner at the store’s grand opening starting February 10, 2020. Photo credit: Professional Coin Grading Service www.PCGS.com.
“This is the King of Pioneer gold and it has come home to San Francisco where it was originally created 165 years ago by prominent Gold Rush-era assayers and private coiners John Glover Kellogg and Augustus Humbert. The pedigree includes Humbert himself and the famous Garrett Collection at Johns Hopkins University,” said Chandler.
He describes the new owner as “a private San Francisco collector who appreciates proof gold and the California Gold Rush era. He was ecstatic when I told him this amazing and significant gold piece was available. It’s now an important trophy coin in his advanced collection.”
Assayers Kellogg & Co., and its successor, Kellogg & Humbert, struck coins for a brief period during the Gold Rush and helped fill the need for circulating coinage in the early days of the San Francisco Mint. Because all 14 known 1855 Kellogg & Co. $50 gold coins are proofs, some researchers believe they were made as presentation pieces and not intended for circulation.
Legendary mid-20th century Texas dealer B. Max Mehl described the Kellogg & Co. 1855 $50 as “the most beautiful of all pioneer gold coins.”
The anonymous new owner of the finest known example is loaning the historic coin for public display during the grand opening of the new location for Witter Coin.
Previously located since 1982 in a 600 square foot office on Market St. in San Francisco’s financial district, the new location is a 7,500 square feet store located in the busy Marina district at 2299 Lombard St. in a building that used to house an IHOP restaurant.
“We even have 12 free parking spaces for customers; somewhat of a rarity itself in San Francisco,” explained Chandler.
Witter Coin was established in 1960 by Dean Witter. Chandler joined the company in 2016 when Witter retired.
“I grew up in Jacksonville, Florida and started collecting coins at the age of four, placing Wheat cents in blue Whitman coin folders given to me by my parents. As a teenager, I worked at a coin shop in Jacksonville. This new store fulfills my lifelong passion to own a coin shop that is also a museum where the public can see educational displays of numismatic rarities, historic items from the San Francisco mints and Gold Rush artifacts displayed in custom-made cases,” he said.
“I wanted to create the greatest coin shop in America,” Chandler stated.
“The new showroom has an extensive offering of collectible coins, gold and silver bullion, jewelry and classic wristwatches. The team at Witter Coin is a dedicated staff of professional numismatists who can offer free ‘I just want to know what it’s worth’ appraisals for any type of coins,” he explained.
Witter Coin, 2299 Lombard St., San Francisco, is open Monday to Friday from 10 am to 6 pm and Saturday from 10 am to 3 pm. For additional information, call 415-781-5690 or email sales@WitterCoin.com.
Liberty Seated, Barber, Mercury, and Roosevelt Dime Photographs Sought for New Cherrypickers’ Guide
Left to right: Whitman publisher Dennis Tucker; Cherrypickers’ Guide coauthor Bill Fivaz; professional numismatist Larry Briggs; and Whitman associate editor Brandon C. Hall, at SEGS Grading Service headquarters in Chattanooga, Tennessee, May 2019.
“Cherrypicking” in the coin-collecting hobby means to examine a coin that appears normal at first glance, looking for unusual characteristics—like doubled and tripled dies, overdates, and repunched mintmarks—that reveal it to be rare and valuable. In the Cherrypickers’ Guide, close-up photographs and text descriptions instruct the reader in what to look for. The book includes rarity ratings, market analysis, and retail values.
Edits and updates for the new volume are being coordinated by Cherrypickers’ Guide coauthor Bill Fivaz and professional numismatist Larry Briggs.
“Within the ten-cent denomination, we’re down to a small number of varieties we still need good images for,” Fivaz said. “Photo contributors will be listed in the book’s acknowledgments, with our thanks.”
Collectors and dealers who have clear, high-resolution photographs to share—or coins that can be photographed—may contact the Cherrypickers’ Guide team by email at cherrypickers@whitman.com, for a list of specific needs.
2020 Native American $1 Coin Products on Sale Feb. 12
WASHINGTON – The United States Mint (Mint) will begin accepting orders for product options containing the 2020 Native American $1 Coin on February 12 at noon EST. The theme of the coin is Elizabeth Peratrovich and Alaska’s Anti-Discrimination Law.
The reverse (tails) design features a portrait of Elizabeth Peratrovich, whose advocacy was considered a deciding factor in the passage of the 1945 Anti-Discrimination Law in the Alaskan Territorial Government. The foreground features a symbol of the Tlingit Raven moiety, of which she was a member. Inscriptions are “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” “ELIZABETH PERATROVICH,” “$1,” and “ANTI-DISCRIMINATION LAW OF 1945.”
The coin’s obverse (heads) continues to feature 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.
Available options and their prices are below.
| PRODUCT CODE | PRODUCT OPTION | PRICE |
|---|---|---|
| 20NA | 25-Coin Roll – “P” | $34.50 |
| 20NB | 25-Coin Roll – “D” | $34.50 |
| 20NC | 250-Coin Box – “P” | $289.75 |
| 20ND | 250-Coin Box – “D” | $289.75 |
| 20NE | 100-Coin Bag – “P” | $117.50 |
| 20NF | 100-Coin Bag – “D” | $117.50 |
The Mint accepts orders 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. Shipping options are available at catalog.usmint.gov/customer-service/shipping.html.
Native American $1 Coin products will also be available at the Mint’s sales centers in Washington, D.C.; Philadelphia; and Denver. Inventory is limited to availability and subject to change.
These products are included in the Mint’s Product Enrollment Program. Visit catalog.usmint.gov/shop/product-enrollments/ to learn more.
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 Feb. 12, 2020, at noon EST.
United States Mint Celebrates Carson City Mint Sesquicentennial
CARSON CITY, NV – United States Mint Director David J. Ryder today joined officials of the state of Nevada and representatives of the Nevada State Museum to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the first coin produced at the Carson City Mint.
Director Ryder reflected on the facility’s legacy: “The Carson City Mint holds a special place in the United States Mint’s history. Some of our most beautiful coins were produced here, including the iconic Morgan Silver Dollar, which is still popular with collectors today. I am proud to acknowledge the people who worked here and the important role the facility played in the community.”
An Act of Congress established the Carson City Mint in 1863 to address the coinage needs brought about by the discovery of the Comstock Lode. The facility operated from 1870 to 1899 and produced gold and silver coins, including dimes, twenty-cent pieces, quarters, half dollars, Trade dollars, Morgan dollars, five-dollar gold pieces, ten-dollar gold pieces, and twenty-dollar gold pieces. From 1899 to 1933, the building served as a United States Assay Office for gold and silver. The building was sold to the state of Nevada in 1939.
Ryder joined Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak and Lt. Governor Kate Marshall, Congressman Mark Amodei, State Treasurer Zach Conine, Mayor Robert Crowell, Nevada State Museum Director Myron Freedman, and History Curator Robert Nylen to celebrate this milestone.
The event kicked off with the symbolic opening of the historic front doors of the Carson City Mint and the ringing of the Mint Bell by Director Ryder. Additional highlights included the ceremonial striking of a Nevada State Museum .999 fine silver medallion on the historic Coin Press 1, which struck the first “CC” mint mark coin in 1870. A lecture program, buffet lunch reception, and cake cutting rounded out the celebration.
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