Coin Collectors News

Postal Inspectors, FedEx, District Attorney Investigators and Banking Investigators to Attend Law Enforcement Seminar at ANA National Money Show in Irving, Texas

Mar 1, 2018 | Announcements, Shows & Conventions

Offenses related to USPS and FedEx shipments continue to plague the numismatic industry and in most cases are frustrating to the victims. The immediate challenge in these type of offenses is determining which law enforcement agency federal or local takes the lead role.

We are addressing these issues along with other topics including counterfeits during the 8hr “Numismatic Crime Investigations” seminar being held during the ANA National Money Show in Irving,Texas on March 8, 2018, said Doug Davis Founder/President of the Numismatic Crime Information Center. Representatives from the Postal Inspection Service,District Attorney offices, FedEx, the Banking industry and investigators from all over Texas have registered said Davis.

The seminar will provide attendees with the basic tools and resources to effectively conduct a numismatic crime investigation within their jurisdiction. The Numismatic Crime Information Center has partnered with the North Texas Regional Police Academy and attendees will receive 8hrs of accredited education from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement.

NCIC through its educational initiatives seeks to promote partnerships between law enforcement and the numismatic community, pursuing collaborative strategies in numismatic crime investigations.

The seminar is free to all law enforcement attendees. Persons who wish to help sponsor the seminar can contact Doug@numismaticcrimes.org. NCIC is a 501(c)(3) non proﬁt corporation and all donations and sponsorships are tax deductible.

Glittering Ship of Gold Exhibit Attracts Record Crowd In Long Beach

Mar 1, 2018 | News, Shows & Conventions

(Long Beach, California) February 28, 2018 – The “Ship of Gold” exhibit, with $40 million of never-before-displayed California Gold Rush sunken treasure recovered in 2014, attracted record-setting attendance during the February 22-24, 2018 Long Beach Coin, Currency, Stamp & Sports Collectible Expo.

The exhibit of gold and silver coins, nuggets and California gold dust was housed in a 40-foot long re-creation of the hull of the legendary SS Central America that sank in 1857, and sponsored by California Gold Marketing Group, owner of the trove.

“The three-day February 2018 Long Beach Expo set an overall attendance record for any Long Beach Expo since Collectors Universe, Inc. acquired the show a decade ago, and also set daily attendance records for Thursday, Friday and Saturday visitors. Overall, attendance at the February 2018 show was 43 percent higher than in February 2017,” said Cassi East, President of the Long Beach Expo (www.LongBeachExpo.com).

“Many members of the public told me they came to see a part of history, and many dealers told me that this was the coolest thing they’ve ever seen,” said East.

Los Angeles area television stations and TV networks covered the exhibit, and earlier there were stories by Associated Press and CBS This Morning about the treasure and the display. Crowds lined up to view the exhibit each morning when the Long Beach Expo doors opened to the public.

“We had visitors from across the United States and overseas. One collector told me he came from London, England just to see the exhibit,” said Dwight Manley, managing partner of the California Gold Marketing Group.

This was the first public display of a portion of the historic gold and silver coins, gold ingots and gold dust recovered during the 2014 expedition to the Atlantic Ocean site where the Gold Rush-era cargo was lost at sea 161 years ago. The California Gold Marketing Group LLC acquired the treasure from Ira Owen Kane, Receiver for Recovery Limited Partnership and Columbus Exploration, LLC in a court-approved transaction this past November.

“The exhibit included a new type of historic SS Central America item never before seen or displayed: leather satchels (pokes) filled with more than 1,000 ounces of gold bounty mined from the California Gold Rush!,” exclaimed Manley.

“The gold dust, mother lode quartz gold nuggets and other treasure have been in the original pokes since before Abraham Lincoln was president,” he said.

The ship sank 160 miles east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina during a hurricane on September 12, 1857 while carrying tons of gold. There were 578 passengers and crew onboard, and 425 of them perished in the tragedy.

Bob Evans, the chief scientist and historian who has been on all three SS Central America recovery missions dating back to 1988, met with visitors during each day of the show and conducted two standing-room-only seminars about the treasure and its retrieval.

He created a prominent display at the Ship of Gold exhibit by stacking 35 of the 45 recently recovered assayers’ ingots, ranging in size from 7.54 to 319.22 Troy ounces. He dubbed the display “Goldhenge.”

Evans now is curating and cataloging more than 15,000 U.S. and world gold, silver, and copper coins. A portion of the hoard is currently being certified by Professional Coin Grading Service (www.PCGS.com). The first of the treasure items are expected to be made available in the marketplace by selected dealers in April.

: A record crowd attended the February 2018 Long Beach Expo to see $40 million of recovered SS Central America treasure in the “Ship of Gold” exhibit. (Photo courtesy of Dwight Manley.)

: Dwight Manley, KTLA-TV reporter Christina Pascucci (peering from behind the display) and Bob Evans at “Goldhenge,” a display of 35 of the 45 retrieved SS Central America gold ingots from the 2014 recovery mission. (Photo courtesy of Dwight Manley.)

: Highlights of the February 2018 Ship of Gold exhibit included miners’ pokes unopened since 1857 displayed on a bed of gold dust along with an assayer’s ingot and assorted gold nuggets. (Photo courtesy of Dwight Manley.)

: A sample of the gold coins recovered from the SS Central America in 2014 filled one of the display portholes in the Ship of Gold exhibit at the February 2018 Long Beach Expo. (Photo courtesy of Dwight Manley.)

United States Mint to Release Annual Proof Coin Set on March 6

Feb 27, 2018 | Announcements, U.S. Mint

WASHINGTON – The 2018 United States Mint Proof Set (product code 18RG) will be available for purchase beginning on March 6 at noon Eastern Time (ET).

Priced at $27.95, this year’s set includes the following coins from the San Francisco Mint:

Five America the Beautiful Quarters® Program coins honoring Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (Michigan); Apostle Islands National Lakeshore (Wisconsin); Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota); Cumberland Island National Seashore (Georgia); and Block Island National Wildlife Refuge (Rhode Island).
One Native American $1 Coin with a reverse design featuring a likeness of Jim Thorpe, while the foreground highlights his achievements in football and as an Olympian. Inscriptions include “JIM THORPE,” “WA-THO-HUK” (which is Thorpe’s native name), “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” and “$1.” The obverse design of the Native American $1 Coin continues to feature the central figure “Sacagawea” carrying her infant son, Jean Baptiste. Inscriptions are “LIBERTY” and “IN GOD WE TRUST,” while the year, mint mark, and “E PLURIBUS UNUM” are incused on the coin’s edge.
One Kennedy half dollar
One Roosevelt dime
One Jefferson nickel and
One Lincoln penny.

The coins are sealed in two protective lenses to accentuate and maintain their exceptional quality. The lenses are packaged in a decorative carton that features an image of the Washington Monument at sunrise on the front. The back of the carton displays images of each America the Beautiful Quarters national site honored in 2018 (along with the year in which it was first established as a national site, its name, and the host jurisdiction), and the partial obverses of the remaining coins. A Certificate of Authenticity accompanies each set.

Customers may place orders at catalog.usmint.gov and at 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.

The United States Mint Proof Set can also be purchased through the Product Enrollment Program. Visit catalog.usmint.gov/shop/product-enrollments/ to learn more about this convenient ordering method.

Image courtesy of the U.S. Mint.

Sales Open for 2018 American Eagle Gold Proof Coins on March 1

Feb 23, 2018 | Announcements, U.S. Mint

WASHINGTON – The United States Mint (Mint) will begin accepting orders for 2018 American Eagle Gold Proof Coins on March 1 at noon Eastern Time (ET).

The American Eagle Gold Proof Coins are the collector versions of the Mint’s American Eagle Gold Bullion Coins. Launched in 1986, these 22-karat gold coins display the “W” mint mark of the West Point Mint where they are produced. The coins’ obverse (heads) design features a version of Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ full-length figure of Liberty with flowing hair, holding a torch in her right hand and an olive branch in her left. The reverse design (tails), by sculptor Miley Busiek, features a male eagle carrying an olive branch while flying above a nest containing a female eagle and eaglets.

Highlights of this year’s coin release include new packaging and the implementation of product and household order limits.

New Packaging

Beginning this year, the Mint will now package individual coins and the four-coin sets in a satin-lined burgundy velvet presentation case, housed inside a burgundy outer box. All options include the customary Certificate of Authenticity.

Product Limits

The Mint established product limits for each coin option, which are in the table below:

PRODUCT CODE	PRODUCT OPTION	PRODUCT LIMIT
18EB	One Ounce Coin	25,000
18EC	One-Half Ounce Coin	7,100
18ED	One-Quarter Ounce Coin	7,100
18EE	One-Tenth Ounce Coin	22,000
18EF	Four-Coin Set	18,000

Household Order Limit

The Mint will limit orders to one per household per product option, across all sales channels, including bulk purchases for the first 24 hours of sales, after which the Mint will remove the limit.

The American Eagle Gold Proof Coins are priced according to the range in which they appear on the Mint’s “2018 Pricing of Numismatic Gold, Commemorative Gold, and Platinum Products” table, available here.

Customers may place orders at catalog.usmint.gov/ 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.

Federal, State and Local law enforcement investigators to participate in “Numismatic Crime Investigation” seminar during The National Money Show in Irving, Texas

Feb 23, 2018 | News

The Numismatic Crime Information Center will be conducting an 8hr seminar on “Numismatic Crime Investigations” at the National Money Show March 8, 2018 in Irving, Texas. The class is being hosted by the American Numismatic Association and sponsors include Stacks Bowers, Texas Numismatic Association, and the Pantego Police Department.

The seminar is designed to provide attendees with the fundamental investigative techniques, knowledge, and understanding to respond effectively to the complex challenges encountered during the investigation of a numismatic crime, said Doug Davis Founder/President of NCIC.

To enhance what they will be taught in the classroom, attendees will walk the bourse floor on Thursday and see the many facets of the numismatic industry in action. The opportunity to see millions of dollars in numismatic material and to be able to ask questions to dealers on the bourse floor is a valuable learning experience, said Davis.

Topics discussed during the seminar will include robberies, murder, theft, organized crime groups, investment fraud, eBay fraud, FedEx/USPS thefts, and counterfeits.

NCIC has partnered with PCGS, NGC, PMG, PCGS Currency, and ANACS during this educational event. Due to their support and participation, each attendee will receive samples of slabbed coins and currency to take back to their respective agencies and use as a learning tool for other investigators.

In addition, NCIC has worked closely with the North Texas Regional Police Academy in order to provide investigators with 8hrs of training that is accredited by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, said Davis who is also a licensed police instructor in the State of Texas.

NCIC through its educational initiatives seeks to promote partnerships between law enforcement and the numismatic community, pursuing collaborative strategies in numismatic crime investigations.

The seminar is free to all law enforcement attendees. Persons who wish to help sponsor the seminar can contact Doug@numismaticcrimes.org. NCIC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation and all donations and sponsorships are tax deductible.