The below suspects came into a local coin dealer multiple times and pocketed several coins worth thousands of dollars while they distracted an employee. They were seen traveling in a light brown SUV. The male used the name Allan and gave a phone number of 402-801-0245. The couple said they were married and mentioned a 20 year age gap between the two of them. They don’t appear to be from the UTAH area and may be traveling the country doing similar offenses.

If anyone can identify or have come into contact with these two subjects contact the Det. below using case number 17P008070.

Detective Jud Callaway
St George Police Department
St George, Utah
435-627-4411.

or

Doug Davis
817-723-7231
Doug@numismaticcrimes.org

The Numismatic Crime Information Center is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit corporation. P.O. Box 14080 Arlington, Texas 76094.

(Pelham, Alabama) — On the Fourth of July, 2017, Whitman Publishing will release a newly updated 2nd edition of its award-winning book GOLD: Everything You Need to Know to Buy and Sell Today, by Jeff Garrett and Q. David Bowers. It is available for preorder online (including at www.Whitman.com) and will be sold at bookstores and hobby dealers nationwide for $14.95.

The book’s contents include a foreword by Kenneth Bressett (senior editor of the Guide Book of United States Coins), and chapters entitled “Gold: What is it, and Why is it Valuable?”; “The Recent Gold Boom”; “Selling Your Gold”; “Buying Gold”; “Deal With the Experts”; “Avoiding Counterfeit and Altered Gold Coins”; “Quick Answers to Frequently Asked Questions”; “Glossary of Gold-Related Terms”; and “More Resources.”

The uniquely formatted 120-page hardcover book comes in a sturdy library-quality slipcover. Inside, the text and illustrations are accompanied by pullouts printed with valuable insider information. These include technical content such as weight conversion tables, bullion-value charts, melt value by karat and pennyweight, and federal coinage specifications. “These pullouts are handy for taking to coin shows, pawn shops, flea markets, and other places where gold is bought, sold, and traded,” said Whitman publisher Dennis Tucker. They also include fascinating replicas of historical documents such as President Franklin Roosevelt’s executive order 6102 of April 5, 1933, which recalled billions of dollars worth of gold coinage and stopped the hoarding of gold coins, bullion, and certificates during the Great Depression.

The book’s audience includes experienced coin collectors and investors, as well as newcomers who have never bought or sold gold but are interested because of mainstream news coverage. It covers the history of gold going back to ancient times; market trends since 1933; U.S. and foreign gold coins; modern and older bullion and trade coins; scrap gold, jewelry, and gold works of art; how to grade gold coins; the pros and cons of various buying and selling venues; using the Internet; pennyweights, karats, grams, fineness, melt value, and other technicalities; the market effects of recent world events; contact information for world mints that sell gold; and more.

Bressett, in his foreword, wrote, “Whether you intend to buy, sell, hold, or ignore this noble metal, you will have all of your questions and concerns addressed in this handy book. Through charts, insider tips, and clear concise directions you will be able to maximize the satisfaction of your transactions.”

The coauthors are award-winning numismatic researchers. Q. David Bowers is a coin dealer, auctioneer, and writer who serves as numismatic director for Whitman Publishing and research editor of the Guide Book of United States Coins (the best-selling “Red Book” annual coin-price guide). Jeff Garrett is known as a coin dealer and an active hobby promoter; he is the president of the American Numismatic Association and valuations editor of the Red Book.

(Pelham, Alabama) — The third edition of MEGA RED (the Deluxe Edition of the Guide Book of United States Coins) features several new appendices covering hobby-related topics. One is a 10-page illustrated study of chopmarks and chopmarked coins by Colin Gullberg, founder of the Chopmark Collectors Club (a member society of the American Numismatic Association) and editor of Chopmark News. MEGA RED retails for $49.95 and is available online and from booksellers nationwide.

Gullberg defines “chops” as personal stamps that intermediaries known as shroffs would punch into inspected silver coins to guarantee they were of good silver and acceptable in trade. The practice started in China in the mid-1600s and took place into the early 1930s. He describes chopmark collecting as an exciting field with many discoveries waiting to be made. “A chopmark collector is like an explorer,” Gullberg writes. “You never know what you will find next.”

The author begins with a history of how silver flowed throughout the world, and especially into China, from the 1500s through the 1800s. He explores the influence of Japan in silver exporting, Europe’s China Trade, and important silver trade coins such as the Spanish 8-reales “cob,” Mexican Portrait or Bust dollars, Pillar dollars, and the famous U.S. trade dollar.

“Most American collectors come into contact with chopmarked coins when they start a trade dollar collection,” Gullberg writes, “yet few have even the scantiest knowledge of this fascinating area of numismatics. Chopmarks played a central role in the use of silver in the China Trade and involved the coinage of dozens of nations and thousands of merchants and money changers over a period of 300 years.”

The study is illustrated with 30 photographs of U.S. and foreign coins, and types of chops including incuse and relief, large and small, Chinese characters and pseudo-characters, and even ink chops. Gullberg also discusses and illustrates assay chops and wedding chops.

For collectors, Gullberg analyzes three broad categories of pricing for chopmarked coins: Group 1, comprised of common trade coins from the United States, Britain, Japan, France, and Spain, made specifically for business use in China or commonly circulated there; Group 2, very rare coins, including key dates or mints from Mexico and other countries; and Group 3, non-trade coins commonly found with chopmarks, including Morgan dollars, British shillings, Salvadoran pesos, Russian roubles, and others.

He then lays out his advice for collecting chopmarked coins, giving strategies for focusing on American coins, non-U.S. coins, type coins, and collecting by chop.

About MEGA RED

Billed as the “biggest, most useful Red Book ever,” MEGA RED measures 7 x 10 inches and has 1,040 more pages than the regular edition. The larger size and increased page count combined make MEGA RED five times bigger than the regular-edition Red Book. It prices 8,200 items in up to 13 grades each, with 48,000 individual values and 15,400 auction records covering circulated, Mint State, and Proof coinage. The book is illustrated with 7,000 images, including 2,434 that are new to the third edition.

The third edition of MEGA RED officially debuted at the Whitman Coin and Collectibles Baltimore Expo, March 30, 2017, and now is available nationwide. MEGA RED retails for $49.95 and is available online (including at Whitman.com) and from booksellers and hobby shops nationwide. Whitman Publishing is the Official Supplier of the ANA, and Association members receive a 10% discount off all purchases.

About Whitman Publishing

Whitman Publishing is the world’s leading producer of numismatic reference books, supplies, and products to display and store coins and paper money. The company’s high-quality books educate readers in the rich, colorful history of American and world coinage and currency, and teach how to build great a collection. Archival-quality Whitman folders, albums, cases, and other holders keep collectibles safe and allow them to be shown off to friends and family.

Whitman Publishing is the Official Supplier of the American Numismatic Association. As a benefit of membership in the ANA, members can borrow the Red Book (and other Whitman books) for free from the Association’s library, and also receive 10% off all Whitman purchases. Details are at www.money.org.