Capital Treasures

Further evidence that times are tough: It now costs more than a penny to make a penny. And the cost of a nickel is more than 7½ cents. That doesn’t make much fiscal “cents”!!!

Prices for copper, zinc and nickel have some in Congress proposing steel-made pennies and nickels. Surging prices for copper, zinc and nickel have some in Congress trying to bring back the steel-made pennies of World War II and maybe using steel for nickels, as well.

Copper and nickel prices have tripled since 2003 and the price of zinc has quadrupled, said Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Illinois, whose subcommittee oversees the U.S. Mint.

Keeping the coin content means “contributing to our national debt by almost as much as the coin is worth,” Gutierrez said.

A penny, which consists of 97.5 percent zinc and 2.5 percent copper, cost 1.26 cents to make as of Tuesday. And a nickel — 75 percent copper and the rest nickel — cost 7.7 cents, based on current commodity prices, according to the Mint.

That’s down from the end of 2007, when even higher metal prices drove the penny’s cost to 1.67 cents, according to the Mint. The cost of making a nickel then was nearly a dime.  Gutierrez estimated that striking the two coins at costs well above their face value set the Treasury and taxpayers back about $100 million last year alone.

A lousy deal, lawmakers have concluded. Continue Reading »

Artist’s Obscurity

An etching from Paris Etching Society that was picked up at an estate auction. We wanted to see if I could dig up more information about this etching online. I figured I could “google” the painter and get something – no luck at all… it appears this painter never did another painting/etching again and Paris Etching Society brings up too many random/old links. I’m still hunting though.

Anyways, It’s an interesting etching by Louis Raymond.
Titled: “The Pond“, Number 114, No date is given but from what I gather most of these were done in the late 30’s, Paris Etching Society NY, USA, Distributed by Turner (NY, Chicago, LA).

The etching is pretty similar to others done by PES, it contains mostly hues of greens, browns and blues… a small dirt path, lined with trees on the right with a small pond to the lower right – just to the side of the trees. In the background is a nice backdrop of blue sky and white clouds and the roof of a house just over the hill. Just around the bend is a small picket fence.

It appears to be original work with original frame and backing. If you’re interested in a JPG snapshot drop me a line – if you have any more information on this etching or the painter send us a note… If you’re interested in showing your artwork posted here, send me an email with the JPG or PNG. Thanks!

 View previous comments after the jump… Continue Reading »

The year 2009 marks the 200th anniversary of the the birth of Abraham Lincoln. As was the the case with the 100th anniversary and the 150th anniversary, this milestone will not go unnoticed in the numismatic community. In fact, legislators have mandated an impressive and extensive new series Lincoln cents.

In 2009 the event will be celebrated numismatically by the introduction of four new Lincoln cents with appropriate reverse designs paying tribute to the life of Abraman Lincoln. It does not end there. In 2010 another Lincoln cent will be released, this one with the reverse acknowledging the overall contribution of Lincoln to to his country.

The original Lincoln cent has been with us for 100 years. It is likely that the new Lincoln cent will be be a repeat performer. The United States Mint has announced plans to reduce the production of nickels, dimes, quarters, and dollars in order to meet the demands of the 2009 commemorative Lincoln Cent. Right now there are 4 proposed designs for the 2009 Lincoln Cent.

The proposed designs will include different scenes from Lincoln’s life:

If new coinage excites the masses, then the year 2009 is going to the stuff that frenzies are made of. If everything goes according to plan, 15 entirely new business strike commemorative coins will enter general circulation that year: 4 Presidential Dollars, 4 Lincoln Cents, 1 Sacagawea Native American Dollar, the District of Columbia Quarter, and 5 territorial quarters. That amounts to 1 new coin approximately every 24 days. Nothing like this has ever been seen before, and its equal will probably be some time in coming.

The onion had a great take on the release of commemorative designs related to the penny when the first quarter series rolled out: http://www.theonion.com/content/node/31003

Raleigh Coin Club
Annual 2008 Coin Show

June 21 + 22
Kerr Scott Building [ get directions ]
North Carolina State Fairgrounds

More information on the RCC Coin Show and bourse information is available now.

Bourse applications can be found here…

It looks to be a packed event with dealers from all across North Carolina, Virginia, Florida and as far away as Maryland, New Jersey and Arizona!

If you can’t wait until this event head down for the Raleigh/Carolina Coin & Stamp Show on March 8+9. It’s located at the Holshouser Bldg. at NC State Fairgrounds in Raleigh NC. For more info contact Dot Hendrick at 919.828.9450.

$US Spot Gold

$US Spot Silver

A contractor who helped discover bundles of Depression-era U.S. currency totaling $182,000 hidden behind bathroom walls said the homeowner should turn the money over to him or at least share it. Most of the currency, issued in 1927 and 1929, is in good condition.

Bob Kitts said his feud with the owner of the 83-year house, a former high school classmate, has deteriorated to the point where they speak to each other only through lawyers. Kitts said his lawyer has drafted a lawsuit that he hopes will force Amanda Reece to turn over the money she has kept.

Most of the currency, issued in 1927 and 1929, is in good condition, and some of the bills are so rare that one currency appraiser valued the treasure at up to $500,000, Kitts said. Reece accuses Kitts of extortion. (it’s all going downhill from here…)

The fight began in May 2006 when Kitts was gutting Reece’s bathroom and found a box below the medicine cabinet that contained $25,200. “I almost passed out,” Kitts recalled. “It was the ultimate contractor fantasy.”

He called Reece, who rushed home. Together they found another steel box tied to the end of a wire nailed to a stud. Inside was more than $100,000, Kitts said. Two more boxes were filled with a mix of money and religious memorabilia. “It was insane,” Kitts said. “She was in shock – she was a wreck.”

The bundles had “P. Dunne” written on them, a likely reference to Peter Dunne (Was this your house?) , a businessman who owned the home during the Depression. Kitts said he took some of the currency for an appraisal and learned that many of the $10 bills were rare 1929-series Cleveland Federal Reserve bank notes, worth about $85 each. There also were $500 bills and one $1,000 bill. Continue Reading »

It would drive my dad nuts when he’d find the stamps that my younger brother and I stuck around the walls and doorways. They would often be old starter stamp-kits or those Publisher’s Clearing House magazine stamps. This stamp keyboard however is Decoupage madness…

Each of these keyboards are made with the stamps of a single nation and often commemorate a royal coronation or celebrate a particular sport. Lots of surprises can be found… like the space themed Soviet era stamps, vintage AirMail stamps and even Sputnik. That dollar bin, in the exiled stamp collector’s aisle at the next coin show might just be worth another look at for the next family project…

[ via SteamPunkWorkshop ]

CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — It’s the rarest of finds, a collector’s dream come true — or is it?

Todd McDevitt thought he bought a copy of one of the most valuable comic books ever printed. But now, he’s surrounded by claims that it has been altered.

Detective Comics issue No. 27, which came out before World War II, is so famous because it’s the first one in which Batman appears.

“Everyone knows it’s out there,” said McDevitt, who owns a chain of comic book stores, including one in Cranberry. “Everyone knows it’s one of the most expensive comic books, and it’s kind of the Holy Grail.”

He recently bought a copy of the book from a man who claimed to have found it while cleaning his attic.

McDevitt said his copy is worth about $250,000, and a pristine copy can be worth as much as $500,000. Action Comics edition No. 1 is widely considered by collectors to be the only one more valuable, since it marks Superman’s first appearance.

But some collectors are calling McDevitt’s purchase into question, saying the book might have been altered, which would affect its value.
Continue Reading »

“The new $5 bills will be safer, smarter and more secure.”
Sounds like a commercial for the new Bionic Woman…

Scheduled for public release in early 2008, the new “finskie” sports Lincoln’s best side in a distinguished portrait shot that will surely scare would be counterfeit operatives away. It’s still just plain money paper… nothing much fancier like European or Australian bills and it doesn’t sport new Motion animated features developed by Crane AB for banknotes.

“The distinct appearance of Motion is characterized by computer-specific images that exhibit depth and dramatic, fluid movement when the banknote is tilted.”

http://www.moneyfactory.gov/newmoney/

In a follow-up to a previous article on mosaic imagery and numismatic art we found an artist that works on large scale prints that are composed of smaller images of a like theme.

Artist Chris Jordan has put together three 8.5 feet wide by 10.5 feet tall horizontal panels that depicts 125,000 one-hundred dollar bills ($12.5 million)… which is the amount that our government spends every hour on the war in Iraq. Check out more of his “Ray Eames Power of 10“ style artwork at www.chrisjordan.com

(detail 1)

(detail 2)

[ via: www.yourdailyawesome.com ]