U.S. Mint Offers 2009 Cent Subscription
The United States Mint has announced that it will take subscription orders for the final two coins in the four-coin Lincoln Bicentennial Cent series. The four coin series features designs that are emblematic of four stages of Lincoln's life:
- Birthplace - Log Cabin design
- Formative Years - Rail Splitter design
- Professional Life - Illinois Statehouse
- Presidency - Unfinished Capitol Dome
The U.S. Mint hadn't previously made the 2009 Lincoln Cents available by subscription. In fact, it hadn't planned to sell regular circulation-quality rolls of them at all until it became apparent that new coins were not being distributed to Americans because of the worsening economy.
The Mint eventually began selling the Log Cabin pennies in 2-roll sets, but quickly sold out. They were better prepared for the second penny (Rail Splitter) which remains on sale now at the U.S. Mint Web site. With the Subscription option, collectors can place their orders now for the last two cents in the series and get them shipped automatically when they become available.
The price remains the same: $8.95 per 2-roll set, which has one roll each from the Philadelphia and Denver Mints. A standard $4.95 shipping and handling charge is added to each order. The Mint says it is not including the first two 2009 Lincoln Cents retroactively in this program.
Coin Dealer Ethics
The topic of ethics is a popular one in coin collecting. Collectors are always asking questions such as, "Is it ethical for a coin dealer to pay an elderly lady 5% of market value for her coins?" or "Should a dealer be allowed to reprice something after you've agreed to buy it?" (such as when you find a rare coin in a flat-price pick box, but once you pick it out, the dealer wants more for it.)
I write an occasional column called Coin Dealer Ethics, where I ask readers to weigh in on ethical questions like these. I've collected some of the best into my Top 10 Coin Dealer Ethics columns.
In God We Rust
One of my favorite types of error coins is the type where one or more letters doesn't show up on the coin because of "die goop" clogging the die. Die goop is a non-technical term that many collectors use to describe the accumulated machine oil, dirt, metal shavings, and other gunk that collect in the small parts of operating machinery. When this goop collected in the first T of Trust on a Kansas State Quarter die, we ended up with a coin that reads In God We Rust!
Collecting Coins for Your Kids
Many people who collect coins do it because they love the beauty and the history of the coins themselves, but there is a large segment of the collecting population who collect coins for someone else - a child or grandchild. Such collectors are usually hoping that the coins they buy will increase in value over the years, providing both an heirloom of sorts, and a solid store of value in case the money was ever needed.
What kind of coins should should people buy when they are buying for someone else? This is the subject of my article about how to start a coin collection for your children or grandchildren. Do you know how to avoid the coin collecting "tourist traps?"
2009 U.S. Proof Sets Go On Sale
The U.S. Mint has begun selling the 2009 Proof Sets on its Web site and via its telephone ordering service. The set contains a whopping 18 coins separated into four different plastic cases, all inserted into an attractive cardboard box. The coins are all struck in Proof quality by the San Francisco Mint and bear the S Mint mark. The set sells for $29.95.
The highlight of the set for many collectors are the four special commemorative Lincoln Cents being issued only in 2009. The pennies in the Proof Set have been struck in the 95% copper alloy that the Lincoln Cent was originally struck in when first issued in 1909. Although zinc versions of these cents are being released into circulation during the course of 2009, the only way to get the copper versions is to buy them from the U.S. Mint as part of a set.
The 18 coins in this year's set consists of:
- 4 Lincoln Cents - one for each 2009 commemorative design
- 1 Nickel
- 1 Dime
- 6 Quarter Dollars - one for each U.S. Territory and Washington, DC
- 1 Half Dollar
- 1 Sacagawea / Native American Commemorative Dollar
- 4 Presidential Dollars - Harrison, Tyler, Polk, and Taylor
The U.S. Mint will also release many of the same coins in its Silver Proof Set later this year, including the four 95% copper Lincoln Cents.
Rare Coins at Face Value!
Like many coin collectors, I got my start in the hobby as a child, by finding something strange or unusual among the daily pocket change. As a kid in the '60s, Wheat Cents were plentiful, and my heart always skipped a beat when I saw a 1955 as I scrutinized it to decide whether it might be the 1955 Doubled Die or not. (Little did I know that had I actually found one, the doubling was so severe that it would jump right out at me!) We found Buffalo Nickels in pocket change, too, although they usually didn't have any dates left on them. My mom even remembers the first time I found a Mercury Dime. It was so different from the "normal" dime that I proudly announced I had found a "foreign coin." Although I don't remember this episode, I don't doubt her memory at all. Stylistically, the Mercury Dime is quite different from what many people consider to be the "boring" presidential portraits our coins bear today.
So, what sparked this little blaze of nostalgia? I was Read more...
Educational Resources for Coins
One of the most outstanding sites for coin and money-related lesson plans can be found at the U.S. Mint's childrens' Web site. The breadth of this "kids' site" will surprise even the most jaded coin collector! Another coin related educational favorite of mine is the MegaPenny Project. You may never look at pennies the same way again after visiting this fascinating site. For those who are enchanted by old coins, you can learn about some really old ones, (ancient, in fact) and find some innovative coin related lesson plans by learning more about Ancient Coins for Education.
Finally, for a little fun with coins, can you guess how many pennies you can place into a full glass of water before the water finally splills over the top? Make sure the glass of water is full to the brim, and then slip in pennies one at a time...(you better have 40 to 50 pennies on hand for this surprising experiment!)
Do you know of any really good teaching resources for coins? Share them below in the Comments.
Proof and DMPL Morgan Dollars
The Prooflike appearance of certain Morgan Dollars which were struck for circulation is the result of how some of the the Morgan Dollar coin dies were prepared at the time. The first few thousand coins struck from a new pair of these dies had mirror-like fields and frosted devices which got progressively less Prooflike as striking continued.
Collectors have developed terms such as Deep Mirror Proof-Like (DMPL, sometimes pronounced "dimple,") Prooflike (PL,) and Semi-Prooflike (SPL) to describe various states of Prooflike Morgan Dollars. But Prooflike Morgan Dollars, as beautiful as they are, are definitely not Proofs. There are clear-cut differences between the way business strike Morgan Dollars were made, and the way Proof Morgans were made, and I show you how to tell them apart in my article about the differences between DMPL and Proof Morgan Dollars.
Another important skill to have is the ability to judge the different classes of Prooflike Morgan Dollars. In other words, what separates a DMPL from a PL, and a PL from an SPL? The answer is the degree of reflectivity the coin possesses. I explain how these degrees are told apart, and provide some simple methods for testing your own Morgan Dollars in the article about how to tell the difference between DMPL, Prooflike, and Semi-Prooflike Morgans.
Rail Splitter Penny Off to Rollicking Start!
An estimated 3,000 people turned out at the launch of the Lincoln Rail Splitter (Formative Years) Cent in Lincoln City, Indiana last Friday. Most of those attending didn't even bother to take seats in the amphitheater to watch U.S. Mint Director Ed Moy formally launch the coin; they were more interested in getting in line to make sure they got their allotment of six rolls of the highly sought-after new pennies. Michael Zielinksi has an outstanding write-up of the event, including some great photos, on his MintNewsBlog.com site.
The U.S. Mint also put the pennies up for sale on its Web site in a 2-roll set. The sets include one roll from each Mint that strikes circulating coinage, Philadelphia and Denver, and are priced at $8.95 per set. (The Mint also adds a $4.95 shipping and handling charge to all orders.) During the first weekend of availability, more than 200,000 sets had been sold. There were some rumors that the sets had sold out at one point on Thursday afternoon (the 14th) but this may have been caused by the Mint's Web site changing the order status from "In Stock" to "Backordered." The Mint has said in the past that this is an automatic event on the site, triggered when a predetermined sales plateau is reached.
As of this writing Read more...
Is it Heads or Tails?
Many people refer to the two sides of a coin as the "heads" side and the "tails" side. Coin collectors prefer to use the terms "obverse" and "reverse" for the same thing. But what do you call it when there is no portrait on either side of the coin? Which side is the obverse?
Although this situation is rare in U.S. coinage, it is a frequent challenge when collecting world coins. Fortunately, there are some conventions that help us to determine which side should be "up" on unfamiliar coins. Learn what these conventions are, and get some basic guidelines for telling which side is the obverse when there is no head on the coin.