Mint Begins Issuing Silver Presidential Medals
Medals have been produced during the terms of US presidents since George Washington took the oath of office in 1789. Some were made to commemorate inaugurations and others, known as Peace Medals we...
Mexico's Last Silver Dollar - The 1957-1967 Un Peso
1957-1967 Un Peso Silver CoinsWhen the Spanish first started mining silver in the New World in the 1500s, they used some of it to make crude hand-wrought coins. But as the Spanish real became one o...
Nigeria is a West African nation with a land area about the same as the portion of the U.S. east of the Appalachian Mountains. Its population of 182 million makes it the most populous country in Af...
Legendary First Dollar of America to be Auctioned
Pulled from the Briny Deep The 1538 coin, known as the Carlos and Joanna 8 reales, is one of three recovered in the 1990s in the Caribbean from a chest aboard a Spanish shipwreck known as “The Gold...
Last-Minute Gifts of Coins and Currency
Coins and currency make great holiday gifts. Selections are plentiful and come in all price ranges, from stocking stuffers and novelties to substantial gifts of precious metals and collectible coin...
Is Zimbabwe Ready to Ditch the Dollar?
Zimbabwe 100 Trillion Banknote - AA 2008 PCGS Graded By 2009, Zimbabwe’s currency (called the Zimbabwe dollar) was worthless. Inflation had reached nearly 500 billion percent, and the country looke...
Is It Time to Buy Silver? The price of silver has been languishing in the low- to md-teens per ounce for most of a year, well below its highs of just five years ago when it traded in the twenties. ...
Introduction to Modern Commemorative Coins
1982 George Washington Commemorative Half-Dollar1 reverseCommemorative coins have been around since the Ancient Greeks and Romans. In the beginning, these coins were used to record and honor histor...
International Currency for the Holidays
1 Million Indonesian Rupiah IDR Colorful currencies make great gifts for collectors of any level! Show your imagination this holiday season with an exotic gift of international currency. These ba...
“First Dollar” Brings $528K at Philadelphia Auction
On August 17 an extremely rare Spanish silver coin brought $528,000 at Heritage Auctions’ Platinum Night auction of world coins in Philadelphia.Why Call it the First Dollar?The 1538 coin, known as ...
Notorious Counterfeiters-Part 9 - Itzhak Loz and the Russian-Israeli Millions
Notorious Counterfeiters-Part 9Itzhak Loz and the Russian-Israeli MillionsIn recent years, the best US counterfeits have been made overseas and smuggled into the country or used in foreign transact...
Notorious Counterfeiters-Part 8-Stephen Jory and the Sweet Smell of Money
People come to counterfeiting money in many ways, but none more unusual than the path taken by Englishman Stephen Jory. After a prison term for making and selling bogus designer perfumes, Jory turn...
Notorious Counterfeiters - Part 6
Late 20th Century Masters – Arthur Williams The last 25-30 years have seen explosive growth in technology and as you might expect, those advances have made their way into the criminal world, too. T...
Notorious Counterfeiters-Part 3, Rogue Nations
When we think of counterfeiters, it usually involves shady characters in backroom operations, but what about when it’s done by governments? The history of counterfeiting includes numerous instances...
Notorious Counterfeiters-Part 2, The Post-Colonial Era
As soon as money came into existence, people began making fakes. Some were clever and good at it, others simply relied on the ignorance of the public, hoping they were too dumb or too busy to notic...
Notorious Counterfeiters-Part 4
The Postwar Years The years after World War II saw a revival of small-time counterfeiters, most of whom have passed into obscurity. But three men became famous, one for his lack of greed, one for h...