Category Archives: coins

The Perth Mint in Australia is offering limited edition proof coins commemorating Pope Benedict’s visit for WYD 2008. Options include one of 1,000 in gold or one of 25,000 in silver. Vatican approved images, never fear.

Last February I posted on the 2007 state quarter designs. I finally got a Utah in pocket change last night at the ice cream place. I still think a beehive would’ve been better. We’ve gone the longest in US history … Continue reading →

These two coins are curiosities. The one on the left you probably don’t know. It’s the ten dollar gold piece designed by the famous sculptor Augustus Saint Gaudens during the TR administration. Roosevelt wanted to upgrade the designs on American … Continue reading →

Many years ago in Iowa, my wife purchased this nice coin for me, imaged on the right. Since my boyhood days sifting through pocket change in Upstate New York, I collected Canadian coins alongside US issues. I don’t find anything … Continue reading →

It’s 1870 and your pocket is full of small change. What does it look like? We have the two-cent piece, copper and featuring that godly motto. The three-cent nickel with the Liberty head joins the Indian princess of Liberty on … Continue reading →

No, sillies, not Bush II, but Washington. Apparently thousands of president dollar coins went out from the Philly mint without the edge lettering of 2007 P or “E pluribus unum.” Most shocking of all, no “In God We Trust.” And … Continue reading →

… are featured on this year’s State Quarter series from the US Mint. The coins top to bottom here are in order of release. The tradition has been to issue the coins in the same order as they were admitted … Continue reading →

This coin, along with the copper large cent, were among the first official issues of the new federal mint in Philadelphia in 1793. Despite a popularity of copper coins among American collectors, the half cent series (1793-1857) has never caught … Continue reading →

Have you heard about it? Starting next year, a series of circulating “golden” dollar coins will begin, eventually featuring all US presidents. Mint director Edmund Moy gushes over them: “These designs are beautiful and so eye-catching that a lot of … Continue reading →

Just to demonstrate sensible Catholics aren’t one-trick-ponies on the hobby side of life, let me give you a preview of what you’ll be seeing on your vending machine fodder this year. The Nevada Quarter is already a favorite of my … Continue reading →

For most of US history the easiest way to assemble it was two dimes. But in the mid-1870′s, a curious thing was happening in the West. The Treasury Department put the silver half-dime into retirement in 1873, just seven years … Continue reading →

A CS reader from Rome sent this beautiful 2 Euro coin and a nice letter. I did not know that in 2004 the EU granted its member nations the privilege of minting commemorative coins for circulation (like our American 50 … Continue reading →