For those of us who experienced the coin market’s ups and downs in the 1980’s and 1990’s, perhaps the biggest surprise has been the relatively quiet Proof gold market of the past few years. While prices for Proof gold have certainly risen since the beginning of this decade, new collectors don’t seem to regard these coins with the same degree of awe that was seen in the recent past.

A set of high-magnification hand lenses is an invaluable tool for numismatists. However, magnification of 10× and up is only recommended for spotting signs of counterfeiting. Skip Fazzari offers these tips and more.

There are a host of things to see on coins. No matter what you are looking for, after a quick perusal, most collectors will seek some type of magnification to enlarge their view of the coin they are examining.

Have you ever wondered why a United States quarter-dollar is called “two-bits”? Or, a half-dollar “four-bits”? Do you know why we call our basic monetary unit “dollar” instead of something else?

On Monday, Sept. 15, an appealing Uncirculated 1876-CC Twenty Cent piece will be the star of an auction by Superior Galleries at The Tower Beverly Hills hotel. This coin is graded “MS-62” by the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS). The ‘CC’ mintmark indicates that it was manufactured at the Carson City, Nevada Mint.

This article is about the Ten rarest Liberty Head eagles. Notice that I didn’t say “the ten most popular” or “the ten most expensive.” Readers may be surprised that this top ten list does not include any Carson City issues (although I was tempted to include the 1870-CC) and just one from New Orleans.

We’ve entered the last year of the popular modern commemorative quarter program. For better or worse, all fifty states have created designs and the final mintages will hit the nation’s cash registers during the remainder of the year.

While I find these final five designs attractive, they (like their modern predecessors) lack the historical depth and symbolisms many of their classic commemorative cousins encompassed. And, as I look over the 2008 proof set that just crossed my desk, my mind goes back to the original commemorative quarter.

Ottawa, Ontario – The Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) added to its star-studded line up of award-winning coins when Krause Publications bestowed the Coin of the Year and Most Innovative Coin Awards on the RCM’s laser-etched $50 Palladium Big Bear and Little Bear Constellations coin series at the 2008 Coin of the Year Awards.

The Royal Australian Mint marks the 30th anniversary of self-government for the Northern Territory with the release of a commemorative five dollar coin.