Bur­ied stashes of coins can help re­veal the popula­t­ion his­to­ry of a giv­en time pe­ri­od, a new study sug­gests.

The research focused on the first cen­tu­ry BC in Italy, a cul­tur­ally a bril­liant age, un­equaled by any oth­er pe­ri­od in Ro­man his­to­ry. It was a time of Cic­e­ro, Cae­sar, Vir­gil, Hor­ace and oth­er ma­jor lit­er­ary fig­ures.

Yet some bas­ic fact­s—like the ap­prox­i­mate popula­t­ion size of the late Ro­man Re­pub­lic—re­main un­der in­tense de­bate. De­pend­ing on who his­to­ri­ans be­lieve was counted in the early Im­pe­ri­al cen­sus­es, the It­alian popula­t­ion ei­ther de­clined or more than dou­bled in that cen­tu­ry.

If the high­er count is right, much of Ro­man his­to­ry would have to be re-written and it would have huge im­plica­t­ions on the pop­u­lar view of the eco­nom­ic po­ten­tial and so­cial struc­ture of an­cient Rome, ac­cord­ing to his­to­ri­an Wal­ter Schei­del of Stan­ford Un­ivers­ity in Cal­i­for­nia and the­o­ret­i­cal bi­ol­o­gist Pe­ter Turchin of the Un­ivers­ity of Con­nect­i­cut.

The two researchers tried to re­solve the de­bate by fo­cus­ing on the re­gion’s prev­a­lence of coin hoards, those bun­dles of bur­ied treas­ure that peo­ple hid to pro­tect their sav­ings dur­ing times of great vi­o­lence and po­lit­i­cal strife. The pair worked on the the­o­ry that more stashes means a drop­ping popula­t­ion, due to the great­er fre­quen­cy of vi­o­lence.

“Hoards are an ex­cel­lent in­di­ca­tor of in­ter­nal tur­moil,” said Turchin. “This is a gen­er­al phe­nom­e­non, not just in Rome.”

Teddy Roosevelt had a good idea when he decided there should be a coin honoring the 100th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth. Just as good were his choices of the denomination to be used and the sculptor to design it, Victor D. Brenner.

The Numismatist called Brenner a "brilliant young medallist and ornament to the American Numismatic Association." Poet Frank Dempster Sherman, who wrote a tribute to the Lincoln cent that appeared in the magazine, described Brenner as a genius. Few would argue the point.

The Lincoln cent proved to be so popular, and the portrait so moving, that the obverse is still going strong a century after its introduction. Instead of the original wheat ears reverse or the Lincoln Memorial design that replaced it in 1959, there are new reverse designs marking the centennial of the Lincoln cent and the Lincoln Bicentennial.

An image of Lincoln nearly identical to the one on the cent first appeared on a bronze plaque Brenner created in 1907. The Lincoln Centennial was fast approaching. Brenner later recalled that his mind was "full of Lincoln."

The much-anticipated annual fall coin show for the Gadsden-Rainbow City Coin Club will take place Friday and Saturday at the Gadsden Mall featuring numismatic dealers from around the Southeast. Also featured at this year’s show are a number of dealers carrying sports cards and memorabilia.

Among the unique items that will be on display are $1,000 bills from 1934 and a gold coin recovered from the Twin Towers after the 2001 attack in New York. The show will take place during mall hours. There is no admission charge.

One of the $1,000 bills is in uncirculated condition. The $1,000 bill, last printed in 1945, was discontinued from use by Presidential Order in 1969 by President Richard Nixon. The move was an effort to inhibit the money flow of organized crime. Still legal tender, the $1,000 bill features President Grover Cleveland’s picture.

The Twin Towers Gold Coin on display is a 1993 issue of the $50 American Eagle and is 1 ounce of pure gold. The coin was among others salvaged from the vaults in the World Trade Center after the collapse of the Twin Towers on Sept. 11, 2001. The coin is certified from the Twin Towers collapse by Numismatic Guarantee Corp.

Yet another Czech commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the death of the prominent Jewish scholar Rabbi Judah Loew of Prague: a silver 200 Kc coin.

Known as the Maharal of Prague, Rabbi Judah died on the 18th day of the Hebrew month of Elul in 1609, corresponding to Sept. 7.  The Czech government jumped the gun by issuing the commemorative coin nearly three months earlier. One face features a composition of four Stars of David of various sizes on which are written years in which pogroms occurred against the Jewish population in the Czech lands.

A leading rabbi in Prague and other cities throughout most of the 16th century, the Maharal authored a number of classic works of Jewish wisdom, including commentaries on Rashi's commentaries to the Torah, the Aggadic passages of the Talmud, and Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers), as well as books on Jewish ethics, in defense of Rabbinic teachings, and more. The “Jewish philosophy” curriculum in many yeshivot associated with Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav Kook centers on the Kuzari/Maharal/Rav Kook trio.  The Maharal is possibly best known for the story of the Golem – a clay man that he is said to have turned into a living being.

An amateur metal detector enthusiast trolling in a field has uncovered as many as 1,500 gold and silver objects that may date back to the seventh century.

The Associated Press quotes one expert as saying the treasure will revolutionize understanding of the Anglo-Saxons, a Germanic people who ruled England from the fifth century until the Norman conquest in 1066.

The Staffordshire Hoard organization will not reveal the exact location of the find, to prevent looting, but says it "lay at the heart of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Mercia" in an area now known as South Staffordshire.

The find, more than 14 pounds of gold and silver, includes warfare paraphernalia, sword pommel caps and hilt plates inlaid with precious stones, the BBC says.

"This is just a fantastic find completely out of the blue," Roger Bland, who managed the cache's excavation, tells the AP. "It will make us rethink the Dark Ages. That's basically what it's going to do."

Bravado, the world's leading global music merchandising company, has partnered with The First Commemorative Mint, Inc. to be the exclusive worldwide manufacturer of the ONLY official coins and coin collections available featuring the images of entertainment icon Michael Jackson. The commemorative coins and collections are being produced and approved under a license from the Estate of Michael Jackson. The announcement was made today by Tom Bennett, Chief Executive Officer of Bravado, and Bernie Neumark, President and CEO of the First Commemorative Mint.

Michael Jackson fans can now enjoy his likeness on high-quality mint condition, previously uncirculated United States coins. The coins and collection features a variety of iconic Michael Jackson images on state coins and on special coins, such as the Silver Eagle Dollar coin. For example, the Michael Jackson 5 Decades Coin Collection features an image of Jackson from the 1960's, 1970's, 1980's, 1990's and 2000's professionally colored onto various state quarters and showcased in a custom designed case.

Monroe County Community College has hosted one of the premiere car shows in the area for more than two decades.

A few years ago, it added antiques to the one-day end-of-September event.

This year, it's coins.

Cars, coins and collectibles: They go together naturally, says Tom Ryder, MCCC special events coordinator.

This year's show is set for Sept. 27 on the main campus at 1555 S. Raisinville Rd.

Mr. Ryder said one of the antique dealers — Judy Lowell of Monroe — also is a coin collector and suggested adding a coin show to the mix. "It seemed like a good fit," Mr. Ryder said.

Dan Moore of Monroe, treasurer of the Monroe Coin Club, said the club used to host an annual show but it fell on the same day as a major Detroit coin show. It was getting harder to attract dealers and buyers, so club members thought joining forces with MCCC was a good idea. Besides Monroe club members, he expects at least 20 coin dealers to be on hand next week, including one from Cincinnati and vendors from Detroit.

There is a new option for creating the ultimate world coin or paper money reference library - Standard Catalog super CD combinations from Krause Publications.

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Paper money collectors are also in for a treat with the arrival of the Standard Catalog of World Paper Money 2-CD Set. This dynamic two-pack covers notes from 1368 through the present, issued by countries around the world. The current editions of the world paper money General and Modern Issues CDs are brought together to give collectors a single resource they can use interchangeably as they search for details and values about notes. This 2-CD set is priced at $50.98