Ask collectors their reason for collecting, and almost invariably, they answer that it is for recreation. For the greater number this is the paramount motive, and as recreation is a necessity as well as a diversion, a collection provides a service of no small value. But recreation is of several kinds, and compensating for mental […]
Bowers on Collecting: Some comments about the twenty-cent piece
Of all circulating denominations of United States coins, the twenty-cent piece, sometimes called the double dime, was the shortest lived. Examples were made for circulation for only two years, 1875 and 1876, followed by two years of Proofs for collectors. In February 1874, Senator John P. Jones of Nevada introduced a bill for the twenty-cent […]
Bowers on Collecting: Nostalgia time — Civil War money
The following is re-posted from the “Bowers on Collecting” column on Coin Update This week, I give a reprise of the very first blog I wrote for this site. Enjoy! Forming a collection of money used during the Civil War can be an interesting pursuit. A full collection of such would include tokens, coins, and […]
Bowers on Collecting: A 1796 token “unsurpassed in beauty”
The following is a re-post from the “Bowers on Collecting” weekly column on Coin Update The 1796 British Settlement in Kentucky token, popularly called the Myddelton token, was struck in England but refers to the United States. A Planned Settlement in Kentucky In 1796 in England, Philip Parry Price, either surnamed Myddelton or from Myddelton, […]
Bowers on Collecting: The 1776 Continental Currency dollar revisited
The following is re-posted from the “Bowers on Collecting” column on Coin Update The 1776-dated Continental Currency dollar in pewter is one of the best-known coins associated with early America. Conventional wisdom has had it that the paper dollar of similar design was discontinued in 1776, and the pewter dollar was issued as a more […]
Bowers on Collecting: Conservation, toning, and more
The following is a re-post from Q. David Bowers’s “Bowers on Collecting” weekly column on Coin Update. Let’s revisit artificial toning. Excuse me for repeating myself, but here goes. For starters, if an MS-65 Morgan dollar, for example, has beautiful rainbow toning it might sell for twice the price of a brilliant one. In a […]
Bowers on Collecting: Fifth Ward Museum Hotel
The Fifth Ward Museum Hotel was conducted by Thomas Riley and partners at 94 Broadway in New York City. Opened in 1826, it was an attraction from the start, further emphasized when a flagpole soaring 174 feet into the sky was erected on the ground next to it.[1] The exhibits, mainly in a room up […]
Bowers on Collecting: Keeping up with new coin issues
The following was re-posted from the “Bowers on Collecting” column on Coin Update It was about 15 years ago when, with Whitman Publishing, I set about arranging a display of all of the coins issued during the administration of Ronald Reagan. I was shocked to realize that to include one each of all Mint State […]
Bowers on Collecting: Among my favorites — more adventures with rare coins
The following is re-posted from the “Bowers on Collecting” column on Coin Update In 1979, my Adventures with Rare Coins book was published. I recounted some of my favorite coins and stories. I don’t recall the print run, but it caused a sensation at the time and landed compliments and rewards. This went through a […]
Bowers on Collecting: Among my favorites — Sacagawea “golden dollars” part three
The following is re-posted from the “Bowers on Collecting” column on Coin Update This week I continue and conclude my discussion of Sacagawea dollars. In 2000 they were released to the general public amid much publicity. Collectors loved them, but citizens ignored them. Vending machines would not accept them, most stores did not have a […]
- 1
- 2
- 3
- …
- 24
- Next Page »
