Who is hurting the hobby?
I write this blog from the perspective of a collector. I champion the collector. I think that collectors are the most qualified to determine the direction of the hobby. The collector is the consumer...
View ArticleA token trip to Spain then to Venezuela
Now that I am running a collectibles business, I see a number of interesting items coming into the shop. Last week, someone came into the shop with items that she wanted to sell in order to downsize...
View ArticleLOOK BACK: Numismatics Is More Than Coins
I was going to stop doing the LOOK BACK series after the summer, thinking I would have time to create new content. But we all know that real life has a way of changing even the best-laid plans. While...
View ArticleIt was wurst than I thought
After my last post about the Staatliche Münze Berlin, the Berlin State Mint, a few German readers provided a lesson in the political structure of Germany to understand the institution’s role in the...
View ArticleSome random thoughts…
Although it has been a while since I have posted something outside of the Weekly World Numismatic News, it does not mean that I have been idle. Here are some random thoughts: First, I want to thank the...
View ArticleThe Sad State of Television Numismatics
Someone walked into my shop today with a box full of items he said that he wanted to consign to one of our auctions. He said that someone mentioned that I was knowledgeable about coins and wanted me to...
View ArticleDON’T MICROWAVE YOUR MONEY!
Contrary to popular belief, you can put metal in your microwave oven. It will not make your oven explode or catch fire. But that does not mean it is a safe thing to do. Microwaves work by shooting...
View ArticleQUARANTINE READING LIST: Reading History for FREE
Even as some areas of the country are easing quarantine restrictions, the best way to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is to stay home. Although the United States has 4.25-percent of the world’s...
View ArticleSCAM ALERT: Beware of Cheap Silver Eagles
UPDATE: I BOUGHT TWO COINS FROM THIS COMPANY. THEY ARE FAKE, AS SUSPECTED. Read more → here! If a deal is too good to be true, it probably is. Facebook users might have seen an advertisement trying to...
View ArticleThose Cheap Silver Eagles Are A Chinese SCAM!
My posts with the titles “SCAM ALERT” has been the most popular posts in the last few months. They warn about these Chinese scammers. After buying two of these coins and examining several websites sent...
View ArticleRemembering the Challenger
The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their...
View ArticleHow to Create A Price Guide
What does it take to create, publish, and maintain a price guide for coins? Readers who downloaded my first edition of the Coin Collectors Handbook: American Eagle Coins have asked about the lack of a...
View ArticleSCAM ALERT: DO NOT BUY FROM RANTHYCOM
RANTHY<dot>COM IS A SCAM Let’s forget the mechanisms I used to trace the account using legal means to India. This site trying to sell American Silver Eagles for $19.95. NO LEGITIMATE DEALER IS...
View ArticleChanging Landscape of Online Coin Price Guides
One of the more difficult things to explain to a new collector is how much a coin is worth. A common misconception is that an older coin is worth more than one struck later. Although I wrote two blog...
View ArticlePOLL: What do you use to find information?
I am getting ready to open the next chapter of my life, and I was thinking about how I can leverage my knowledge and experience to enhance the collecting community. As an experienced collector of all...
View ArticleFacebook Advertising: Understand Who You Are Buying From
A series of ads for US coins have been appearing on Facebook that has some legitimacy. Still, you will be disappointed if you order from them. Several people reported they felt deceived by the product...
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