By Jay Turner for PCGS …… Silver dollar variety collecting has been a passion for many collectors for decades. PCGS now announces an additional variety attribution service to include the recent reference The United States Trade Dollar Challenge 50 Set by John B. Coxe. This variety guide adds to the increasing list of silver dollars […]
The post PCGS Now Attributing Trade Dollar Challenge 50 Set Varieties appeared first on CoinWeek: Rare Coin, Currency, and Bullion News for Collectors.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… International submissions from the PCGS office located in Hong Kong offer a wide and diverse range of coins. Recently, an example of a very special peso from the Philippines, during its time as a United States territory, stood out as something both unique and rare. After the Spanish-American War […]
The post A Major Philippines Peso Error appeared first on CoinWeek: Rare Coin, Currency, and Bullion News for Collectors.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… After working professionally as a coin grader for over 20 years, I am still surprised by what can cross my desk. Recently while grading coins from a PCGS express submission from Hong Kong, two such surprises were in a single submission. Submitted as a crossover from an alternative service […]
The post Counterfeit Kennedy Half Dollars appeared first on CoinWeek: Rare Coin, Currency, and Bullion News for Collectors.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… What is better? The tried-and-true way practiced for centuries or a new way developed with new methods and technology? This debate certainly carries on with coin manufacturing. Beginning with the 1550s introduction of milled coins (coins made by a machine press), European countries wavered back and forth between milled […]
The post PCGS Around the World: French 1641/0 Croix de Templier ½ Louis D’or appeared first on CoinWeek: Rare Coin, Currency, and Bullion News for Collectors.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… Italy is not a country that is often thought of for its gold bullion. Nevertheless. During the reign of Umberto I (1878 to 1900), a large number of gold 20 lire coins were produced. Due to the abundance of these coins and lack of collector demand for them, there […]
The post Gold Bullion Spotlight: Italy Umberto I 20 Lire appeared first on CoinWeek: Rare Coin, Currency, and Bullion News for Collectors.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… The Franklin Mint, founded in 1964 by the late Joseph H. Segel and named after founding father Benjamin Franklin, would go on to leave its mark on numismatics creating coins and medals for countries across the globe. The company eventually found itself in difficult financial situations in the 1990s […]
The post PCGS Now Certifying and Grading Franklin Mint Medals appeared first on CoinWeek: Rare Coin, Currency, and Bullion News for Collectors.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… The Chinese 1929 pattern dollar of Sun Yat-sen featuring the globe reverse design is a desirable rarity out of the reach of most numismatists and collectors, and it might be one of the most legendary republic coins for China. While it is unknown how many exist, the total mintage […]
The post PCGS Around The World: The China 1929 Globe Pattern Dollar appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… Recently, a circulated Australian 50 Cents coin crossed my desk. What would have the appearance of an ordinary, common coin was anything but that – it was a rarity for circulating Australian coinage. At first, what looks like a normal Australia 1977 50 Cents is a mint error with […]
The post A Rare Australian Coin With a Common Appearance appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… At 1:30 p.m. on September 19, 1927, some 20,000 Americans marched down the streets in Paris, as some million spectators watched the parade. With American flags waving, marching bands and those who had once served in the war, the American Legion had returned to Paris, where it had been […]
The post A Return to Paris: The American Legion Convention of 1927 and Its Medal appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… In September 2021, the news of a treasure find appeared in many media outlets. For one couple, the dream of finding a golden buried treasure trove became a reality. In 2012, a 60-year-old couple from Paris bought a secondary residence in Brittany, located nearly 300 miles away. The residence […]
The post PCGS Around the World: Coins From the Treasure of Polzévet appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… The Kirin province of China boasts more varieties for Chinese machine-struck coinage than any other province. Between silver and copper machine-struck issues, thousands of variations are documented for the 12 years between 1898 and 1909. With the dichotomy between volume and variation, collecting the coinage of the Kirin province […]
The post China Kirin (1898) Dollar Coins appeared first on CoinWeek.
Souvenir So-Called Dollars by Jay Turner for PCGS …… It had been four years since the Exposition Universelle in Paris, France, where the world had been introduced to the centerpiece of the fair – a tower built by Gustave Eiffel. This tower, the tallest structure on the globe at the time, had instantaneously become […]
The post The Ferris Wheel on So-Called Dollars appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… The Great Britain 1925 Sovereign gold coin is one of the more commonly encountered sovereigns. Often the coin has a value based on bullion plus a small percentage. However, despite the accessibility and the affordability, the coin is both a unique numismatic item and important to monetary history. With […]
The post The 1925 British Gold Sovereign Coin appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… There are many counterfeits and altered coins that unfortunately often defraud people in pursuit of building their collection or looking for arbitrage. With a little commonsense, many of these pieces can be easily detected and avoided. When Spain lost its empire in the Americas, one of the overseas territories […]
The post Commonsense Counterfeit Detection: Philippines Counterstamped 8 Reales appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… Launched in 1999, the 50 State Quarters Program provided each state the reverse of the quarter as a canvas to feature a design emblematic of that state’s unique history, tradition, and symbolism. The 2004 Iowa quarter, the 29th state quarter to be issued in the series, has a design […]
The post United States 2004 Iowa Statehood Quarter appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… Emergency issues are often prized coins in numismatics. Generally, these coins are made in times of desperation and withdrawn quickly after they are issued. One very intriguing emergency issue was made for a country that no longer exists, the New Hebrides 1982 coins. New Hebrides is a small chain […]
The post An Emergency Coin From a Country That No Longer Exists appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… In Chinese numismatics, there are countless areas to study and collect. One facet is the transition from a silver-based economy to that of a fiat currency. While this topic is very complex, in the currency reform project of November 3, 1935, the Chinese government started to remove silver from […]
The post Hong Kong – A Very Rare Chinese Pattern Coin appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… France 1896-A 20 Francs Faisceau privy Gad-1063, Full Brockage Reverse Mint Error, PCGS AU58. Courtesy of PCGS TrueView In coin collecting, mint errors can range from barely noticeable to massive and dramatic. Depending on the country, mint tolerances vary from strict to nonexistent, and in a setting like the […]
The post PCGS Around the World – Full Mirror Brockage Mint Error French Gold appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… PCGS has been seeing some fantastic coins recently, including some new discoveries and old favorites. Numismatic headlines were made last month with the announcement of a 2021 Quarter-Ounce American Gold Eagle coin certified being struck with unfinished Proof dies featuring a West Point “W” mint mark. While many world […]
The post PCGS New World Coin Variety Report November 2021 appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… This month has been active with several new varieties being added to the PCGS database and census. These include an incredible doubled die from Germany and a new doubled die for the popular Mexico Onza series, along with some other interesting varieties. The first new variety now recognized by […]
The post PCGS New World Coin Variety Report October 2021 appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… With the positive response to the previous report in August 2021, we will continue the series! This month we have included pieces from across the globe, including the United States, China, Hong Kong, and Bulgaria. 1851-O/O $5, PCGS VF30 The first entry we’ll cover here is a known variety […]
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By Jay Turner for PCGS …… One of the highlights of being a grader is seeing some truly amazing coins. This is especially true with error coins, where each coin is potentially unique and can range from minor to significant. Here are a few selections of pieces recently submitted to PCGS that were particularly noteworthy. […]
The post Error Coin Highlights From PCGS for August 2021 appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… With the volume of coins submitted at PCGS, it is not uncommon for new significant world varieties to be found and attributed. While in the past PCGS has simply made a new coin spec number for these discoveries, certified them, and added them to the census, there has […]
The post PCGS New World Coin Varieties Report August 2021 appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… The story of numismatics in China is a protracted and complex subject with a depth of millennia. For the machine-struck coinage of China, however, the history is much shorter. Yet it is still complex and can’t be properly told without imparting a basic understanding of global trade and […]
The post The 1889 Silver Coins of the Kwangtung Mint, China appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… South Africa 1967 Krugerrand PCGS MS67 The modern bullion coin market wouldn’t exist without the forerunner that, at one point, was the world’s most traded bullion unit: the South African Krugerrand. While bullion gold was quite common prior to the Krugerrand’s introduction in 1967, the coin’s convenient one-ounce form […]
The post Gold Bullion Spotlight: The South Africa Krugerrand appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… Russia 1845 СПБ 6 Rubles – Ex Hutten-Czapski and Mikhailovich Collections – PCGS PR65DCAM For Russian numismatics, there are many rarities and highly desirable coins. In a recent submission that came into the PCGS Europe office in Paris, a coin was submitted that meets many “dream” categories for those […]
The post An Extremely Rare Platinum Russian Coin Graded by PCGS appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… Many pattern coins are created as samplings, with their rejection caused by the selection of another design. However, for Thailand pattern coins made by the Paris Mint, the design never went into issue for another reason: the death of the beloved monarch King Rama V. It may be hard […]
The post PCGS Around the World – The Thailand Pattern Coin From Paris That Was Too Late appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… Canada 2018 $20 – Falcon Lake Incident – PCGS PR70DCAM Since early times, reports of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) in the sky have been recorded and disputed. Claims range from the Roman historian Titus Livius (Livy) saying “navium speciem de caelo adfulsisse” (phantom ships had been seen gleaming in […]
The post The Falcon Lake Incident: UFOs on World Coins appeared first on CoinWeek.
There is a danger in complacency By Jay Turner for PCGS …… Just because something is common, not very expensive, or of modern production doesn’t mean that it will not be a target for counterfeiters looking to profit from people’s complacency concerning the authenticity of such coins. Recently in a submission of modern coins […]
The post Counterfeit World Coins: South Korea 1959 50 Hwan appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… A previous Gold Bullion Spotlight featuring the popular Mexico Centenario coinage offers a look at one of the most popular types of Mexican gold coins from yesteryear. Yet several other vintage coins from Mexico also trade at or very close to their bullion value. Here we will highlight these […]
The post Gold Bullion Spotlight: The Other Vintage Bullion Mexican Coinage appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… What does it take to become a nation? In short, the answer is declaring independence and gaining recognition. But the theory of what a nation is has left many to philosophize the concept of sovereign nations. This practice has led to individuals and groups pushing the idea of a […]
The post The Coinage of the Nation of Celestial Space appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… Discoveries of rarities, especially in the United States gold coin series, can occur in Paris submissions as tons of United States gold moved its way to Europe. Recently submitted in a three-coin box was an 1859-O Liberty Head $20. The 1859-O $20 is a rare coin, with only 9,100 […]
The post PCGS Around the World – An 1859-O United States Double Eagle Appears in Europe appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… With vintage Chinese coins, I have come to see unimaginably fantastic forgeries and alterations. Yet one alteration goes above and beyond. In a submission from the PCGS Asia office in Hong Kong, a coin was submitted as a Chinese Manchuria Year 33 (1907) Dollar, yet the entire coin had […]
The post Outlandish Alteration of a Chinese Dollar appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… A favorite coin for many bullion collectors, especially in the United States, is the Mexico Centenario coin. The series started in 1921 as a commemorative for the Centenario, or 100th anniversary, of Mexico’s independence from Spain. The series, featuring 16 dates with optional overdate and restrike varieties, is a […]
The post Gold Bullion Spotlight: Mexico Centenario Coins appeared first on CoinWeek.
Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) has launched a new writing award program to honor its top in-house writing staff, the very experts who help deliver the latest information from the grading desks and across the numismatic scene. The first individuals to be recognized as part of the inaugural initiative are PCGS World Coin Expert Jay […]
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By Jay Turner for PCGS …… The area of Chinese numismatics is broad and complex. For a long period of time, some issues were shunned as non-numismatic and labeled as fantasy and forgery issues. This, in part, had to do with the writings of Eduard Kann in his book The Catalog of Chinese Coinage, which […]
The post PCGS Around the World – Shanghai – A Pair of Chinese Fantasy Coins appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… Little thought is given by many people on the previous incarnations of the metal that makes up the coins they have in their collections. Truth be told, the metallic content of many coins cannot be traced back to their origins if it came from previously melted coins. Yet there […]
The post How Morgan Dollars Became Indian Rupees appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… The Mughal Empire, which at times covered much of what is today Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh was a domain ruled by Muslim leadership and during its existence led to the spread and consolidation of Islam in South Asia. The exception to this was two rulers, Abu’l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad […]
The post PCGS Certifies Hindu Themed Mughal Empire Coin appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… The New Orleans Mint was one of the first three original branch mints established by the United States Mint in 1838. Throughout its history of making coins, much of the bullion used for coinage production came from foreign coin deposits – often in the form of Mexican coinage. Yet, […]
The post The Mexican Coin Made at the New Orleans Mint appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… 1933 SC$1 HK-687 Aluminum Santa Monica Breakwater PCGS MS62 A trip to the beach, the smell of the ocean air, the feel of sand on your feet, the sound of the waves continually crashing… This timeless tradition is but a rare experience for some and a daily occurrence for […]
The post The 1933 Santa Monica Breakwater So-Called Dollar appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… 1815/2 Half Dollar PCGS MS63. Images courtesy PCGS The dream of an undiscovered numismatic rarity persists with dealers and collectors around the world. Such a find was recently made in a submission to the PCGS Europe office in Paris in the form of a rare date Capped Bust Half […]
The post PCGS Paris Office Discovers Condition Census US 1815/2 Half Dollar appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… The promotion of numismatics in general society is one of many ongoing goals for the hobby, and countless such efforts have occurred throughout the years. Yet one such promotion seems forgotten by most, when America’s largest fast-food chain, McDonald’s, offered coins to promote the hobby and of course their […]
The post McDonald’s Fiesta Coins, a Forgotten Promotion appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… AH1299 (1882) 10 D Lec-188 Paris Morocco PCGS MS64 The Hijri Lunar Dating System The Hijri lunar dating system is the second-most used calendar after the Common Era or Gregorian calendar. Established with the first year corresponding to the year 622 CE (Common Era or AD), it is set […]
The post Understanding World Coins: The Lunar and Solar Hijri Dating Systems appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… While many experts check for date and mintmark alterations on key-date coinage, especially that of the United States, it is important to check on all coins, even common ones, because sometimes you will find a surprise. A curious alteration was detected in a recent Paris Express Submission to PCGS […]
The post Always Check for Altered Dates: PCGS appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… India Mughal Empire Zodiac Mohur AH1033//18 (1624) KM-180.19 Capricorn PCGS AU53. Images courtesy PCGS Of the many great coins and rarities from India, the Zodiac series of the Mughal Empire is one that is beloved and cherished by numismatists and collectors today. The coins were issued to incorporate the […]
The post PCGS Certifies Indian Capricorn Zodiac Mohur Gold Coin appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… Qatar & Dubai AH1386-1966 25 Dirhams, PCGS MS64. Images courtesy PCGS The Gulf Emirate States are an amazing and rich area of the world, with the history of this region stretching back thousands of years. Prior to the discovery of oil there and the wealth from it, what today […]
The post The Joint Coinage of Qatar and Dubai appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… Netherlands Leiden 1574 Siege ¼ Gulden, PCGS XF40 Paper money requires a sacrifice, as they are not of any intrinsic value. It has a value that is assigned to the piece and based on a fiat or faith-based system that requires users to accept it for a particular value. […]
The post The Paper Money Coin of 1574 – The First Paper Currency of Europe appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… There are many fantastic numismatic rarities among Russian coinage. One such coin is the Russian 1906 5 Roubles, which has a mintage of only 10 pieces. It is a stopper for anyone hoping to complete a set of 20th-century gold or Nicholas II 5 Roubles gold coin sets. One […]
The post PCGS Grades Rare 20th-Century Russian Gold Coin appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… It has been a long-known and open secret that tons of United States gold coins are in Europe, especially France. Anyone who has gone to the coin shops on the Rue Vivienne and surrounding areas in Paris can simply look at the window displays and see gold coins from […]
The post Second-Finest Known 1884-CC $10, Submitted in Box of Bullion Gold, Certified by PCGS appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… The contemporary United States is no stranger to overseas war. This was not always the case, however, at least not until President Thomas Jefferson took the then-unusual step of protecting American interests abroad, setting a precedent that continues today. The result would be two wars fought by Americans and […]
The post The Coinage of the Barbary Pirate States appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… With a mintage of four examples the 1851 Proof Three Cent Silver is an American numismatic rarity. It has been written that these mere four coins were struck with the passage of the authorization of the Act of March 3, 1851, which authorized the United States Mint to produce […]
The post Extremely Rare 1851 Proof Three Cent Silver Certified by PCGS appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… There is a significant share of numismatics and the coin market that is driven by one factor: the metallic value of the coin. These coins that follow the fluctuation of metals markets are considered bullion coins. Bullion coins can consist of precious metals such as gold, silver, platinum, and […]
The post What Are Bullion Coins? appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… The French Revolution brought about the First French Republic, which brought about sweeping changes to remove religious and royalist influences across France and its government institutions. One such change came to its calendar, which would be changed and used by the French Republic for 12 years – including on […]
The post The French Republican Coin Dating System appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… The Last Emperor On March 1, 1932, a man by the name of Puyi became the Datong, or chief executive, of Manchukuo. It was just six days earlier that Puyi had accepted the offer with a drunken party to celebrate this event. This celebration included a wide variety of […]
The post The Coinage of Manchukuo and the Last Emperor of China appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… Throughout the long and complicated history of Colonial India, Portugal had the longest span of all the European colonizers. Beginning as early as 1498, colonial rule by Portugal continued in India until 1961 — a full 13 years past 1948, when British colonial control famously ended and India became […]
The post The Last Coinage of Portuguese India appeared first on CoinWeek.
New Zealand Pattern Coin By Jay Turner for PCGS …… There is something quite magical in viewing a pattern coin. A concept for a coin that is so familiar, yet sometimes shockingly different, is an incredible sight to behold. Such is the case for a wonderful New Zealand pattern coin recently graded by PCGS. Before […]
The post PCGS Certifies Rare 1933 New Zealand Pattern Coin appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… The debate about environmental issues, natural resources, and technological improvements are more relevant than ever before. Yet, two French gold medals submitted for certification to the Shanghai, China, PCGS office are evidence of the technology that existed 120 years ago. Using alcohol or ethanol as fuel is not new […]
The post Ahead of Its Time – The Alcohol-Fueled Car Medals of 1901-1902 appeared first on CoinWeek.
By Jay Turner for PCGS …… Grading in the Paris office for PCGS is always a thrill. The submissions in Europe always trend to yielding treasures not often seen. The last grading event in Paris left seasoned graders blown away with one of these discoveries. In a single coin submission sat a 1776 Continental Currency […]
The post PCGS Paris Office Certifies 1776 Continental Dollar Found in Junk Box for 50 Cents appeared first on CoinWeek.
Numismatic Guaranty Corporation® (NGC®) has certified 11 important coins struck by the Vienna Mint in 1910 and 1911 for the Central Mint in Tianjin, China. These extremely rare coins were carefully preserved in the Central Mint Archives for many years, a pedigree that is noted on the NGC certification label. In 1905 the Empire of […]
The post NGC Certifies Important 1910 and 1911 Chinese Coins Struck by the Vienna Mint appeared first on CoinWeek.
The chairman of NGC discusses an important change to the NGC Registry Dear Collectors: In 2017 Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) will celebrate two important anniversaries: 30 years of NGC and 15 years of the NGC Registry. We have many exciting things planned for this milestone year, including a significant investment to modernize the NGC […]
The post NGC Registry Sets – A Letter from Mark Salzberg appeared first on CoinWeek.
Numismatic Guaranty Corporation® (NGC) has certified an extremely rare Great Britain 1897B Gold Trade Dollar. Graded NGC PF 61, it is one of only a handful of examples believed to exist and is the only specimen certified by NGC. The prominent United Kingdom auction house Baldwin’s will offer this extraordinary coin as lot 1068 in […]
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