Monday, December 28, 2009

how do coins get their value

i am always asked by people how do coins get their value. well one starting point is it's not how old the coin is but how many of that type were actually minted. this is an important point for numismatics because some people have approached me about ancient coins and i tell them they are constantly finding them on digs of ancient sites and they are not that uncommon. in comparison a 1922 0ne cent coin is selling for about twenty dollars now because they were minting a great deal of silver coins that year and didn't mint very many other coins. futhermore, only one mint was in operation that year.
the point i am trying to get across is many factors come into play and one of my goals this year is to keep geting out more information like this so my readers will become better informed when in the marketplace.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

changes are coming to reminicents

keep an eye out for the new features to the www.reminicents web site. it will soon be updated with some new pictures on how we work and better graphics. it will also make ordering easier.
in the near future new products will be added and with all the great information about what the mint is releasing next year keep focussed on this blog.
as always i want to wish everyone a good holiday season and look forward to hearing your input about the site.

Monday, December 14, 2009

foreign coins are a great addendum to your display

when you are doing a coin show or any display it is my suggestion to always have some foreign coins for sale at reasonable prices. i have found people of all ages are attracted to their beautiful
designs and shapes and will automatically be drawn to your other items as well.this will give you an advantage over your competitors by making your display more attractive. you can even give a couple away as a bonus for a sale and tell your customer's you appreciate their patronage.
you can easily obtain them from coin stores at very reasonable prices or buy them by the pound if you see them advertised in coin magazines.
one woman totally amazed me when she saw them at one of my displays and said to me ,"I can't afford to travel this year overseas because of the economy but i can look at these coins and feel I am somewhere else".
a cheap thrill for a couple of dollars and she was very happy as she walked away with them.
they can also be donated to schools by having the children pick out a coin and write a report on the country of the coin's origin.
if you have any other ideas please let me know and I will spread the word.

Friday, December 11, 2009

ten questions about the one cent coin and a contest

if anyone can answer all ten questions correctly and send me the answers i will award a free gift to that person. i will even reward the first five people with a set of territorial quarters. so let's get started.
1. who designed the obverse of the one cent coin?
2. in what year did the one cent coin begin?
3.in what year were the one cent coins made of steel?
4. in what year did the memorial cent start production?
5.who designed the memorial reverse?
6.what will be on the 2010 one cent reverse?
7.what coin preceded the wheat cent?
8.how many designs were minted in 2009?
9.what are the two major mint marks and in what cities are they minted?
10.why is it safe to tell someone you will give them a thousand dollars if they can show you an American penny?

get to work and come up with the answers. i would love to hear from you.
just go to WWW.reminicents and click on the contact me page.

Monday, December 7, 2009

a new design for the one cent coin for 2010

while the obverse will continue to depict Victor D. Brenner's portrait, the reverse will depict a Civil War -era shield that is emblematic of the preservation of the union .
many people were under the impression the new coin would feature an
American flag showing the amount of states reunited by the Civil War but at the last minute it was changed .
at this point i do not know why. at any rate the new coin will also feature e pluribus unum in the middle of the shield and will be a permanent one cent coin until 2059 or until the government does away with the coin permanently.
2010 will be the start of many new coins and i will keep this blog up to date when they become available.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

a suggestion for art teachers

am i the only person in the u.s. that would love to see "pennies" as an art form. by using Zots which are sold at craft stores the coins can easily be attached to poster boards or even walls and done as a mural. they can also be encompassed in drawings while using other mediums such as paint or other adornments.
if anyone would like to try this project or has pictures of projects that have already been employed i would love to hear from you. perhaps i can even post them on my website.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

northern mariana quarters are being sold by the mint

the last of the territorial quarters are being offered by the u.s. mint. they can be purhased by calling 1 800 usa mint. the mintage as usual will be very low this year but should increase in value once people start to learn about them and want to add them to their state quarter books at a later time. for a small investment the smart collector can obtain these state quarters now and not have to pay big bucks down the road. if you are like a lot of people you are probably tired of this program and are really not that interested. dont' make that mistake and be sorry later when interest picks up.