By 1923, hyperinflation in Germany was causing money to decline in value literally by the hour. Workers might be paid twice a day so they could bring money home at lunch for wives to spend on necessities before prices rose yet again. People would bring baskets of money to the store to buy common goods […]
A question I get periodically is: is this legal? Absolutely, yes. The most common misconception is that any defacement of US money is illegal. Sine I don’t deface any of my coins, the issue is moot, but I’ll address it regardless. Defacement is only illegal if it’s done for the purposes of fraud. If all […]
For a long time, America was a one trick pony when it came to coin design. Lady Liberty showed up on every coin before the mid 1800s, except for an occasional eagle. At least the design of Liberty varied. There’s a couple dozen different versions of her, including a couple people often don’t realize are […]
Three cent nickels are odd enough I label them in my displays, because it prompts at least a couple questions every show I do. The thing is, we only call our five cent piece a nickel because it is made of nickel. In the 1800s, the five cent piece was made of silver, and it […]
A common question I get is whether my ancient Roman and Greek coins are genuine and, if so, how I can possibly sell them at the prices I do. The disconnect comes from the assumption that very old things must be expensive. In fact, rarity is what controls price, and very old coins are still […]
