It’s two years into the French and Indian War. British troops are being defeated at nearly every turn and resources are running low. Benjamin Franklin is desperate to ensure Pennsylvania, his home state, stays safe from French attacks. So he does what needs to be done during wartime. He raises money. The transfer of funds… Read more »
Tagged: Currency
Man Executed for Minting Coins
Over one thousand years ago near modern-day Cambridge, England, King Ethelbert II of East Anglia, decided to mint coins to commemorate his very successful reign. The only problem was that doing so signaled his independence from the King of Mercia. Offa, the king, didn’t like this one bit. In fact, it’s largely believed that it’s… Read more »
How Scrip Coins Enslaved Generations of Workers
At some point in their lives, most people have worked at a job that they felt didn’t pay them what they were worth. What today’s beleaguered workforce doesn’t have to deal with, however, is getting paid in a currency that is worth next to nothing. For many years, coal miners had to put up with… Read more »
Battle That Inspired Cinco de Mayo Commemorative Coin
On May 5th, 1862, an army of Mexican citizens and soldiers defeated a well-armed French troop nearly three times its size. The battle at Puebla was a moral victory for Mexico, but it was not a battle that led to independence. Mexico declared independence from Spain on September 16, 1810. A commemorative coin was issued… Read more »
Lewis & Clark Expedition Returns to the Northwest
The story of the Lewis and Clark Expedition has special significance to all of us in Portland and Vancouver. On March 20th, the mint released the latest Native American $1 One Dollar Coin, commonly known as the “Sacagawea,” honoring Lewis and Clark’s journey through the Northwest Quadrant. The Corps of Discovery as it was known… Read more »
What Smart People Do to Get Maximum Payouts for Their Gold
Gold prices are still near historic highs — and that’s why it’s a great time to sell your gold. But first you’ll have to figure out how much your gold is worth. Liberty Coin & Currency helps people with fair and accurate gold evaluations every day. Evaluating gold is a fairly simple process. But these… Read more »
When is a $10 Bill Worth $500,000?
Billy Baeder’s late father purchased a 1933 $10 silver certificate for about the price of a compact car when Baeder was still a teenager. As he grew up, Baeder became a collector himself — and today he owns the most valuable piece of currency printed since 1929. Back in the middle of the Great Depression,… Read more »
The Extraordinary Sale of Rare Gold, Diamonds and the New $100 Bill
There’s a lot going on in the world of rare coins, gemstones and precious metals. Here’s a roundup of some of the biggest news that we’ve been following the past few months: Brazilian gold ingot sells for nearly $200,000 As we mentioned in a previous post, the 2013 Long Beach Coin, Stamp & Sports Collectibles… Read more »
What You Need to Know About Hyperinflation
There’s been a lot of talk about inflation recently, and what investors can do to protect themselves should the United States enter an inflationary period. Throughout history, investing in gold and precious metals has provided a great hedge against inflation, because when inflation pushes the dollar lower, gold typically increases in price. While inflation does… Read more »
Why the Carson City Mint Was Abandoned
Carson City is only one of seven cities in the past 200 years to be home to a United States Mint. Compared to metropolises such as Philadelphia, San Francisco and Denver, Carson City, located in northern Nevada, seemed both tiny and in the middle of nowhere. But it had something that the other cities didn’t… Read more »