Forms of currency come and go throughout the histories of nations around the world, from the Franc to the Euro, and from simple gold pieces to the standard silver coin. The U.S. is a relatively young nation (240 years old) but its currencies have changed several times since its founding. One currency lost to antiquity… Read more »
When Europeans began traveling in masses to the New World during the 17thcentury, many arrived with little more than the clothes on their backs. Having spent virtually every last bit of available worth for the trip across the pond, the new settlers began searching for the means to trade, barter and purchase necessities for survival…. Read more »
Despite the high demand for the beloved 2015 American Eagle silver bullion coin, the US Mint announced in November 2015 that production would cease after December 7, 2015. The highly demanded coin is seeing a cut back from The Mint due to “supply squeeze” brought on by silver hitting a six-year low in July… Read more »
The first small cent was produced because copper prices began to rise and the large cent was costing too much to manufacture. The first design called the “Flying Eagle” had a very short production run and was only produced from 1856-1858. Weighing 4.67 grams and consisting of 12% nickel and 88% copper, prices… Read more »
Portland, Oregon is well known to the rest of the country for its progressive, forward-thinking style. The city is rich in culture, abundant with examples of its pioneer history through old world architecture and the use of natural resources. Prior to the 1840’s, Portland was nothing more than a small portion of land along… Read more »
There was a time in the Western U.S. when silver dollars were everywhere. And it still seems like anyone with even a modest coin collection has a couple of Morgan silver dollars. But why are silver dollars so abundant? It comes down to the perfect combination of fear, skullduggery and mountains of silver. In 1859, Patrick… Read more »
Thousands of mysterious gold spirals have been found in Zealand, Denmark. A little while back, a team of archeologists found four Bronze Age gold bracelets there. The archeologists thought they were done, so they handed the site over to amateur archaeologist Christian Albertsen. But Albertsen believed there was more to be discovered. And he was… Read more »
Every 4th of July we celebrate the day we declared our independence from England in 1776. But there was also a mysterious coin that was issued the same year. While most experts don’t know much about the coin’s production, one thing is certain: Benjamin Franklin designed it. Franklin’s design for the Continental Dollar was emblematic… Read more »
Centuries ago someone in what is now Poland amassed quite a collection of silver coins. For some unknown reason, the owner of this massive hoard of silver coins decided to hide them in two pots deep in the forest. Whoever hid the coins did an exceptional job, because no one found them — until now…. Read more »
In November of 1942, the SS City Cargo sailed from Bombay, India, for the United Kingdom. Aboard the ship were soldiers and supplies for the English war effort. Among the cargo was a chest full of silver coins worth $50 million today. But the ship never made it to its destination. A torpedo launched from… Read more »
