Grapevine TX Coin Show

I went to the coin show in Grapevine, Texas today.

One of the good things about living in the Dallas / Fort Worth Metroplex is the frequency of Coin Shows. The one in Grapevine is pretty good. It takes place about a half dozen times a year, and it frequently has a very good selection of coin dealers -- local folks as well as some from several hundred miles away.

You can usually get some pretty good deals.

This was the first Grapevine show in which I was disappointed. For the most part it was my expectations. The dealers were there. True, the coin supply business that usually attends had chosen to go to a show closer to home, but I couldn't complain about the representation.

I just didn't find the coins I was looking for.

I went in looking for Mercury Dimes. I had some specific dates and mint marks in mind. It seemed to me that the quantity of Mercury Dimes displayed was lower than usual. And many of the coins I saw seemed very generously graded. Several dealers had coins which I would have graded slightly better than Good, graded VF+. And they weren't moving in their grades. And I know that the price of silver has increased over the past months, but I saw what I would have called pricing discrepancies of up to $50 per coin. A coin which sells for $10 at one booth shouldn't be priced at $60 in the next booth.

I don't know. Maybe I was in a bad mood. Maybe I was feeling a little Grinchly.

I had a good time, but this is the first show in two years at which I walked away without adding a coin to my collection.

The Mount Hood National Park Quarter

It's November 17, 2010. That means it's the day for the release ceremony of the Mount Hood edition of the America the Beautiful Quarters being issued by the U.S. Mint, Oregon's contribution to the series.

I always enjoy it when new coins are released. I believe that U.S. Coinage is wonderful artwork and very educational. I always look forward to getting the new coins and seeing how long it takes the coins to make their way into the change I see in Dallas/Fort Worth. Sometimes it's just days, sometimes it takes forever!

This obverse of the coin retains the familiar George Washington design, while the reverse of the coin was designed by Phebe Hemphill, who has had a hand in several recent releases.

You can get a closer look at the coin, as well as other information at http://www.squidoo.com/americathebeautiful-mthood.

I can hardly wait for the next quarter...Gettysburg.

An Eruption at the US Mint. Molten Metal and Lava Collide!

I was thinking about the America the Beautiful Quarters series from the US Mint, which features United States National Parks, Historical Sites, Wildlife Sanctuaries and such. I had the opportunity to look at the designs approved by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee for the 2012 coins. The one that caught my eye first was the design for the coin from Hawaii.

The Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee was established by Congress in 2003 to advise the Secretary of the Treasury on the themes and designs of all US coins and medals. The CCAC serves as an informed, experienced and impartial resource to the Secretary of the Treasury and represents the interests of American citizens and collectors. It has historically been quite conservative in its choice of designs.

The Hawai'i design is somewhat different than many designs chosen in the past. Some folks see it as "modernistic" and "almost abstract." Designers and engravers applaud the decision as endorsing artistic freedom.

Other designs in the running reportedly featured Hula Dancers, with an erupting volcano in the background. The endorsed design puts the volcano front and center. One member of the CCAC indicated that the design could be mistaken for a campfire. But Chief Engraver John Mercanti and Kaarina Budow, the Mint's manager for sales and marketing, say they will make the design work.

While I like the concept of the design, I'm afraid that I am going to need more images, and maybe actually hold the first coin in my hand before I give the design the thumbs up or thumbs down.

Art Haule
http://www.squidoo.com/nationalparkquarter




P.S. I apologize for my somewhat sporadic presence here. It'll get much better in the coming weeks. I promise!