Perhaps even more brazen than the infamous theft of a bucket full of gold woth $1.6 million from an armored truck in broad daylight in Midtown Manhattan last September 29, moments ago local German press has reported that thieves broke into Berlin's Bode Museum and made off with a massive 100-kilogram (221-pound) gold coin worth millions.

According to German media, the stolen coin is the "Big Maple Leaf", a commemorative piece issued by the Royal Canadian Mint in 2007. The three-centimeter (1.18-inch) thick coin, with a diameter of 53 centimeters (20.9 inches), has a face value of $1 million. By weight alone, however, it would be worth almost $4.5 million at market prices.

The Bode Museum, located ...

We at Scarsdale Coin are very happy to launch a new 1/10 oz silver replica three cent piece.  We have already been taking orders from our website and will have the launch of these popular pieces available at the Baltimore Coin Show.  

Hope to show you them there!

Jon

There's a big difference between buying coins and collecting coins. Buying coins is more of a random activity based on likes, preferences or attractions at any given moment, while collecting coins is more of a purposeful directed long term commitment. In both cases, you buy what you like, but if your goal is to collect coins and do it right, you have to master two additional skills. The first is being able to effectively research, evaluate and decide whether or not to buy whatever works of coins attract you. The second is being able to choose each individual work in such a way as to form a meaningful grouping aka a collection.

If you're like most people, you know how to buy coins on a piece-by-piece basis, but may not be ...

Congrats to this teen for finding a large diamond in the dirt!

MURFREESBORO, Ark. (AP) — A teenager has found a 7.44 carat diamond at a state park in southwestern Arkansas.

Officials at Crater of Diamonds State Park at Murfreesboro say the rock found Saturday by 14-year-old Kalel Langford is the seventh largest found since the park was established in 1972. The park hasn't provided an estimate of the diamond's value.

The teen said in a statement Thursday that he spotted the diamond among rocks near a stream. He has named it "Superman's Diamond" and plans to keep it as a souvenir.

Park interpreter Waymon Cox describes the diamond as pinto-bean sized and similar in color to coffee.

The largest diamond ...

This lecture discusses the beginnings of Islamic coinage in the seventh century and its vast trajectories within the Arab lands and beyond. It begins with an in-depth survey of its Byzantine and Sasanian precedents and provides a basic outline of “Arab-Sasanian” and “Arab-Byzantine” types. Attendees will also learn about the styles of Arabic calligraphy that were used on early Islamic coins. Guests will be able to view and handle fine examples of the ANS’s Islamic holdings with Assistant Curator, Vivek Gupta.

The lecture will take place on Saturday, March 11 at the American Numismatic Society headquarters in New York City. Lunch begins at 1:00 pm, followed by the lecture at 2:00 pm, and a Q&A at 3:.........

Tie your Croc down Mate with a brand new release from Australia Perth Mint that are sure to impress!

The latest entry in the Remarkable Reptiles series of silver proofs - and it's a doozy, featuring the Saltwater Crockodile! 

 A full color, beautiful design, a tremendously popular series, a ferocious crocodile, and a mintage of just 5,000 all make for a perfect combination!

Don't miss the previous coins in the series, either - we have both gold and silver back issues available!

Please Note this article is reprinted from the GSNA Journal with thanks...

A generation of collectors is coming to adulthood who have no real, working memory of Washington quarters as they existed before the 50 States Quarters Program, or the current America the Beautiful Program. Certainly, they see older quarters in change, as we all do. But our newer generation of collectors couldn’t have been in the hobby when a Washington quarter simply meant our nation’s first president on the obverse, and a staid, rather formal eagle on the reverse. Thus, now may very well be a good time to present something of a “quarters primer” if you will, a look at our Washington quarters from 1932 – 1999.

Let’s go ...

The reported mintage for 1801 eagles was 44,344 pieces, making it the largest production since the series' inception in 1795. However, Mint deliveries were inexact about what date was delivered, and the Mint had a penchant for choosing any die that had life left for the current production, sometimes without regard to the year being coined. The result was the possibility that some quantities struck and shipped in 1801 were, in fact, either 1800-dated coins, or even some dated 1799. Regardless, this date is highly collectible as a type coin from the short lived Draped Bust Large Eagle series of the dates 1797-1804. Listed at $16,000 in the CDN, $18,500 in the PCGS price guide and $20,000 in Trends.            ......

Why the 1892 $20 Gold Piece in a PCGS MS 64 holder is a winner!

Today we were offered a really nice Double Eagle...and though not so great a rarity as famous earlier dates such as the 1882 or 1885, the 1892 double eagle is decidedly low-mintage, with just 4,430 pieces coined for circulation and few of them saved.

The date is really scarce in any Uncirculated grade, with Select or finer representatives being extremely rare.   The PCGS population report confirms this, why according to their records, the PCGS population is only 3 with a single (MS64+) example graded higher.  This coin would be outstanding in anyones collection and while listed for $65,000 in the PCGS price guide... it could be yours for a bit less.  Contact ......