Author: Thoreson Numismatics

Recently, I was invited to the U.S. Mint Numismatic forum in Washington D.C.   The event took place October 17, 2018 and only a select few of the Nations leading Numismatists and Dealers were invited.  These are my recommendation given to Mint officials that day.   Please follow me on Instagram at thoresonnumismatics

2018 Coin Recommendations By Troy Thoreson

Inspire youth with educational incentives.

Develop a system of educational credits that can be implemented in schools across the nation with coins being used as an incentive for study in areas like History and Social Science.

Start in elementary school and give coins and/or medals, along with educational credit towards grade scores and rewards for: reading, national competitions, homework completion, extra credit assignments, students who exceed State testing standards, and original research.

Finish the “America the Beautiful” series with 60 Coins.

My recommendation includes adding four more quarters to the series and ending the collection in December 2021. Adding these quarters in 2021 will therefore match all previous years that released five quarters, ending the series with 60 different coins. Concluding the set with 60 quarters will add symmetry to the collection.

My motivation to promote this idea is the Pinnacles National Park. Ironically, I volunteered to take a group of 8th graders to Nevada Falls in Yosemite. The previous year I had taken a group to Pinnacles National Park; which the students liked better. It was then that I realized a push was needed to get more national parks added to the list of quarters. Inspiration from our National Parks is easy to find across America and should be celebrated to the fullest.

Mint a Restrike of the 2009 Proof Silver Eagles.

Restrike a 2009 American Silver Eagle in proof condition in 2019 as a 10 year anniversary of the 2009 coin never struck. There is no public record of it ever being minted in proof condition. Restriking proof coin dates did happen in the 1800’s and restriking the 2009 Proof Silver Eagle is an interesting opportunity that should be explored. A very limited quantity of 50,000 is recommended. If a success, then please consider also producing a 2009-W and 2010-W special edition Unc Silver American Eagles. Adding these coins will make it possible to complete a year set of both these series and can play a big part in collector interest. Everyone wants to complete a set!

Only use Capital letters on coin legends.

Use standard capital letters when spelling out “United States of America” on a coin. Especially, the U in “United” should be a standard capital U and not any other letter configuration that can be confused with a lowercase letter.

Place coin dates only on obverse.

It is highly recommended that coin dates (the date a coin is minted) be located on the obverse of a coin, not the edge. This recommendation comes from email correspondence I had with David Bower in August of 2018. I have also personally experienced collector confusion with people believing they have an error coin without a date, not realizing the date is on the edge. For example, the Presidential dollars and Sacagawea dollars from 2009-date. The less confusion the easier is it to collect.

Publish mintage with coin sales information.

The serious coin collector and dealer wants transparent information, not only on how many coins were sold, but how many coins were minted along with the disposition of minted coins not sold. Currently, the best information given is perceived to be only how many units were sold. I believe overall sales will improve over time if more information is given as to these numbers.

Better define coin set ending sales date.

Collectors and dealers like to plan for the future. I believe sales of future coins are diminished when coins that do not sell out continue to be available on the U.S. Mint website in the next or future years. I recommend the Mint end all sales within the year of production.

Make coin set continuity and symmetry a priority.

A good symmetrical set also makes it possible to plan out a goal for collecting. And this is not to say you can not have special editions or create a rarity that may actually be good for a series, but ending a set with one coin for a particular year when all other years had five should be avoided. Example: “America the Beautiful” series with one quarter (instead of 5) in 2021 (see recommendation).

Creative Designs: Discourage building or portrait coin designs.

Discourage coin designs with portraits of people or buildings. It is much better to show objects in action. For example, instead of featuring a portrait of Mark Twain, reenact a scene of one of his stories. Susan B. Anthony, imagine a scene from the underground railroad. Inspire the youth of America with scenes of the actions that made people great.

Connect coin designs with the past.

Use coin designs to bridge generations from the past and future.

2052 – Tree Series: Celebrating 400 years of the first coins made in colonial America. 2052 Tree design series including the Willow, Oak, and Pine. Allow members of the public to mint a very limited production of the Willow Tree on an original old minting press by having the public experience the minting process.

2064 – 200 years of the first coin with the words ‘In God We Trust’. Heavy commemoratives running through the 200 year anniversary of the Civil War leading up to this coin being the last.

2069 – Space Series: Extra High Relief Apollo coins

The Future: Mint Quantum Solis coin for Generation Space. – In development – Consult with Troy Thoreson

RECOMMENDATIONS BY:
Troy Thoreson, Senior Numismatics and President
Thoreson Numismatics, an Auc Pro company, 118 West Main Street, Turlock, CA 95380 209.668.3682

I was reading an old reference book with many articles on coins when I read a piece on coin collecting and relaxation.   Here are my thoughts on the subject.

Our brains need a break from time to time, but in this day and age, who has time for a break, right?  Coins, with their ability to mentally transport us to other times and places, can give us a break from the complications of our modern world.

Take a mental vacation when looking at one of our new national park quarters.  The coins started in 2010 and include: Yosemite, Smokey Mountains, the Everglades, and many others.  Please help promote the addition of Pinnacles National Park quarter to the list. Pinnacles and at least three other parks were missed in the original authorization because they became a national park after the original authorization.  To complete this set, these four additional parks need to be added to this series, which ends in 2021.

The Standing Liberty Quarter, made from 1916 to 1930, the type two coin, features Liberty in armor with a shield for protection and an olive branch in hand. The entire design is a symbol of strength and peace.   The model for this quarter was a 5’4”, 22-year-old nurse who served with the Red Cross. Her friends called her the quarter girl; imagine she as the Wonder Woman of her time, and how exciting it must have been to be featured on the quarter.  Standing between favoring peace and preparing to defend our liberty, the actual model used for the Standing Liberty quarter is still up for debate, but I tend to lean toward the story of the young nurse, according to early accounts.

Struck down by lighting in the 1850’s, The Charter Oak is represented on the Connecticut state quarter.  How many times do we see this tree and never think of the trials and tribulations of our original colonists and the important role this Oak played in their struggles against royal interference.  The Charter Oak tree on the state quarter mirrors the tree designs of the coinage of the future American states minted in Massachusetts in the mid 1600s. The first coins featured Willow, Oak, and Pine trees and will forever live as part of the beginning history of America.

Please stop by the coin shop sometime and take a trip back into the past or enjoy coins for more insight into the present.

Special coins are timeless and the memories associated with them will last a lifetime.
Which coins have a high value?  Here are a few that surprised their owners after coming into our shop:

At the top of the list is a 1917 over 18 D, Buffalo nickel.  The coin value was $17,000.  This was a complete shock to the customer, and he used the money to travel with his family to Europe.  Most Buffalo nickels are not worth a high dollar value.  We sell common full date Buffalo Nickels in the shop for approximately 60 cents while a worn Buffalo sells for 18 cents.  This 1917/18-D Buffalo nickel was a rare treasure to find among an accumulation of coins.

Next is a 1908-S Twenty Dollar Gold coin that we paid over $10,000.  A high grade Saint-Gaudens piece made in 1908 San Francisco is scarce.  The client traveled over an hour to our shop because of a referral.   The highest offer was $1500 before his visit to my shop.  Current retail values on common coins is in the $1400 neighborhood, but needless to say, he left pleased with our offer.

I once received a call on two coins in a dresser drawer.  The customer chose not to spend the coins until getting them checked out.  One coin was a 1931-S valued at fifty dollars.   Most pre-1959 cents are common and sell just over three cents each.  It is rare to find rarities in accumulations, but there are exceptions, particularly accumulations gathered before the 1950’s.

Lastly, a client walked into our shop with a small bag of silver bars.  One of the bars was a 10oz bar of Platinum valued at over ten thousand dollars.   The customer was ecstatic. The lesson here is that Silver can mimic platinum, palladium, and rhodium.  It is imperative to look and read the hallmark to identify rare precious metal bars.

What is your special coin (s)?  A priceless sentimental coin or a valuable treasure? Regardless, do not clean your coins!   This includes dark and dingy coins!   Unless you want finger prints on your coins, try to avoid touching the obverse or reverse and only handle on the edge.  Keep coins stored as found and then seek professional help from a Numismatist.   A Guide Book of United States coins or the Red Book is a great reference for pricing or visit us today to have your coins evaluated.