Tobacco and Advertising Labels that Even a Coin Collector Would Like

Collecting advertisements/ tobacco labels is a lot like collecting coins and paper money. Usually it is the design or subject matter that interests a collector. Some labels have animals, scenery and many other subjects. But what can intrigue a coin collector, mainly me, towards collecting advertising labels?

Well there are many different things that can intrigue a coin collector when it comes to label collecting. There are a lot of subject you see on a coin that are also on labels. And just like coins, there are labels that are cheap and there are labels that are expensive. And just like coins, these labels have their own grading standards and of course a third party grading service.

But back to the subject on coins and labels. What can bind these two subjects together? Well the thing that intrigues me the most on coins is how Liberty is perceived. Read more »

Gary’s June Coin of the Month

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Featured in this month’s edition (Volume 2 Number 10) of “The Coin of the Month” is an NGC MS-65, 1903 Danish 2 Kroner coin (KM-802) commemorating the 40th anniversary of the reign of Christian IX. This coin is 31 mm in diameter and weighs 15 grams with a mintage of 103,392. It has a silver fineness of .8000 and an actual silver weight of .3858 oz.

The obverse of this coin features a right facing bust of Christian IX, King of Denmark. The dates of his reign, 15 November 1863 to 1903 appear around the inner circumference of the coin. Underneath the left portion of Christian IX’s bust is the coins date of 1903 and a heart signifying that it was minted in Copenhagen. The initial P to the right of the date represents mint master Vilhelm Buchard Poulsen and the initials GJ underneath the right portion of Christian IX’s bust represent this coins engraver, Knud Gunnar Jensen.
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Blown Glass

Blown Glass

blowing-the-glassBlown glass is the result of using a blow tube to melt and reform pieces of glass into various shapes. There are kits out there to choose from that feature all of the basic tools you will need in order to get started. You will also be able to pick up specialty tools along the way as your skills develop and become more complex. Many people learn to blow glass from taking classes. This is a skill that you will need to dedicate quite a bit of time to in order to master it though.

Blown glass is very beautiful and many people are willing to pay high prices for the small collectibles. They may have a common theme of them that they buy or just anything that is in the form of blown glass. The details of these amazing works of art really get the attention of people. It does take quite a bit of time to blow glass though and each piece is hand made. There aren’t any factories out there what these collectibles are mass produced. That accounts for a great deal of the reasoning behind the heft price tags attached to them. Read more »

My First Hobo Nickel (Gift From Pedro Villarrubia & Wife)

Pedro Villarrubia At Work When I get on the site (everyday) I do many things. From advertising CU to researching for posts on CU. But I also try to get myself involved into what goes on in groups created by people and members on Facebook. One of those groups I recently started participating a little more is the OHNS group or “Original Hobo Nickel Society”. Ever since Ron and Pedro joined CU and I got to see some of their art work done on buffalo nickels, I have had a curiosity towards how they are done, why they are done and wonder what they look like in hand amongst other things. Read more »

Happy Mothers Day, A Numismatic Tribute to Motherhood

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Gary’s May coin of the month features a 2008 Latvian 20-Lats gold coin commemorating the 15th anniversary of the renewal of the Lats currency following Latvian independence from the old Soviet Union.

Though this coin commemorates Latvian Independence, it also celebrates motherhood by utilizing a 1922 design conceived by sculptor Teodors Zalkalns, but never used. Additionally, this coin has the distinction of being named the Coin of the Year in 2010 by Krause Publications. Krause Publications is a leading publisher of several numismatic books and periodicals.
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My day at the Central States Numismatic Society Show

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A wonderful day with my with my wife culminated with the addition of an 1834 Bust Dime to my 7070 type set.
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Silversmiths, Rehearse Assayers and Method.

Isabel II One of the things that intrigues us, our attention and we like of numismatics is undoubtedly marks and the initials of the assayers. Here, we will try to briefly explain methods from the Middle Ages to Isabel II the steps taken regarding the testers and test method.

The currency reform in Castile operated by new Catholic monarchs had begun two decades earlier, through the creation of a new piece of gold, excellent, and with the emergence of new silver cast real name Fernando now and Isabel, whose word was regulated by an Ordinance of 1475 which was sent to the mints of Toledo and Seville. But it was in 1497 when the Catholic Kings finalizing the necessary process of change in Spanish to issue coinage in the city of Medina del Campo a famous Pragmatic June 13.

The new monetary system that suited the then-current patterns in Europe and was integrated
by the new coins in all three metals were: The Great pomegranate (in gold), El Real (silver) and White (fleece currency). Read more »