Stack's Capital City Sale Holds Some Surprises

Amidst all the seminal John J. Ford, Jr. collection auctions, Stack's continues to offer sales of quality numismatic items for all kinds of collectors. The Capital City Sale, offers a vast array of U.S. paper money, including Fractional Currency, Federal Currency, Obsolete bank notes, Continental Currency, Colonial Currency, Bank of the United States paper money, American Bank Note Company plates, cylinders, vignettes and seals, plus hidden way at the back of the catalog, a nice very nice selection of U.S. coins with a few standout items.

In this U.S. coin section, which will be closing later this evening, there are several lots, which caught our attention, and which we thought should be brought to your attention. The first is an excellent example of the key date 1811 Half Cent. This coin grades EF-40 and has a bold and attractive appearance. Most Early American Copper collectors have to be satisfied with lower grade and less attractive examples of the 1811 Half Cent, but today you all have a chance to upgrade in style. Current bid as this posting is $3350, check it out online at Stack's, the lot number is 1662.

The second and third items of extra interest are both grade rarities of accessible dates. Lot 1724 offers a 1923 S Buffalo Nickel graded MS-65. It's a good strike and has the peripheral yellow toning common to coin album storage of the day. Current bid rests at $8250 as of this posting time. Washington Quarters have experienced a nice renaissance of late possibly due to some new collectors advancing from State Quarters. Lot 1798 showcases a stunning MS-65 example of the most sought after date of the type; the 1932 D. It's an exceptional piece and should draw its share of attention. Currently the bid is at $9767 while I write this posting.

The last item we'll bring to your attention is a stunning Liberty Seated Half Dollar, 1868 Proof-65. A nice original gem from a small mintage of 600 pieces. Take a look at it in lot 1834 online at Stack's and consider bumping the current bid of $6302, if is the right item to build your collection.

UBS Adjusts Gold Forecast

As reported in Reuters today, two major factors contributed to today’s raising of the UBS 2008 and 2009 gold price forecasts. UBS noted that increased demand for gold in the jewelry trade even in the face of rising prices, along with an expectation of increased demand for gold as a speculative investment, indicate that the market has settled in to current price levels. With the comfort level raised, the floor seems more solid, making only smaller adjustments likely for the foreseeable future.

The previous UBS forecast called for $650 gold in 2008 and $550 gold in 2009. The new forecasts are for $760 gold in 2008 and $700 gold in 2009, indicating a higher fallback benchmark over the two-year period.

This added confidence in the reliability of gold as a long-term investment, in addition to the general attitude of gold as an inflation hedge, should invigorate those already looking at, or participating in this precious metals market.

Sputnik Reality

Have you been watching the Sputnik coin orbit around the earth over the top of my Blog for the last few weeks? All that spinning overhead got my mind stirred up, so I clicked on the link to find out more. This Wednesday an orbital Sputnik coin will be released from Cook Islands. Produced by the Perth Mint, the coin honors the 50th Anniversary of the launching of the Russian satellite Sputnik. This event and what led to it is the subject of a fascinating article appearing this week on FOX News. Seems coincidence and genius both had a hand in launching mankind into space and solidifying the U.S and U.S.S.R. on a 40 plus year Cold War. Boris Chertok's new book Rockets and People, along with his interviews with the AP provide more indepth reading on the dawn of Soviet space exploration. But just as Sputnik created a huge societal stir, the Sputnik Anniversary coin is causing quite a little bit of stir among my fellow numismatists.

Often times the collectors here in Iola pooh-pooh new innovations as gimmicky and dismiss them as trendy objects destined for numismatic oblivion. This coin, however, seems to be garnering more interest from the staff. I'm not sure if it is the motion that transfixes them, the space theme, which ignites their imagination, or the history that catches their attention. In any case, they are interested and that made me curious enough to check it out.

In searching over the Perth Mint information page for the Sputnik coin several things jumped out. The first thing I noticed was that this coin is coated with a water-resistant finish, rather than being contained in a capsule. Perth Mint did this so that you can actually handle the coin and orbit Sputnik around the earth, making this one of the most interactive and yet quality contained new issues I have ever seen. It is struck in silver, one ounce with fineness of .999, but of course there are other elements there as well. The moon and earth orbital system is color and the moon overlaps the silver legend. The clear coating allows the moon to orbit without damaging the silver legend, which is good since the coin costs about $72.50. Packaging is also essential to this product, as there is an elliptical shaped case and special box displaying great graphics.

Sputnik is the first in a proposed run of five space coins in the Orbit and Beyond series. The next coin to be released will commemorate the 35th anniversary of the first Moon Walk by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, through NASA. This coin is to exhibit a Dynamic Imaging feature, which should also be new to numismatics.