WCT News

The Professional Numismatists Guild announced six 2026 PNG nexGen scholarships on April 7, 2026. The organization issued the news from Murietta, California. With support from eBay and the National Silver Dollar Roundtable, PNG will send six rising young numismatists to a week-long session of the American Numismatic Association’s 2026 Summer Seminar in Colorado.

Just as important, the annual scholarship program supports education, professional development, and integrity across the numismatic community. That mission sits at the center of PNG’s nexGen initiative.

PNG expands its investment in the next generation

PNG launched the nexGen program in 2023. Since then, the program has helped future coin dealers by connecting interested young adults with mentors. It also uses PNG resources to build relationships with numismatic organizations around the world.

This year, PNG increased the number of scholarships it awarded. eBay funded five scholarships, and the Na…

As the United States shifted its industrial might to the war effort, the Federal Government closely evaluated its supply of strategic materials. Copper, which the Mint used for cents and alloyed with silver and gold for other denominations, was diverted to military use in 1943.

Likewise, the government redirected nickel, used to strike the Jefferson five-cent coin, in the spring of 1942, and it remained absent from coinage until the war ended in 1945. Manufacturers relied on nickel to build the P-51 Mustang and the B-29 Superfortress. In addition, its anti-corrosive properties made it ideal for constructing Navy ships and amphibious landing craft.

The Search for a Replacement Metal

As a result of these shortages, the United States Mint began searching for a replacement for nickel. However, this effort raised a familiar issue that had already surfaced during the transition from the Liberty Head Nickel to the Indian Head (Buffalo) Nickel: the new metal ha…

By Pete Apple

Why This Study Still Matters

Studying feeder mechanism die damage patterns from the early 20th century to the present creates real challenges. Researchers still lack complete, detailed information on press types and feeder mechanisms. In addition, mints often used  several types simultaneously. Therefore, readers should treat the following examples as representative of the mechanism most likely responsible for a specific pattern of die damage.

Feeder mechanisms perform a precise job. They transport, align, and position coin planchets into the striking chamber of a coining press. Then they help eject the coin after striking. However, high-speed press operation creates stress. Wear, timing issues, part misalignments, and other mechanical failures can cause the mechanism to malfunction. When that happens, the mechanism can strike the dies, causing die damage.

In this article, I summarize findings from a broader exploratory study [1] of various…

A remarkable 1949 Kweichow Bamboo Dollar will cross the block in Stack’s Bowers’ April 13, 2026 Hong Kong Showcase Auction, Rarities Night, where it appears as Lot 40052 with an estimate of $700,000 to $1,000,000. The coin carries a PCGS EF-45 grade and belongs to the elusive square-framed window variety, a subtype that specialists rarely see in the marketplace.

CHINA. Kweichow. “Bamboo” Dollar, Year 38 (1949). Uncertain Mint, possibly Kweiyang. PCGS EF-45. A Landmark Rarity of Republican China

Collectors already rank the Kweichow Bamboo Dollar among the great rarities of Republican-era Chinese numismatics. This example adds another layer of importance. It represents the scarcer L&M-613 / K-758a / KM-Y-433a / WS-1113 variety, identified by the square-framed window on the pavilion, rather than the more often encountered round-window type. Stack’s Bowers states that this piece marks the first square-framed example the firm has offered.

The coin co…

1932-D Washington Quarter. Image: Stack’s Bowers.

By CoinWeek Notes …..

In the early 1930s, the United States suffered from a widespread economic depression that followed the 1929 stock market crash. The “Roaring Twenties” came to a grinding halt as millions of Americans found themselves out of work without prospects of finding a job.

The crisis was made worse by a series of severe agricultural disasters caused by land erosion and southern plains dust storms due to several years of drought combined with poor farming practices. Against this backdrop of human tragedy, the Treasury Department proposed to issue a coin to mark the 200th anniversary of George Washington’s birth.

Originally, the Treasury proposed to honor Washington with a commemorative half-dollar and held a design competition to find a suitable design. The contest rules stipulated that artists must base their designs on French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon’s…

Image: Stack’s Bowers / CoinWeek.

By  CoinWeek Notes …..

The Walking Liberty Half Dollar was struck from 1916 to 1947. It is a complex series, made difficult to complete by several factors, including the scarcity of dates from the first decade. For most collectors, the expense of completing a date or mint run puts the series out of reach.  But a run of late-date issues, made popular years ago by a Whitman coin album, gives collectors of all levels an approachable way to collect Adolph Weinman’s iconic coin.

The Short Set

The Walking Liberty Half Dollar Short Set, as it is known, comprises the 20 distinct circulation-strike issues produced between 1941 and 1947.  It encompasses all date and mint-mark combinations from the Philadelphia (no mint-mark), Denver (D), and San Francisco (S) mints. These are the final issues of the renowned Adolph A. Weinman design, widely celebrated as the most beautiful 50¢ coin ever struck by the United States Mint.…

1924-D Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle. Image: DLRC / CoinWeek.

By CoinWeek Notes

Why This Scarce Denver $20 Gold Coin Still Matters

The Denver Mint struck 3,049,500 1924-D Saint-Gaudens Double Eagles. Yet most examples never reached collectors. Instead, Treasury officials held much of the mintage in reserve, then melted large quantities in the late 1930s. Meanwhile, foreign banks absorbed many of the survivors. Later, collectors and dealers repatriated those coins after the federal government relaxed restrictions on private gold ownership. Because institutions handled these coins as bullion, not as collectibles, many survivors show bag marks, chatter, and other signs of rough contact.

David Akers got the story right

David W. Akers captured the date well in his 1982 reference United States Gold Coins: An Analysis of Auction Records, Volume VI: Double Eagles, 1849-1933. He wrote: “The 1924-D is a scarce date, similar overall to the 1908-S, 1909-D and 1926-S. However,…

Whitman Brands announced a landmark acquisition on April 2, 2026, in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The company now holds the rights to the celebrated works of Al C. Overton and Donald L. Parsley. As a result, Whitman has secured the future of Early Half Dollar Die Varieties 1794–1836, the definitive authority on the Capped Bust Half Dollar series.

For specialists in early American silver, this move matters. It protects one of the hobby’s most important research pillars. Just as important, it brings that scholarship under the umbrella of a company with deep roots in numismatic publishing, pricing data, and collector education.

This 1836 Capped Bust Half Dollar. Lettered Edge. Overton-116. 50/00. Rarity-2. Lettered Edge. Mint State-65 (PCGS). Why the Overton-Parsley Reference Matters

For more than half a century, Overton numbers have served as the universal language for collectors of early American silver. Collectors, dealers, and researchers rely on that sys…

Dahlonega Mint Gold Coins

Southern gold coins combine history, scarcity, and real collecting appeal. As a result, they have become one of the most popular segments of United States coinage. In recent years, auction results for attractive circulated pieces have surged. In many cases, prices have more than doubled. Even problem coins now bring strong money because collectors see fewer of them at shows and in dealer inventories.

Years ago, collectors could walk a major convention floor and find several Southern gold coins with little trouble. Today, that task looks much harder. Supply has tightened. Meanwhile, demand has strengthened. That combination has pushed Southern gold coins into one of the strongest-performing corners of the rare-coin market in recent memory.

America’s first gold rush began in North Carolina

Many people still connect America’s first major gold story to California in 1848. However, the first significant discovery came much earlier in North …

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, National Coin Week 2026 invites Americans to experience history through the coins and currency they use every day. This annual celebration runs April 19–25 and highlights the powerful role money plays in telling the nation’s story.

Organized by the American Numismatic Association (ANA), the event combines education, history, and accessibility. It encourages collectors and newcomers alike to look at everyday money with a fresh perspective.

A 250-Year Story Told Through Coins

This year’s theme, “Striking Independence: 250 Years of American Numismatics,” connects the founding of the United States to the coins and paper money that followed.

Importantly, the United States Mint will release special dual-dated 1776–2026 coins into circulation. These include dimes, quarters, and half dollars. As a result, millions of Americans will encounter this historic milestone in their daily change.

Coins have al…