Coin News

The results are in, and the margin was razor-thin.

Collectors and readers of CoinWeek and other leading numismatic publications have selected Jeffrey Briggs as the winner of the MEDALS250 competition. His medal, Young Benjamin Franklin, earned the top prize of $500 in a closely contested vote.

Jeffrey Briggs wins the MEDALS250 competition with his Young Benjamin Franklin medal. A Fresh Take on Franklin Captures Top Honors

Briggs’ winning design delivers both historical depth and artistic clarity. He based the obverse on a familiar but powerful image.

Specifically, Briggs interprets the younger portrait of Benjamin Franklin that appears on the $100 bill. That portrait traces back to a 1785 painting by Joseph-Siffred Duplessis.

Around Franklin’s likeness, Briggs includes one of the most enduring quotes in American history:

“A REPUBLIC, MADAM, IF YOU CAN KEEP IT.”

This phrase, attributed to Franklin at the close of the Constitutional Co…

A Historic Run Meets Reality

Gold entered 2026 on a remarkable streak. However, that momentum has started to fade.

At the start of 2025, gold traded near $2,625 per ounce. By early 2026, it surged to $4,319. That marks a staggering 65% gain in just one year. For a traditionally stable safe-haven asset, that kind of move is extraordinary.

Yet, rapid gains often lead to sharp corrections.

According to analysts at Heraeus, gold reached an extreme technical condition at the end of January. The daily Relative Strength Index (RSI) climbed to 93. That level signals that the market was heavily overbought.

As a result, a pullback was not only possible, it was expected.

Why Gold Isn’t Reacting to Global Tensions

Normally, geopolitical instability supports gold prices. However, that pattern has recently broken.

Even as tensions in the Middle East continue, gold has failed to attract strong buying interest. Instead, prices have retreated…

Stack’s Bowers Galleries has launched one of the most important Scandinavian coin sales in recent years. The March 2026 L. E. Bruun Collection , A Corpus of Scandinavian Numismatics, Part IV auction features more than 500 certified coins, tokens, and medals.

Even more compelling, bidding is already underway. Session 1 closes on March 24, while Session 2 concludes on March 25.

Norway (1661) 10 Ducat – Fort Aggershus – L.E. Bruun Collection A Potential $1 Million Norwegian Rarity Headlines the Sale

At the center of the auction stands an extraordinary coin. The Norway (1661) 10 Ducat – Fort Aggershus, graded NGC AU Details (Session 2, lot 18103), carries an estimate of €600,000 to €800,000 (about $699,000 to $932,000).

However, its importance goes far beyond price.

Experts believe this coin is unique in private hands. Only two other examples exist. The Danish government holds one, while a Norwegian university preserves the other.

A Coin Tha…

A n Abolition Medal That Captures a Turning Point in History

History rarely fits into a single object. Yet this remarkable Danish bronze medal does exactly that.

Struck in Copenhagen in 1792, the medal commemorates a royal decree issued under King Christian VII. That decree marked a global first. Denmark became the first nation to ban the transatlantic slave trade.

Abolition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade Bronze Medal, 1792. Copenhagen. Christian VII. NGC MS-62 Brown.

Now, more than two centuries later, this powerful artifact returns to the spotlight. It will appear as Lot 18244 in the March 25, 2026 sale of the L. E. Bruun Collection, Part IV – Session 2, presented by Stack’s Bowers Galleries.

Artistry Meets Historical Weight

At first glance, the medal impresses with its size. It measures 55 millimeters in diameter. However, its artistic execution tells the deeper story.

Italian-born engraver Pietro Leonardo Gianelli brought the design to life.…

A Discovery That Rewrites What We Know

Every so often, a coin surfaces that forces collectors to rethink what is possible. This newly documented 1963 Franklin Half Dollar does exactly that. It was struck on a 75% silver, 25% copper planchet and weighs 12.60 grams, a composition that does not match standard U.S. Mint specifications.

Unique Franklin Half Dollar on Wrong Planchet – Likely an Experimental Test Piece

Even more compelling, the piece has been authenticated and certified by NGC as a mint error. Yet, the evidence suggests something far more significant. This coin may not simply be an error. Instead, it likely represents an experimental test strike tied to one of the most important transitions in U.S. coinage history.

The Crisis That Changed American Coinage

To understand this coin, we must return to the early 1960s.

By 1963, the United States faced a growing silver shortage. Government data revealed a deficit of 209 million ounces of silver…

By Vic Bozarth for PCGS ……

The Panama-Pacific Exposition ranked among the largest and most popular world fairs, drawing millions of visitors over several months. Earlier expositions had taken place in the western United States, including the 1905 Lewis and Clark Expo in Portland, Oregon, but no world’s fairs had occurred west of St. Louis. Organizers did not consider the Lewis and Clark Exposition a true world’s fair.

The West Wants a World’s Fair

The 1906 earthquake devastated San Francisco, but nearly a decade later, the city sought to showcase its revival and growth after the region recovered. World’s fairs resemble large circuses that stay in one place, but they require far more complex logistics and financing. Organizers typically keep these events open to the public for months, while construction takes several years beforehand and demolition can require another year afterward.

…

2026 National Money Show Exhibit Award Winners

The American Numismatic Association (ANA) has announced the winners of the 2026 National Money Show® exhibit awards, recognizing excellence in numismatic research, presentation, and storytelling.

Officials revealed the results during the Exhibits Awards Presentation & Reception on Saturday, February 28, at the Savannah Convention. In total, 26 competitive exhibit awards were presented, highlighting the depth and diversity of today’s numismatic scholarship.

Best-of-Show Honors Go to Michael Kodysz

Leading the competition, Michael Kodysz earned the prestigious Steven J. D’Ippolito Award for Excellence in Numismatic Exhibiting (Best of Show). His winning exhibit, “Zeppelins and the Great War: A Medallic History of German Military Airships in World War I,” stood out for its originality and historical depth.

Meanwhile, Michael Shutterly secured second place with “National Personifications in Numismatics.” Sim…

Gold and Silver Prices Drop – A Sudden Shift in Momentum

Gold and silver markets turned sharply lower on Thursday. Prices fell hard in early U.S. trading and reached their lowest levels in six weeks.

April gold futures dropped $296.30 to $4,600.30. Meanwhile, May silver futures declined $8.29 to $69.26.

This sharp sell-off reflects a sudden change in investor sentiment. Only weeks ago, both metals traded near record highs. Now, traders are repositioning quickly as macroeconomic risks rise.

From Record Highs to Rapid Losses

The reversal has been dramatic.

Gold futures now sit more than $900 below their late-January record high. Silver has dropped over $50 from its peak during the same period.

At the same time, copper has lost momentum. After reaching an all-time high earlier this year, copper prices have fallen more than 9% this month.

Clearly, the broader metals complex faces mounting pressure.

War in the Middle East Drives…

A legendary rarity has surfaced, and collectors are paying attention.

One of the greatest U.S. coin errors ever discovered, the 1887 Morgan Silver Dollar double struck 25% off-center, has made its first auction appearance at GreatCollections.

Mint Error 1887 Morgan Silver Dollar Double Struck 2nd Strike 25% Off Center NGC MS-61 (Ex. Fred Weinberg)

Even more impressive, this extraordinary piece comes directly from the personal collection of famed error specialist Fred Weinberg, where it remained for nearly half a century.

One of the Greatest U.S. Coin Errors Known

This coin is not just rare. It is elite.

The 1887 Morgan Dollar ranks No. 6 in the book 100 Greatest U.S. Error Coins. That makes it the highest-ranked Morgan Dollar error on the list.

Experts agree on its importance. Weinberg himself handled many of the greatest U.S. errors during his career. Yet he singled this coin out.

He described it as one of the very best he had ever seen. H…

Few coins capture the imagination of collectors like the 1870-S Three Dollar Gold piece. It stands as one of the greatest rarities in American numismatics. More importantly, it combines mystery, provenance, and history in a way few coins can match.

This guide delivers the definitive, fact-checked reference for collectors and researchers.

PCGS- Trueview image of Unique 1870-S Three Dollar Gold A Coin Born for a Ceremony

On May 25, 1870, officials laid the cornerstone of the second San Francisco Mint during a widely reported Masonic ceremony. Mint officials prepared a copper casket filled with all coins stuck at the Mint in 1870 in addition to artifacts. Among them, supposedly, was a specially struck 1870-S $3 gold coin.

This piece did not come from regular production. In fact, the San Francisco Mint had not struck $3 gold coins since 1860, and never would again.

Therefore, this issue exists outside the normal series.

How the Coin Was Made

In…