Scientists have sniffed out the reason for the musty, metallic odor you smell after handling money. Apparently it’s not the coins we’re smelling at all, but the reaction of our perspiration with the coins.
Susan provides an excellent writeup of how to choose a good local dealer. I wrote my own ideas about finding a dealer, but I failed to include the PNG Dealer directory, which she mentions and can be an excellent (though limited) resource. We’re both hesitant to recommend the yellow pages because there’s such a small barrier to entry and there are a lot of dishonest people who may try to take advantage of you.
It’s worth spending time searching for a dealer you can trust. Collectors often create friendships with coin dealers that last a lifetime, and that’s an extremely valuable relationship for a collector. Having one bad experience with a dealer can turn people off from the hobby too, so it’s important to find someone who will treat you and your collection with the utmost of fairness and honesty.
I received an e-mail from Loren informing me of a new web site he launched at washingtondollarerrors.com. You can probably guess what it’s about, but I’ll tell you anyway.
He’s compiling all the information about the new Washington dollar error coins in one location, providing a useful reference for anyone who wants to learn more about the various errors that can be found among the new dollar coins.
If you’re interested in the new dollar coin errors, this is an excellent resource to learn more about them.
What Mint facilities other than Philadelphia struck 1978 cents without mint marks?
Who was the Mint Director at the time of the 1974 Fort Knox gold inspection?
What type of new British coinage system was implemented in 1971?
Ed Moy is the first Asian American to be a director of a US Mint, and he couldn’t be happier. He was inspired by the shiny coins he encountered as a cashier at his family’s Wisconsin restaurant and began collecting them and never stopped.
Moy declares
Isn't this country amazing. I'm the son of Chinese immigrants who ran a restaurant in the Midwest. Now I oversee the government agency that made those coins we earned and that fascinated me. Where else but in America can a kid like me, working in his parent's restaurant, get the opportunity to one day run a critical government agency?
Original article.