Here’s a video showing the launch of the new Canadian $50 note.

In fact all Canadian notes will be polymer by the end of 2013. The $20 polymer note will be issued later this year, and the $10 and $5 notes will be released by the end of 2013.

I expect the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) to follow Canada’s lead within 10 years.

Here is a video of the new Canadian $100 bill which is made out of polymer. I guess that we can’t call it “paper money” any more!

It’s available online here: http://shorenewstoday.com/snt/nls/

From cowry shells thousands of years ago, to the steam coin press and the first coins and paper money, to today’s plastic cards, polymer notes, RFIDs and PayPal, the transformation of money has been fascinating.

ACNS club members and student volunteers took over the Oakcrest High School library on April 19 and set up educational exhibits and displays filled with actual coins that students could see and touch.

Students came through two or three history classes at a time and every student was given a 1943 steel cent plus a choice of an Indian cent, Buffalo nickel, or a Liberty V nickel, plus four foreign coins or a foreign currency.

Thanks to generous donations from the Littleton Coin Company, Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS), the U.S. Mint and the American Numismatic Association (ANA), students got many other free items including PCGS certified coins, blank one cent coin planchets, Red books, coin albums, and other items from the U.S. Mint.

All-in-all ACNS gave away thousands of coins, including three U.S. Silver Eagles to the winners of an essay contest on Numismatics and a worn “mystery coin with a large cross on it” that was given to student Mike Giovino after he correctly identified it as a Spanish “piece of 8.”

Some of the highlights of the exhibits included rare colonial currency, silver, gold and platinum coins, coins dies and a new $100 Canadian note made of synthetic polymer. Other educational exhibits included Early Money in America, America’s Ever-Changing Money, Coins of the Olympiads, Benjamin Franklin: A Man for All Times, Spades, Knives & Cash: The History of Chinese Coinage, Money in Early America, Money Makes the World Go Round, Victory at All Costs: Money of World War II.

Prior to the start of the club in 2007 by Jason O’Grady, collectors from Atlantic County had to drive over an hour to attend a coin club meeting. Now, the ACNS gets regularly gets 40 to 50 members at its monthly meeting at the Linwood Library.

“The hobby of Numismatics includes many things, including coins, tokens, medals, paper currency and even casino chips. Because of our proximity to the beach we’ve even got our own Special Interest Group of metal detectorists that comb area beaches for lost treasures. The hobby really runs the gamut.”
- Jason O’Grady, ACNS Founder and President.

Metal detecting is gaining in popularity with the historically high prices of precious metals and a large hoard of coin were recently discovered south of Ocean City including gold and silver coins and 8 Reales from Lima, Peru dating back to 1787.

ACNS recently hosted a free metal detecting seminar lead by a leading expert inthe field and sponsored a 10-week adult evening course on Numismatics at Ocean City High School in 2010.

The club challenges other local coin clubs to host similar coin-related events at local schools and libraries. The U.S. Mint’s new National Parks quarters and the historically high prices of precious metals provide the perfect storm to attract new members to their clubs and The Hobby of Kings: Numismatics.

ANCS was named as “Coin Club of the Year” in 2010 by the Garden State Numismatic Association (GSNA) and celebrated its Fifth Anniversary on April 21. The club meets on the first Wednesday of each month at the Linwood Library and more information, including a list of “Pocket Goodies,” are availble on the ACNS Web site: http://www.accoins.org/

Educators that are interested in learning more should contact Bill Klusaritz at bill_klusaritz@yahoo.com, or 609-398-4486.

LINKS

ACNS Web site:

http://www.acccoins.org/

ACNS Photo Gallery:

http://www.accoins.org/blog/2012/04/19/gallery-acns-ncw-event-at-oakcrest-high-school/

National Coin Week:

http://www.money.org/events/national-coin-week

Press of Atlantic City article:

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/communities/hamilton/atlantic-county-coin-collectors-visit-oakcrest-high-school-to-recruit/article_29cdf938-8b4a-11e1-8e4e-001a4bcf887a.html

Press of Atlantic City photo gallery:

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/gallery/news/oakcrest-high-school-coin-show/collection_b775150a-8a46-11e1-a38c-001a4bcf887a.html

ACNS is nationally recognized by the American Numismatic Association (ANA) as the coin club of record for Atlantic County and was selected as Coin Club of the Year in 2010 by the Garden State Numismatic Association (GSNA). ACNS is commemorating its Fifth Anniversary on Thursday, April 19 at Oakcrest High School to coincide with National Coin Week.

ACNS PRESENTS: National Coin Week “Change In Money: Cowries to Credit Cards” at Oakcrest High School Library in Mays Landing, New Jersey on Thursday, April 19, 2012 from 10:00 a.m. to  3:30 p.m. The day-long program for students will feature a series of exhibits about the history of money and several expert Numismatists will be on hand displaying coins spanning two centuries.

Students will get the opportunity to see and touch coins like Civil War two cent pieces, early 1800’s large copper cents, old silver dollars, Greek and Roman coins, Colonial era items, old large size currency, and much more. Students will receive tickets redeemable for a 1943 steel cent, Indian head cent, Buffalo nickel, foreign coin, token, Coin World magazine, shredded currency, coin books, coin albums, coin supplies, and more. There will also be numerous free items and handouts for students. ACNS is planning on extending the exhibit to other interested schools with a possible public display to follow.

Money has gone through some amazing changes in its history. Where we exchanged cowry shells for goods and services thousands of years ago, today we swipe a plastic card or use PayPal. From the first coins and paper money to the steam coin press and polymer notes, the transformation of money is a very fascinating journey.

Exhibits include:

• Early Money in America – The First “Money” in America. Featuring coins that circulated in early America and paper money of the original 13 Colonies and the Continental Congress.
• America’s Ever-Changing Money — Pre-Civil War Money (1791-1860), Money and Tokens of the Civil War (1861-1865), Money After the Civil War and before the Federal Reserve (1865-1913), Money after the Federal Reserve System’s founding in 1913.
• Coins of the Olympiads — Learn all about the coins of ancient Greece and the role they played in the ancient Olympic Games.
• Benjamin Franklin: A Man for All Times — America’s original jack of all trades has certainly shown up on his share of currency and medals, but he also came up with some of the original themes, slogans and designs on early American money.
• Spades, Knives & Cash: The History of Chinese Coinage — The history of money in China can be traced as far back as the 2nd millenium, B.C. Take a trip through the ages to see how Chinese currency evolved over the centuries.
• Money in Early America — What did explorers use for currency in the New World? Wampum, beaver pelts and foreign currency.
• Money Makes the World Go Round — It’s one of the few things common to all modern nations — it allows societies to function while reflecting history, aspirations and culture.
• Victory at All Costs: Money of World War II — The impact of the Second Great War on world currencies was tremendous. In the United States, shortages and copper and fears of paper currency falling into enemy hands gave rise to the Steel Cent and Hawaii overprint notes.

Links:

• http://www.accoins.org/
• http://www.money.org/
• http://www.gsna.org/

For those interested in Casino chips, the following is the meeting schedule for the Atlantic City Casino Collectors Club:

• Sunday, March 18, 2012
• Sunday, May 6, 2012
• Sunday, September 16, 2012
• Sunday, November 18, 2012

It’s a great club, it only costs $10/annually to join and you can have a table at each of their meetings!

Please reach to fellow members and/or the ACNS-Discuss list if you plan to attend.

The U.S. Mint’s highly-anticipated American Eagle 25th Anniversary Silver Coin Set went on sale at the Mint Web site (http://catalog.usmint.gov/) and by calling 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468) on Wednesday, October 27th at 12noon.

The sets were offered for $299.95 with a limit of five per household. There was a production limit of 100,000 sets (compared to the 250,000 of the 2006 sets) and two coins from it are certain to be keys of the entire series:

• The reverse proof coin, and
• The “S” Mint burnished version from the San Francisco Mint

The sets sold out very quickly — 4.5 hours according to the Mint — and those that got through had to endure hours of delays and error messages.

Recommended reading on the topic:

• Nov. 11, 2011 – Grading Service Guidelines and Clarification on Bullion Coin in 25th Anniversary Silver Eagle Sets. Louis Golino, Coin Week
• Nov. 8, 2011 – Update on 25th Anniversary Silver Eagle Sets. Louis Golino, Coin Week
• Oct. 28, 2011 – 25th Anniversary Silver Eagle Sets Sell Out in 4 ½ Hours Amid Widespread Ordering Problems. Louis Golino, Coin Week

Treasure Under Your Feet – A Metal Detecting Workshop by Ray Williams

Immediate Past President of Colonial Coin Collectors Club (C4) Ray Williams will be giving a special presentation on Metal Detecting called “Treasure Under Your Feet” on Wednesday, October 19, 2011 in Galloway Township, NJ.

After Ray’s presentation he’ll answer your questions on metal detecting. If you own a metal detector or have treasures that you’ve found – bring them to this hands-on workshop. If you’re interested in learning more about this exciting hobby, bring your questions.

In this session you’ll learn how a metal detector works, how to discriminate between treasure and trash, and how to save your digging for when it’s actually worthwhile. Ray will also demonstrate how various items sound when your detector gets a “hit” and provide helpful tips at how best to excavate your treasure.

THIS IS AN EXCELLENT PRESENTATION THAT YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS!

ACNS is conveniently located less than five miles away from numerous popular beach destinations — all ripe for detecting after a busy summer tourist season and the wrath of hurricane Irene. There’s never been a better time to pick up the hobby of metal detecting — and with metal prices at historical highs, the “treasure under you’re feet” can be truly valuable.

Ray’s Metal Detecting presentation at the Whitman Expo in Philadelphia was excellent and inspiring. I posted a small photo gallery from it here.

This special presentation is being held at the ACNS satellite location at the Galloway Township Library. The address is:

GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP BRANCH: Atlantic County Library System
306 East Jimmie Leeds Road
Galloway, NJ 08205-4109
(609) 652-2352 (library information only)
(609) 412-1490 (coin club questions)

Follow Garden State Parkway to the Atlantic City Rest Area exit (mile marker 41.4) and follow to Jimmie Leeds Road ramp. Make a Right at the light and follow Jimmie Leeds Road about 1.7 miles until you see the complex on your right. We’ll be in the large meeting room on your left as you enter the Library.

Read Ray’s interview in the April 2010 issue of Collector’s Weekly.

The Atlantic County Numismatic Society (ACNS) is the coin club of record in Atlantic County, New Jersey that meets on the first Wednesday of the month in Linwood. ACNS a member of American Numismatic Association (ANA) and the Garden State Numismatic Association (GSNA) Coin Club of the Year for 2010. More information is posted on the club’s Website at www.accoins.org.

I first saw this on Twitter:

Here’s the full story (via Dow Jones):

SEOUL, Aug 01, 2011 (Dow Jones Commodities News Select via Comtex) –

The Bank of Korea said Tuesday it increased the amount of gold held as part of the country’s foreign exchange reserves for the first time in 13 years, diversifying its portfolio away from the dollar and toward an investment class widely considered a safer bet during crises.

The central bank bought 25 metric tons of gold from the global market between June and July, bringing its total goldreserves to 39.4 tons as of the end of July, the BOK said in a statement.

“The gold purchase, as a safety net, will help us cope with volatile global financial markets and enhance investor confidence in Korea in times of crises,” Hong Taeg-ki, chief of the BOK’s reserve management group, told Dow Jones Newswires. He declined to comment whether the BOK will continue with its gold purchases.

This is the first time the BOK has resumed buying the precious metal since the central bank purchased gold from Koreans during the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis, when Korean individuals took their personal gold out of their dressers as part of a public gold-raising campaign to help the country out of the crisis.

Central banks around the world have gained renewed interest in having gold as part of their monetary reserves after the 2007-2008 global financial crisis, and gold prices have soared on rising demand.

Prices of gold in the spot market rose to a record $1,632.74 a troy ounce Friday amid sovereign debt concerns in the U.S. and Europe. Gold prices fell only a tad even after the U.S. announced a debt deal Sunday.

European central banks, big sellers of gold just a few years earlier, have all since stopped offloading the metal. India and Sri Lanka were among major buyers when the International Monetary Fund sold gold last year. China, which has the world’s biggest foreign reserves, has been increasing its gold holdings, though its purchases have been mainly from domestic producers.

Citing World Gold Council data, the BOK said the country likely rank 45th in gold holdings with its 39.4 tons–rising 11 notches because of its recent purchase.

BOK’s gold holdings, at market prices, account for 0.7% of its reserves, up from 0.2% prior to the purchase.

The BOK said Korea’s reserves rose for the first time in three months to a record high of $311.03 billion at the end of July.

-By In-Soo Nam, Dow Jones Newswires; 822-3700-1902; In-Soo.Nam@dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

08-01-11 1700ET