Coins and Context – THE INDIAN HEAD CENTS

After a short two years of minting the first small cents, the ones with the well-known flying eagles, James B. Longacre was called upon to come up with a new design that would hopefully mitigate the production issues: weak strikes, fast wearing dies, and over-stressed coin presses.

Coins and Context -- THE FLYING EAGLE CENTS

When collectors of US coins are asked to identify the most beautiful coins in their collections, they usually include the Flying Eagle Cents of 1857–1858 near the top of their lists. With only two years of regular production, a complete set is attainable in decent condition at a reasonable cost.

A Brief Introduction to Coin Collecting

Have you ever walked by our store and wondered what a "Coin Gallery" might be?  London Coin Galleries started here 38 years ago to serve local coin collectors. So now you may be wondering what coin collecting is all about.  Want an introduction?  Read on...

The Vienna Philharmonic

The one troy ounce pure gold bullion coin of Austria is known as the “Vienna Philharmonic” – after the famous symphony orchestra of the same name. Fittingly, the coin features a stunning presentation of musical instruments including a cello with four violins, a harp, bassoon and Vienna horn. Not to be outdone, the other side of the coin is dominated by an image of the massive pipe organ of the Vienna Musikverein (Opera House.)

The first year of issue was 1989. At first, the gold Philharmonic was issued in one ounce and one quarter ounce sizes only. Two years later the one tenth ounce coin was introduced, and then in 1994 the half ounce coin as well. In 2014, the 25th Anniversary of the gold Philharmonic coin, a tiny one twenty-fifth ounce coin was struck with a face value of four Euros
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The opposite of tiny is… HUGE. That is how we’d describe the gold Philharmonic coin struck for the fifteenth anniversary of the coin in 2004. Weighing in at a hefty 1000 kilograms, this coin is also known as Big Phil. It’s more than 14 inches in diameter and nearly an inch thick!

Buffalo Nickels (1913-1938)

The Indian nickel, more popularly known as the "Buffalo" nickel, replaced the Liberty Head nickel in 1913. There are 2 so-called "Types" of Buffalo nickels.

What Ever Happened To Half Dollars?

We give out a lot of change at London Coin Galleries Mission Viejo. And, as we are a coin store, we try to make that change interesting if we can. Two dollar bills, Presidential Dollars, and half dollars of the non-silver variety, can appear in your change whenever available. Interestingly, the half dollar is the least familiar coin to many...

13 Scary Stories Represented with Jewelry Pieces

1.) An Eggcelent Beach Day A woman sunbathing on a warm beach feels something on her cheek. Little did she know, a spider was crawling on her. She brushes at her face and the sensation subsides. Unfortunately, that night a large boil begins growing on her face. Fearful, she heads to the doctor who pops the wound and hundreds of baby spiders...

The Gold Bullion Series: Pt 2 Gold Canadian Maple Leaf

In the western world public awareness of the price of gold and silver was on the upswing during the second half of the twentieth century. Although South Africa introduced the Krugerrand as a convenient way to own an ounce of gold in 1967 many nations boycotted the coin as a protest against that nation’s apartheid policy.

The Gold Bullion Series: Pt. 1 Gold American Bullion

Last month we posted about bullion coins and how they differ from collector coins. For the next few postings our focus will be on the major worldwide gold bullion coins of the present day, beginning with: AMERICAN GOLD BULLION COINS There are two: the American Gold Eagle and the American Gold Buffalo. The American Gold Eagle, or Gold Eagle if...

National Coin Week feature: A look at Portraits of Liberty

Portraits of Liberty: Icon of Freedom The National Coin Week theme for 2016, Portraits of Liberty: Icon of Freedom, specifically celebrates the centennial of three of the most highly regarded US coinage designs since the opening of the first mint in 1793. The “Mercury” dime and “Walking Liberty” half dollar of Adolph A. Weinman, and Hermon A. MacNeil’s “Standing Liberty”...