SEPTEMBER EDUCATION PRESENTER

By: Jonah Scoles This article is about the debasement of Roman coinage from the middle of the 1st century through the fall of the Roman Empire. Debasement is when the intrinsic value of a coin is reduced by using less of a precious metal to mint it. To understand how far these coins were debased…

By: Ron GammillFrom “The Gammill Coin Gazette”(July 18, 2008) Collecting Civil War tokens is an interesting pursuit just loaded with history of the Great War between the States. Regular issues of US coinage was hoarded during the Civil War and this dramatically restricted merchants ability to make small change. In response to this situation, many…

By: Jonah Scoles (YN) Money today is made with Computer Numerically Controlled mills that make the coin dies and machines that strike the coins. But back in ancient times, coin dies had to be engraved by hand. This meant hours hunched over a die creating the works of art. Only the most experienced die engravers…

By: Bryon Crowder People would ask me what kinds of coins I like to collect. Being a smart-alec, I would humorously reply ‘Bargains!’ I think most collectors would agree that there is a certain smile you get when you buy a coin for significantly less than its value. This is what happened here. I used…

By: Ron Gammill Charles Cushing Wright (1796-1854) was born in Damariscotta, Maine, where he taught himself engraving as an apprentice to John Osburn, a jeweler and watchmaker in Utica, New York. After working for several years as an itinerant engraver, Wright settled in New York City, where he established a die engraving firm in partnership…

By Dean Cugloitta, Jr. “It Doesn’t Hurt to Ask” Over the past two years, I have rarely interacted with a bank teller. It’s often just a machine. After the pandemic, ATM machines replaced the three spots where the tellers stood. Every time I enter the credit union, I ask for $2 notes. Sometimes they have…