CONA Newsletter

CONA November 2019 Newsletter

When: 7 p.m., November 20, 2019
Oakstone Academy: 939 State St. Westerville, Ohio 43081
Topic: 1952 and Seattle
Speaker: Chris P. (1952) and Marie G. (Seattle)

November Presentation

Century 21 Exposition 1962 – Seattle World’s Fair. Was held in Seattle Washington. The emphasis on this fair was science, technology, and industry. Main part of my presentation will be the Million Silver Dollar Display along with various medals and tokens. By collecting items from this fair, I am able to combine many of my hobbies. — Marie 

 1952 was a pivotal year around the world. There were many changes – social, economic, political and numismatic. A king died, ushering in the reign of a queen still on the throne today. A Republican was elected president of the United States for the first time since the Great Depression. But more importantly (at least to me) a woman had too much 41st birthday cake, resulting in a birth the next day .. which is United Nations Day. So let me share my collection of coins from 1952. – – Chris 

October Presentation

 Most New Jersey colonial notes were signed by three men of good character and standing. However, collectors especially prize 1776 notes signed by just two people, Bruce S. said during a presentation he called Colonials 101.

The British confiscated the notes before the third man could sign them and placed them in circulation. Collectors call them “raid” notes and pay a premium for them. Icing on the cake is the fact that one of the two signatures on the raid notes was placed there by John Hart, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

 Here is Bruce’s list of the Top 10 Colonials

  1. Libertas Americana medal
  2. 1709 NY indented bill of credit 
  3. Brasher doubloon
  4. Higley copper
  5. Vermont landscape copper
  6. Banana-nose contemporary counterfeit copper
  7. Fugio cent and 1776 Continetal Currency note
  8. Pine Tree shilling
  9. Spanish milled dollar
  10. Wampum

Osborne Mint tour

Steve Petty is working on setting up a tour of the Osborne Mint in Cincinnati for the spring.

The Osborne Mint, minters of our Green Hat medal, traces its history back to Z. Bisbee’s establishment of a private mint in Cincinnati in 1835.

In 1860, when Illinois Sen. Abraham Lincoln decided to run for president, the company provided him with inexpensive campaign tokens to give away during his campaigns in both 1860 and 1864. Both sets of dies are still in the company’s vault today. 

Expanded Show and Tell

Next May or June, I’d like to do an expanded show and tell as our main presentation – 10 speakers, 5 minutes each, their favorite coin. 

This won’t require any preparation, just a willingness to share a coin you really like and tell us why it’s so special to you. 

Bill K. is the the first person to volunteer for this. No Green Hat medals for this. If you’re interested, please let me know and I’ll start a list. — Gerry 

Bill Bierly’s In God We Trust book 

CONA member William Bierly’s 352-page hardcover book In God We Trust: The American Civil War, Money, Banking, and Religion is being released this month.  by Q. David Bowers 

The national motto “In God We Trust” is familiar to all of us. Look in your pocket change or wallet and you will find it on every United States coin and paper bill. Before reading the manuscript to Bierly’s book I thought I knew all about the subject. 

Some years ago I wrote an article, “God in Your Pocket,” for my local Presbyterian Church, telling of the motto’s use on coins. I knew it appeared on pattern coins in 1863 and in 1864 made its first appearance on a circulating coin, the bronze two-cent piece, a new denomination introduced that year. I had the obscure knowledge that “In God We Trust” is the motto of the State of Florida and was used on certain National Bank notes issued in that state in the second half of the nineteenth century. I also knew that the $5 Silver Certificates of the Series of 1886 illustrate the reverse of a Morgan silver dollar of that year, with the motto as part of the design. 

But what I didn’t know were 101 other details—make that many more than 101 different details—as to how the motto came to be, how it was used over the years, and the wide cast of characters in the Treasury Department and elsewhere who participated in its use on money. 

All too often, books, newspaper columns, and magazine articles about popular subjects lack many details. For Whitman Publishing I wrote a volume on President Ronald Reagan, and I read every book and important study I could find. There were very few details about his personal day-to-day life. Not to worry about the historical personalities involved with “In God We Trust.” While you might not learn the names of the protagonists’ pet cats or their favorite dime novels, there is not much else missing in Bierly’s excellent narrative. Dozens of cast members play cameo roles and small walk-on parts. 

It is probably correct to say that no other researcher could add to Bill Bierly’s efforts! He collaborated with professional numismatists, leaving no stone (or coin) unturned in the creation of this book. Commonly believed myths and misunderstandings he examined, debunked, and corrected. Hundreds of historical images were collected, many of which have never been published in a numismatic reference, to which have been added beautiful photographs of rare coins, patterns, tokens, medals, and paper currency, including close-ups of important characteristics. All of this required a lot of work, creativity, and careful attention to detail. 

Further on the subject of detail: I enjoy learning about and digging deeply into previously unexplored subjects. I have written books on the Waterford Water Cure (a health spa in Waterford, Maine, that counterstamped coins as advertisements), The 

Strange Career of Dr. G.G. Wilkins (about a countertstamper who was a dentist, also operated a restaurant with a caged bear in front, and was suspected of passing counterfeit money and also burning down a neighbor’s barn), and, for good measure, books about Alexandre Vattemare (a French numismatist who visited America and became important to the development of libraries here) and Augustus G. Heaton (the teenaged coin dealer who founded the American Numismatic Society in 1858). 

Each of these books was popular in its time, despite their obviously obscure subjects. Readers find satisfaction in a well-told story that brings new depth and insight. 

That is precisely what we get with In God We Trust, debuting this holiday season. Anyone with a combined interest in American history and numismatics will find a new world of important information, fascinating details, and previously unconnected relationships. 

The motto “In God We Trust” is hardly history alone. It is so much more, and it means different things to different people. Today there are vocal critics who feel that it has no place on coins or paper currency. For that matter, some believe that God has no place in public (and in some cases, private) life. On the other hand, many more people do indeed believe in the Supreme Being. Sometimes it just seems the naysayers get all of the publicity. 

Bill Bierly’s In God We Trust approaches the subject respectfully on all sides, with color, personality, dashes of humor, and dogged pursuit of the truth. He has given us a smorgasbord: there is a lot to choose from. If you are a collector and strictly so, with no interest in the million points where numismatics touches American history, you can simply immerse yourself in the coins, paper money, tokens, and medals. If you are like me, however, and enjoy every historical highway and byway connected to American money, you will read and find pleasure in the entire book from start to finish.

By: Gerry Tebben

Interested in past CONA Newsletters? Please visit the Newman Portal for a vast collection that dates back to 2011!

CONA October 2019 Newsletter

When: 7 p.m., October 16, 2019
Oakstone Academy: 939 State St. Westerville, Ohio 43081
Topic: Colonials 101
Speaker: Bruce S. 

October Presentation

The front of the Red Book has always fascinated me. NE shillings, VALUE ME AS YOU PLEASE coppers and birds fighting over long and short worms.

Bruce S. presentation on Colonials 101 will be an overview of the pre-1792 coinage. He said, “We’ll look at ways to define colonial coinage and how colonials are collected. There will be information about rarity and the expense of collection colonials. I’ll also share a bibliography and a list of other resources.” 

Expanded Show and Tell

Next May or June, I’d like to do an expanded show and tell as our main presentation – 10 speakers, 5 minutes each, their favorite coin.

This won’t require any preparation, just a willingness to share a coin you really like and tell us why it’s so special to you.

No Green Hat medals for this. If you’re interested, please let me know and I’ll start a list. — Gerry

New Show Location

Dublin Crowne Plaza, our show’s home for more than a decade, is closing Nov. 15 for renovation, reconfiguration and reflagging as a Doubletree. The reconfigured hotel will not have room for our show.

Consequently, the show will move for at least 2020 and 2021 to the nearby Embassy Suites, 5100 Upper Metro Pl., which promises to be as good if not better.

By: Gerry Tebben

Interested in past CONA Newsletters? Please visit the Newman Portal for a vast collection that dates back to 2011!

CONA September 2019 Newsletter

When: 7 p.m., September 18, 2019
Oakstone Academy: 939 State St. Westerville, Ohio 43081
Topic: Odd and Curious
Speaker: Marie and Geoff 

September Presentation

Marie will present the history concerning slave jewelry and the Kissi penny issued in several countries in Africa.

I will describe the history of Chinese spade money and the process of manufacturing Thailand’s bullet money. — Geoff

NEW Ohio State Coin Show Location

Dublin Crowne Plaza, our show’s home for more than a decade, is closing Nov. 15 for renovation, reconfiguration and reflagging as a Doubletree. The reconfigured hotel will not have room for our show.

Consequently, the show will move for at least 2020 and 2021 to the nearby Embassy Suites, 5100 Upper Metro Pl., which promises to be as good if not better.

Websites to Visit 

Gerry Fortin – Gerry Fortin, retiring president of the Liberty Seated Collectors Club and notable dealer in Seated coinage, writes a well-worth reading daily blog on his website

The Reeded Edge / Rob Lehmann –The Reeded Edge is a notable dealer in coins, Civil War memorabilia and other rare collectibles. The company posts market updates at its website.

By: Gerry Tebben

Interested in past CONA Newsletters? Please visit the Newman Portal for a vast collection that dates back to 2011!

CONA August 2019 Newsletter

August Meeting

When: 7 p.m., August 21, 2019
Oakstone Academy: 939 State St. Westerville, Ohio 43081
Topic: Ohio State Coin Show Planning
Speaker: N/A

August Presentation

Our August meeting will be largely devoted to the show. However, we will have the quiz, auction and raffle – just no speaker.

July Presentation

John R. became the club’s first two-time medal winner as he gave his long-delayed presentation on Peace dollars: My Collection of U.S. Peace Dollars or How I Fell in Love with the Peace Dollar and Completed an Entire Date and Mint Collection Within a Year on a School Custodian’s Salary and Didn’t Break the Bank.

John was originally scheduled to deliver the talk months ago, but a power outage shut us down.

John, whose main collection is ancients, which are noted for their high relief, called cartwheels the “Pringles” of coinage, bacause they stack. Peace dollars, he said, “are the best Pringles of them all.”

When John decided to collect Peace dollars he set some parameters on the endeavor. The coins had to be XF or better and “I had to buy on eBay.” He noted, “This is where people dump things.”

He said he paid an average of $51.25 for the coins and paid as little as $12. Despite his concerns about buying through eBay he said he was burned only once, a 1928 advertised as BU for which he paid $285.

“A few days later the coin arrived. It certainly was not as nice as the picture. It was covered with ugly, black spots of tarnish that must have been Photoshopped out in its photos.”

Taxes

We lost. The Ohio General Assembly reinstituted the sales tax on gold and silver in the two-year Ohio budget and Gov. Dewine chose not to veto it.

By: Gerry Tebben

Interested in past CONA Newsletters? Please visit the Newman Portal for a vast collection that dates back to 2011!

CONA July 2019 Newsletter

July Meeting

When: 7 p.m., July 17, 2019
Oakstone Academy: 939 State St. Westerville, Ohio 43081
Topic: Peace Dollars
Speaker: John R.

July Presentation

On March 10 or 11, 2015, out of a lark, after seeing a 1921 Peace dollar on eBay going for a rather low price, I decided to bid on it. I always had had an admiration for the Peace dollar series, and since I had recently gotten a copy of the 2013 Guide to US Coins: Prices and Value Trends: in part edited by CONA’s own Tony Cass and Gerry Tebben, I decided to go for it. To my surprise, I won it. A few days later it arrived and was much nicer than the photos had indicated. I put it in my rudimentary collection of Peace dollars consisting of two 1923-D dollars acquired by my wife when a lady had cashed in her husband’s silver dollar collection for $1 each. 

After a few days, the three dollars looked like a lonely bunch, and looking in the book, it seemed that a great number of Peace dollars were going for what seemed to be ridiculously low prices for the degree of rarity than the mintages indicated, I bought a few more. The snowball began to roll downward. By My birthday, May 13, 2015, I had gotten a complete date and mint set of all the Peace dollars, plus a number of true rarities. For a total cost of 1,995.16, including shipping costs and the $2 I paid my wife for the two 1923-D silver dollars. – John R.

June Presentation

“Slabbing was actually invented by the United States government. I bet you didn’t know that,” John Roberts said during his presentation on the General Services Administration (GSA) sales. 

Between October 1972 and July 1980 the GSA sold nearly 3 million uncirculated Carson City Morgan dollars and a scattering of other Morgan, Peace and Seated dollars that had been sitting in Treasury vaults for up to 100 years. 

For the most part the dollars were packaged in hard plastic holders resembling today’s third-party grading service slabs. 

He said, “GSA dollars should stay in their holders … There are unplucked cherries to be found among the soft packs. Between stunning toners, remarkable varieties and better dates, there are treasures waiting to be found.” 

By: Gerry Tebben

Interested in past CONA Newsletters? Please visit the Newman Portal for a vast collection that dates back to 2011!

CONA June 2019 Newsletter

June Meeting

When: 7 p.m., June 19, 2019
Oakstone Academy: 939 State St. Westerville, Ohio 43081
Topic: GSA Dollars
Speaker: John Roberts

 June Presentation

Millions of silver dollars spent most of their existence sitting in Treasury vaults until they were released at face value in the earlier ‘60’s. When the price of silver rose the payout stopped. The remaining dollars were mostly uncirculated Carson City dates. The General Service Administration was charged with the task of distributing the coins and did so in four sales. We’ll discuss the background, the sales, the various GSA holders and the dollars they contain. – John

May Presentation 

Certified Acceptance Corp., with its green and gold CAC stickers, has changed the hobby. The company evaluates NGC and PCGS-graded coins, giving green oval stickers, commonly called beans, to coins that are above average for their assigned grade and gold stickers to coins CAC determines are actually a full grade higher than the grade the grading service gave the coin. 

CAC advertises that a green sticker adds 20 percent to a coin’s value. Gold stickers add much more.

Since its founding in 2007, the service has evaluated more than 650,000 coins with a value approaching $3 billion. 

CAC does not publish population reports, leaving collectors in the dark about he prevalence of green and gold beans until now. CAC founder John Albanese (who was also a founder of NGC and PCGS) granted CONA member Steve Petty access to his database.

In a detailed and fascinating report on CAC coinage, Steve gave a denomination-by-denomination breakdown of CAC populations of Seated half dimes, dimes, quarters, half dollar, dollars and Trade dollars.

Steve is publishing his findings in the Liberty Seated Collectors Club magazine, The Gobrecht Journal, so I’m not giving them here. The main takeaway, though, was that only a small percentage of coins get green CAC stickers and a miniscule amount get gold beans.

Steve said, gold beans are collected in their own right and command premiums over and above the value of the coin in the holder.

Coin Show Book Sale

With our coin show approaching in early September, our bookstall needs all the books, phamplets, and magazines we can get! So if anyone has some laying around that they’ve read a dozen times and they want to see them go to fellow collectors at our show on Labor Day weekend, please let me know. 

The bookstall is being done the same as last year. You write your name or initials along with your price on the outside of each book and let me know if you are willing to do percentages off if a customer asks during the show. If your book sells, the selling price is written down along with your name. You bring your own books on Thursday of the show and pick up unsold books on Sunday. CONA takes 10% . 

You can donate magazines or sell them, we will have seperate areas for that. Just make sure you make it very clear which are free and which are for sale (use a sale sticker). All sales are tracked with Excel spreadsheets. We also need volunteers for the show days at the bookstall as well. – Thanks! Rachel 

By: Gerry Tebben

Interested in past CONA Newsletters? Please visit the Newman Portal for a vast collection that dates back to 2011!

CONA May 2019 Newsletter

May Meeting

When: 7 p.m., May 15, 2019
Oakstone Academy: 939 State St. Westerville, Ohio 43081
Topic: CAC Seated coins
Speaker: Steve Petty 

May Presentation 

Stephen Petty will give a presentation on the rarity of CAC’d Seated coinage. This presentation is an overview of an article being published in the next issue of The Gobrecht Journal

CAC, or the Certified Acceptance Corp., is a company that reviews coins in PCGS and NGC holders and determines if they are above average for the grade. If they are above average,a green sticker (green bean) is placed on the holder. If they are exceptional for the grade, a gold sticker (gold bean) is placed on the holder. CAC-stickered coins tend to receive premiums both in buying and selling,so they have become another way of evaluating whether one is acquiring a coin good for the grade.

Stephen has determined the percentage of PCGS and NGC mint-state Seated coins that have received CAC beans (5¢, 10¢, 20¢,25¢, 50¢, Seated $1 and Trade $)for all dates and mint marks. He had also been provided with a portion of the CAC database to determine the percentage of all Seated coins that have been sent to CAC for evaluation. Using this information, he has also determined the number of Seated coins that might receive CAC stickers.

April Presentation 

A power outage April 17 forced the cancellation of last month’s meeting. John’s presentation on Peace dollars is being rescheduled to July.

By: Gerry Tebben

Interested in past CONA Newsletters? Please visit the Newman Portal for a vast collection that dates back to 2011!

CONA March 2019 Newsletter

March Meeting

When: 7 p.m., March 20, 2019
Oakstone Academy: 939 State St. Westerville, Ohio 43081
Topic: Society of Medalists and a Q&A
Speaker: Steve Petty 

March Presentation 

Stephen Petty is going to deliver a two-part presentation. He’ll begin with a brief presentation on the Society of Medalists and seque into a Q &A with several of our members.

From 1930 to 1995 the Society of Medalists issued two medals a year is an effort to encourage sculptors and make their creations available to the public. A total of 129 medals were issued; 135 if one considers the six medals issued with Issue #128. Several coin designers contributed to the series, including Laura Gardin Fraser,winner of the ill-fated Washington quarter design contest; Hermon A. MacNeil, designer of the Standing Liberty quarter; and John Flanagan, whose design actually appears on the Washington quarter

In the second part of his presentation he’ll interview a few of our members about their lives and collecting interests. You all will have to guess who may get interviewed! As you may recall he did something like this at several meetings a few years ago and it was interesting to learn interesting facts regarding our club members.

February Presentation

Despite terrible weather, 32 members ventured out in February to hear Rachael W. presentation on apothecary weights and Gerry Tebben’s presentation on collecting manhole covers.

We’ve all encountered apothecary weights, with their cryptic markings, and wondered what they are. Rachael had the answer.

They were used by druggists compounding medicines. The weight went on one side of a balance beam scale and a powder or such went on the other. Some weights look like coins, others are flat sheets of brass.Two, she said, actually doubled as Civil War tokens.Scale and weight maker John P. Gruber issued an 1863 token that showed a scale on one side and an eagle on the reverse with the legend APOTH. WEIGHT/ ONE DRAM/1863.

The ONE DRAM reverse was also mated with an obverse advertising Warmkessel’s beer hall.

A dram was equal to 3 scruples.

Pharmacists lost their scruples in the 1960s when metric weights replaced apothecary troy weights.

From our ANA Representative 

It almost seems like its getting warmer, it’s light out earlier or later however you look at it. March and April are two busy months . First the National Money show is coming up March 28-29-30. It’s close by, just across the border into Pittsburgh, Pa., The second largest coin show in the country. I plan on being there at least Friday. (Long day trip)

Do not forget about April. More and more dealers and collectors are going to join together for national coin week and put old collectible coins and currency into circulation hoping to get more people into our great hobby. How about joining the fun? I have lots of wheats to put out there in those penny bowls at cash registers and plan on spending some Ike dollars and a few other choice collectible coins. Join the fun, put out some older coins, tip your waitress or waiter with something special, who knows it could bring new members into our club. Make sure you have fun doing it I know I am.

Till next month — Bob ANA Ohio District Rep.

By: Gerry Tebben


Interested in past CONA Newsletters? Please visit the Newman Portal for a vast collection that dates back to 2011!

CONA April 2019 Newsletter

April Meeting

When: 7 p.m., April 17, 2019
Oakstone Academy:939 State St. Westerville, Ohio 43081
Topic: Peace dollars
Speaker: John R.

April Presentation

On March 10 or 11, 2015, out of a lark, after seeing a 1921 Peace dollar on eBay going for a rather low price, I decided to bid on it. I always had an admiration for the Peace dollar series, and since I had recently gotten a copy of the 2013 Guide to US Coins: Prices and Value Trends: in part edited by CONA’s own Tony Cass and Gerry Tebben, I decided to go for it. To my surprise, I won it. A few days later it arrived and was much nicer than the photos had indicated. I put it in my rudimentary collection of Peace dollars consisting of two 1923-D dollars acquired by my wife when a lady had cashed in her husband’s silver dollar collection for $1 each.

After a few days, the three dollars looked like a lonely bunch, and looking in the book, it seemed that a great number of Peace dollars were going for what seemed to be ridiculously low prices for the degree of rarity than the mintages indicated, I bought a few more. The snowball began to roll downward. By My birthday, May 13, 2015, I had gotten a complete date and mint set of all the Peace dollars, plus a number of true rarities. – John R.

March Presentation

Steve Petty treated us to a two-part presentation – a revealing Q&A with Marlene C., Marie G., and Mike R., and a report on the Society of Medalists.

The Society, which was active from 1930 to 1995, issued 139 medals that were designed by some of America’s greatest sculptors, including coin designers Laura Gardin Fraser, Herman MacNeil and Anthony de Francisi.

Steve recounted how he came to buy an almost complete set in one transaction.

Heath M., who came up from Dayton, said he chanced upon a herd of silver 1993 dinosaur medals a few years ago that had been placed on eBay by a guy who bought them from a scrap-metal dealer.

Grading Seminar

April 6 was the CONA grading seminar held at the Oakstone Academy with the hosts/grading presented by John Roberts and Tony Cass. We had 14 attendees that had the opportunity to evaluate and assign grades to at least 50 coins.

The session started at 10 a.m. and went until after 2p.m. Everyone was so excited that they are planning for the next seminar.

The first group of 20 US type coins were graded and evaluated by all. We then graded a second group of 20 US coins and evaluated the results with the attendees. Finally, we graded John’s final group of 10 coins, tokens and medals from all over the world. What a fun time and challenge that group was to all of us. – Tony

First CONA Medals Distributed

CONA President Spence S. awarded the first CONA medals at the March meeting. The 1-ounce silver medals are being awarded to speakers and others who contribute significantly to the club.

John R. receives one for his January presentation on ancient coins. Steve Petty, was awarded a medal for his March presentation on the Society of Medalists. Marie G., below, was honored with a medal for her work as the club’s treasurer

Gerry Tebben also received a medal for his February presentation. Rachel W. was not present, but will receive her medal later for her March talk.

By: Gerry Tebben 

Interested in past CONA Newsletters? Please visit the Newman Portal for a vast collection that dates back to 2011!

CONA February 2019 Newsletter

February Meeting

When: 7 p.m., February 20, 2019
Oakstone Academy: 939 State St. Westerville, Ohio 43081
Topic: Apothacary tokens and manhole
Speaker: Rachel W. and Gerry Tebben

February Presentation 

In keeping with the shortness of the month, the meeting will feature two brief presentations – Rachel W. is going to talk about apothacary weights and Gerry Tebben is going to give a presentation on manhole covers.

Apothecary weight tokens were based loosely on the troy weight and used by pharmaceutical chemists and bullion merchants from 1878 until the late 1960s to measure out powders and medicines. The apothecary weight token system began in Great Britain with the British Weights and Measures Act. In 1960, apothecary weights became obsolete and were formally abolished starting in Australia. Everything was replaced by metric weights soon after. – Rachel W. 

Manhole covers are probably the most important numismatic item in the history of the world. They’re not only round and dated, they save lives by preventing inattentive people from falling down holes. – Gerry Tebben

January Presentation 

On the Crossroad: The Hellenistic Kingdom of Cappadocia:

Elephants, it turns out, weren’t very good in battle, John R. said as an aside during his presentation on the coins of Cappadocia and the inbred rulers whose portraits appear on them.

Romans, he said, had a long history of dealing with the oversize creatures that the Cappadocians sent into battle. “They knew all you had to do was make a lot of noise and the elephants would turn around and run.”

The Kingdom of Cappadocia issued coins from the 5th century B.C. to the early first century A.D. They typically show the king on the obverse and a god on the back.

John said the coins of Cappadocia run scarce but inexpensive. Coins with a known population of just a handful can be purchased, when they’re available, for just a couple hundred dollars.

Some of the rulers are known mostly by their coins. Little survives about them. Citing Ariarathes III (230?-220 B.C.) as an example, John said, “You could write it (his biography) in one sentence.”

CONA Medal Struck

Efforts to develop a presentation medal that the CONA club can offer to presenters and other deserving club members and guests is being realized this month with the minting of 250 medals.

This two-year effort , initiated in 2017, was led by a Presentation Medal Committee consisting of Geoffrey G., Chris P, Don T. and Max L. (our young nut) with later assistance from Janis T.

By November 2018, a preliminary design was forwarded by the committee to Stephen Petty to finalize, locate an engraver and to get a first strike minted.

By early December the design was finalized and Osborne Coinage Co. (Ted S.) was selected to finalize the art, develop dies and provide pricing for 250 medals.

The CONA Board approved this scope of work and the selection of the Osborne Coinage Company at our 2018 Christmas Party.

In late January, Spence S. and Stephen Petty, based on a vote of the Board, agreed the first strike was acceptable and authorized Osborne Coinage Company to strike 250 CONA Presentation Medals.

We should have these for the club’s use no later than the March CONA meeting. The first strike medal will be given to our historian, Bruce S., for archiving.

From our ANA Representative

Hope you all are staying warm, what a see saw weather pattern we have been having. I am looking forward to April when temps start to warm up and it is coin month ( yes not coin week but coin month )

Here is something we all can participate in and have some fun. Hundreds of dealers and collectors are using the month of April for national coin month, not week. Close to a million coins will enter the cash registers and tip pockets all over the country.

Some specially marked (holograms) coins will be used in change that can be redeemed for high value coins by following the instructions. Yes dealers and collectors are putting old and valuable coins into regular circulation to help boost the hobby.

It’s something we all can do. We all have a roll or two ( HA HA ) of wheat pennies, why not use some of them for change or put into the give-a-penny, takea-penny dishes that are at most retail stores and gas stations.

One dealer is going to use his for tips at eating places but is also going to let the waiter/waitress know that the change is something special. Just think if just 1/2 of one percent of over a million coins makes a new collector. Try it I am. – Bob, ANA District rep Ohio

By: Gerry Tebben

Interested in past CONA Newsletters? Please visit the Newman Portal for a vast collection that dates back to 2011!

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