coins

SAN FRANCISCO – The man handling the sale of rare, 19th century gold coins discovered by a California couple out walking their dog estimates they had fetched about $2 million as of noon on Wednesday.

With the theme, “Celebrating Civic Service,” Nevada State Museum in Carson City and the Reno Coin Club will join coin collectors from across the United States the for the 91st Annual National Coin Week, April 20 to 26. Nevada’s observance is from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday, April 25 and 26 at the museum, the site of the original U.S. Mint in Carson City.

As I have done for many years, my last article of the year is to present the Annual Q Awards for a number of different reasons. Those reasons include such assorted things as: Outstanding, memorable, good, not so good, questionable, bad, serious, funny, dumb, head-scratching, are-you-kidding, etc.

The Salvation Army of Carson City is just one and a half weeks into its annual Red Kettle fundraiser and is 35 percent short from what it collected in 2012. The news comes at a time when more than 1,000 Carson City area children have registered for Christmas day food and toys directed through the nonprofit organization.

The Salvation Army relies on money raised in the red kettles — in coins, dollars and checks (and the occasional diamond ring or gold tooth) to serve more than 17,000 individuals in Carson City, Dayton and Douglas County each year, said Lt. Mark Cyr.

Fred Holabird is a mining geologist, author and scholar who is an expert in the history of American mining, coins, the Comstock and West. Holabird is the guest speaker in Carson City at the Nevada State Museum’s Frances Humphrey Lecture Series from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 22.

The last remnants of a fortune of coins found packed in ammunition boxes in the garage of a recluse who died last summer was auctioned Tuesday for more than $3.1 million — but not before bidders got assurances they could return any of the rare $20 gold pieces that some collectors spotted as counterfeit.

The final treasures of a quiet man who collected a fortune in gold coins will be auctioned off Tuesday in Nevada.
The body of Walter Samaszko Jr. was found in his Carson City home in June 2012.

Who doesn't like to collect money? Whether it is a rare Double Eagle $20 piece from the 1800s, an Indian Head Penny or a Nevada Day special medallion, the Carson City Mint Coin Show and Fair will help fill the hole in any coin collection.

Dozens of dealers will buy, sell, trade and offer their expertise with free appraisals during the two-day event Aug. 23 and 24, held this year at both the Nevada State Museum and the Carson Nugget.

Carson City will be featured on the C-SPAN network's two channels this weekend after their visit to the capital city earlier this month.

In addition to having feature stories sprinkled in throughout the weekend on the respective networks, both American History TV and Book TV, there will be a block of programming where all of the respective Carson City pieces for their networks will air, said C-SPAN spokeswoman Laura Finch.

This week's guest on Women to Women Nevada is Cindy Rowe is co-owner of Northern Nevada Coin, which specializes in fine jewelry, rare coins and bullion.

A 1,000 ounce bar of silver mined from 4,000 tons of Nevada ore is a rarity by far, but visitors to the Nevada State Museum in Carson City can catch a glimpse of the spectacular ingot now on display in preparation for the state’s 150th birthday party.

Site of the historic U.S. Mint, the museum still operates the original Coin Press No. 1 on the last Friday of each month. When the bar is melted into 1000 1-ounce round medallions, the celebrated press will stamp commemorative editions, with the “CC” mint mark, honoring the state’s sesquicentennial which is Nevada Day, 2014.

Here are the winners as picked by participants of the 20th annual Taste of DownTown Carson City to support Advocates to End Domestic Violence. There were 44 participating restaurants and businesses and 10 bands representing this year's event.

The winners are:

Come on down to Taste of DownTown and visit the co-sponsored, Downtown Business Association / Carson Now booth to enter the big raffle for the overflowing "Basket of Carson City."

This is your chance to win an incredible amount of prizes and, support a great cause - 100 percent proceeds will be presented to Advocates to End Domestic Violence.

A big THANK YOU to the wonderful businesses that contributed to this years "Basket of Carson City:

Artsy Fartsy, Gift Certificate.
Carson City Computing, Gift Certificate.

Rare coins by the thousands remain on display, for sale or trade today through 4 p.m. at the Carson Nugget at the annual Downtown Coin Club Show. This all-ages coin event brought more than 300 collectors and numismatics to the Nugget on Saturday.

The fourth annual Downtown Coin Club Show will take place in the ballroom of the famous Carson Nugget Casino, 507 N. Carson St, Carson City, on Saturday and Sunday, May 18-19, 2013. The show runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Nearly half of the $7.4 million in gold coins found in the house of a reclusive man were auctioned off Tuesday, and one of the winning bidders said they will be put on the open market.
The auction, conducted in the heavily guarded Carson City courthouse, yielded $3.5 million, or about $13,000 higher than the closing price on the market of gold. It will satisfy about $800,000 in government estate taxes and fees.

CARSON CITY — Uncle Sam is going to get first crack at $7.4 million in gold coins left hidden away by a recluse who died without a will.
District Judge James Wilson today set a date of Feb. 26 to auction off some of the gold coins to pay off $800,000 in inheritance taxes due in March.

Sometimes it takes a while to get the big picture, to see things coming into focus. Now, I am not much for conspiracy theories, but if anything looks like it is being driven by design, this is one. The theories driving it were formulated many lifetimes ago. The people whose sick minds spawned them are long dead. For the life of me I do not understand how any egomaniac could possibly get his jollies from a trend he might have started but maybe not even his great-grandson might see coming to fruition. But there it is, a hundred year timeline on several fronts.

Destruction of money


CARSON CITY — A California woman has been determined to be the rightful heir to $7.4 million in gold coins hoarded by a reclusive cousin, despite some seemingly unlikely claims by others, including a “secret agent” who suddenly remembered he was a relative.

A demonstration of Coin Press No. 1 at Nevada State Museum will be held on Nov. 30. Ken Hopple will show you how they struck the famous Carson City coins. This takes place in the Historic Carson City Mint building. Nevada State Museum, 600 N. Carson St. 10:30 am - noon and 1:00 - 3:00pm. For more information contact Bob Nylen at (775) 687-7410 x239 or 245.

CARSON CITY — Walter Samasko Jr., a recluse, died at home in May, but his body wasn’t discovered until June, when neighbors complained of the smell coming from his house. There was only $200 in his bank account. But there was a $7 million surprise at home.
As the house was being cleaned for sale, officials discovered gold bars and gold coins stored in boxes in the garage and in the house. There were so many coins that Carson City Clerk Alan Glover used a wheelbarrow to haul the gold to his truck and deposit it for safekeeping.

Raffle tickets are now on sale for the 2012 Carson City Mint Coin Show’s grand prize. The event is held annually in August at the site of the former U.S. Mint in Carson City and advance raffle sales to support the Nevada State Museum are well underway.

You've got one more chance to see "Forever Plaid," a musical trip through time with a quartet of the same name. Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. at the Brewery Arts Performance Hall in Carson City is closing night for this very musical comedy about four men who died in a car crash on their way to their first public performance as Forever Plaid.
Starring is this look back at music of the 1950s-1960s are a quartet of singers and comics — Marshall Brodeur (the sort of MC), Leoney Berg, James McDuffie and Corey B. Stockton. The show is directed by Stuart Ross. And he has done a fine job.

Being a professional numismatist, it is easy to let day-to-day business mask the heart of my industry - fun. Coin collecting gets its roots from the fact that a person can get an immense amount of ...

Being a professional numismatist, it is easy to let day-to-day business mask the heart of my industry, fun. Coin collecting gets its roots from the fact that a person can get an immense amount of j...

When it comes to collecting coins, knowledge is a very important aspect. The Internet has sprung a fountain of knowledge, but figuring out which parts to drink from is the real key. Joining a numis...

With Friday well underway, it's time to get the weekend started. Lots of music and activities are stacked up, beginning today, in the capital city. Check out this latest blog from the Carson City Convention and Visitors Bureau on the weekend events.

Coin collectors and numismatists from all over the country will be flocking to Carson City August 26-27 to purchase the coveted Mint Mark “CC” coins and other collectibles. In fact, the hobby of coin collecting is more popular than ever before, thanks to the high price of gold. Twenty-five dealers will be on hand from 8:30 am – 4:30 pm both Friday and Saturday, giving free appraisals and offering valuable wares to buy, sell, and trade. Fabulous prizes will be raffled off both days, culminating in the Grand Prize Drawing at 3 pm on Saturday.

By the Carson City Convention and Visitors Bureau
Aberrations await and spirits linger during a two-hour walking tour July 23, Aug. 20 and Sept. 24 through the historic district of Carson City.
History and storytelling are the orders of the day on this tour through Victorian-style homes and neighborhoods, where reality and legend come together, leaving ghost walkers to wonder what is truth and what is fiction.

By Deborah Stevenson
In honor of the 150th Anniversary of the Nevada Territory, The Nevada State Museum staff designed a unique raffle prize to celebrate this year’s coin show in Carson City, August 26-27, 2011. Raffle tickets are now on sale for the Grand Prize, featuring three special commemoratives: one ounce .999 fine silver medallion, celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the Nevada Territory; copper Abraham Lincoln Medallion; and brass Nevada State Seal Medallion.