coins

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Jersey Official Steals $460K ... in Quarters

But Thomas Rica now has to pay it all back or go to jail

(Newser) - Last year, the public works inspector in Ridgewood, NJ, got caught stealing $500 in quarters from the room where the village dumped all its parking-meter coins. To say that's not the half of it doesn't even come close. The investigation that sprang from Thomas Rica's arrest revealed...

We Lost $105M Making Pennies, Nickels

Time to take the nickel out of nickels?

(Newser) - Making small change was a big money-loser for the US Mint—and the American taxpayer—last year for the eighth year in a row, with the loss from making pennies and nickels adding up to $105 million. Rising metal prices have made the cost of minting the coins rise to...

TSA Took $531K From Our Pockets Last Year

...because we forgot to put our change back in our pockets

(Newser) - The change in your pockets is lining the TSA's, well, pockets. The Washington Post shares the results of the TSA's 2012 fiscal report, which shows that it made off with a record $531,395.22 in change that travelers forgot to collect from security bins. (From 2008 through...

Scientist's Quest: Unlock Secret of Ancient Coins

He's returning to islands where WWII soldier found 1K-year-old coins

(Newser) - Ancient coins, a map with an "X," a secret cave: It sounds like something out of a kid's book. Instead, it's an Australian professor's archaeological quest. During World War II, a soldier stationed on the Wessel Islands off northern Australia found several mysterious coins in...

America's Most Fascinating Nickel Sells for $3.2M

...or 63.45 million nickels

(Newser) - America's most fascinating nickel sold yesterday for a staggering 63.45 million nickels—or $3,172,500, reports the Chicago Tribune . The 1913 Liberty Head nickel is one of only five known to exist, and had been expected to go for $2.5 million. Not bad for a coin...

This Is the Least Valuable Coin in the World

And you thought the penny was paltry...

(Newser) - The Canadian mint has started its effort to wipe the penny from existence, and plenty of people in the US (including President Obama ) would like to do the same . But the BBC reminds us that the one-cent piece isn't the smallest to change hands in US history—the...

Virginia to Consider Minting Its Own Coins

House agrees to spend $17K on a special panel

(Newser) - Virginia is apparently for haters of the Federal Reserve: One state legislator wants the state to mint its own coins in case the US dollar collapses. It may sound pie-in-the-sky, but Virginia's House of Delegates agreed on Monday to set up a $17,000 panel to explore the move....

Canadian Pennies Are No More
 Canadian Pennies Are No More 
Feb 4, 2013 8:14 AM CST

Canadian Pennies Are No More

Mint stops distributing coins today

(Newser) - That's it for Canada's penny: Today is the last day the coin will be distributed after minting stopped in May as a cost-saving measure . Still, there are 6 billion pennies in circulation, so they could be around for a long time: "We estimate three to four years"...

America's Most Fascinating Nickel Set to Fetch Millions

Liberty Head was illegally cast, deemed fake. Now it's for sale

(Newser) - A humble five-cent coin with a storied past is headed to auction a century after it was mysteriously minted, and bidding is expected to top $2 million. The 1913 Liberty Head nickel is one of only five known to exist, but it's the coin's back story that adds...

Coin From 1652, Found in Potato Field, Sells for $430K

Sixpence is just one of 8 known to exist

(Newser) - A silver Colonial Massachusetts coin from 1652 that was found in a potato field has been auctioned for $430,000. Newsday reports that a New York woman found the coin, one of just eight known to exist, 23 years ago with a metal detector. It garnered four times as much...

Robbers Spend Rare Coins at Face Value ... on Pizza
Robbers Spend Rare Coins
at Face Value ... on Pizza
police say
Sep 21, 2012 4:36 PM CDT

Robbers Spend Rare Coins at Face Value ... on Pizza

Young couple nabbed for coin theft in Washington state

(Newser) - A tip for rare-coin robbers: Spending your loot at face value for a pizza tends to draw a little attention. That's what police say happened when Dakoda Garren, 19, threw down an old Liberty quarter worth up to $18,500 for a purchase at Rocky's Pizza in Battle...

1873 Dime Sells for $1.6M
 1873 Dime Sells for $1.6M 
Aug 10, 2012 6:14 PM CDT

1873 Dime Sells for $1.6M

It was minted in Carson City

(Newser) - A one-of-a-kind dime minted in 1873 sold for $1.6 million at a Philadelphia auction last night, reports AP . The coin depicts a seated Lady Liberty, and it is thought to be the lone survivor from a one-day minting of dimes at the renowned (in coin circles, anyway) mint in...

Canada Phasing Out Pennies
 Canada Phasing Out Pennies 
Mar 30, 2012 12:01 AM CDT

Canada Phasing Out Pennies

Coin has become a nuisance: government

(Newser) - The Canadian government has decided to save millions of dollars by pinching the penny out of existence. The Royal Canadian Mint—which makes 25 pennies per Canadian every year, at a cost of 1.5 cents per coin—will stop producing pennies next month, and the government will start withdrawing...

People Left $409K in Coins at Airport Checkpoints

And the TSA is keeping it

(Newser) - Your weird stat of the day, courtesy of the Hill : Passengers left behind $409,085.56 in spare change while going through airport security checkpoints last year. The biggest haul by far came at JFK, where about $47,000 was collected, followed by Los Angeles International ($19,000), Atlanta's...

Burglars Steal Rare Coins Then Make Very Dumb Move

... which gets them $450 for collection worth thousands

(Newser) - A group of burglars stole a coin collection worth thousands and proceeded to pour it into a coin-counting machine, resulting in a $450 payoff. Authorities say one of the thieves—who also stole jewelry and tools—was the Oregon victim's son. "The crooks were idiots, just simply an...

Tiny Island to Mint Star Wars Currency

Luke, Yoda will be on legal tender for first time

(Newser) - Move over, Queen Elizabeth: Luke Skywalker and friends will soon be sharing a spot on the currency of a tiny Pacific island. Yoda, Leia, and Darth Vader also will appear on the flip side of the soon-to-be-minted coins for the island of Niue. It’s the first time Star Wars...

Family Fights US Mint Over Rare Coins

1933 double-eagles were supposed to have been destroyed

(Newser) - A Philadelphia family is going head-to-head with the US government in a legal battle over ownership of 10 rare "double-eagle" coins worth $20 each when minted, and now valued in the millions. The coins were first produced by the US Mint in 1933 but never distributed. All but two...

2,200-Year-Old Coin Found in Israel

Gold piece was minted in Alexandria

(Newser) - A 2,200-year-old gold coin has been found in Israel. The artifact, which is being hailed as one of the rarest to be found in the country's history, is a nearly a full ounce—about five times heavier than the typical coin of the era. It comes from Alexandria, having...

Penny, Nickel Overhaul Makes No Sense to Many

Many resistant to changing small change

(Newser) - President Obama's plan to save $100 million a year by making pennies and nickels from cheaper material may seem like a no-brainer, but the idea of changing the country's small change isn't an easy one to swallow for some. Laundromat owners, zinc lobbyists, and the many Americans who mistakenly believe...

Bizarre New Design Ruins Our 'Humble Penny'
Bizarre New Design Ruins Our 'Humble Penny'
opinion
Feb 19, 2010 1:42 PM CST

Bizarre New Design Ruins Our 'Humble Penny'

No more Lincoln Memorial? What a shame

(Newser) - The newly designed penny continues the long tradition of ugly-looking US currency, writes William Bostwick. The front of the 2010 cent looks generally the same, but the back now has a Union shield in place of the Lincoln Memorial. That's only "the most emotionally and socially charged building in...

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