Gold Zeroes in on $1,000 as Dollar Slumps
by Peter A. Grant

Gold has surged to yet another all-time high at 976.00 as the dollar continues its slide. Silver set a new 27-year high near $20 and platinum appears poised for a push above $2,200. The metals have gained additional support from strong investor interest and rising oil prices. While gold has retreated on profit taking in more recent trading, focus remains squarely on buying strategies.
The dollar has extended recent losses and the long term downtrend seems to be clearly back underway. The dollar index pushed convincingly below 74.00, on track for a short term test of 72.00. If not for a sharp correction in the high-yielders, we might have attained the latter today. A new wave of risk aversion and carry trade unwinding knocked high yielding currencies such as the AUD, NZD, NOK, SEK off of their recent highs. This served to underpin the dollar somewhat, but given the generally dismal dollar outlook, the other safe haven currencies (yen and Swiss franc) were the primary beneficiaries.
They pushed the dollar to another new all-time low against the Swiss franc at 1.0427. Potential remains toward 1.0355 based on a measuring objective. Meanwhile, USD-JPY fell to a new 3-year low. Thursday's initial break of important support at 104.97 (23-Jan low), puts the dollar back on track for a near term challenge of critical support defined by the 101.67 (Dec-04) and 101.23 (Nov-99) lows. An eventual break of the latter would shift attention to the all-time low at 79.80 (Mar-95).
The move in the EUR-USD rate above 1.5200 has sparked renewed cries from Eurozone exporters for the ECB to cut rates. However, recent data that has suggested that the European economy is slowing at a much more gradual pace than than the US economy, should keep the ECB on hold at least into Q2 as they maintain their focus on price risks. This could drive the euro up to 1.5500 and 1.5624. BMW is already laying off workers and the economic survivability of Airbus has already been called into question. What do you think about the European consortium out-sourcing airliner manufacturing to America for the cheap labor?!
The dollar has been weighed by data piling up that suggests the US is headed for a recession. Yesterday's preliminary Q4 GDP report showed that the economy barely grew (0.6%) in the last quarter of 2007. Additionally, initial jobless claims came in much higher than expectations. Despite recent very strong inflationary indications, the Fed remains squarely fixated on growth risks and is therefore widely expected to cut interest rates for a sixth time at the 18-Mar FOMC meeting. A 50bp rate cut is fully priced in and odds of a 75bp cut are growing.
Lower interest rates make US treasuries less appealing to investors and curtails demand for the dollars that it takes to buy them. As the dollar falls, it increases the attractiveness of gold as a hedge and makes the yellow metal less expensive for holders of the foreign currencies.
Oil set a new record high above 103 on NYMEX, driven by strong fund interest and concerns about supply disruptions. A major pipeline in Ecuador was shut down as a result of a landslide and fire struck a major European natural gas plant. Oil is just one of many commodities contributing to the inflationary spiral. Gold is the classic hedge against inflation, particularly energy-based inflation.

Monroe Coins Available
By US Mint Elizabeth Monroe First Spouse Gold Coin She was instrumental in refurbishing the White House following its destruction during the War of 1812. The people of France-with whom she and her husband were popular-called her la belle Americaine. A mere visit from her to Madame Lafayette saved the imprisoned woman from the guillotine.
The Nation celebrates the life and work of this woman-Elizabeth Monroe-with the United States Mint’s release of a 24-karat gold coin on February 28 at noon (ET). The Elizabeth Monroe First Spouse Gold Coin will be available in 1/2-ounce proof and uncirculated versions offered at $619.95 and $599.95, respectively. Mintage is set at 40,000 across both product options. Customer demand will determine the ratio of proof to uncirculated coins produced.
Orders for the Elizabeth Monroe First Spouse Gold Coin will be limited to one per product option per household for the first week of sales. The United States Mint will reevaluate this limit following the initial sales period and either extend, adjust or eliminate it.
Bronze medals bearing the likeness of the coin also will be available for $3.50. There is no mintage or order limit for this option.
The obverse of the Elizabeth Monroe First Spouse Gold Coin bears a portrait designed by Artistic Infusion Program Master Designer Joel Iskowitz and executed by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Don Everhart. Inscriptions on the coin are “Elizabeth Monroe” and “1817-1825,” the years she served as First Spouse. Additional inscriptions on the obverse of the coin are “In God We Trust,” “Liberty” and “2008.”
The coin’s reverse features a portrait of Elizabeth Monroe at a reception marking the 1818 reopening of the White House after it had been burned during the War of 1812. Inscriptions are “United States of America,” “E Pluribus Unum,” “$10,” “1/2 oz.” and “.9999 Fine Gold.” The reverse of the Elizabeth Monroe First Spouse Gold Coin was designed by Artistic Infusion Program Associate Designer Donna Weaver and sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Charles Vickers.
To view or download an image of the Elizabeth Monroe First Spouse Gold Coin, go to: http://www.usmint.gov/pressroom/index.cfm?action=Photo#2007Spouse
Customers who are interested in adding the Elizabeth Monroe First Spouse Gold Coin to their collections may place their orders at the United States Mint’s secure web site, www.usmint.gov, or at the toll-free number, 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468). A shipping and handling fee of $4.95 will be applied to all domestic orders.
James Monroe Presidential $1 Coin - Individual Proof Coin™ WASHINGTON - Individual proof coins bearing the portrait of President James Monroe will be available for purchase at noon (ET) on February 28. Orders for the James Monroe Presidential $1 Coin-Individual Proof CoinTM, priced at $5.95, will be limited to five units per household for the first week of sales. At the end of the initial order limit period, the United States Mint will reevaluate this limit and either extend, adjust or remove it. There is no mintage limit for this option.
The James Monroe Presidential $1 Coin - Individual Proof Coin bears the same image as the circulating coins. Unlike the coins produced for general circulation, however, the proof coins are struck multiple times with specially polished dies to create a brilliant, sharp relief and mirror-like background.
Each James Monroe Presidential $1 Coin - Individual Proof Coin is sealed in a protective, rotatable blister. The edge-incused inscriptions “2008,” “E Pluribus Unum,” “In God We Trust,” and the “S” mint mark (for the United States Mint at San Francisco) are fully visible. The blister is mounted on an attractively designed pocket-sized card with statistical data about President Monroe to include the years he served as President, his dates of birth and death, his place of birth, his vice president, and his spouse’s name.
Customers can order the James Monroe Presidential $1 Coin - Individual Proof Coin and other Presidential $1 Coin products at the United States Mint’s secure web site, www.usmint.gov, or by calling the toll-free number, 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468). A shipping and handling fee of $4.95 will be added to all domestic orders.
Note: To ensure that all members of the public have fair and equal access to United States Mint products, any order placed prior to Noon ET, February 28 shall not be deemed accepted by the United States Mint and will not be honored.
Contact: Press inquiries: Michael White (202) 354-7222Customer Service information: (800) USA MINT (872-6468)

2008 U.S. Mint Quarters Silver Proof Set
By CoinNews.net
2008 State Quarter Silver Proof Sets are now on sale by the United States Mint with each priced at $25.95. The non silver version of the state quarter proof sets went on sale back in January and are available for $13.95.
The main difference between the two is the 90% silver contained within each quarter of the silver sets. Both sets contain five proof quarters with their honoring commemorative designs:
Oklahoma - “Scissortail Flycatcher” New Mexico - “Land of Enchantment” Arizona - “Grand Canyon State” Alaska - “The Great Land” Hawaii - “King Kamehameha I."
The United States Mint announcement of the silver proof set reflected that these states represent the last to be honored in the 50 State Quarters® Program - a ten year program that started back in 1999 with the release of a new state quarter design every 10 weeks.
Although they are the final state designed quarters, 2009 will see six new quarter-dollar coins in the District of Columbia and United States Territories Circulating Quarter Dollar Program.

Princeton Coins Are Gateway to History By CHRIS NEWMARKER
Alan Stahl has a lot of change on his hands _ and not the kind you can cash in at any bank.
The curator of Princeton University's numismatic collection is in charge of protecting and displaying tens of thousands of coins, tokens, medals, and pieces of paper money.
"The funny thing is, I've never owned a personal coin collection," said Stahl, 60.
The 150-year-old collection started as an assemblage of plaster casts of ancient Greek and Roman coins. Stahl estimates it now contains about 80,000 items.
New acquisitions in the past year have made the collection even more diverse: a donation of 2,000 ancient Chinese coins, and the purchase of more than 800 medieval Greek coins, bought for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
About a dozen university students each spend a few hours a week cataloging the coins. So far, the collection's online system has more than 3,000 coins listed, about 1,000 coins entered in each year.
"At this rate, we'll be done in 50 years," Stahl said.
For the students, cataloging the coins is an education in itself. As a junior majoring in classics, 21-year-old Joe Codega has read a great deal about the ancient Romans.
But he felt a greater connection with the subject he loves last week as he held a brass coin with the image of the big-chinned Roman Emperor Nero on the front. The back showed Rome's temple of Janus with its doors closed _ a symbol that the empire was at peace.
"It's neat to be able to hold something that an ancient person held," Codega said.
Some of the collection's coins are on display at Princeton's Firestone Library, where the collection is housed.
Any member of the public can also ask to see a tray with some coins, though Stahl will keep close watch to make sure coins don't go missing. Stahl still cringes when he recalls a theft at the American Numismatic Society when he was there in the late 1980s.
"I'm pleased to say I wasn't the person handing him the trays," Stahl said.
Half of the collection, about 30,000 coins, comes from Princeton University archaeological work in Antioch, in what is now Turkey, during the late 1930s.
The dig turned up a trove of ancient Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Islamic coins. Stahl still handles envelopes with the handwriting of the lead archeologist's wife, who catalogued the money.
"Sometimes I can see where she scraped just a little to bring up a mark for identification. We wouldn't do that today, but I can see her rationale. I do feel a certain kinship to her," Stahl said.
The collection includes Byzantine coins that are bent, almost in cup shapes. Some of the ancient Chinese coins are shaped like knives and keys.
But for the most part, the coins are round and flat _ a feature Stahl guesses might be due to functionality.
"The knife coins would sure punch a hole in your pocket or purse. I guess a square coin would be bad," Stahl said.
Stahl first became interested in coins in the early 1970s while studying for his doctoral degree in medieval history at the University of Pennsylvania.
Kingdoms and empires, Stahl said, usually have rulers on the front of their coins, though the Byzantine Empire also used Jesus. Republics in history have avoided living people, and instead concentrated on symbols of what is valued by the state.
Particularly in the past, most average people didn't see their country's capital and its public buildings, or the nation's important documents. But they did see coins.
"Virtually every person is exposed to the coinage of that country," Stahl said.

O.C. man pays record $2.5 million for gold coin
by Jan Norman
An anonymous Orange County businessman has paid $2.5 million for a rare Civil War era gold coin, according to seller Monaco Rare Coins in Newport Beach.
The coin is one of two $20 Double Eagle gold coins struck in 1861 at the Philadelphia Mint with a design on the tail side (see picture below) that is different from millions of similar coins, said Monaco Vice President Adam Crum.

The other of the two coins is even more valuable to collectors, said Crum, who wrote “Insiders Guide to Collecting Type 1 Double Eagles.” “This one has some scratches; the other one doesn’t have a single flaw. It’s owned by a collector in New York, and I offered $5 million for it and he turned me down.”
Still, the purchase price of this coin is a record for a Paquet Reverse Double Eagle, according to Monaco. Collectors call the coin the “Paquet Reverse” after the assistant engraver of the Philadelphia Mint at the time, Anthony Paquet, who also engraved the first Congressional Medal of Merit.
“The record price for this spectacular rarity is indicative of its historic significance as well as the continuing strength of the rare coin market,” Crum said.
The Philadelphia Mint struck 3 million Double Eagle gold pieces in 1861.
“Technical problems with striking the coins and perhaps some internal politics at the mint in early 1861 resulted in a sudden halt to the production of the $20 gold pieces with the Paquet design on the reverse. The mint resumed production using an earlier design by Chief Engraver James Longacres, who also designed the familiar Indian Head pennies,” Crum explained.
The recently sold coin was part of the collection of Baltimore adventurer Col. Mendes I. Cohen, which was sold in 1875. Then the coin was not heard of until it was found in Switzerland in a bag with other $20 gold pieces in 1965.
Monaco Financial bought it for $1.61 million at a public auction in August, 2006, sold it privately for $1.771 million. After it was exhibited Feb. 14 at the Long Beach Coin, Stamp & Collectibles Expo, the anonymous businessman bought it.
The buyer insists on remaining anonymous because after a previous purchase he released his name and was hounded by coin sellers, Crum said.
He’s not the only big spender in Orange County when it comes to coins.
Steve Contursi of Rare Coin Wholesalers in Dana Point paid $3 million in 2005 for the Brasher Doubloon, the first gold coin minted in the United States.
Newport Beach sports agent Dwight Manley paid $1.84 million in 2001 for a 1913 Liberty Head nickel.

Gold edges up; platinum closes above $2,000
By Polya Lesova

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Gold futures ended slightly higher Thursday, while platinum surged after hitting another record high of $2,030.60 an ounce earlier in the session. Gold for April delivery gained 60 cents to end at $910.80 an ounce on the New York Mercantile Exchange. April platinum surged $22.20 to end at $2,005.90 an ounce, after earlier hitting a record high of $2,030.60. Gold was well-supported "with the dollar weaker and oil again higher," said Mark O'Byrne, executive director at Gold and Silver Investments Ltd., in a research note. "In the medium to long term, the combination of strong international safe-haven demand and decreasing production of and supply of gold in most major producers and particularly in South Africa will likely result in gold going significantly higher in the coming months," O'Byrne said. The dollar extended losses against most major counterparts Thursday after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the central bank stands ready to cut interest rates further if fresh signs of a weaker-than-expected economy emerge. Dollar weakness typically benefits gold prices. The dollar index, which tracks the performance of the dollar against a basket of other major currencies, dropped 0.4% to 76.135.
The Fed has done a lot to stave off a recession but stands ready to do more if the outlook darkens, Bernanke told the Senate Banking Committee in prepared testimony. See The Fed. Crude-oil futures posted strong gains and natural-gas futures also moved higher as U.S. inventories fell.
On Wednesday, gold futures ended down 90 cents at $910.20 an ounce. Gold "remains confined within a channel reaching from $890 to $930, but needs to record new highs lest it avoid a deeper correction to the $845/$865 area," said Jon Nadler, senior analyst at Kitco Bullion Dealers. "Supportive news from South Africa continues to lift the noble metals, with platinum now having vaulted well over $2,000 on the Eskom saga," Nadler said. Platinum soars to new recordContinuing its record-breaking run higher, April platinum soared to a new record of $2,030.60 an ounce on continuing worries about declining supply from South Africa, the world's biggest platinum producer. "While the market looks overbought and remains vulnerable to a sizeable correction, with no end in sight to the South African power crisis, it is difficult to be anything but bullish with platinum potentially able to gain a further $600-$800 an ounce over the next two to three months," said James Moore, an analyst at TheBullionDesk.com, in a note. The metal has rallied over 22% since the middle of January, boosted by severe power shortages in South Africa, which have forced many major mining companies to operate below capacity as they receive only about 80% to 90% of their usual amount of power. Also on the Nymex, March silver dropped 9.80 cents to $17.255 an ounce, while March palladium gained $2.10 at $441.15 an ounce. March copper fell 4.25 cents to $3.4880 a pound. Aluminum prices soar on LME Aluminum prices rallied Thursday on the London Metal Exchange, boosted by reports that Eskom, South Africa's utility company, is considering a complete power supply buy-back from aluminum smelters and other industrial users in the region for the rest of 2008.



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No rules apply for coins
By Mark Ferguson

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"Recession!"
That's the hot topic in the news these days. Some economists say we're in one, some say we're just close.
I often get asked what the coin market in general does when stock prices go higher or lower, when interest rates are high or low, and what coins do when the economy is good or bad, for example.
The most important thing to keep in mind is that there are no rules.
I am not an economist, but speaking as a numismatist I can point out what's happened to the coin market during modern times.
We used to see coin prices rise and then plateau, rise again and plateau again. However, in early 1980 after gold hit the then record high of $850 most "investment grade" coins, namely Mint State 65 pieces, continued to rise and then promptly proceeded to fall by about 50 percent, beginning around income tax time in early April that year.
Prior to that time dealers reaped huge, easy profits from buying and selling bullion products during 1979 and early 1980 and they plowed these profits into what they knew – rare coins.
This is similar to what we've seen during recent years in the housing market – builders put their profits into apartments and commercial buildings, because that's what they know. Now many of them are having a tough time of it.
However, in today's coin market many dealers are heavy on cash and low on inventory. This is because the coins they'd like to own have been picked over and are in collectors' hands rather than floating around coin shows and auctions.
In observing what's going on in the coin market and in talking with dealers and collectors, the anecdotal indicators show that today's coin market is sound.
Demand in general is still very strong and coins on want lists and sought to satisfy many dealers' appetites are difficult to locate.
Some people think gold should be priced, not near $900 per ounce, like it is now, but around $2,000 per ounce, when adjusted for inflation.
That's probably the only rule that is constant – rare coins and precious metals' prices do well during times of inflation.
Other than that, there are no "rules" as to how the coin market is affected by the general economy.


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Is the U.S. Penny and Nickel Worth Keeping? 60 Minutes Asks.

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5-cent nickels contain 75% copper and 25% nickel. 1-cent pennies contain 2.5% copper with the remaining zinc. The price of these metals have each gone up significantly and for over a year now, their melt value has been worth more than their real value. Or, more to the point, it costs the U.S. government more to make the penny and nickel than what they’re worth.
CoinNews has had several articles on the penny and nickel and one poll. In that poll last December, 45% of CoinNews readers felt the penny was no longer needed. Is it time to get rid of it and the nickel?
This time, the CBS program 60 Minutes asks the questions in a segment titled, Should We Make Cents?
It should be an interesting watch with Morley Safer reporting. Stay tuned to CBS on Sunday, Feb. 10, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.
For a sneak peak, watch this video preview of Mr. Safer talking to U.S. Mint Director Ed Moy.



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Monroe Presidential $1 Coins Enter Circulation 2/14
Public Ceremony at Ash Lawn-Highland on Feb. 13

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The first of the four Presidential $1 Coins this year will soon enter banks, stores and public transit systems. The James Monroe Presidential Dollar will be the first coin out of the gate starting on Feb. 14, 2008. However, in a ceremonial release one day prior, Monroe coins will be offered to the public in Ash Lawn-Highland.
If you’re like most Americans, you’re probably wondering what and where Ash Lawn-Highland is. That is one of the beauties of the presidential coin series. Each release of a new dollar helps provide the opportunity for small history lessons about the U.S. presidents.
Ash Lawn-Highland is located in Charlottesville, Virginia. It was the estate of President James Monroe. According to the Ash Lawn-Highland website,
"Ash Lawn-Highland is an historic house museum, 535-acre working farm, and performing arts site in Albemarle County, Virginia. President James Monroe and his wife, Elizabeth Kortright Monroe of New York, owned Ash Lawn-Highland from 1793 to 1826 and made it their official residence from 1799 to 1823. After the Monroes’ death, the name of their farm was changed from “Highland” to “Ash Lawn”; today both names are used …"
The Ash Lawn-Highland museum offers many interesting events throughout 2008. The ceremonial launch of the Monroe Presidential Dollar is sure to be one of the best.
Ceremony event information: location, time, hours and attendees The United States Mint announcement of the James Monroe $1 Coin ceremony invites the public and media.
Location: Ash Lawn-Highland, 1000 James Monroe Parkway, Charlottesville, VA 22902
Time: 11:00 a.m. Date: February 13, 2008
Attending: The Acting Deputy Director of the United States Mint, Dan Shaver, will join Ash Lawn-Highland’s Executive Director, Carolyn Coggin Holmes, James Monroe Memorial Foundation President G. William Thomas Jr. and James Monroe re-enactor Dennis Bigelow for the event.



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Coin buyer doubles value
Cassie Tarpley

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A buyer with “a really big heart” delivered a $6,000 check to The Salvation Army Wednesday. “This is very, very generous, absolutely amazing,” local commander Capt. John Leidy said of the outcome of its annual auction of commemorative coins. “We had a donor who made a bid on all six of our coins — the three Kruggerands and the three gold pieces — and the bid was $5,700. “And that wasn’t enough for them — they have a very big heart and rounded it off to $6,000.” The gold index price on Tuesday put the total value at about $3,000, he said. All six coins came from the Christmas kettles, dropped in anonymously. Just who the buyer is will remain a secret, Leidy said, by that buyer’s request. “This was the first time I’ve met this person, and I don’t know if he’s one who donated some of the coins or not — that’s the fun and mystery of it all.” This is the 10th year that special coins have been dropped into the Army’s Christmas kettles. The purchase makes the coins’ value useable now, Leidy said, and will help a lot of people. “Cool, isn’t it?” he said. “The other bids were just barely covering the minimum.” The Army projected $60,000 from the 2007 kettles and had counted $52,809 before the coin auction.


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George, Martha love story lives on in gold coin
By CAROL LEE

Gold Coins

Recently, my friend in Washington, D.C., sent me an e-mail article he knew I'd enjoy about a famous bird couple. George and Martha Wilson, a mated pair of bald eagles on the Potomac's Maryland shore since 1998, were at the heart of a news story once again.
First identified by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that year during a routine, regional flyover, the two eagles were named George and Martha Wilson because they were located near the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. According to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge's Project Web site, the pair successfully fledged three eaglets that year, two in 1999 and three more in 2000. In the fall of 2000, a strong wind storm blew their nest down, but they rebuilt a year later, further south down the Maryland shoreline and closer to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. They fledged two additional eaglets at that location, but unfortunately, that nest also was lost to a wind storm.
The pair then chose a nest site along the southern tip of Rosalie Island, not far from the edge of a construction zone, but the birds were supervised as they built their new home so there would be no conflicts of interest. Interestingly, the location isn't really an island, but an old gravel-and-sand dump where so much dirt was piled up over time that it created a rugged neck of land.
By early March, 2004, the couple was incubating eggs. It was easy to monitor the duties of each parent, since Martha was quite a bit larger than George. Watchers could document which bird was on the nest and which one was off feeding. Hatching started the following month, and both adults were seen tending chicks by April 10 that year.
Ill fate intervened in April, 2006, when Martha was attacked in midair by another female bald eagle. Martha was located by bridge workers and found badly injured and bleeding. She was taken to Tri-state Bird Rescue and Research Center in Delaware, where she recovered. During the interim, George incubated the eggs, their eggs hatched, and George took on the task of caring for the chicks. Sadly, the eaglets died, and it was thought to be due to insufficient warmth or malnutrition. Ultimately, George abandoned the nest, but the couple's news story touched hearts when she made headlines in the D.C. area and beyond.
Martha was released back to the wild from her Delaware location May 6 and made her way back to George on her own. Photos proved the bird again in George's company was indeed Martha, as marks on her bill matched those sustained during her attack.
That September, however, misfortune struck again, and Martha flew into a power line or structure and severely dislocated the elbow in her right wing. Her injury couldn't be repaired, and she'd never fly again. Tri- state said, "Consideration was given to placing Martha in a zoo or educational facility, but it was agreed that this would be a painful and uncomfortable life for her." Experts agreed euthanasia was the only humane option. They guessed her age to be about 13 years.
The rival female ultimately moved into Martha's territory - first on a branch near George, and then right into the nest. The demise of Martha and the taking of a second mate didn't end there, though.
News at the end of January 2008 in the Washington Post told of newly minted gold coins depicting a pair of bald eagles portrayed on them. They were the work of master designer for the U.S. Mint and Arlington resident Susan Gamble, whose initials appear on the coins. Given the assignment to come up with a design, her thoughts turned to our national bird, and in particular to her heartfelt passion for George and Martha. Their eaglets are featured on two of the three coins in the set.
During the design process Gamble looked at a number of photos of the eaglets. The news release states, "The United States Mint will begin accepting orders for the Bald Eagle Commemorative Coin Program at 12 noon (ET) on January 15, 2008." Surcharges from the sale of the coins will be paid to the American Eagle Foundation of Tennessee to continue their work in bald eagle conservation and preservation.

Even though George and Martha will long be remembered as a pair that successfully reared a number of youngsters along the Potomac, George didn't stay a widower for long. He and his new partner are already enjoying each other's company, but this liaison isn't to the liking of all the workers in the area. Over time, some say, they'll come to accept "the new gal on the block." Recently, the new female was seen sharing a fish with George and making a nest with him - less than a half-mile from his home with Martha.
Although a somewhat bittersweet ending, the famous pair's offspring will forever be immortalized on the new coins and leave a legacy in history for the artist who was inspired by their love story.


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Archaeologists Find Old Gold Coin Worth $45,000 in Latrine at Construction Site

Gold Coins

Archaeologists don’t expect to find gold in the middle of a downtown city, but that’s exactly what they did find.
Main Plaza is the historical center of downtown San Antonio. Texan construction crews have been working in the area for months in revitalization efforts for the Main Plaza Redevelopment Project. The area is the oldest part of San Antonio and designated a historical site.
To ensure history is preserved or properly uncovered, archaeologists are on hand at the site to look for and recover artifacts during the construction. A few days ago, they hit pay dirt in the form of an old gold coin.
The gold coin is dated 1855 and was actually discovered in what used to be a latrine trench. The coin has apparently been appraised and is valued at $45,000.


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