Numismatic Photography is a specialized branch of macro-photography, rooted in absolute realism, with the objective to document the true details of a coin without exaggeration. Aperture, shutter speed, lighting, and focus all need to come together to take a decent picture. Technique, patience, and artistry are needed to take a great picture. I can only […]

Under the 1898 Treaty of Paris, Spain ceded the Philippine Islands to the United States as an unincorporated territory. The Philippine Organic Act of 1902 established a civil government for the archipelago, with Section 79 granting authority to issue minor coins. Congress amended the Act in March 1903 to establish a stable monetary system and […]

In the first half of 2026, I submitted several coins to the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) for certified grading. My success with having non-modern raw coins graded or crossing over an encapsulated coin is dismal. However, it was an expensive education in the subjectivity of coin grading and the risks inherent in purchasing raw […]

Silver and gold have been interwoven with United States coinage since the establishment of the United States Mint. This 1801 Draped Bust Silver Dollar embodies the Coinage Act of 1792 in tangible form and was the result of someone taking silver to the United States Mint to have it minted into this coin. In his […]

I evaluated a few coin-collecting applications when my collection was large enough to become unmanageable, and I was not impressed. Online versions seemed to require too much interaction, and the few desktop applications I reviewed seemed too complicated or simply did not match what I wanted in an application. Instead, I created my own Microsoft […]

Note: A brief introduction to error coins and variety coins is available here. I find error coins with missing mint marks fascinating because, in many instances, they may be indistinguishable from coins minted at the Philadelphia Mint. There are many examples of coins intentionally struck without a mint mark that are not error coins. For […]

One of the first lessons taught in numismatic courses is that the designs and inscriptions on coins symbolize a nation’s identity, values, and history. With the Treaty of Paris signed in 1783, ending the Revolutionary War, the United States Constitution having been ratified in 1787, and the Bill of Rights having been ratified in 1791, […]