President Obama on Thursday signed the Girl Scout Commemorative Coin Act into law, authorizing the Untied States Mint to strike up to 350,000 silver dollar coins to honor the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America (GSUSA).

The coins will be minted and sold in 2013, marking the end of Girl Scouts’ yearlong centennial celebration and kicking off a new century of leadership and service to girls.

The bill, H.R. 621, was introduced by Rep. Jack Kingston and easily passed by a voice vote on Oct. 13. Sen. Susan Collins sponsored a companion bill, S. 451. Instead of moving that forward, the Senate simply passed the House version on Oct. 19 by Unanimous Consent.

President Obama signed the bill at 3:15 p.m. ET during a ceremony at the White House that included Connie L. Lindsey, GSUSA National Board Chair, Laurie Westley, Senior Vice President, Public Policy, Advocacy & the Research Institute, and girls from the Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital.

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1879 Flowing Hair stella leads the way with $161,000; strong prices signal optimism in the market

DALLAS, TX — With a sell-through rate of 90% by lot and 88% by dollar value, and almost 3300 bidders, Heritage Auctions’ Oct. 23-24 Dallas Signature® U.S. Coin Auction soared to $8.7 million total. All prices include a 15% Buyer’s Premium.

The impressive tally is a good sign for the coin market and provides strong momentum as the numismatic world prepares for the January FUN auctions, long a solid indicator of the overall strength of the business and a benchmark by which to judge the coming year.

"We saw some very strong prices in some unexpected areas," said Greg Rohan, President of Heritage Auctions. "The rare coin market seems to be almost fully recovered in many areas, and perhaps even headed for record price levels next year."

A stunning 1879 Flowing Hair stella struck in gold, Judd-1635, Pollock-1833, PR65 NGC was the top lot of the Heritage Auctions event, with a price realized of $161,000 for this international trade coinage pattern, which bears a Flowing Hair portrait of Liberty by Charles Barber. Demand for the issue is far greater than the supply; only a few hundred of the gold 1879 Flowing Hair stellas were minted and distributed, mainly to interested members of Congress.

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Read the rest of Heritage Auctions Realizes $8.7 Million in Dallas U.S. Coin Auction (698 words)

(San Antonio, TX) – CoinCollectingNews.org was originally designed as a quick hub where interested parties could learn about the latest coin news from leading sources. While this feature continues as the site’s trademark, Coin Collecting News recently expanded to offer brand new resources and more than 150 pages of quality information relevant to the hobby of coin collecting.

"I started Coin Collecting News about 18 months back in the hopes of creating an open, sharing environment for both collectors and writers," said Mike Unser, founder and president of CoinNews Media Group LLC, which owns CoinCollectingNews.org.

"While we patted ourselves on the back with how well the site was performing, it became clear that we weren’t doing enough. Our readers began telling us that they wanted more information about the coin world and how it relates to them — not just daily aggregated news."

"With that in mind, we spent a significant amount of time adding content and resources that are sure to be useful to anyone interested in numismatics," Unser added. "We’ve been thrilled and thankful for the feedback we’ve received following each area rollout. The entire process, with the exception of the many late nights and weekends, has been positive for all of us at CoinNews Media Group."

The new areas Unser mentions are actually web site subsections that have been quietly appearing on Coin Collecting News since late August. Acceptance by the collecting community has been exceptional. Readership is up nearly 35 percent since Oct. 1, and collectors are spending extra time on site, visiting more pages.

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Read the rest of More Coins, Articles and Features Added to Coin Collecting News Web Site (305 words)

The severe debt position faced by the world’s biggest mining companies will have an adverse impact on future supply growth and hence could lead to sharply higher commodity prices.

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No resolution to the case as yet

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2,200 high grade samples of mostly scarce, rare or unique specimens from Spain, her colonies and empire ranging from the Visigothic era to the present were sold Oct 21-22 by Aureo & Calico in Barcelona Spain. The Caballero de las Yndias collection is stunning representation of all of the mints that struck coinage for all of the Spanish dynasties throughout all of the rulers and respective types.

The United States Mint announced today that it will begin accepting orders for the one-ounce 2009 American Buffalo Gold Proof Coin at noon Eastern Time (ET) on October 29, 2009.

The Brackley Hoard Of Silver Groats Coins to be Sold – In the summer of 1465, as the Wars of the Roses raged, an unknown person hid his worldly wealth in a secret location in a Northamptonshire field and went into hiding. He never returned to claim his money.

Bowers and Merena Auctions, America’s leading rare coin and currency auction house, will bring more than 6,000 lots of fine coins and currency to Baltimore, Md., for the Official Auction of the Whitman Coin & Collectibles Baltimore Expo scheduled for November 10-14, 2009.

Stack’s eagerly invites you to take part in our 74th Anniversary Sale, held this year in Baltimore, MD November 9-11, 2009. Stack’s is proud to celebrate our 74th year in the auction business by holding a star-studded auction event, replete with dazzling rarities at every turn.

By Doug Winter – The Great Branch Mint Gold Popularity Contest of 2009 – I realize that the title of this blog sounds like an outtake from the Dukes of Hazzard but I thought it might be an interesting topic to take each branch mint and analyze it in terms of its popularity.

Drivel Control - Commentary by Wayne Sayles – The twitter around the cultural property nationalist blogs at the moment is that a rare tribal octadrachm of the Bisalti has been seized from an auction firm in Switzerland.

Goldline International, Inc., a leading gold and precious metals trading company, was recently ranked the 32nd largest privately-held company in Los Angeles by the Los Angeles Business Journal.

Former television news anchor and Congressman Jay Johnson has died from an apparent heart attack at his home in suburban Washington, DC

Stunning Smithsonian Coins Exhibit in PCGS Video – The acclaimed, new traveling exhibition of the Smithsonian’s National Numismatic Collection, “Good as Gold – America’s Double Eagles,” now can be seen on a free, new video available online courtesy of Professional Coin Grading Service.Stunning Smithsonian Coins Exhibit in PCGS Video

Legend Numismatics Mid October Rare Coin Market Report – The coin market seems to be doing just fine-and maybe even gaining a little strength. Last week we were knocked down pretty much by illness in the office. It was a bigger deal for us to lift our heads than any coins.

Heritage’s upcoming 2009 October Signature US Coin Auction, taking place at the Dallas headquarters of Heritage on October 22-24, presents an interesting opportunity to look at the contrasts of Collecting styles between two of the Featured Collections.

Continuing with News across the web, we have a new posting of – Coin News Daily – providing short excerpts and links to other news across the web that we have found, and which you may find of interest. We also provide Daily Updates on Precious Metals in The Bullion Report, with Charts, Video Headlines and News.

You can access ALL the News Here

What’s New on CoinLink ……..

Olympic Medals – As unique as the world’s top athletes and their awe-inspiring performances, every medal won at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games will be a one-of-a-kind work of art.

NGC recently certified the unique Ecuador 1862 50 Francos struck in gold. This classic rarity of 19th-century South American coinage is an experimental denomination that conforms to the European coinage standards of the era. It is graded NGC AU 55.

Unusual Items: Lowest Graded Half Eagle Gold Coin to be Sold by Heritage – The mantra in almost all areas of collecting is Quality, Quality, Quality! High end coins are always in demand, regardless of the series.

The American Numismatic Association Board of Governors has approved a balanced operating budget for the 2010 fiscal year (November 1, 2009 to October 31, 2010), signaling the continued financial turnaround in fiscal performance for the Association.

1810 Half Eagles By Doug Winter - In a recent blog about undervalued early gold issues, I mentioned that the half eagles of 1810 were confusing enough (even to a specialist such as me) that this tends to suppress values for some of the rare issues that are known from this year. Let’s take a more in-depth look at the various 1810 half eagles.

CoinLink is always on the lookout for new sites related to numismatics, and especially ones that have the potencial to offer valuable new information to the collecting community. A recent article in the NGC Newsletter caught our eye. They profiled Coin Society, a new site which just released an open beta at www.coinsociety.com.

A new series of informative and entertaining educational videos, “Spare Change: Coin Collecting Guide,” is available free at the recently-launched website, www.CoinsTV.com.

Coin Dealer Julian Leidman Victim of Vehicle Burglary. Reward Grows to $156,000. The Township of Montville, New Jersey police department is investigating the October 11, 2009 auto burglary of coin dealer Julian Leidman. Mr. Leidman was en route home after participating in Coinfest Coin Show held in Stamford Connecticut.

Ponterio & Associates, a division of Bowers and Merena Auctions, will bring 1,250 lots of world paper money to Baltimore, Md., as part Bowers and Merena’s Official Auction of the Whitman Coin and Collectibles Baltimore Expo scheduled for November 10-14, 2009.

Stella Coin News (SCN) is very pleased to announce their latest online reference book, The Complete Guide to Certified Barber Coinage, written in 1999 by John and David Feigenbaum.

PNG – Millions Lost From Coin Fakes, Hobby Leaders Warn – Chinese-made counterfeit coins pose a significant financial threat to unsuspecting consumers, according to leaders of five of the country’s most influential rare coin organizations. They warn the public is spending millions of dollars on fake U.S. coins offered in online auctions and elsewhere, such as flea markets and swap meets.

On September 29th, Spink held a sale in London of A Superb Set Of The 1913 – 1914 Commonwealth of Australia Banknotes. The notes were found in a chest of drawers in the North Yorkshire home of an elderly man when his home was being cleard out for an estate sale.

PCGS - An informative video news report about the rare coin market has been posted by CNBC on its web site. PCGS Co-Founder David Hall is prominently featured in the story.

Laura Sperber Market Report – First, we’d like to congratulate and thank Jon Lerner (Scarsdale Coins) putting on one of the BEST shows there is! Jon fought a nasty cold and made sure everything was “just right” for everyone. We also would like to offer a huge thank you to John Albanese and his team over at CAC for donating their time and effort to offer free submissions for the collectors who attended.

Continuing with News across the web, we have a new posting of – Coin News Daily – providing short excerpts and links to other news across the web that we have found, and which you may find of interest. We also provide Daily Updates on Precious Metals in The Bullion Report, with Charts, Video Headlines and News.

You can access ALL the News Here

Gold bullion value is the most fundamental assessment of physical, investment-grade gold worth, and also a strong economic indicator for current market trends. Gold bullion value is only slightly more than the current gold spot price, which is the cost of one Troy ounce of pure gold, and this price historically tends to rise during adverse economic conditions. More and more economic experts are finally agreeing that our present economic status is sub-standard, and still declining. Our U.S. dollar is braving the slings and arrows of international disapproval, and American citizens are desperate for some hard-nosed leadership. While our Administration heads back to the drawing board, projections for gold bullion value are bullish. Pragmatic investors everywhere are liquidating their stocks and bonds, and fortifying their portfolios with precious metals like gold bullion bars and coins.

Bullion bars are traditionally used to capitalize on potential short-term gains, as liquid diversifications for long-term, rare coin investments, or as government-approved, gold backed IRA contributions. Purity is everything in bullion bar investment, so buyers are advised to purchase reputable brand names for their bullion bars, which include Engelhard, PAMP Suisse, Credit Suisse, and Johnson Matthey. Bullion coins are only slightly more costly than bars, and investors can use coins like 22-Karat American Eagles and 24-Karat Canadian Maple Leafs for all of the same purposes as bullion bars. Investors can avoid paying eye-gouging retail prices for their bullion by contacting one of our friendly specialists, who offer institutional discounts on bullion, and rare coin.

Danny Burns

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“Drowsy driving” episodes are quite commonly reported by drivers in the general community and by professional drivers. A recent population-based survey in USA indicated that 37% of the driving population had driven while drowsy and had dozed off at the wheel, some many times, within the preceding year. Only a minority of such episodes had caused a crash or near-miss incident.

Such an experience may lead drivers to believe that episodes of “drowsy driving” are readily manageable and are not necessarily associated with greatly increased risks. Combine that with the known impairment of the d…

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Nationalisation of mines was prescribed in the Freedom Charter and therefore a prerequisite for leadership in the ANC, ANC Youth League president Julius Malema said on Thursday.

"If you are not for nationalisation you are not qualified to lead the ANC," said Malema at a ANCYL sponsored debate with Business Day columnist Tim Cohen and Old Mutual CEO Kuseni Dlamini.

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