Members at the Nov. 13 Coin Club meeting look on as Jeff Veselenak describes a “slabbed” (authenticated and graded) gold coin from his collection. (Photo by Sharon Erwin)
Are you curious about how coins and currency changes have reflected historical events? Maybe you want to know more about some old coins you’ve had for years or perhaps a collection you inherited. Then we suggest you come and check out the SaddleBrooke Coin Club, which features an educational talk at each meeting. The slide and coin presentation in November was “Women Featured on U.S. Coinage.” In December, the topic was “Goldbacks” as a new alternative currency. The January meeting started the new year with “What’s Going on Is Numismatics,” from a coin dealer’s perspective.
1. Coins are miniature historical records: Coins often feature rulers, important symbols, men, women, inscriptions, events, and dates. They often commemorate who was in power and events or symbols of significance to society at a given time period.
2. They show economic history: Coins reveal what metals were valuable/used, their crude or refined manufacturing process, trade networks, inflation, or economic decline.
3. They survive when other records don’t. Coins are durable metal objects. Even when documents are lost, coins often remain and help historians reconstruct timelines.
The SaddleBrooke Coin Club was established by Ken Marich in 2010. SaddleBrooke Coin Club meetings are held on the second Thursday of each month (except June, July, and August) at 6 p.m. in the Catalina Room located at 38691 Mountain View Blvd. and always feature an educational topic. With the all-time high price of silver over $60 an ounce and gold over $4,200 an ounce, that collection may be worth a lot more than you imagined. Free, unofficial appraisals and advice are available from club members to help you with whatever your goals are.
Guests and new members are always welcome! For any questions, call Terry Caldwell, SaddleBrooke Coin Club president, at 719-246-1822 or send an email to tjcaldw@gmail.com.