Dating way back into the ancient times, there have always been celebrations of motherhood.  From the Roman festival of Hilaria to the Greek cult to Cybele, motherhood has been revered and celebrated.  But it didn’t become a national holiday until the early 1900’s.

In 1907, Anna Jarvis held a Memorial for her mother whom had passed away two years prior.  Ann Maria Reeves Jarvis had started Mother’s Day Work Clubs in 5 U.S. cities.  These clubs improved health conditions as well as aided Confederate and Union soldiers alike by treating their wounds and feeding them.  She passed away in 1905.

When Anna held the Memorial for her mother on Sunday May 12, 1907, she decided to push for a nationally recognized Mother’s Day holiday on the second Sunday of May.  Finally in 1914, she had succeeded and the U.S. adopted the holiday.

By the 1920’s, Mother’s Day was a successful commercial holiday.  Card businesses were booming.  Anna, however, was disgusted by the commercialism of the holiday.  She felt a paper prewritten card was no way to show your mother that you loved her.  Anna, along with her sister, spent their entire inheritance fighting and lobbying against what the holiday had become.  They both died completely broke.  Oddly, Anna had never married and did not become a mother herself.

Now, Mother’s Day is celebrated all over the world.  Many countries followed the U.S. by adopting the holiday.  Here at West Seattle Coins, we cherish our moms.  If you have any old jewelry or coins laying around, come on in today and we’ll give you a free appraisal.  What would you do for your mom if you had some extra money?

With gold still holding strong, there’s been some crazy stories of people popping out their gold teeth and fillings and selling them at pawn shops.  Kinda gross, but if you’ve got material in your mouth worth thousands of dollars, I guess it make sense to cash in on it. But when exactly did putting gold in your mouth become popular and has the practice declined?

For a very long time, gold has been highly coveted and a symbol of wealth and status.  In the E. European countries especially, flaunting gold by way of sticking it in your mouth was highly regarded.  Dentists would even cover a perfectly healthy tooth or grind one down, to replace it with a gold one.  It caught on in the US as a fashion statement in the 1960’s.

Aside from fashion though- gold proved to be very adequate at filling teeth.  It’s incredibly malleable and strong.  It also resists corrosion, making it a leading choice for fillings as it lasts 40+ years.  It’s been used for awhile and is still available. The process used to be tedious though, involving a complete removal of decay and hammering tiny pieces of gold foil into the tooth. Now, silver and Amalgam are the most widely used for fillings.  Gold fillings can be up to 10 times more expensive than the others.

With gold prices hovering around $1600-$1800 an ounce, it’s easy to see why people are scrambling to pull out their gold fillings and trade them in for cash.  Although some people are skeptical in the value of the paper dollar and holding fast to their fillings.

Do you have any gold items that you’d like a free appraisal on? Come by West Seattle Coins and we’d love to meet with you and evaluate your things.

From when I was a child, I remember antagonizing my brother. We’d get in a huge fight and ultimately flip a coin to see who was right. Now my own kids are doing the exact same thing. And I started thinking, “Is this a universal practice?”
After digging around online, I came to a lot of dead ends. Surprisingly there wasn’t a lot of info about the origins of coin flipping. This is what I was able to found out:

Romans, Brits and American Pioneers
Looks like several generations and civilizations have a variation on the coin toss. England’s version was called ‘Cross and Pile’. While the Romans had one called ‘Ship or Head’ because their coin had a ship on one side and the head of the emperor on the other. And in the 1800’s, prospectors in California played a game called ‘Indian or Wheat’ based on the coin of the time. It was thought they played the coin toss to pass the days.

Football to Lotteries
Now coin tosses are used all the time. Football games are started with one to decide which team kicks off first. In New Zealand the lottery winners are decided by one. And even in UK politics if two candidates are tied after 3 recounts, they can decide the victor with a coin toss.

So while the history behind this old game is shrouded in mystery, it seems apparent that it’s been enjoyed for hundreds of years. And will continue to be played as children naturally gravitate towards it. And it makes me wonder, what did they play before there were coins? Luckily, we have plenty now. Come on in to West Seattle Coins today and get a free appraisal on your coins!

A Florida auction draws the most money ever for a U.S. copper coin.  The penny is from 1793, the first year the United States Mint opened in Philadelphia.  What makes this coin so rare is that it was not in circulation.  There was no wearing on the face, lettering or the chains.  (The chains on the reverse were later replaced by a wreath as they felt it symbolized slavery.)

The buyer’s name has not been released but was said to be a major collector.  Amazingly, this isn’t the most U.S. coin has been sold for.  Keep reading for a list of some of the highest priced coins in U.S. history.

1794 FLOWING HAIR DOLLAR

This coin dollar is the most expensive coin in history.  It sold in May 2010 for a whopping $7,850,000!  It was privately bought.

1933 GOLD DOUBLE EAGLE

This beauty sold at auction on July 30, 2002 for $7,500,000.  There is quite a history behind this coin including theft and an intervention from the government!

1804 CLASS 1 SILVER DOLLAR

This coins was actually minted in 1834 but had the date 1804, making it rare.  It sold at auction in 2010 for $3,730,000.

1913 LIBERTY NICKEL

This coin featured a ‘V’ on the reverse and there are only 5 in existence.  The first one sold in 1996 for $1,485,000 and a second one sold a few years later for $3,700,000.

1804 DRAPED BUST DOLLAR

This little gem of a coin received $1,815,000 at auction in 1997.

It’s amazing to think something so small could be worth so much money.  Do you have any unique coins at home or in a collection?  Come down to West Seattle Coins and we’ll give you a free appraisal.  We love to see what people have and surprising them with the worth.

Sure gold gets all the glory, all the press and all the love.  But what about silver? Right now it’s much easier to invest in silver than gold.    In ancient Egypt silver was actually regarded higher than gold.  Read on for more interesting facts about this precious metal.

NO GERMS HERE!

Silver kills bacteria.  And a bacterium doesn’t build up a resistance to silver as it does to many antibiotics.

SOUTH OF THE BORDER

Mexico leads the world in silver production followed by Peru.  However, the U.S. leads the pack in silver consumption.

NEW SKIN

Silver is now used in hospitals on patients who have lost large sections of skin.  Silver aids in the re-growth process.

SILVER SPOON

The term ‘born with a silver spoon in his mouth’ didn’t initially mean wealth but health.  For centuries silver was thought to heal and children that were fed from a silver spoon were believed to be healthier.

MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL

The highest quality mirrors are finished with silver due to its great reflectivity.

A PICTURE’S WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS

Where is 1/3 of the world’s silver used?  In photography!

MIXED METAL

Pure silver is incredibly soft.  For jewelry it must be combined with other materials, such as nickel or platinum, to make it suitable for wearing.

PLENTY TO GO AROUND

The ratio of silver to gold in ounces on our planet is reported to be 17 to 1.  This explains why gold is so valuable as the supply is less.

HOT TAMALE

Of all the elements, silver is King in heat conduction.  Rear window de-foggers in your car are an example of this.

SKINNY MINNY

1 grain of silver can be made into a sheet 150 times thinner than paper!

While gold may get all the attention, silver definitely deserves some love too.  And with prices skyrocketing, now is a great time to get some of your old silver appraised.  Come into West Seattle Coins for a free appraisal today.

Sure gold is shiny, expensive and known to be a treasure.  But there a lot of zany facts that many people don’t know.  For instance, did you know that a single ounce of gold can be stretched for 50 miles?  Keep reading for some truly amazing facts about this precious metal.

REDUCE, REUSE AND RECYCLE

Gold is completely recyclable.  In fact, it’s estimated that 85% of our gold today is from hundreds if not thousands of years ago.

THE UNITED STATES OF GOLD

The U.S. holds 25% of the world’s gold reserves in New York City.  Most of it belongs to foreign governments though.

YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT

Pure gold can be ingested, as it is not toxic.  In fact, back in the 14^th century they would melt gold and crushed emeralds and ingest it to treat the plague.

I’VE STRUCK GOLD!

The leading country for gold mining is South Africa.  Currently 25% of the world’s gold comes from there.

MAMA’S GONNA BUY YOU A DIAMOND RING

Of all the new gold mined, 50% is used in jewelry!  40’s is for investments and only 10% used in industry.

HUNK OF BURNING GOLD

On February 5, 1889, John Deason and Richard Oates found the largest gold nugget in Australia ever recorded.  It yielded 2,248 ounces of gold and measured 10 by 25 inches.  And, it was buried only 2 inches underground.  Today that would be worth $3,581,064!

CARRIED AWAY TO SEA

It is estimated that 70 million tons of gold is dissolved into the sea.  And the ocean floor holds as much as 100 million tons of gold.  Unfortunately, we haven’t found a way to mine it.

Gold is a fascinating thing. It’s incredibly durable and has stood the test of time.  It is always a great investment and yields high profits when selling.  If you have questions about investing in or selling your gold, contact us today.  At West Seattle Coins we are glad to give you a free appraisal and answer any questions.

With all the hoopla in the news over the soaring prices of gold, it easy to wonder how it came to be that way.  Gold has always been thought of as a treasure.  With its shiny exterior and references in everything from pirate lore to ancient Egyptian tales, even children are awed by its natural beauty.  And of course, investors love it too. Below are a few reasons for the spike.

Safe Investment

Gold is considered a safe investment.  It is accepted worldwide as currency and its value is not dependent on its usefulness in industry.  It is controlled by supply and demand.  If supply is low, due to natural disasters for example, then there becomes less of it to supply the demand.  If the demand spikes, such as now, then the supply cannot keep up.  And if both are the case at the same time, the value skyrockets.

Unstable Economy

In the 90’s, the economy was stable, unemployment was low and the U.S. dollar had value.  The price of gold on average in 1998 was $281 per ounce.  By 2004, the price almost doubled to $404 per ounce and by 2011 it soared to an all time high of $1700 per ounce.   So what happened?

Supply & Demand

Again it goes back to supply and demand.  Recently, South Africa (the world’s leading gold producer) has seen a dramatic decrease in supply.   Also, demand has increased.  Asia’s inflation has increased and they are buying a large amount of gold.  China alone in the first 2 months of 2011 imported 200 tonnes of gold, which is more than they bought for the whole year of 2010.

Inflation

When inflation goes up, so does the value of gold.  Interest rates are down which in turn stimulates the market and increases inflation.  And in these harsh economic times, investors and consumers alike are taking comfort in purchasing gold.

In any case, prices are still rising and there’s no better time than the present to turn your scrap gold jewelry into cash.  Come in to West Seattle Coins and see what kind of fortune you have collecting dust.