I like to read about history and coins. These past few weeks I came across references to a coinage act of April 22, 1864. This Act had a impact of some of items I like to collect. This act changed the composition of the Indian Cent, it created the 2 Cent piece, and pretty much did away with Civil War Tokens. I casual collect all these items. I look for coins and tokens with nice eye appeal and usually in grades of Very Fine and above. I belong to the Fly-In Club (Flying Eagles and Indian Cents) and The Civil War Token Society. The quarterly publication of Fly-In Club is the" Longacre Ledger" tells about different varieties and the hunt for the coins. I do not really look for varieties, but the publication has great photographs. I also belong to the Civil War Token Society which also issues a quarterly publication.The cost of membership in these clubs are well worth the dues. You can find more information on these clubs at fly-in.org & cwtsociety.org. I have not found a 2 Cent club, but would be a member if there was one. Whitman Publications have "Redbooks" on Flying Eagle & Indian Cents, and also on Civil War Tokens. I recommend both.  Also, there is a nice a book by Kevin Flynn "The Authoritative Reference on Two Cents Coins." Even though I do not purchase a lot of coins and tokens, The clubs and books keep me informed. I want to tell the story of my first Civil War Token. I was about 12 years old in the early 60's when my sisters brought a "coin" home with an Indian head on one side and "Not One Cent" on the other. My sisters received this as part of a payment while working as car hops at A & W. Hopefully, you like this blog. I am planning to post my rambling thoughts on a somewhat regular basis. Happy Collecting, from "SUN" (Southern Utah Numismatist).

In the United States, specifically California, in the 1800s while the famous Gold Rush was occurring, gold coins were often made in amounts lower than a dollar (fractional gold coins). These coins were produced privately and in three ‘periods’, Period One, Period Two and Period Three. They were used for many things, but only period one was used heavily for commerce.

lately i'v been spending most of my free time reading up on coins and coin collecting through the use of coin books in my personal library, books and dvds from the ana library, and coin magazines that I subscribe to (just subscribed to my 4th coin magazine) also a friend who owns the local coin shop where I do most of my coin shopping just gave me a huge stack of coin magazines and auction catalogs.also I purchased a 1964 Kennedy half dollar, a franklin half dollar, and a beautiful walking liberty half dollar with full luster all for spot. well until next time have fun with your hobby.

         First things first, I am not a writer and I don't claim to be one so please bare with me. As I roam around the bourse floor at coin shows I notice one thing, The average age of the attendees is getting older and older. The young generation just has no interest in the hobbie, but how do we get them interested? I know some here are detectorist, someone who metal detects. This of itself is a great hobbie. Not only can you find rare coins, relics, gold and silver. You also unearth the past. Things that would fade away beneath the surface and lost forever. So one way to get kids interested could be metal detecting. It also has other advantages. Gets them away from the TV, video games, and out getting some exercise. Plus its a good bonding experience, so get out there and make some memories. 

Nearly fifteen years ago, my grandmother Florence gave me a simple hand-stitched suede pouch with a drawstring. What was inside would connect me to my past, help me professionally and forge the way for a hobby I now hold dear.