My podcast, History of the US Mint Podcast has new episodes out. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Also my youtube channel, LAP coins is doing� giveaway stream at 6PM est tonight in 5 minutes.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTLBSLuBb60

� � � � A pandemic� can be scary for all of us, but it has some positives for online dealers. I have sean a big increase in sales on my ebay store (I had to remove link). I am quite busy listing inventory on Ebay, but I will try to post on my blog at least every other day! I collect all types of dimes (bust through-roosevelt), except barber dimes because they are ugly, Lincoln Cents (I only have key dates left), and US Type. I have Littleton albums for a lot of coins, and I will somtimes work on other sets. I occasionally purchase a morgan or peace dollar for my collection, too. I look forward to being more a part of this wonderful onlie community during this time of uncrtainty.Stay Healthy,�Larry

I have been sucessfully selling coins on ebay for over a year now. I have not made a fortune, but I sure have learned a lot of lessons to share with you.Lesson 1-PostageI reccomend, if you are selling expensive coins, that you spend more than a first class envelope on postage. If you are selling steel cents, or wheat pennies for $0.99, you will want to get Discount postage for your envelopea. For example, buy $10 of unused old stamps for $7. It can mean the difference between profit or not.Lesson 2-ShippingThis one is pretty simple-DO NOT CHARGE FOR SHIPPING!!! You want to advertize free shipping on your listings. Just integrate the shipping cost with the price of the item you are selling.Lesson 3-Store SubscriptionIt is not that expensive, ad if you are selling a lot of inventory, you will want to get at least the basic store subscription.Lesson 4- AddressesI just learned that it saves a lot of time and looks profesional. Print out return address labels and tape them on with a piece of tape. Custom address labels also look proffesional, but are too expensive to be worth it.Lesson 5-Fees (are annoying)Ebay will try to trick you many times with the fees. Basically, there are 2 types of ebay fees. Listing fees, and Final Value fees Thy all will get charged at the end of the month. Final value fees only are charged once your item sells. Listing fees get more tricky. Now because of the pandemic, all basic stores get 50k listings as ebay's way to help out small businesses. Once this ends, you will get a fixed amount of free listings each month. Why it's tricky is that you have to pay that fee again if something didn't sell last month. Ebay automatically charges you againANOTHER 5 LESSONS COMING MONDAY!!

The US Mint released it's San Antonio Missions� 5 oz.� Silver Coin (hockey puck). If you do the math with silver at around 17.50 (1), the silver value of this coin is about $90. I can't believe that beople spend the $154 that the mint is asking for it. That is almost double it's value. these coins have basically no numismatic value and are just bullion coins, given that I have never even seen one in person. I am tired of these coins. I'm glad that womens' history qharters are coming next, but not if they make the hockeypucks for them too.�P.S. Sorry I haven't been writing blog posts wor a week-I was on vacationSource:CoinWeek(1) Comes from PCGS Daily Coin Market Report on 9/26

In the mid 1830s, President Andrew Jackson felt a need for mints in other locations besides Philadelphia. 3 branches were proposed:Charlotte, Dolenada, and New Orleans. New orleans was a large port where foreign silver deliveries commonly came in. The act became official on March 3, 1835. Mint Director Samuel Moore chose John Mitchel and Benjamin F. Fox for the construction contract. William Strickland designed the new mint. He had also designed the second Philadelphia Mint. David Bradford was appointed superintendent of the new mint in March of 1837. In January� of 1838, Robert Maskell, the mint director reported: "The machinery of the New Orleans Mint was executed, and the steam engine set in action in may last; and there would have been no difficulty in putting the mint in full operation, but for the apprehensions from the climate.� Two of the officers and all of the workmen were from the middle states, and unacclimated; and I was advised by the resident officers that they would incur great risk in going to New Orleans in the warm season…. They are now, however, all at their stations, and making every exertion to commence the operations of the Mint at an early day.”