Coin

BEN FRANKLIN never looked better. He's gotten younger, his hair is darker and more plentiful, there's a mischievous glint in his eyes and a Mona Lisa expression on his mouth. It's a cosmetic makeover that should improve Americans' impression of this Founding Father -- if they happen to come into possession of a $100 bill.Early next year, the new Franklin will start appearing as the U.S. Treasury cranks out its redesigned $100 bill aimed at deterring high-tech counterfeiters. The Franklin image is larger and slightly off-center.

Fiscal cliff is so last year. In 2013, it's all about the trillion-dollar coin. And there's at least one news outlet campaigning for the dream coin to feature Michael Phelps. If you haven't been paying attention, the idea of a trillion dollar coin -- apparently like a silver dollar but A LOT heavier -- is gaining some degree of traction in Washington as lawmakers kick around ways to fix the ginormous national debt. A legal loophole would allow the U.S. Treasury to make huge-value coins.

Dave DuGoff gives reasoned plea for dollar coins ("Sensible change: Switch to $1 coins," April 26). I am all for it, but for some reason, the U.S. has made dollar coins almost like quarters, and as a result, no one will use them. Has anyone ever thought of looking at how other countries do this? For example, a similar coin in the United Kingdom is much smaller and thicker than other coins and can easily be differentiated by feel or vision. What's the matter with us? Judy Rhoades, Catonsville

PERRYVILLE -- A year ago, Ray Culp weighed 406 pounds and the outlook for his health was grim; he needed a walker and oxygen supply to get around. Today, his weight is down to 270, and he cites two reasons for the vast improvement in his health: He had gastric bypass surgery and his geocache count hit 4,240. The latter refers to the number of "treasures" the 62-year-old Culp has found while hiking and participating in high-tech scavenger hunts known by a few million hobbyists around the world as geocaching (pronounced "geo-cashing")

The U.S. Mint has issued the country's first coin with readable Braille text, to honor Louis Braille. Part of the proceeds from sales of the commemorative bicentennial silver dollar, which will not be in general circulation, will support literacy efforts of the National Federation of the Blind, based in Baltimore, where the coin was unveiled Thursday. The coin features a portrait of Louis Braille on the heads side. On the tails side, a child is shown reading, with the abbreviation for Braille, "BRL," in Braille text above his head.

Paul Edward Finck, a collector of rare coins and an avid golfer, died in an accident on the Eastern Shore on Sept. 19. He was 68. Mr. Finck and a helper were trying to move the family's two-bedroom trailer at Eagle's Nest Campground on Sinepuxent Bay when it fell on him. Mr. Finck had retired from his coin-collecting business this month, closing his small office in Timonium. "We buried him with a putter, four golf balls for each of his children, and seashells," said his wife, the former Paulette Hergenroeder, adding that the family loved spending time on the Sinepuxent.

DOYLESTOWN, Pa. -- Taking his change -- $1.25 -- from the waitress, Thomas Rogers turned a quarter over in his fingertips and admired the sheen on its silvery copper-and-nickel facade."

"Can you beat Sylvester's record?" the sign asked. No, I can't. And I hope I never do. I was in the checkout line at my supermarket when I spotted the sign, which portrays a beaming man and jar upon jar of pocket change. The man, identified as Sylvester Neal, "Coinstar Customer," had converted $7,921.41 in loose change into cash in a more usable form - paper money or store credit. You've probably seen these green Coinstar machines sitting in supermarkets or other stores. Pour in a coffee can of loose change and the machine counts it and issues a voucher the store will convert to cash or credit.

NEW YORK -- Twenty-one years after Northwest Baltimore resident Louis Eliasberg died, this quiet, conservative banker still attracts a crowd and a high price.More than 300 coin collectors and dealers from all over the globe gathered at Manhattan's St. Moritz Hotel last night to bid on the last section of the greatest collection of gold, silver and nickel U.S. coins.A 34-year-old coin dealer from Newport Beach, Calif., Greg Roberts, bid a record $1.815 million for Eliasberg's favorite piece -- an 1804 silver dollar of the type that President Andrew Jackson gave to the King of Siam.

A one-of-a-kind California Gold Rush coin, preserved for years by one of Baltimore's most prominent families, will return here next month for the first time in nearly 30 years. The 154-year-old $20 gold piece known as the Kellogg Twenty - now worth $3 million - will be displayed during the American Numismatic Association World's Fair of Money in the Baltimore Convention Center from July 30 to Aug. 2. Once owned by Baltimore resident and diplomat John Work Garrett, the coin is considered by collectors to be one of the finest American coins from the mid-19th century.

Anne Arundel County police detectives are consulting with county prosecutors as they continue to investigate the fatal Christmas morning shooting by a Glen Burnie store employee of a man he said broke in, police said. Police said they were at the Arundel County Coin Shop in the 7400 block of Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard four previous times in December, including for a report of a possible break-in early Dec. 10 and for an alarm sounding about 4 a.m. Sunday. They said they also checked a vehicle near there at 12:45 a.m. Monday.

BOSTON - If you're trying to make sense of the Orioles' otherworldly string of 16 straight extra-inning victories, don't even bother. "You don't question the things you don't understand," manager Buck Showalter said moments after the Orioles shook off a late-inning comeback by the Boston Red Sox on Saturday afternoon and scored three runs in the 12th for a 9-6 victory at Fenway Park. "You just sit back and watch it happen. " If you want to put it into some kind of perspective, consider the fact that a game that goes into extra innings is, by its very nature as a tied game in regulation, a pretty even proposition.

Sometimes I have to stop and think, how did I get so lucky? I found the greatest, most incredible guy who is crazy enough to marry me. It is both terrifying and thrilling. For me, the most terrifying part, so far, is the wedding planning. It can be very overwhelming. Luckily, Andrew is organized, prepared and has an unhealthy obsession with Excel spreadsheets. I, on the other hand, am forgetful and often find unfinished “To-Do” lists in various bags, jacket pockets and under the seat in my car. What do we need to plan?

Here's a challenge for The Sun writers: At your next staff meeting, have everybody dig into their pockets (or pocketbooks) and count the number of Susan B. Anthony $1 coins you have collectively. My guess is zero ("Sensible change: Switch to $1 coins," April 25). This raises the question, how does op-ed writer Dave DuGoff get almost 700 words on the commentary page to promote an idea that coincidentally would be quite convenient for his car-wash business? Readers should know that the U.S. Mint has hundreds of thousands of Susan B. Anthony $1 coins on its hands, but it can't get banks to order them due to lack of demand.

Op-ed writer Dave DuGoff makes a very reasonable case for eliminating the paper dollar bill ("Sensible change: Switch to $1 coins," April 26). In fact, the U.S. Treasury has tried dollar coins four times in the last 40 years, but they have never caught on for several reasons. Here is what the government needs to do to get people to use the coins: First, don't make them so large that they tear a hole in your pocket (like the Eisenhower coin). Second, don't make them so close to the size of a quarter that people can't tell the difference (the Susan B. Anthony coin)

Dave DuGoff gives reasoned plea for dollar coins ("Sensible change: Switch to $1 coins," April 26). I am all for it, but for some reason, the U.S. has made dollar coins almost like quarters, and as a result, no one will use them. Has anyone ever thought of looking at how other countries do this? For example, a similar coin in the United Kingdom is much smaller and thicker than other coins and can easily be differentiated by feel or vision. What's the matter with us? Judy Rhoades, Catonsville

WASHINGTON -- There's a new quarter in your future. Actually 50 new quarters honoring each state over the next decade.Under the plan, next year the Treasury Department will solicit the first major redesign of the quarter since the Depression, replacing the spread-winged eagle that, except for a bicentennial commemorative coin, has graced the coin continually since 1932.Five new coins will be minted each year for the next decade, carrying on the back of the coin a symbol of each state in the order they were admitted to the union.

A coin commemorating Maryland's role in the War of 1812 and Baltimore as the birthplace of "The Star-Spangled Banner" could soon be minted, officials announced yesterday. Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, sponsor of the Star-Spangled Banner and War of 1812 Bicentenntial Commemorative Coin Act, said the coin would be minted in 2012 to mark the 200th anniversary of the war with the British. "This coin is for all of our veterans. It is a wonderful way to honor the dedication of our military personnel of today and yesterday," Ruppersberger said during a news conference at the Maryland Historical Society.

Americans embrace innovation. It is in our DNA. We are always on the lookout for new ways to do something faster, cheaper, better. From the horse and buggy to the automobile; from the rotary telephone to the iPhone, we're always willing to embrace innovation if it will make our lives more efficient and productive. Unfortunately, the federal government's bureaucratic inertia has stood in the way of one such innovation that would save the country billions of dollars while making things easier for millions of small business owners like myself.

Barb and Greg Damon traveled to Maryland from Oregon to run a marathon and left with an unusual souvenir. The Damons were among the first people who went to Fort McHenry Monday to purchase commemorative coins created by the United States Mint to mark the bicentennial of the War of 1812. Barb Damon said she and her husband ran in the B&A Trail Marathon over the weekend as part of a quest to complete a marathon in every state. She said they also collect coins and couldn't pass up the chance to purchase a coin on the first day it was issued.