Coins

A billion dollars in unwanted American dollar coins sits in specially-made vaults the size of soccer fields in Texas and Baltimore and other undisclosed locations. But why are they just sitting there?

A billion dollars in unwanted American dollar coins sits in specially-made vaults the size of soccer fields in Texas and Baltimore and other undisclosed locations. They're heavily guarded -- according to NPR's Planet Money team, even journalists must be watched carefully as they check out the...

Green Coinstar machines are ubiquitous in grocery and big discount stores around the country; for a nearly 10% fee, they'll sort your change for you and give you bills in return. We'll be the first to admit that rolling coins is tedious work (especially since many banks make you put your name and...

From failing to deliver coins people ordered to misrepresenting their value, attorneys say a Minnesota company routinely lied and cheated customers across the country. Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson filed suit against Reputable Rare Coins (RRC) this week, accusing the company of fraud and...

Two New York lawmakers say that a coin being marketed as a "tribute" to 9-11 is a scam and an "all-time low" for the for-profit private company making the coins. Senator Charles Schumer and U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler have complained to both the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Mint about the...

The ads echo the same message -- a coin that's a one-of-a-kind collectible, available right now, to keep forever. But coin experts say that while tribute coins might be pretty, they're not worth much money -- now or ever. Collectors and consumer advocates say the ads dupe those who don't...

With little fanfare, the U.S. Mint is releasing the 15th presidential dollar for circulation on Thursday, in what is becoming a $700 million-a-year boondoggle. It doesn't help that the coin commemorates the little-loved James Buchanan.

The U.S. mint will launch a $1 coin Thursday commemorating President James Buchanan, the 15th president of the United States. The coin will show Buchanan's portrait with the inscription "JAMES BUCHANAN, IN GOD WE TRUST, 15TH PRESIDENT" and "1857-1861", the U.S. Mint said in a statement. The...

Did you know that the new coins in your pocket are signed by the original artists who designed them? I went to the United States mint in Philadelphia to meet some of the faces who create the money we all spend every day. I also found out how our national coin-making process has moved into the...

The U.S. Mint is facing a big problem with small change: Some coins cost more to make than they're actually worth. It costs 1.6 cents to make a penny, as much as nine cents to make a nickel, and with billions of coins pressed every year, that really adds up.