Each year around St. Patrick’s Day, people start thinking about rainbows and the pots of gold coins that lie at the end of them. Well, some of us would like to believe so. But where did this Irish legend start? There are actually at least two competing theories. The Emerald Isle is dotted with large…

In the mid-19th century, the area that is now Portland, Oregon, wasn’t much more than an endless stand of ancient evergreens rising around the banks of the Willamette River. One day in 1843 or 1844, while traveling from Fort Vancouver to Oregon City by canoe, a pioneer from Tennessee and a lawyer from Boston stopped…

Imagine this: you take your dog out for a walk on your property. You’re strolling down a trail you’ve walked down for years, but today something catches your eye. It’s just the lip of a rusty can that’s popped out of the ground, but you bend over to take a closer look and pull it…

Upon reading a newspaper account of his demise, Mark Twain wrote to the New York Journal, “The report of my death was an exaggeration.” Much the same could be said about last year’s reports of the “end of the gold era,” which seem to have been way off the mark in light of the recent…

With the start of the Winter Olympics, the whole world has turned its eyes toward Sochi, Russia — and everyone is dreaming of gold. Here are some details about the tradition of awarding medals in Olympic history, as well as the lowdown on the gold, silver and bronze medals at this year’s Olympic Games in…

Diamonds have long been the world’s most precious gemstones, admired universally for their strength and beauty. And while the stone in your engagement ring or diamond necklace may be millions of years old, the odds are that it was recovered fairly recently from the depths of the earth in an African diamond mine. Since diamonds…

Everyone’s talking about Bitcoin these days. From tales about the digital currency’s mysterious founder to strike-it-rich stories about early investors, Bitcoin has captured the world’s imagination — as well as its dollars. The investment market for bitcoins is so hot that some investors are concerned about a possible bitcoin bubble. If you’re thinking of investing…

According to a study published in USA Today, weddings are on the uptick again after years of decline. Is 2014 the year you’ll be hearing wedding bells? If you’re planning to get married, you’ve probably been thinking about diamond engagement rings. A beautiful diamond engagement ring can take your loved one’s breath away and be…

The United States Mint recently announced that the 50th anniversary of the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 will be commemorated with the release of a brand-new silver dollar. In a 1963 civil rights speech, President John F. Kennedy asked for legislation that would give all Americans the right to be served in…

If you visit the Australian town of Dunolly today, you’ll probably run into more than a few modern-day prospectors hoping to strike it rich with their metal detectors. There’s a good reason gold seekers still descend upon the town. Just ten miles away lies the site of the discovery of the largest solid gold nugget…

These days, it doesn’t matter much whether the $20 bill you’ve got in your wallet was printed in Washington, DC, or Fort Worth, Texas. However, in the early days of the United States, it was pretty important to know which bank issued your money — if you wanted to actually buy something. Up until the…

If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to start a coin collection but you’re not sure where to start, here are some tips from the staff at West Seattle Coins and Bellevue Rare Coins. First, choose a series of coins you would like to collect. Start small, with modern coins, before jumping into more…

The most talked-about coin of 2013 isn’t made of metal, produced by a mint, or accepted in vending machines (yet). This year may be remembered as the year of the bitcoin. And while the bitcoin has captured headlines and imaginations worldwide, don’t count out the humble metal coin just yet—unless it’s the Canadian one-cent piece….

It’s been a fascinating year for the world’s most popular precious metal. From treasure hunters and hoarders to the possible end of quantitative easing, gold has been in the news constantly throughout these past 12 months. So, without further ado, here are the top 10 gold stories of 2013 (in no particular order): 1. Jesse…

The United States Mint just announced the design selections for the 2014 Presidential Dollars, which will feature the 29th to 32nd presidents of the United States: Warren Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Back in 2007, the presidential dollar program began with a directive from Congress to the U.S. Mint to release…