Announcements

JANUARY 11/10 - It had been decided by the governing board to suspend compiling the quarterly newsletter due to the lack of member participation.

JULY 09/09 - Yesterday Microsoft issued an alert regarding a vulnerability in the Microsoft DirectShow Active X control, a piece of software that is included with Internet Explorer.  This vulnerability could be used to infect your computer with malicious software if you visit an untrusted website that is hosting a file that targets this vulnerability.  There is not currently a patch for this specific issue but Microsoft has said that they are actively working on one and there are other precautions that will help keep you safe in the meantime.

Using up to date anti-virus software AND keeping your system up to date is the best way to protect your computers against exploits and viruses.  Microsoft provides an automatic update feature for Windows that we recommend you enable so that you’ll receive the patch as soon as it is released. You can also run a one-time scan to ensure you have the latest security patches by going to the Microsoft Update page.

In addition to activating auto-update on Windows and other systems, we recommend:

• Having a recent version of anti-virus, firewall, and anti-spyware software with up-to-date signatures.  eBay has partnered with several security industry leaders to offer our community free trial copies and discounts on their latest security products.  Links to those partners can be found by visiting the eBay Security Center.
   

• Heeding all security warnings - never run un-trusted software or click on unexpected attachments.  Also, never follow links to unknown or untrusted websites.

Taking these precautions can help ensure you have a safe browsing experience throughout the web. For more security information, tutorials, and free tools, please visit the eBay Security Center.

JUNE 22/09 - The "ECI Contact" email address was h-jacked by a spammer had to be changed. If you have this address in you address book, delete it. This makes the third ECI related email address that has been compromised and it is possible that will have to changed in the future, so if an address don't work for you you will need click on the email icon on the applicable ECI site.

~ Our new encased will be out this later this week. In accordance with ECI's new policy only those who have purchased ECI encased in the most recent past will be notified of the release. If you do not receive an email check the "ECI Catalogue".  Cecil 

JUNE 19/09 - I was just notified that the 2009 Silver Proof Sets will be issued in approximately 4 weeks. Still no idea when the silver American Silver Eagles or Uncirculated sets will be produced.

MAY 18/09 - The United States Mint will release the 10th coin in the Presidential $1 Coin Program into circulation on May 21, 2009, in honor of former President John Tyler. 

MAY 12/09 - PBS's Antique Roadshow has announced its summer 2009 tour schedule:

If you would like more information about the 2009 tour, or to apply for tickets, visit: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow

MAY 11/09 - Release dates for 2009 coins: 2nd Lincoln cent May 14th. - Tyler dollar May 21st - Guam quarter May 26th. (The question is, "will any of them be found at our local banks?") June 1st 2009 S clad proof set.

MARCH 24/09 - Some subscribers to Coin World and Coin Values have alerted Amos Publishing to the fact they received a renewal/new order notifications from companies called Billing Subscription Co. in Phoenix AZ, Publishers Billing Exchange, Inc. in La Habra, CA, Publishers Billing Association in Las Vegas, NV, Publishers Periodical Service, in Las Vegas, NV and National Publication Billing Services, LLC, in Escondido, CA. None of these companies are authorized representatives of agents of Coin World, Coin Values, Amos Publishing or Amos Press, Inc. Please forward any correspondence you receive from Billing Subscription Co., Publishers Billing Exchange, Inc., Publishers Billing Association or Publishers Periodical Service to:

Amos Publishing
Attn: Circulation
911 Vandemark Rd.
PO BOX 926
Sidney OH 45365

FEBRUARY 9/09 - Due to lack of interest in encased Canadian coins it has been decided to cease encasing them effective immediately. For 2009 the following has been approved to encase: All 4 2009 Presidential Dollars plus the 2009 Sacagawea Dollar with the agriculture reverse; All 4 2009 Lincoln Cents and the 6 U.S. Territories Quarters. We will be promoting the Lincoln piece in the coin related press. Striking of the dollar coins will be limited to 25 each, the territory quarters to 20 each and the cents to as many as 250 P&D sets if demand in good.

JANUARY 13/09 - Always pay for coins on eBay using your credit card! Even if you use PayPal, use a credit card to fund the transaction. Never pay from your bank account. I repeat; never from your bank account. Plus if you are a seller, transfer any significant amount money from your PayPal account daily. This practice will negate PayPal from using your balance towards payment of a purchase. The reason is that under current U.S. banking laws, you always have the final say on that money when you use credit (not debit cards, either; credit only!) The eBay and PayPal Buyer "Protection" plans are weak, and I hear complaints all the time about how difficult they make it to collect on a claim. But credit card transactions can always be charged back as a last resort. Even PayPal cannot override a credit card chargeback!

If you pay with a credit card, the final power is always in your hands. This has saved my butt three times. Cecil

JANUARY 07/09 - Happy New Year! A couple things that may interest some. You have probably seen a commercial on TV advertising the "magicJack", a small device that plugs into a USB port on your computer. A regular phone plugs into the device and after you have registered online you can place calls thru the system toll free in the U.S. and Canada. The only problems with using the magicJack is that you must have a newer computer with either XP or VISTA installed and a broad band internet connection - cable or DSL. It will not work on dialup. We got one and have been testing it here at ECI and so far it works great. You get a private phone number that can also receive incoming calls along with a voice mail feature for when your computer is turned off. There are several additional things this little device can do. Learn more on their website.

~ If you have noticed your internet browser getting slower and slower, taking forever loading a page, so have we. I think all the so-called security downloads Microsoft keeps coming up with is the culprit. Here at ECI we installed Firefox 3 from Mozilla on one of our computers and have been testing it for a couple of weeks and are delighted. We regained the speed we were looking for and haven't had the first problem. The interface and look of it is different than Windows IE 7 but its not hard to learn if you're a little computer savvy, a lot of the feature are very similar. Learn more about it on their website. You can keep both browsers on your system if you like. We also tried "Chrome" Goggle's browser and did not like it at all, too weird for us. Jerry

DECEMBER 17/08 - Read about the Chinese coin counterfeiter HERE.  Todd

DECEMBER 16/08 - An update: Mrs. Starcher underwent open heart surgery on the December 3rd receiving 5 grafts. After a rough first day she is recovering very speedily being able to boss Cecil when needed. She wishes to thank all for their prayers and expressions of encouragement. Jerry

NOVEMBER 28/08 - The ECI Office will be closed December 1 thru January 1, 2009. My wife will undergoing open heart surgery on December 3rd and I will be devoting my time to her care and well being. If all goes well as expected, I will resume my ECI duties in the new year. It is my expectation that there will not be a 4th quarter 2008 newsletter issued in January.

Wishing all the best that the Holidays have to offer, Cecil.

~Intercepted: "Hi, Elaine, I wanted you and the club to know that this is my new email rlaws@att.net so please delete the old one of rlaws@tds.net. I also wanted you to know that COINAGE magazine is going to publish that article I wrote about encased coins in their next issue- February, available online and in print. It mentions the club, of course! Happy Holidays! Love, Rita"

NOVEMBER 22/08 - We have been informed by PPM that the firm that was producing their die blanks and hardening them once engraved is ceasing to do business after December 30th of this year due the owners increasingly poor health. PPM currently has a small inventory of blank dies; however, after January 1, 2009 they will cease taking new orders until a new source is found. That search is ongoing; watch this page for further developments.

NOVEMBER 20/08 - Click on http://www.coinflation.com/coin_calculators.html to calculate the precious metal value of individual U.S. gold and silver coins.

OCTOBER 22/08 - The ACC and National Association of Collectors (NAC) are urging collectors who have consumer problems to report these complaints to the Federal Trade Commission. Although the FTC does not solve individual consumer problems, your complaint is registered and can lead to law enforcement action. We feel this brief information about where to and how to fill out the FTC complaint form can greatly increase the amount of complaints the Federal Trade Commission will receive from the antiques and collectibles area. Although there are many problems, few are getting reported because people don't know how to report them... and, where to report them.

While the FTC does not resolve individual consumer problems, your complaint helps the FTC investigate fraud, and can lead to law enforcement action. The FTC enters fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.
 

AUGUST 24/08 - "Cecil....I have arranged for an ECI meeting at our 70th Anniversary Convention for Saturday, May 2, 2009 at 11 A.M. in Room 260 of the Duke Energy Convention Center in downtown Cincinnati. I trust this will work for our members. I plan to attend. Regards, Ray Lockwood #4 - ECI Member & Education Director - Central States Numismatic Society - Marion, IN." Folks, this gives us 7 months to make plans to attend another ECI Get-Together. Click HERE to learn more about the CSNS Convention and and HERE for the Duke Energy Convention Center.

Driving Directions to the Duke Energy Convention Center   (These directions will also take you to the many parking garages surrounding the Duke Energy Convention Center in the Downtown area.)

Duke Energy Convention Center 525 Elm Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

Traveling I-75 Southbound (from Dayton)
Take I-75 South to the Fifth Street Exit (this is a left lane exit ramp). Fifth Street is a one-way street going East. At the third traffic light, turn left onto Elm Street. The Duke Energy Convention Center is at the corner of Sixth and Elm Streets. There is a parking garage on the next corner.

Traveling I-75 Northbound (from Kentucky)
Take I-75 North. When crossing the bridge, get in the right lane. Take the Fifth Street Exit. Fifth Street is a one-way street going East. At the third traffic light, turn left onto Elm Street. The Duke Energy Convention Center is at the corner of Sixth and Elm Streets. There is a parking garage on the next corner.

Traveling I-71 Southbound (from Columbus, Wilmington, etc.)
On I-71 South, take the Third Street Exit. Follow Third Street to Elm Street and turn right. The Duke Energy Convention Center is at the corner of Sixth and Elm Streets. There is a parking garage on the next corner.

From the Greater Cincinnati International Airport
Take I-275 East to I-75 North. When crossing the bridge, get in the right lane. Take the Fifth Street Exit. Fifth Street is a one-way street going East. At the third traffic light, turn left onto Elm Street. The Duke Energy Convention Center is at the corner of Sixth and Elm Streets. There is a parking garage on the next corner.

Traveling US Route 32 Westbound (from Eastern Ohio)
Take US Route 32 West to I-275 South. After crossing the river into Kentucky, take I-471 North to Downtown Cincinnati. Take the Sixth Street Exit. This is a one-way street westbound. The Duke Energy Convention Center is at the corner of Sixth and Elm Streets. There is a parking garage on the next corner.

Traveling I-74 Eastbound (from Indianapolis)
Take I-74 East until it ends at I-75. Take I-75 South to the Fifth Street Exit (this is a left lane exit ramp). Fifth Street is a one-way street going East. At the third traffic light, turn left onto Elm Street. The Duke Energy Convention Center is at the corner of Sixth and Elm Streets. There is a parking garage on the next corner.

Traveling US Route 50 Eastbound (from Indiana)
Take US Route 50 East to the Fifth Street Exit. Fifth Street is a one-way street going East. At the third traffic light, turn left onto Elm Street. The Duke Energy Convention Center is at the corner of Sixth and Elm Streets. There is a parking garage on the next corner.

Traveling US Route 50 Westbound (Columbia Parkway)
Take US Route 50 West to the Sixth Street Exit. This is a one-way street westbound. The Duke Energy Convention Center is at the corner of Sixth and Elm Streets. There is a parking garage on the next corner.

AUGUST 15/08 - Beginning Monday August 25th the ECI office will no longer be manned during in the daytime hours due to other obligations. Emails will be answered and orders confirmed after 8:pm eastern time. Orders will  be shipped on Saturdays. Sorry if this change proves to be an inconvenience.  Cecil & Jerry

JULY 18/08 - ECI has entered into an agreement with Google to place ads for coin related business's on our website. Click on the ad(s) that interest you most. We are told that more ads will be posted as time passes. Let us know if you find this kind of service beneficial or worthwhile. Cecil

JULY 11/08 - A link to Coin Chat Radio has been added to the middle column on the homepage. If your internet connection is dial-up this is not for you. This would take many hours to do on dial-up, sorry. The radio programs are many, many mega-bytes and must be downloaded before running on your system's media player (Make sure you have Micro Soft's latest version installed for your operating system.) Cable and DSL connections work just fine. It is best not to save the download permanently to your computer, click on the "Open" button and it will be downloaded to your temporary file then played. We have also added a link to CoinPeople.com just a bit lower in the same column.  I think that you will find both to be of interest. Cecil

~We received this today from a friend but cannot say whether it is true or not, so be warned.

"Hi all. I checked with Norton Anti-Virus, and they are gearing up for this virus!  I checked Snopes and it is for real!! Get this E-mail message sent around to your contacts. You should be alert during the next few days. Do not open any message with an attachment entitled 'POSTCARD FROM HALLMARK,' regardless of who sent it to you. It is a virus which opens A POSTCARD IMAGE, which burns' the whole hard disc C of your computer. This virus will be received from someone who has your e-mail address in his/her contact list. This is the reason why you need to send this e-mail to all your contacts It is better to receive this message 25 times than to receive the virus and open it.

If you receive a mail called' POSTCARD,' even though sent to you by a friend, do not open it! Shut down your computer immediately. This is the worst virus announced by CNN. It has been classified by Microsoft as the most destructive virus ever. This virus was discovered by McAfee yesterday, and there is no repair yet for this kind of virus. This virus simply destroys the Zero Sector of the Hard Disc, where the vital information is kept."

MAY 08/08 - PPM is in the process of encasing 25 Monroe Dollars and 25 British One Shilling and 20 sets of of the 1964 P&D Kennedy halves. Also 20 6 piece sets of the 2007 Canadian quarters have been encased. Members wishing to reserve any or all of the above email Jerry HERE.

APRIL 20/08 - Email notices will no longer be sent announcing the quarterly newsletters beginning with 2nd quarter newsletter in April. A link to the current newsletter will be posted on ECI's homepage.

APRIL 14/08 - Check your email in-box carefully today. The U.S. District Court says a bogus email is out there telling people they've been subpoenaed for a Grand Jury in San Diego. If you open the email it will download a virus to your computer! The Court warns that they never contact people via email for a Grand Jury. The FBI has been alerted to the scam. You are advised to delete the email.

MARCH 4/08 - ECI is no longer offering the PayPal option for purchasing items from the ECI Store. Jerry

FEBRUARY 14/08 - Shipping of numismatic products from the U.S. Mint's contracted fulfillment center in Memphis, Tenn., will be delayed one to two weeks because of extensive damage to the facility from severe weather, according to Mint officials.

In a statement released Feb. 8, Mint officials reported that the tornados that struck five Southern states on Feb. 5 caused considerable damage to the PSFweb Inc. fulfillment center, but no one in the building was injured. The United States Mint products housed at the Memphis facility for shipment to customers are secure and being protected around the clock by a PSFweb Inc. security detail, Mint officials said.

JANUARY 16/08 - Free coin related screen savers from the US Mint. Click HERE.

JANUARY 13/08 -Ten more members have been removed from our mailing list due to non-functioning email addresses. The first quarter 2008 newsletter has been posted. Cecil

DECEMBER 11/07 - The United States Mint is seeking applicants for appointment to the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC). The terms of two CCAC members will expire in February 2008 — one for a member representing the interests of the general public, and one for a qualified numismatic specialist. The application deadline is January 31, 2008. The United States Mint will review all applications and will forward recommendations to the Secretary of the Treasury for appointment consideration.

DECEMBER 09/07 - The American Numismatic Association is accepting applications for a new executive director to replace Acting Executive Director Kenneth Hallenbeck, who will step down once a replacement has been named.

NOVEMBER 13/07 - Ten members were removed from our mailing list today because their email address's no longer work. We can't stay in touch if you don't!

-ECI has a great stocking stuffer for this Christmas, five 2007D Jefferson Nickels  SOLD OUT.

OCTOBER 18/07 - Well, eBay has screwed with the access to encased coins and in my opinion it's made a mess of things. Here how it works now. Go to the "coin & paper money" page > in the second group click on "exonumia" > then on the left hand side click on "modified coins" found under the "Item Type" heading > then click on "encased coins" under the "Coin Type" heading. These people need to be in government, now that they are expert in making a simple easy to use process a gigantic pain in the butt. To make things easy once again, just click on the words "Encased Coins On eBay" located about half way down in the center of the ECI homepage and save yourself a headache and a few swear words.  Cecil

~POST SCRIPT - Well, I guess eBay must have gotten an earful from their users since they returned the coin interface to its former configuration. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"  Cecil

- Jerry Ferrell, Director of Marketing & Sales, announced today that ECI will discontinue striking club encased coins for distribution to the membership with the completion of the State Quarter Series in late 2008. He stated that provisions have been made to strike the Madison dollar later this year; no more of that series will be encased for the general membership. The decision was necessitated by the lack of member support leaving the club nearly $800.00 in the red. ECI's inventory of uncirculated and Proof rolls have been liquidated. Enough money was raised to repay the loan that purchased the inventory plus offsetting the sale's shortfall. Money earned through the future sales of existing encased will be budgeted to maintain the website.

SEPTEMBER 29/07 - ECI has released the 1980 PDS encased SBA uncirculated encased set and the 2004 2 Canadian Loon Dollars. These are first Loon dollars ever encased.

AUGUST 12/07 - DO NOT rely on any email address's for ECI that you may have saved in your address book to be the current. Because of spammers we are being forced to change our address's about every 4 - 6 weeks. Use the email links found on the website for communicating with me or Jerry, they will always be correct. It is a shame that these unethical cads can cause these problems; and worse yet, we are defenseless. We set new rules in our email program in an attempt to block them out but it never works the way it is supposed to. Anyway, don't add us to your address book because I can promise you that address won't work 2 months from now.  Cecil

AUGUST 08/07 - Cecil has agreed to allow ECI members use of his personal PayPal account to pay for purchases from the ECI Store. He agreed to this on the condition that the purchaser pay the fees charged by PayPal. 2.9% + .30  will be added to each order using PayPal. Members are to submit their orders as usual indicating payment using PayPal and I will send a request for payment. Questions? Ask HERE.  Jerry

JULY 25/07 - Think you're smart at recognizing online scams? Take a quiz to find out. McAfee Inc.'s SiteAdvisor service has created a 10-question test to see whether you can spot "phishing" attempts to steal passwords and other personal information by mimicking popular Web sites such as eBay Inc.'s PayPal and News Corp.'s My Space.

In eight questions, you are presented with two Web sites or e-mail messages and are asked to identify the authentic one. The final two questions test your general knowledge about scams. Afterward, the McAfee site presents telltale signs to look for, such as misspellings and suspicious Web addresses.

You can also download a tool that can help warn of sites known or suspected to be phishing scams. SiteAdvisor researchers also identify sites that produce spyware, viruses, excessive pop-up ads, junk e-mail or other threats. Visit http://tinyurl.com/ytec4u to take the quiz

JULY 22/07 - Member Matt Sztym #224 of Edmonton, Alberta has volunteered to make a check list of Canadian issued encased coins for posting on the ECI website. Please be of assistance with this project by emailing Matt HERE with  a listing of Canadian pieces from your collection.

JULY 09/07 - The third quarter newsletter has been posted. We have a couple of the Adams Dollars in stock due to 2 members not honoring their commitment to to pay. If you missed them the first go around drop Jerry a line. Once again the spammers have swamped the ECI Store's email account. To reach Jerry the new address is contact@ecinet.org. I have no idea what these people believe they are accomplishing. I am sure that most folks, like me, delete the crap while swearing out loud without once reading it. If anyone knows of a place where we can report these criminals, please let me know. Thanks, Cecil.

JULY 03/07 - Even though ECI is a proven success, there is a large number of encased coin collectors who can not participate due the lack of an internet connection. Acknowledging this fact, ECI is putting in place a new program which will allow those collectors a way in which to participate. Beginning with the July issue of the club’s newsletter, “The Lucky Penny”, those collectors who do not have an internet connection can join ECI thru the mail, dues free. Even though they will not have the full benefit of visiting the website, they can receive a full printed version of the quarterly newsletter thru subscription. The fee for doing so is $8.00 annually, which covers the postage and the printing related costs. The fee will not go to ECI but to the firm providing the service. Checks are to be made payable to Rexdale Publishing. This service is not available to internet connected members.

Interested collectors can register for membership and subscribe to The Lucky Penny by writing: ECI Member Services – POB 563 – Hackensack. N.J. 07602. If you know an encased collector who may wish to take advantage of this offer, please pass on the good word.

JUNE 13/07 - We have a complete sell out of the 2007P John Adams and the 2003P State Quarter Sets.

JUNE 07/07 - The June special has been posted featuring the 2007P John Adams Dollar and a three piece set featuring the 1979 PDS Susan B. Anthony Dollars.  Supplies are limited.

MAY 27/07 - All links have been restored. Announcement: Free Computer Help. Need a tech expert? You can go to the right place! With over two-hundred thousands members, Geeks To Go Tech Support Forums have hundreds of technology experts that donate time to answer your computing questions. Member helping member. Fast, friendly and free!  You must register before using this free service.

MAY 25/07 - NOTICE: SOME S.O.B. HAS GAINED ACCESS TO OUR WEBSITE AND OUR E-MAIL ACCOUNTS AND IS USING BOTH TO SEND SPAM. ALL EMAIL ACCOUNTS HAVE BEEN CHANGED. SEVERAL LINKS TO OTHER ECI PAGES HAVE BEEN AFFECTED AS WELL. WE ARE WORKING TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEMS AND DELETE THE INTRUSIONS. THIS MAY TAKE A FEW DAYS Cecil

MAY 19/07 - Have you mailed out a package lately or used USPS insurance? If not get ready for a big shock. The new rates are appalling. Insurance up above 20% and sending a padded mailer has more than doubled. Not only do they calculate the mailing cost by weight, now they also consider size as well. We are sorry to announce that ECI will have to raise our s&h charges as well. We absorbed the last price increase for the mailers but we can't the new postal rates.

MAY 15/07 - The 2006P State Quarter Set is a complete sellout. We will issue the 2007P Set in November or December. Stayed tuned.

MAY 12/07 - ECI's newest encased coin sets were released today. Supplies are limited for the 2006P State and the 2006 Canadian Quarters. The link to review the special and place an order is on ECI's homepage.

MAY 10/07 - The George Washington Dollar encased is a complete sell out. Out of the 50 pieces we had struck over 60%, not bought by members, were sold to non members with orders being returned unfilled. Amazing!

APRIL 20/07 - Member Steve Drake has posted a new Check List for Nevada and a Topics List detailing encased coins issued by Krause/Numismatics News. There has been a sell-out of the 1979S Proof SBA Dollars. Bidboards 10 & 11 have ended with Tom Cain, Jr. winning both boards. There has been a complete sell-out of the 2002P & 2004P State Quarter Series.

APRIL 13/07 - ECI will be issuing our first dollar encased on Monday April 16th to the general membership. Twenty 1979S Proof Susan B. Anthony's and 50 2007P President Washington dollars have been struck. Notices have been emailed to the program's subscribers who can pre-order beginning today. If you wish to become a subscriber email Jerry, there only a few slots available. The current two bid boards end at midnight tomorrow.

MARCH 21/07 - The 2005P State Quarter Set, the 7th in the series, was released March 20th. Order HERE. Be sure to click on the "Charleston Mint" button a little further down on this side of the page to learn of their new special. We are working on encasing the new Washington Presidential dollar - watch this page for the announcement of its release.