Collecting coins has been a hobby for many for generations now. The art of collecting coins and valuable tokens, paper currency is also known a numismatics. However, not many know that these vintage collectibles can one day have tremendous value added to their existing state. Coins, especially gold coins, already have value in terms of their coin weight.
Gold and silver has always proven to be a profitable investment, which makes these collectibles worth some money. But it is the history behind these coins which makes them even more valuable collectible, and thus worth a fortune to someone someday.
Here are the most valuable coins ever auctioned in the open market.
1343 Edward III Florin: Fetching a whopping $6.8 million dollars at an auction and rightly so since this coin is one of the oldest and rarest, dating back to 1343 which makes it 670 years old. This coin is so old that only three coins are left of its type, making it highly collectible for coin enthusiasts, serious numismatics and people who are willing to spend insane amounts of money!
1787 Brasher Doubloon: This coin was made by a famous goldsmith back in the day, going by the name of Ephraim Brasher who was sanctioned by the New York State to mint copper coins. The 1787 Doubloon coin was one of the few rare and valuable 22 karat gold coins made by him. This coin was later bought by a Wall Street investment firm for a price of $7.4 million dollars making it a pricey and valuable collectible. This coin is named after the goldsmith, with his initials stamped on the coin.
1907 Saint Gaudens double eagle: Augustus Saint Gauden was tasked with the design of this $20 gold piece which proved rather tough to mass produce commercially owing to its complicated and intricate artwork. Though this coin was mass produced even with a design flaw after the engraved words In God we trust’ was removed, it is still pretty rare. It fetched an incredible sum of $7.6 million dollars, making it one expensive double eagle coin ever produced.
1933 double eagle: A coin with a history of controversy behind it, this coin will certainly fetch top dollars from coin collectors and numismatics. Franklin Roosevelt, then president of the country, had barred owning gold in the year 1933 which was a result of the financial crisis. But still these coins managed to surface later, when their value was nowhere near its original face value fetching a whopping $7.6 million dollars.
Gold has always been a valuable investment over the decades. But for gold coin collectors, the value increases tenfold with some of the most valuable gold coins being auctioned for millions of dollars. You will be surprised by the obscene amount of money people out there are willing to pay to get their hands on a rare and rather unique piece of history.
Coins date back centuries when they were first minted and traded as currency in exchange for goods and service. But back then, the value of certain precious metals, as we know today, was quite low. However today, a couple of ounces of gold can easily fetch you a couple of thousand dollars. Keeping the collecting trend in mind, no wonder people are willing to spend this kind of money for a collectible.
Here are the most valuable gold coins ever made.
The Saint Gaudens double eagle: Easily a Mint State 63 and 65 grade, this coin certainly tops the list of numismatics. Numismatics is the study of coin collecting and deals with such rare antiquities and coins. This $20 gold piece is also considered as a work of ancient Greek art. This gold coin is auctioned according to its various grades, making it a very diverse graded coin with prices ranging from $2 million to $3 million dollars accordingly. However, the double eagle has been reportedly sold at prices three times its grade valuation at premium auctions.
Indian head eagle: This is a $10 gold piece with the Mint State 67 grade which can easily fetch over $60000. This particular grade coin dates it back to 1911 and is one of the finest examples of numismatic art, thus ranking among the top gold coins that surfaced and was later auctioned, making it one of the most valuable collectible after the Saint Gaudens double eagle. But this coin will fetch more in any auction
Proof gold coin: This is another quarter dollar piece which dates back to 1895 and one of the rarest coins since only 119 total proofs were made. In the numismatics market, only a few coins remain, making it one of the most sought-after proofs ever made. Proof 65 and 66 graded by the NGC and PCGS are regarded as the more valuable ones.
Apart from the above mentioned coins, there are a number of gold coins which are now in the hands of private collectors having bought in an auction for millions of dollars. The gold grading will give an estimation for what the coin will fetch but in auctions, the coins can fetch anywhere from a couple of thousand dollars to over ten million dollars! The flowing hair dollar being one of the leading examples of what collectible coins can fetch these days.
If you wish to look stunningly breathtaking at any event, there’s plenty of things that go into making you look like a diva. Your hair, makeup, dress, jewelry, everything has to be on point. The perfect dress would be incomplete without the perfect jewelry. The emphasis here is on how much people in general and women in particular love their jewelry. It makes for the perfect gift on all occasions. One such jewelry that never goes out of style and which can serve as the perfect gift for women of any age is the gold chain. The delicate yet precious yellow metal, woven into different patterns can make any woman happy. But, things are not as simple as they look. You set out to buy a gold chain, and the jeweler would show you different patterns of gold chains, and that’s where you get stuck with the variety of choices.
There’s different types of gold chains and to ease your confusion, the popular ones are listed below.
The bead chain- Beaded chains were almost everyone’s favorite in their school days. However, since you are all grown up now and your love for beads still persists, though you cannot go to work wearing the bead chain, you have a suitable alternate here. You can opt for a gold chain with beads. These beads too would be made of gold and they would be placed at regular intervals along the chain.
The box chain- Gold chains are not just a woman’s jewelry, it is worn by men as well. This doesn’t have to come as a shocker. Of course, men don’t opt for the sleek delicate designs that women usually prefer, they prefer something that is more “tough.” The box type gold chain suits this bill perfectly. There are small box shaped designs crafted through the length of the chain and these are slightly thicker than the usual gold chains.
The Figaro chain- This gold chain has a very unique design. It has flattened links and what makes it all the more interesting is that, none of these links are of the same size. All the links are of different sizes. There is a repeated pattern after 5 short links followed by a longer link.
The mariner chain- There are light-weight gold chains and heavier ones and then there’s the mariner chain. The strongest of all the gold chains, the mariner chain looks sturdy as well. It has uniform links through the length of the chain and each link has a vertical bar in the middle.
The next time you go shopping for a gold chain, you can surely tell the different types of gold chains apart.
This might come across as a hyperbole, but almost everyone guards their precious jewelry with their life. Diamonds are a girl’s best friend, so are platinum, gold, silver, and every other precious metal on the face of the earth. Everyone loves to indulge themselves at some point of time. Some people go backpacking to the places that held their fancy forever, while some buy something they had always set their heart upon while window shopping. If you belong to the latter category of people, then every time you feel you should be pampered, you might set out to buy some cute jewelry that had caught your eye.
A woman has a lot of options when it comes to choosing a jewelry. There are chains, necklaces, earrings, rings, anklets, and everything that you can see on the ramp. However, the classic gold chain is an eternal favorite. A gold chain is an ornament that can be worn by you and your grandmother alike. So, if the precious yellow metal has caught your fancy and you just waltzed into a jewelry shop to buy a gold chain, there are certain things one must take care of. Such as these:
The first thing you notice about the gold chain is how it feels in your hands. You have to check whether the gold chain is solid, or merely gold plated, or hollow, which happens in certain cases. There is marked difference in these gold chains. The gold-plated chains start looking old after some time, this is because the plating wears off. The solid one is expensive compared to the hollow ones and lasts longer than the rest. So, check before you buy.
Make sure you check the karat of the gold chain before you plan on buying it. Karats are a measurement of the purity of gold. Low karat gold chains can give you an allergy in certain cases and they have very less exchange value. 24 karat gold is the purest you would ever find.
You need to be sure that your gold chain, though beautiful is sturdy enough. You wouldn’t want to lose it. Check for the clasp and see it is good enough to hold out through the years. A lobster clasp on your gold chain means safety.
Gold chains are available in different patterns. Always go for the ones with a smooth surface instead of the ones with twirls. Your hair might get stuck in these twirls and you wouldn’t want to ruin your precious hair.
So, when you venture out to buy a gold chain, make sure you follow these commandments, so that you won’t regret your choices later.
Birthdays come once in a year and are meant to special. We try different ways to bring a smile on the faces of your friends or family on their birthdays. Sending a birthday card is just one of those ways.
A lot that has changed over the years when it comes to celebrating a birthday. However, the old-school way of giving a birthday card is still a special thing to do and is something that is here to stay for the years to come.
Birthday cards come in different shapes, sizes, styles, and formats, and can be customized too. Needless to say, there is always a difference between a birthday card that you made and a card that you purchased. Thanks to the Internet, they can now have numerous ideas to help you make birthday cards.
If you’re looking for ideas to inspire you, here are the options that you have:
Types of birthday cards
DIY Origami birthday cards
Do it yourself birthday cards are very popular. Origami is an art of paper folding associated with Japanese culture. Origami is a very old form of art and is still used today for making different paper art. DIY origami cards are easy to make. All you need to do is follow a set of instructions available online and make a beautiful birthday card.
Quilling or paper filigree birthday cards
Quilling or paper filigree is an art form that makes use of a quilling tool and thin strips of paper. The strips come in different width and length size and are rolled into different shapes and sizes and later glued.
They are used as an embellishment to decorate and make different designs on a sheet of paper. They are easy to make and you don’t need to follow any special instructions or procedures. This is one of the most popular birthday card designing arts and gives a 3D effect to the cards.
E-birthday cards
Go eco-friendly by not wasting paper and send an e-birthday card to your loved one. E- Cards are cheap and convenient. E-cards are available for different occasions and you can customize them as well. Musical e-birthday cards are also available.
GIF birthday cards
Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) is another popularly used format to send birthday messages. This format supports 8 bits per pixel for an image. It supports both animated and static images. It allows a separate palette of 256 colors in each frame. GIF are popularly shared on WhatsApp, Hike, and other social media platforms.
Use any of these options to send a birthday card to someone you love and make her birthday special.
It is important to keep the most important space of the house, the bedroom, clutter-free. Keeping it organized makes the room look cleaner and the created atmosphere feels positive. Also, your bedroom is a space where you spend most of your time. So, make sure it has good vibes and is easy to live in. If you have clothes thrown around in your bedroom, you will never feel like stepping in. This can then play with your mind, and you might end up having a dull mood, thanks to the mess. Here are a few quick ideas to maximize your room space, so that you can store more!
Start with the closet
Now, your wardrobe is a space which you use almost every morning and night. If you keep your wardrobe shelves messy, you will always end up wasting time fining your favorite clothing items. If you have a roomy space or a compact bedroom, your closet plays a big role. So, tackle this first. Separate the clothes according to occasions, and create more such categories. There can be categories like polo shirts, neckpieces, formal pants, ties, socks, nightwear, etc. Once this is done, set all the items you picked for a category in that space. When it comes to bedroom storage ideas, baskets can play a huge role. Get wicker basket to stuff any laundry or loose clothes you might have on hand.
Make ample use of bed storage
The next thing that you can arrange is your bed storage. Whatever clothes that you won’t be using in the given season can be kept inside this space. Quilts, extra furnishing items, winter clothing items, gadgets, etc. can be stuffed here. Basically, whatever is used occasionally can be kept here.
Create space for toys
If you’re doing a kids’ room, you need to have colorful products and creative ideas. If you do this one, and you will no longer fret seeing your little one’s toys. There are many awesome storage ideas available for the kid’s room as well to keep it clean. The main storage items include use of treasure chest or toy boxes to store toys of children in them. Storage boxes are available in different sizes and shapes and make the room of kids look neat and attractive.
Keep the drawers organized
Now, your bedside tables need to be organized from time to time. For this, you can basically get a tray with multiple compartments to storage tiny items like rubber bands, combs, skincare products, jewelry, etc. Smart bedroom storage ideas like this one, can save you a lot of time and effort. The drawers that are not easily reachable can have items like sanitary napkins, lingerie, sunglasses, travel essentials, extra chargers, etc.
Use the door well
Here’s something that is often ignored by most of us. The back of your doors can come really handy when it comes to storing shoes, accessories, make-up products, kids’ clothing items, etc. Bedroom storage ideas might be difficult to scout, but once you’re on it, organizing things can become really easy. Just get one of those canvas or fabric wall hangers that have small compartments in it, and hang it behind the bathroom door or the closet door.
Do you love needlework? Then you must obviously be in love with embroidery, which is one of the best forms of needlework. Embroidery is one of the best hobbies anyone can have and the best part is that it can be done by a person of any age. But first, you must get a proper insight into this famous embellishing art and its varied type of stitches.
So, now that you know the various types of needlework, you should certainly give it a try. Gift your loved ones embroidered materials made with your own hands.
In the good old days, you might have heard or seen images of knitwear and wondered how painstakingly the artisan has put it. You might even have seen your grandmother making one and marveled about the needlework. But did you know that there are 12 major types of it? Let us take a sneak peek into their types.
1. Applique: It is an ancient type of needlework, where the decorative pieces of one layer of fabric are applied to another base, or another textile or layer.
2. Bead embroidery: As the name suggests, it is simply the submission of beads to a fabric and weaving a pattern in them. The possibilities are endless with this.
3. Crocheting: This type of needlework is made by inter-looping yarn or thread with a hooked needle. It has been practiced for centuries and is one of the common types during medieval ages.
4. Cross stitch: This is a common type of needlework used in a regular pattern of stitching. It can be used on a wide variety of fabrics.
5. Hand embroidery: This is the type where a yarn is used to decorate a piece of fabric. This can be done with beads, jewelry, and even gold.
6. Knitting: This is a household needlework method. Usually done with 2 knitting needles, loops are created in the yarn and the loops are interchanged using the needles. This is a great stress buster.
7. Needle felting: This type of needlework is usually done using wool yarn. More professional artisans prefer this method over conventional means.
8. Needle lace making: Laces are an integral part of needlework. They throw the attention towards them in any fabric. They can be made with just a thread, pair of scissors, and a needle.
9. Needlepoint: This is a type of artwork where you will need to count the number of threads across your canvas. The stitches have to be laid over the surface area and depend on the size of your pattern. Many factors are taken into consideration while making a needlepoint.
10. Punch needle embroidery and rug making: This is a separate art in itself and a hollow needle is used to determine the type of thread to use. Usually, these types of work require a frame and have to be tight to the core.
11. Quilting: Most of us might have heard of quilting, but may not have realized that it is a type of needlework. In this type of needlework, a thread is used to join at least three layers of fabric and forms a padded quilt material. The fabric can be of multiple types.
12. Tatting: This is an art of lace making and a crochet hook is used for making the laces. Patterns are created through this and are looped into the spaces where the decorative richness can be exhibited.
Are you having trouble with your new-found habit of keeping scrapbooks? Or are you not having second thoughts on putting some beautiful and utterly creative add-ons to your project? It is time to stop worrying because now your creativity will be lent a helping hand. Have you heard of Cricut? If not, here is an insight into the equipment. Brought to you by Provo Craft & Novelty, Cricut is a wide range of die-cutting machines that can be used at your residence to help you out with all your exciting pursuits. You can make your creative endeavors more prominent with all the added help to have a colorful vibe.
Among the many items that Cricut can be used to cut through are paper, fabric, and felt. Though vinyl, fondant, and some other products can also be cut using Cricut. You can also avail yourself of some other die cutting machines in the market, but Cricut is by far one of the most popular and desired due to its ease of use.
How to use Cricut?
It is true that Cricut can help you to make your activities super easy, but before that, you would have to learn how to work with Cricut. At first, you need to take a look at the objects that you would need to get started with this endeavor. All you require are a Cricut Machine, Cricut Cartridges, Cutting Mats, and Cricut Card Stock or Paper. Once you have these, you can begin exploring your creativity with Cricut.
Step-by-step instructions to proceed
Step 1: First to install the cartridge. Put the cartridge into the slot. There are lots of available options, and soon you will get to know which ones work best for your activities. Now you would need to place the keyboard overlay (this comes with the cartridge) on the face of the Cricut machine.
Step 2: Now you would need to plug into your Cricut machine and have it turned on. You need it to place it securely on a plane solid surface for proper functioning.
Step 3: In the next step, you would need to insert the material that you want to cut, like paper or vinyl on to the Cricut cutting mat and make sure that it is firmly attached to the Cutting Mat. Now you need to load it into the die cutter of the machine. Make sure you hold it firmly and put it into the feeder. Next press “Load paper” on the machine. The paper would then be loaded.
Step 4: As part of the next step, you have to select the size of the die cuts.
Step 5: Now select a design using the keyboard. You can use the handbook to pick a design. You can even cut multiple designs at one time.
Step 6: After you have chosen the size and design, press the “Cut” button. Now sit back and wait for the result and be amazed by the wonders the machine can do.
Step 7: As soon as you are done with it, “Unload Paper” and you have the Cutting Mat with your expected design. If the material is not cut properly, redo it after adjusting the depth of the cutting blade.
Step 8: The last step is to take out the design from the Cutting Mat. For intricate designs, use a knife if need be.
Do you love to maintain your own scrapbook? Or are you too creative and always end up adding beautiful designs on your projects? All these are very lovely and welcome habits, and there are ways to make these cute habits of yours grow more potent. You do not need to bear a load of all the troublesome part on yourself anymore. Yeah, you heard that right. There are ways to make the messy part less hectic, and that is where Cricut comes to your aid. Brought to you by Provo Craft & Novelty, Cricut is a broad range of die-cutting machines usable at your residence that can help you out with all your interesting habits.
The Cricut machines are so designed that they can cut through paper, felt and vinyl. Among other products that can be cut are fabric and fondant and variousothers as well. There are also many die cutters available in the market, but the versatility and ease of use of Cricut make it a far more desired product than many others.
Cricut Models
Now let us walk through the various Cricut models and learn what each of the products is capable of achieving. You need to get accustomed to the various Cricut models and cartridges they use before you can choose the right one for yourself. The cutters operate based on the cutting parameters that you have fed into the machine and you can think of it as quite analogous to a desktop printer. The four well-known models are the Cricut (original), the Cricut Expression, and then there is the Cricut Expression 2 and the Cricut Mini for you.
Cricut Original – A 6″ x 12″ Cutting Mat is lodged in the original Cricut and can make images that are in the range of 1″ to about 5 1/2″ tall. The best part about the original Cricut is that it is compatible with all the available Cricut cartridges, though it is not as powerful as the new models. It lacks the ability to cut the various types of materials its other younger siblings can. This machine makes a Deep Cut Blade and Housing that will allow its’ owners to cut through material that is 1.55 mm thick and therefore,magnet, chipboard, and other stamp materials can be cut. Also, it supports the Cricut Design Craft Room software.
Cricut Expression – It has some advantages over the original. The first among which is that it allows to cut shapes in the range of 1/4″ to 23 1/2″ and has a 12″ x 12″ cutting mat, with adjustable slides. It can also cut a wider range of materials that would include vellum and thin foils. The lovely thing is that it features an LCD screen that allows seeing a preview of the work, and has features like Quantity and Auto-Fill. The machine has a paper saver mode and allows choosing between portrait and a landscape orientation. It includes two cartridges, the PlantinSchoolBook and the Accent Essentials.
Cricut Expression 2 – This version has an updated exterior compared to its predecessor. It has the same 12″ x 12″ cutting mat. The designers have made it lose the conventional keyboard and has a new touch LCD screen in its place. The keyboard is displayed on the screen and allows proper placement of the images. It has an added feature that allows you to perform independent sizing and rotation.
Cricut Mini – As the name suggests, it is a mini cutting machine and works only with a computer, with the help of the Cricut Craft Room Design software. Some 500 images are automatically available as soon as the software is installed. The machine allows usage of all available cartridges, except the Cricut Imagine cartridges. It cuts images in the range of 1/4″ to 11 1/2″.