LOOSE CHANGE: JULY 26, 2020

CoinWeek Podcast: 1822 $5 vs. the 1870-S $3

It’s a battle of epic proportions today on the CoinWeek Podcast, as noted gold coin expert and author Doug Winter and I pit two multi-million dollar coins head to head to find out which great American rarity comes out on top.

Our competitors are the 1822 half eagle and the 1870-S three-dollar gold coin.

Which of these coins will come out on top? You’re about to find out next, on the CoinWeek Podcast.

To read the complete article, see:
CoinWeek Podcast #138: Rare Coin Battle: The 1822 $5 Gold Coin vs. the 1870-S $3 Gold Coin (https://coinweek.com/coins/million-dollar-items/coinweek-podcast-138-rare-coin-battle-the-1822-5-gold-coin-vs-the-1870-s-3-gold-coin/)

Stamps and Spies

Art, literature, and music were all means by which the United States tried to portray itself as more culturally refined than, and therefore superior to, the Soviet Union during the Cold War. While the CIA’s covert funding of cultural front organizations has received a lot of attention, declassified U.S. government documents reveal that the designs of the ‘Champions of Liberty’ series and other Cold War-era stamps were similarly co-opted by the nation’s top intelligence and military officials.

In the United States, proposals for stamp designs are evaluated by members of the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee appointed by the postmaster general. The original founding committee in 1957 consisted of seven members: three philatelists (people who study stamps), three artists, and one representative from the U.S. Information Agency, then the lead institution for public diplomacy. This representative, Deputy Director Abbott Washburn, attended monthly meetings of the stamp committee. At the same time, he or his boss attended meetings of the Operations Coordinating Board of the National Security Council. This unique arrangement gave the U.S. government a valuable tool in its communication arsenal.

After the Soviet Union issued an ultimatum demanding the withdrawal of Western armed forces from West Berlin, the Operations Coordinating Board recommended issuing a stamp symbolizing the U.S. commitment to the divided city on the front lines of the Cold War.

To read the complete article, see:
STAMPS AND SPIES: THE CIA’S INVOLVEMENT IN POSTAGE DESIGN (https://warontherocks.com/2020/07/stamps-and-spies-the-cias-involvement-in-postage-design/)

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