• BIGGEST FINANCIAL EVENT - - the increases in the prices of gold and silver.
   
• BEST REASON TO TEAR DOWN AN OLD BUILDING - - 1794 silver dollar found in demolition of a barn.
    
• BEST REASON TO DIG UP A YARD - - Over 50,000 ancient coins found in the ground in Europe.
   
• BEST REASON TO LISTEN WHEN SOMEONE SAYS HE/SHE HAS SOME OLD COINS - - 1794 Starred reverse cent "was from [a friend] whose dad passed away & asked me to buy the coins..... I gave the seller $25 . . . as I thought it was damaged and bad looking".
   
• NEW TERM WE NEVER EXPECTED WOULD APPLY TO A COIN - - "Hockey pucks", for the America The Beautiful 5 oz. silver "quarters".
   
• BIGGEST SURPRISE FROM U. S. MINT - - after hearing a lot of complaints about price-gouging on the "hockey pucks", the Mint cancelled all orders from the authorized distributors and issued new rules.
   
• BEST NEW DIE MARRIAGE DISCOVERY - - New die variety of 1827 dime (JR-12).  It is the first Capped Bust die marriage discovered since the Early U. S. Dimes book was published in 1984.
   
• BEST COIN IN ITS FIRST AUCTION APPEARANCE - - The latest Capped Bust half dime variety (1835 LM-12) is auctioned for the first time, by Stack's.  I purchase it for a client, and it is now in a PCGS VF-20 slab.
   
• BIGGEST BUSINESS COMBINATION - - Stack's and Bowers & Merena join to create Stack's Bowers Numismatics.
   
• BIGGEST BUSINESS COMBINATION (BUST AND SEATED COINS DEPT.) - - Dick Osburn Rare Coins business sold to Wayne Herndon, as Dick and Ruth start their journey towards retirement.
   
• FANCIEST NEW TECHNOLOGY - - PCGS's "coin sniffer" which is used to determine if a coin has been chemically doctored.
   
• LEGAL UPDATE - - Coin doctoring lawsuit filed by PCGS and the suit is thrown out of Federal court because of jurisdiction issues.  The suit will most likely be refiled in a different court.
   
• BEST NEW EVIDENCE - - The suit between the Langbords and the government regarding ten 1933 double eagles takes a turn toward the Langbords when documents are found revealing that 1933 double eagles were used to replace spoiled 1932 double eagles, and were therefore released and issued.
   
• WHOSE TEAM ARE THEY ON?  - - Odyssey Marine finds out that the U. S. government has been assisting Spain in its suit against Odyssey, regarding 12 tons of gold and silver coins Odyssey recovered from a sunken ship.
   
• GONE TOO SOON - - Noted collector Lou Butterfield from Maine.
   
• WORST NEWS - - Counterfeit coins in counterfeit PCGS slabs emerge with my reporting of bogus 1845 and 1856 Seated dollars.  I report this in my newsletter, the E-Gobrecht, and the November meeting of the LSCC.
   
• BEST NEWS - -  In late December, PCGS files suit in Federal court in December against Burnsville Coin Company and Barry Skog for distributing counterfeit coins in counterfeit PCGS slabs.
   
• RESTRIKES OR COPIES?  LEGAL OR ILLEGAL? - - Daniel Carr's 1964-D Peace dollar "restrikes" made from genuine Peace dollars.
   
• BIGGEST FUTURE BUREAUCRATIC NIGHTMARE - - The requirement to issue Form 1099's to every person and business from whom we purchase more than $600 from, during a year.  This was somehow included in the recently passed health care bill, and has been debated in Congress and in chat rooms.  Hopefully it will be repealed or scaled back before it becomes effective in 2012.
   
• BEST EXHIBIT - - Sunnywood's toned Morgan dollars, at the 2010 FUN show.
   
• BEST FUTURE EXHIBIT - - 1943 bronze and 1944 steel cents, all Mints, at the 2011 FUN show.
   
• BEST EXHIBIT CONTAINING ONLY TWO COINS - - the unique 1849 double eagle and the 1933 double eagle at the Fort Worth ANA show.
   
• RAREST COINS I SOLD - - the aforementioned 1835 LM-12 half dime, and the 1806 B-8 quarter with reverse cud (both are R8 with 3 known).
   
• WILDEST TONED COIN I SOLD - - 1807 Small Stars half PCGS AU-50, see the obverse here: http://www.richuhrichcoins.com/img/coins/obverse/f/1389.jpg  and the reverse here: http://www.richuhrichcoins.com/img/coins/reverse/f/1389.jpg .
   
• WEIRDEST EVENT AT THE POST OFFICE - - I was shipping a Medium Flat Rate box from the Postal Service.  The clerk brought out a tape measure and measured the box.  That is, the Medium Flat Rate box with "United States Postal Service" on all of the sides of the box.  After the insurance was calculated, the clerk brought out the tape measure and measured the box AGAIN.  Memo to Postal Service clerks:  the boxes with "United States Postal Service" all over them probably comply with Postal Service regulations!
   
• SMALLEST PRINT IN AN AD - - My May 11 Numismatic News ad was shrunk to a print size that was almost unreadable.  Fortunately NN reran the ad for me.
   
• BEST COIN I SAW THAT I PREVIOUSLY HAD NEVER SEEN AN EXAMPLE OF - -  the 1821 B-6 quarter (7 known).
   
• COIN I HAD NEVER SOLD BEFORE AND THEN SOLD TWO IN ONE WEEK - - the 1836 Gobrecht dollar.
   
• MOST UNUSUAL COIN I HAD NEVER SEEN BEFORE - - the 1923-D Soviet-made Mercury dime I saw at Fort Worth.  An estimated 50 are known.
   
• BEST CREW TO WORK WITH - - My 4 table assistants, Bill Bugert, Len Augsburger, Bill Cowburn, and David Kahn, as well as my wife Karen.
   
• BEST NEWS FROM RICH UHRICH U. S. RARE COINS INC. - - We had a very successful year in 2010, with sales more than 70% over 2009.  We are expecting another good year in 2011.
   
• BIGGEST REASON FOR THE BEST NEWS FROM RICH UHRICH U. S. RARE COINS INC. - - You, our customers.  We greatly appreciate all of your business during the year.

I wish all of my customers and friends a happy holiday season!             - - Rich Uhrich