News
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June 23, 2016
In this motion-graphic video, we break down the full story behind Donald Trump’s wealth.
Not only do we examine his major business successes and failures, but we even look back at real estate’s prominent role in the history of the Trump family. To conclude, the video breaks down Trump’s net worth and financial history, while highlighting some of the help he has gotten along the way in building his fortune.
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June 16, 2016
The Money Project is an ongoing collaboration between Visual Capitalist and Texas Precious Metals that seeks to use intuitive visualizations to explore the origins, nature, and use of money.
Extreme shortages of food and power continue to ravage the country of Venezuela, and ordinary people have been paying the price.
With triple-digit inflation, that “price” is expected to continue to soar even higher. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), in its most recent set April forecasts, expects inflation in Venezuela to hit 481% by the end of 2016.
Even scarier is the estimated pace of acceleration – by 2017, the IMF expects Venezuelan hyperinflation to climb to a whopping 1,642%.Our brains have trouble computing numbers of this magnitude, so we created today’s infographic to put things in perspective. We look at it from two angles, including a historical comparison as well as a more tangible example.
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June 13, 2016
In advance of Janet Yellen’s “hike or no hike" FED announcement, the TPM marketing team had some fun conceptualizing the game she is playing.
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June 09, 2016
Perhaps one of the biggest influences on how a coin looks today is how it was stored. The appearance of a numismatic item largely depends on how kind of holder, bag or sleeve in which it resided for years. As most vintage coins were made with softer and/or chemically reactive metals, the storage method had a tremendous impact on surface preservation and overall appearance.
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June 08, 2016
From 1795 through 1808, a design known as the Draped Bust motif appeared on America’s copper and silver coinage. Created by Robert Scot, the design was featured on the Half Cent, Large Cent, Half Dime, Dime, Quarter Dollar and Half Dollar. Some of the most famous early American numismatic rarities were struck using this design, including the 1799 Large Cent, 1802 Half Dime, 1796 Half Dollar, 1797 Half Dollar and 1804 Silver Dollar.
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June 07, 2016
In numismatic lingo, the terms “year” and “date” may seem interchangeable. However, the phrases actually have two totally different meanings. When collectors refer to a rare “date” they are most likely alluding to the combination of year and mintmark. In the Morgan Dollar series, for instance, the date 1889-CC is an extremely rare issue that carries a tremendous premium in all grades. As a year, however, 1889 is not rare. One can buy an 1889 Philadelphia issue (i.e. a coin without a mintmark) for less than $50 in average grades.
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June 06, 2016
In 1892, the Half Dollar (along with the Dime and Quarter Dollar) were redesigned by U.S. Mint Engraver Charles Barber. After using the Seated Liberty motif for over fifty years, Mint officials felt that the silver denominations were in severe need of a revamping. Being a staff engraver, Barber’s primary concern was creating a design that was easy to produce with minimal difficulty to execute. His new motif for the Dime, Quarter and Half Dollar was regarded as a pleasant but safe choice.
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June 03, 2016
The Civil War had a profound impact on American history – and its effect can be seen on our country’s coinage as well. As precious metals became scarce during the war, the United States Mint was forced to experiment with new materials. Copper, silver and gold all spiked in price and were difficult to source, so the Mint began producing coins with bronze and nickel.
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June 02, 2016
Half of one cent may seem like a minuscule amount of money in today’s dollars, but in the 18th century, many everyday goods could be bought for that amount. Items like drinks, snacks, newspapers and such cost just a fraction of a cent! With that in mind, when the United States Mint began producing copper coins in 1793, one the denominations it produced was the Half Cent.
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June 01, 2016
In the mid-1990s, U.S. Mint Director Philip N. Diehl felt that America’s coinage was in need of rejuvenation. All circulating United States coins had gone decades without a substantial redesign. The Lincoln Cent had not changed since 1959, the Jefferson Nickel went untouched since 1938, the Roosevelt Dime was identical to its original form from 1946, the Washington Quarter had never been modified since its release in 1932, and the Kennedy Half Dollar was the “youngest” design at just 30-35 years of age.