As we roll towards the mid-way point of the numismatic year, this is a good time to step back for a second and reflect on value. The Numismatic Prognostications of late 2008/early 2009 have not proven as dire as first thought (at least not yet…) but there has still been quite a bit of shake-out in the coin market.   
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One of the ways to determine the strength of the rare coin market is to look at the pricing of coins that I like to call “Faux Rarities.” A Faux Rarity is a coin that, despite a high valuation, is relatively common. Three examples of Faux Rarities are 1879 Flowing Hair Stellas, high grade St. Gaudens High Reliefs and Panama-Pacific Exposition Octagonal $50 gold pieces.   
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In June 2000, I wrote an article entitled “The Ten Coolest United States Coins.” Let’s say you were a true Douglas Winter Numismatics cultist and you had decided to follow my advice to the letter. How would your seven year investment have performed? Are there any coins I would have deleted from this list? Some analysis and random thoughts regarding these ten coins follows.   
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If there is a more popular United States gold coin than the 1907 High Relief double eagle, I’ve yet to encounter it. This is a coin that just about everyone aspires to own. It is beautiful, historic and, in its own way, extremely desirable. The story behind this issue is interesting. I won’t go into the full detail here (it would take many pages to be properly told).   
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