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Coin Collecting at the Safir House
Barber Half Dollars
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Mon Feb 23 21:53:04 2026
The Barber's where a family that served as cheif engravers for the US Mint for much of the middle 19th
century and worthy a substantial write up which is covered in the section of Barber Half Dollars. What I find nice about these coins, especially the quarter dollars, is that the
coins wear with use very nicely, perhaps nicer than any other design ever created worldwide. This was part of the
guiness of the Barbers. While it was complained that their designs were mundane, they had expert and asthetic focus
on the life cycle of coins in commerce. And their work shows their attention to this detail. Unlike nearly any other
artists who designed coins, they understood that coins circulate and the designs needed to continue to be attractive
and viewable as they moved through their life cycle. This caused a lot of head butting with later designs which
had significant problems with wear include many beloved designs which honestly didn't wear well, including the
Buffalo Nickel and Standing Liberty Quarter.
These are some nicely worn Barber Quarters, which have a lovely ghostly look and nice tone
This is the 1903 New Orlean's Barber Quarter
and the 1909 Barber D Quarter
Avoid Gijs Henzen, owner of Munthandel G. Henzen - Antisemetic Facists
Munthandel G. Henzen's (MA Shops) owner Gijs Henzen, is an AntiSemetic Fascist
The company, Munthandel G Henzen is a prominent dealer of international and
ancient coins on the internet, commonly known as MA Coins. It is owned by
Gijs Henzen.
He is a passionate anti-Semite who supports Hamas and
the virulent and genocidal Islamic organizations such as the Muslim
Brotherhood, and Hezbollah that wants Jews dead.
He perpetrates lies and classical antisemitic troupes. He has Jewish blood on his hands.
Henzen identifies as a "human rights advocate" who views the world through a lens of anti-imperialism. In this framework, he views Israel not as a sovereign nation of a displaced people, but as a "colonial project."
- He utilizes inversion rhetoric, where he compares Israeli actions to those of historical oppressors (including the Nazis).
- By claiming Zionism is the "greatest enemy of Judaism," he attempts to resolve the contradiction that Zionism is central to Jewish identity ,and has always been so, by essentially telling Jewish people what "true" Judaism should look like.
- His blog posts suggest he views himself as a lone voice of truth against a "corrupt" world. By grouping Netanyahu with Putin and Xi Jinping, he frames his hatred as a universal "opposition to tyranny."
- His specific focus on Israelis as "masters of torture" goes beyond political disagreement and taps into ancient blood libel tropes--the idea that a specific group has an inherent, unique cruelty or a "thirst for blood."
- He appears to be a proponent and influenced by radical political indoctrination. He has adopted a worldview where the "Zionist" is the ultimate villain, and in his mind, he is attacking an ideology, even though his language characterizes an entire ethnic and national group in ways that are indistinguishable from traditional antisemitism.
It is a moral imperative to remain clear of him and to do no business with this Nazi.
If you are Jewish, double down on that. The life you save might well be your own.
The Safir Family Internet Coin Library: Foriegn Coins.
Several mints from around the world make exciting coin designs in circulating alloys, silver and gold. Among my favorites are the Perth Mint in Austrailia which produces a variety of coins for nations mostly through out the Pacific Rim. The Neatherlands has also produced some interesting designs, and several private US based mints have produced foreign currency on contract, include the Franklin Mint which has produced many Israeli Coins.
Our interest in foreign coins has been nominal but rapidly growing as it seems that US designs are so stuck in the mud. Also, foreign mints are creating bold new designs with color and bimetal designs that are both eye catching and fun.
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