From the vaults of history to the currency of today, Worth its Weight is an ANA podcast from the Money Museum. With episodes posted twice weekly, Curator Caroline Turco gives listeners two ways to follow the money: through timely weigh-ins on numismatic news, and rich deep-dives into the history money holds. Tune in for golden insights and stories that changed history!
Made for collectors. Open to the curious. Available wherever you get your podcasts.
Cigar Box Gold, Medieval Kings & D. B. Cooper’s $20 Bill | Weekly Weigh-In A gold coin hidden in a cigar box brings $97,600, newly reported dollar errors send collectors checking their purchases, and a damaged $20 bill carries a six-figure connection to D. B. Cooper. This week, Caroline Turco catches up on what’s making news in numismatics, from strong proof-set sales and growing interest in circulated banknotes to a rare Norwegian coin identified during museum cataloguing. We also explor...
20 Oct 2026
Haunting Notgeld
A headless rider guarding a lonely cross stone. Witches flying across the Brocken on Walpurgis Night. A mysterious piper abducting a village's children. In the years surrounding Germany’s defeat in World War I, communities across the country issued their own emergency money, or notgeld, to fill shortages of official currency. What began as a practical solution soon became something more colorful—and considerably stranger. In this spooky-season episode of Worth Its Weight, Caroline explores th...
13 Oct 2026
The Witch-Hunting King: James VI and I
In 1590, King James VI of Scotland became convinced that witches had tried to kill him by summoning storms at sea. What followed were the infamous North Berwick witch trials, brutal interrogations, executions, and eventually James’s own treatise on witchcraft and demons, Daemonologie. In this spooky-season episode of Worth Its Weight, Curator Caroline Turco explores the complicated Christian worldview of James VI and I through witch trials, royal theology, and the coins that carried his ideas...
9 Oct 2026
Weekly Weigh-In: October 9, 2026
Coming up: a familiar collector tradition gets an unfamiliar price tag, new research revisits a famous coin’s ownership history, and a supposed rarity proves disappointing. Plus, funding for coin clubs, an auction for young collectors, and a new series coming to this podcast. And before we’re done, Canada puts a ghost on its money. Apparently, inflation wasn’t frightening enough. --- Links and Resources 2026 Semiquincentennial Proof Set — U.S. MintHow the U.S. Mint determines product prices17...
6 Oct 2026
A Coin to Die For: EID MAR with Shanna Schmidt
Spooky season at Worth Its Weight begins with a killer coin. Shanna Schmidt joins Caroline Turco for a conversation about the EID MAR and the ancient coin industry, connecting a notorious piece of Roman history with the people who collect, study, and trade ancient money today. Join us for a look at the enduring fascination of ancient coins—and the stories they carry into the modern world. --- Guest Shanna Schmidt: Shanna Schmidt is an ancient coin dealer specializing in Greek coinage and the ...
2 Oct 2026
Weekly Weigh-In: October 2, 2026
A growing hobby doesn’t always mean rising prices—and that can be good news for collectors. This week, Caroline explores the distinction between enthusiasm and value, from falling bullion prices and steady classic coins to the creative appeal of hobo nickels. Along the way: a real treasure hunt, the truth behind a $235,000 penny headline, a Team USA Silver Eagle that challenges the meaning of a “complete” collection, and Supergirl’s surprisingly ancient numismatic predecessors. Apparently, pu...
29 Sept 2026
United States, Divided Interests
America's Founders warned against political parties. Then they helped create them. They questioned each other’s motives, accused their opponents of endangering the republic, and became convinced that only their side could save the country. Sound familiar? In this episode of Worth Its Weight, discover how the battle over the First Bank of the United States helped turn disagreements among the Founders into America’s first political parties. Alexander Hamilton saw a bank that could strengthen th...
25 Sept 2026
Weekly Weigh-In: September 25, 2026
What draws people into coin collecting—and what makes them stay? Host and Curator Caroline Turco and The Numismatist editor-in-chief Caleb Noel explore the many routes into numismatics, from younger adults taking an interest in Europe’s banknote designs to the community and excitement of live online auctions. Along the way, they check the metals markets, visit a Roman silver hoard, and discover how hobo nickels, Saint-Gaudens, and working dogs connect collecting with interests people alread...
22 Sept 2026
A More Perfect Dollar
What if one dollar were worth 1,440 units? Before the United States could place its ideals on its coins, its founders had to answer a deceptively difficult question: What should American money actually be? In this episode of Worth Its Weight, follow the dollar from the monetary chaos of colonial America to Robert Morris’s mathematically elegant—but magnificently impractical—1,440-unit system. Discover how Morris risked his wealth and personal credit to sustain the Revolution, why Thomas Jeffe...
18 Sept 2026
September 18, 2026 Weekly Weigh-In
Host Caroline takes a quick look at what’s making news in numismatics this week: The Federal Reserve raised interest rates—and gold apparently didn’t receive the memo. Archaeologists may have uncovered the largest coin workshop in the ancient world. A shipwreck that has been surrendering treasure for more than four decades just produced sixty pounds of copper. Two countries that share the same king are taking very different approaches to representing him on money. And a one-cent coin sold for...
15 Sept 2026
B. Franklin, Printer
Before Benjamin Franklin was on American money, he made it. Literally. We remember Benjamin Franklin as a Founding Father, scientist, inventor, diplomat, and statesman. But decades before he helped declare American independence, Franklin was a printer—and one of his most fascinating jobs was printing money. In this episode of Worth Its Weight, discover how a young printer became an advocate for colonial paper currency, won contracts to produce it, and developed ingenious ways to stay one step...
11 Sept 2026
September 11, 2026 Weekly Weigh In
Hosts Caroline & Caleb take a quick look at what’s making news in numismatics this week: Two American silver coins cross the million-dollar mark, gold and silver are climbing again, eBay adds another layer of protection for coin collectors, and–believe it or not–we have another buried hoard to reveal. Plus, a brand-new educational commemorative from India. Worth Its Weight is an ANA production from the Money Museum, where history adds up—with interest! To learn more, explore show notes...
8 Sept 2026
The Labor of Money: The Hardest-Working Coins in History
Which coin worked the hardest for its place in history? In this Labor Day episode of Worth Its Weight, we’re clocking in with five of history’s hardest-working coins—from the silver owls that helped build Athens to the Spanish dollars that crossed oceans and the humble American cent that kept everyday commerce moving. These coins paid armies, built monuments, connected continents, funded governments, and passed through countless hands. Some worked for centuries. Others traveled thousands of m...
4 Sept 2026
September 4, 2026 Weekly Weigh In
Hosts Caroline Turco & Caleb Noel take a quick look at what’s making news in numismatics this week: Surprise coins from the U.S. Mint, counterfeits convincing enough to fool the experts, precious metals on the move, a look back at a very big week in Pittsburgh—and a stash of silver that’s been waiting more than four centuries to make the news! Worth Its Weight is an ANA production from the Money Museum, where history adds up—with interest! To learn more, explore show notes, and discover...
1 Sept 2026
Tomorrow's Pocket Change
What if you could buy a ticket to the future? In this episode of Worth Its Weight, discover the surprising origins of America’s commemorative coinage, the World's Fairs that inspired it, and the stories these tiny time capsules still tell—from the grandeur of Chicago’s White City to the controversies of Columbus and the fight for women’s representation. History fades. Coins remember. --- Numismatic References: World's Fair Commemorative Coins 1892 Columbian Exposition Half Dollar – The first ...
27 Aug 2026
Live from Pittsburgh with a Panel of Numismatic Experts!
Recorded live on the bustling bourse floor of the 2026 ANA World’s Fair of Money in Pittsburgh, the premiere episode of Worth Its Weight brings five leading voices in numismatics together for a lively, candid conversation about coins, collecting, and the future of the field. Host Caroline Turco poses BIG numismatic questions to a panel whose expertise spans American, ancient, and early American numismatics, grading, museums, markets, publishing, and historical research. Along the way, the con...
21 Jul 2026
The Motto that Minted Debate
In God We Trust. Four little words. Big theological baggage. Carried by money. In this special sneak-peek episode of Worth Its Weight, follow the surprising journey of America's national motto from its beginnings as a Civil War memorial to its unexpected role in the fight against communism—and discover how money tells some of history's most remarkable stories. --- Numismatic References: Coins 1864 Two-Cent Piece – The first United States coin to bear the motto In God We Trust.1865 Three...
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