Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2020 i World Coin News

An EID MAR type struck by Brutus in 42 BCE; authenticated, encapsulated and graded MSK 5/5 - 3/5 Fine Style by Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC), sold for nearly $4.2 million at Roma Numismatic’s Auction XX. This is only the third known example in gold of this post-assassination design. The other two examples are currently with institutions; one on long-term loan to the British Museum and the other in the Deutsche Bundesbank collection. As the Roma Numismatics Limited lot description notes, “Nothing resonates so deeply with those knowledgeable in ancient Roman coinage as the dramatic EID MAR type struck by Brutus in 42 BC[E], nor indeed is any type more sought after by connoisseurs. Herbert A. Cahn’s 1989 study entitled Eidibus Martiis noted 56 examples in silver and two in gold.”…

There have been monetary unions ever since there has been coinage. Some of these unions were successful and lasted hundreds of years. Others have fizzled and quickly disappeared. The European Union’s monetary union is the highest profile such union today, but it is far from being the only monetary union now in use. The Eastern Caribbean Currency Union consisting of Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines uses the East Caribbean dollar as its common currency. There are additional currency unions proposed, but remain on the drawing board. Among these are the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa and the East African Community. There have been monetary union proposals that have failed to materialize as well. The…

THE RUSSIAN MONETARY system underwent profound changes in 1718. In many respects, these were almost as interesting as those of two decades earlier when Peter I began issuing coins in a form familiar to the rest of Europe. The last of the debased silver coins were struck and replaced by a strong coinage of rubles and half rubles. Significant changes came also for the copper and gold. Yet, if one were able to return to the Russia of 1718, the important changes in the monetary system would have been of secondary importance for the first few months of the year. Instead, one of the great tragedies in Russian history was being played out in a grim St. Petersburg dungeon. The central figure was none other than Alexis, son and heir…

Heidelberger Münzhandlung Herbert Grün is approaching their landmark 80th auction. As you look back through their sales, the impressive nature of their journey as an auction firm is obvious. For their 79th and 80th auctions on Nov. 10 and 11, HMHG is presenting a pair of handsome collections. In Auction 79 you will find a collection of choice 19th-century talers struck from 1800 through 1872. For the grand 80th auction, we will be treated to a stellar collection of Nuremberg coinage struck from the middle ages up until 1807. I had to think way back to a 1990s Bank Leu sale to remember a Nuremberg collection of such stature, so this HMHG 80th offering is a real delight. But our particular interest in the HMHG November sales rests with a…

The Royal Mint has launched a new 50 pence celebrating diversity. This is the first U.K. coin to recognize and honor the power of the country’s diverse ethnic minorities to build a modern, prosperous Britain. This little coin takes a big step and as the Mint says, “marks a new era for British coinage, with more designs celebrating diversity and inclusivity set to follow.” The Royal Mint is sparing no effort for this coin; “To support this landmark coin, The Royal Mint is working in partnership with the West India Committee to offer a school program exploring the diversity that built Britain, and marking Black History Month. The educational pack will be issued to every primary school in England and Wales, and explores stories of significant black figures in British…

Coins enjoy a long history as Christmas gifts. Perhaps the tradition was inspired by Caspar’s gift of gold to Baby Jesus. It may, however, have quite mundane origins. A silver or gold coin was a much appreciated gift in a day and age where specie held intrinsic value. Yet, whatever the origin, the custom became commonplace among both the rich and not so rich. In a few instances, the gift may have been a Christmas-themed coin. Such coins have been around for centuries. The so-called Christmas ducats of the Swiss city of Basel is a case in point. Between 1680 and 1700 Basel struck gold 2 and 3 ducat coins that show either the Adoration of the Shepherds or the Adoration of the Magi. But gifted coins seldom showed Christmas…

Is it wise to turn on the printing presses to buy your way out of a budget deficit? Likely not, but when banks are experiencing a liquidity problem, counterfeiting, a coronavirus pandemic impacting the economy, and you are seeking to flush cash into the open that has been hoarded, this may be your best option. Ethiopia has rolled the dice, issuing a new series of bank notes as the nation seeks to combat what it calls monetary crimes. While new bank notes were unveiled Sept. 14, no change in coins was immediately announced. At the time of the unveiling Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said, “Ethiopia today unveils new birr notes for 10, 50, and 100 denominations, with introduction of a new birr 200-[birr bank] note. The new notes will curb…

Münzenhandlung Möller GmbH has their 76th auction up on their website at www.muenzen-moeller.de as I write this preview. All the lots are there and ready for you to peruse. The Auction firm was founded by Harald Möller in Espenau, Hessen, Germany, in 1990 and has consistently offered wide selections of material ranging from inexpensive collector coins and medals to rare coins not often seen elsewhere. Concerning German auction houses, I have always found Möller among the best for European medals and modern Germanic coinage. In fact, their auction archive is the first place I turn for sales records on 20th-century German coins when I look to adjust those areas in our database. In Auction 76 amongst all the nice lots in various collecting veins I found a few fabulous thalers…

Her career in nursing came out of the darkness of the Crimean War as she moved among the wounded soldiers with her lamp lighting the way. At the time, “the Lady with a Lamp” was taken up by the media and elevated to a high level of public admiration. Florence Nightingale used that spotlight to create social reform in the medical field and build the foundations for modern nursing. This coin commemorates the 200th anniversary of the Birth of Florence Nightingale and uses this platform to focus attention on her six Cs of nursing: Courage, Commitment, Compassion, Competence, Communication and Care. A legend of the six Cs surrounds a central design of a heart with heart monitor line, protected by a pair of angel’s wings. Nightingale established the world’s first…

The East India Company, in association with the Government of St. Helena, has introduced a new series of gold and silver collector coins entitled The Queen’s Virtues Collection. There will be six themes in this series with a 1-ounce gold and a 1-ounce silver coin struck for each theme’s design. Issued on the occasion of the 95th Birthday of HM Queen Elizabeth II in 2021, this innovative and thought-provoking new gold and silver coin collection is inspired by the “Virtues of a Queen.” Widely acknowledged as principles founded by Queen Victoria in the Victorian Age and carried forward by Queen Elizabeth II, they demonstrate the core virtues both are considered to have held and to hold. From a collective viewpoint, the conscious effort of acquiring and maintaining one’s own code…

I WAS THINKING, after finishing Tajikistan, that we’d look at Tanzania in Africa for a while for something completely different. Those of you who have been reading my articles for a few years have perhaps noticed that I pick my countries of interest out of the 20th and 21st century Standard Catalogs of World Coins, not the earlier ones. I forgot about Tannu Tuva. I forgive myself. The country was, in retrospect, an ephemeral political entity of the 20th century, in deep Central Asia, somewhat to the east of our recent focus. The nation that issued the coins that we can try to collect was formally independent for a few decades before that government politely requested permission to join the Soviet Union. Its territory is now called Tuva, part of…

Macau’s Lunar coinage has proven to be more popular with collectors as the series progresses. The 2019 Year of the Pig coins caught the eyes of several members of the Coin of the Year Nominating Committee for their delightfully whimsical creativity. At least one coin in the previous Macau Lunar series has won the Most Beautiful Commemorative Coin Award from the Mint Directors Conference. But most importantly, collectors snatch them up whenever the next issue becomes available. As 2020 becomes a bit more manageable from a coin production standpoint, the Singapore Mint has completed a dynamic reimagining of their Lunar coin approach and launched a fourth Lunar coin series for the Monetary Authority of Macau. The 2020 Year of the Rat coins set the pace for this new series, with…

As 2020 draws to a close you can expect the launch of a second new series from NumisCollect. The Famous Fables series will begin with a coin from one of our favorite Aesop’s Fables; that of “The Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs.” Denominated at $10 and issued for Palau, this first Famous Fables coin will be one to catch early, as many of the first issues of limited NumisCollect series become difficult to obtain after the initial launch period. The Famous Fables series will adhere to the same conservative mintage of 333 pieces per type and feature similar use of Smartminting technology. The coins will be 45mm in diameter and contain two ounces of .999 fine silver. The egg in this design will be golden in color and the…