Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2021 i World Coin News

Many clubs and groups have been struggling to keep up with the shut downs across the country. Quite a few collectors have been feeling the effects of not being able to meet with their friends and fellow collectors. However, COVID-19 hasn’t stopped clubs and groups from meeting and finding ways to share their love for numismatics. Online video meetings have been an amazing use of technology. The Watchung Hill Coin Club in New Jersey is just one example. With the help of the Latvian Embassy in Washington, DC, and the Latvian National Museum of History in Riga, Latvia, John Lostys gave a presentation on Latvian coinage and currency from the last 120 years to the club and guests. Inspired by his own heritage and a previous trip to Latvia, Lostys…

WITH THE DEATH of Czar Fedor I in January 1598 came the end of the old dynasty founded by Rurik in A.D. 862. There was an election of sorts, but Boris Godunov (Fedor’s brother-in-law) had little difficulty in having himself named czar. He ruled Russia until his sudden death in April 1605. Beginning in 1601 a series of disasters, both natural and man-made, plagued the Godunov regime. A famine of 1601 was compounded by the rebellion begun in 1604 by the False Dmitry, who claimed to be the son of Ivan IV. The False Dmitry’s forces soon overwhelmed those of the government and he seized power in May 1605. Almost at once there were plots hatched by the nobility to rid themselves of the impostor. In May 1606 they succeeded,…

Coin collecting is alive and well in Australia, much of it due to the number of valuable coins that can be gleaned from circulation. Reminiscent of the US 1909 Lincoln cents on which the initials of coin designer Victor D. Brenner appeared, then were later removed, are the 1988 HH and 1989 HH $2 coins. The initials of Royal Australian Mint Chief Engraver Horst Hahne appear at the bottom left-hand corner on the lower chest of the Indigenous man featured on the reverse. While coin dealers have maintained coins with these initials are not scarce, reportedly having a mintage of more than 200 million pieces, this hasn’t stopped speculators and collectors from listing the coins for as high as $10,000 Australian (about $7,730 US) on eBay. At the time this…

The less than equitable separation between the European Union and the United Kingdom has impacted coins in more than one way. Likely the most obvious was the UK commemorative 50-pence coin ‘celebrating’ the successful Brexit or British exit from the EU. Since the date of the exit changed due to ongoing negotiations, so did the date expressed on the coin. The Brexit exit date resulted in the British Royal Mint needing to destroy its initial stock of coins, then replace that stock with coins carrying the revised Brexit date. All coins dated 31 October 2019 were reported to have been scrapped, coins dated 31 January 2020 having replaced them. Now comes the new normal. Collectors outside the UK purchasing coins from British dealers aren’t certain what will be the impact,…

IN THE PREVIOUS article we discussed the tremendous rarities of Japan offered by The Pinnacle Collection being sold in Hong Kong in April by Stack’s Bowers & Ponterio. Here we will focus on another shining example from the many other stellar coins in this massive collection. Russia, the land of the Tsars, has many fabled rarities in numismatics, but the one of the most difficult to acquire has to be the Constantine pattern ruble. Most collections do not contain an example, because of the five lettered edge and three plain edge varieties most are either in museums or held tightly in generational collections. The Pinnacle Collection has one of the plain edge patterns. Struck at St. Petersburg Mint and cataloged in the Standard Catalog of World Coins as KM Pn88…

SEAN CONNERY was the first actor to play fictional British Secret Service agent James Bond on the big screen. He brought life to the fictional Ian Fleming secret agent and launched both an extremely successful franchise and a lasting legacy of spy fiction in film and television which continues even today. Connery was chosen for the role by producers Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, who acquired the rights to Ian Fleming’s Bond novels in 1961, his powerful portrayal in Dr. No immediately established the charismatic operative, also known by his agent number 007, as one of cinema’s most recognizable characters. Connery’s style, grace and magnetism made a huge contribution to the success of subsequent films, including From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice and Diamonds Are Forever.…

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY is a global celebration of the social, cultural, economic and political achievements of women. Held annually on March 8, this is a special day to support positive changes for women all around the world. The origins of this special day can be traced back to 1908 when a UK group, the Women’s Social and Political Union, known by the acronym WSPU, chose representative colors for their organization. They chose purple for justice and dignity, green symbolizing hope, and white to represent purity at that time and International Women’s Day retained these colors when they held their first gathering in 1911. The tradition has flourished for over a century, with annual themes and events designed to raise visibility and celebrate achievement. International Women’s Day has grown through the…

THAI COINS CAME to my attention because of the bullet money, the toks, the tiger tongues, and the opium weights. Those things didn’t all come from Thailand, but there were dealers there, and there weren’t any in Burma (Myanmar), where the opium weights were used, or in Laos, where the canoe money came from. I like the exotic stuff. There’s lots of history in Thailand, including possibly the earliest bronze making. However, the Thai people for whom the country is currently named are relative newcomers. There is a long history of Chinese migration to Southeast Asia that was usually economic rather than political. Chinese individuals saw opportunities down there and set up shop. That happened for at least two thousand years: Chinese, or people living in China, forming communities in…

THE FIRST AUCTION sale of the 50th anniversary year for Künker opened 2021 in a big way. Traditionally, the flagship auction at the end of January takes place with large international participation during the World Money Fair in Berlin. But with the WMF out of the picture this year, Künker had to hold the auction in private with just a small group of employees due to the current COVID-19 restrictions. Nevertheless, all Künker customers had the chance to bid in the way they prefer. Written note, phone or live bidding by the computer were all available options and all were used. The result speaks for itself. 721 lots realized a total of about $11 million dollars. All coins that made the top ten in hammer price were sold for figures…

WHEN LEONARDO DA VINCI created his Vitruvian Man drawing, I don’t think he ever expected it to be replicated so widely and for so long a time. Drawn between 1485 and 1490, it has become one of Leonardo da Vinci’s most recognized works of art and science. The principle architectural structure of the square and circle comes from the Roman architect Vitruvius. But Da Vinci’s purpose was to convey the ideal proportions of the human body. The male body displays arms and legs at different positions of the circle. The proportions of the limbs were established by Da Vinci through measuring male models in Milan. The original art is stored in Venice, but reproductions began to be made in the early 17th century. The Vitruvian Man has been a staple…

EVERY YEAR on April 21, Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her personal birthday, and then on June 10th everyone celebrates the Queen’s Royal birthday. The first is her actual birthday, but the second is actually her official birthday. Getting confused? Don’t worry about it and just enjoy the celebrations with this lovely little 50 Pence struck by Pobjoy Mint on behalf of the British Indian Ocean Territory. The coin features the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom which are used by Her Majesty in her official capacity as Monarch of the United Kingdom. Within the Royal Arms are the symbols for England in the first and fourth quarters, Scotland in the second quarter and Ireland in the third quarter. Sweet Peas are shown around the Royal Arms which are…

THOUGH APRIL SHOWERS might bring May flowers, all that’s on my mind in April is tracking the stellar Pinnacle Collection of Asian coinage set to cross the block in Hong Kong through the auspices of Stack’s Bowers & Ponterio. Presenting over 5,000 lots with a total pre-auction estimate exceeding $16.5 million, this sale hits the market at just the right time and with the best possible high-grade rarities imaginable. At the center of the Pinnacle Collection is an extremely rare Japanese pattern set struck for year 3 (1870) of the Meiji era. Only two complete sets are known. One resides in the Royal Mint Museum in Llantrisant, Wales and the other set is going up for sale in Hong Kong. We should specify that single patterns in various metals are…

NUMISCOLLECT has announced the 2021 issue for their Dot Art series will be The Whale. This will be the second coin in the series, the first was the extremely popular Tree of Life produced early in 2020. Both of these lovely pieces have been created for the Republic of Palau as legal tender coins denominated 20 Dollars. Each coin in this series has been made possible through Smartminting© technology developed by Mayer’s Mint. NumisCollect and Mayer’s Mint have worked together many times to bring designer Hasse Weirsma’s creative concepts forth into realized coins. There are several series in process from NumisCollect at any given time. All have very limited mintages and most feature color and high relief. The reverse of the coin depicts the whale at center. The whale symbolizes…

THE ROYAL CANADIAN MINT launched two new gold coins in conjunction with the virtual World Money Fair this year. Each coin shines a bright light on an important chapter in Canadian history which brought about homegrown innovation. The newest addition to the Mint’s long line of 1 oz., 99.999% pure gold bullion coins inaugurates a new series dedicated to the 125th anniversary of the famous Klondike Gold Rush, while the latest Ukrainian Easter egg inspired collector coin features a meticulously engraved design celebrating the eternal renewal of the spring season. It is important to note that the depth of these themes is reflected in the precision and artistry of the coins. Yes, these are expensive gold coins which may not fit into everyone’s coin collecting budget, but even if they…

“THE EAGLE HAS LANDED.” The now-famous phrase spoken by United States astronaut Neil Armstrong was a victory cry heard across the globe when he and Buzz Aldrin were the first humans to land on the moon on July 20, 1969. The monumental feat was celebrated worldwide, and now the international coin community is celebrating the United States as its 2019-dated silver coin commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing is named the winner of the 2021 Coin of the Year awards. The Coin of the Year program, now in its 38th year, is an internationally conducted competition presented by World Coin News to recognize outstanding coin design and innovation worldwide. The 2021 program – sponsored by The Journal of East Asian Numismatics, NumisCollect and China Gold Coin…

Media has a great influence on the trends we follow. From fashion trends, to market trends. Recently, Netflix released their new movie ‘The Dig’, which has drawn significant interest to Anglo-Saxon history. The film was inspired by the excavation of the Great Ship Burial at Sutton Hoo in 1939. The ship burial is an amazing example of the stories that can be told through lost treasures. This treasure specifically provides an insight into what life was like during the Anglo-Saxon era, the time before England as we know it existed. We tend to think of the Dark Ages as just that: dark; when in reality, the time has a rich culture, with complex beliefs, ideas, and ways of life. Some of the treasures found inside include a sword, a helmet…