Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2021 i World Coin News

Music lovers and numismatic collectors have once again come together for a new collaboration. The Royal Mint has announced the beginning of another partnership with Elton John, famous British musician and singer, to create a beautiful special edition medallion. The Mint first collaborated with Elton John to release a coin as a part of the Music Legends Collection. The Music Legends Collection includes special edition coins in honor of some of the most iconic stars that have originated in Great Britain. So far, the collection includes Queen, Elton John, and David Bowie. This new medallion will be auctioned off as an extension of Elton John’s coins for a charity auction. Proceeds will be given to Elton John’s UK Charitable Foundation. The foundation is an organization that raises money and donates…

At the time of the Pharaoh Amenhotep III “the Magnificent” (1391-1353 BC) the ancient Egyptian religion included the god Aten. Aten appeared as a falcon-headed human similar to Ra. Amenhotep IV, Amenhotep III’s successor, made Aten the central god of the Egyptian religion. Aten is also the name of an ancient Egyptian city on the left bank of the River Nile near Luxor. Aten was built by Amenhotep III. Aten became a major industrial and administrative center by the time of Amenhotep III’s grandson Tutankhamun, remembered to history as King Tut. Tut’s tomb was discovered in 1922. Due to the splendor of the tomb, including much gold found undisturbed in the tomb, the find was hailed as a major archeaological discovery. The location of the city of Aten, like with…

CIT COIN INVEST has produced a pair of coins designed to honor the Open Roads of the world and the drivers who love them. This coin issue is for all those drivers and collectors for whom the journey is the reward and the real pleasure. It is a profound truth that roads open the eyes and the heart of the traveler. With the Open Roads – Open Hearts coins, CIT and Cook Islands hope to capture some of the feeling, lifestyle and worldview that comes with a love of the open road. At the heart of this wanderlust are the big and powerful road cruisers of the Buick line. When I first saw this the $10 black silver proof Open Roads – Open Hearts coin I thought of the Buick…

WHEN QUEEN VICTORIA laid the red Aberdeen granite cornerstone of this building over a time capsule of unidentified contents, using a golden trowel made by goldsmiths R.R. Garrard, she stated “It is my wish that this Hall should bear his name to whom it will have owed its existence and be called The Royal Albert Hall of Arts and Sciences.” When Queen Victoria laid the red Aberdeen granite cornerstone of this building using a golden trowel, she stated “It is my wish that this Hall should bear his name to whom it will have owed its existence and be called The Royal Albert Hall of Arts and Sciences.” The day was May 20, 1867, it was a grand ceremony and the Queen must have been incredibly pleased to see her…

CORBRIDGE IS A VILLAGE in Northumberland on the River Tyne, population in the 2011 census 3672, sixteen miles west (upstream) of Newcastle. It was the Roman garrison town of Corstopitum, which is still a major tourist attraction, and the site of the 1964 Corbridge Hoard of Roman armor, weapons and personal items. However, Corbridge’s emergence as a mint had nothing to do with the Romans, but with the period of English history known as The Anarchy. Henry I’s only legitimate son, William the Atheling, was drowned on 25 November 1120 in the wreck of la Blanche-Nef (the White Ship) off Barfleur on the coast of Normandy. This left Henry’s only legitimate heir his daughter Matilda, wife of the Holy Roman Emperor Henry V. As a result, the King called a…

THE FIRST WEEK of May marks the 200th Anniversary of the Death of Napoleon Bonaparte. A stand-alone figure in European history, Napoleon has achieved legendary status for his bold military campaigns and political aspirations. His exile to Elba and finally to St. Helena offers one of the most unusual endings for any world leader in modern times. While most of us likely did not have the budget to bid in the April 30 Osenat Auction offering some of Napoleon’s personal effects and an array of items that once were in his possession, we can consider a new series of coins produced by CIT for St. Helena and their distributor the British East India Company. The series features stunning high relief portraiture of Napoleon Bonaparte in his prime, struck by B.…

THE DAVISSONS E-AUCTION 39 presents a wide array of coinage from many regions and periods. Their ancient selections include some really outstanding examples in terms of quality of strike and preservation of that fine detail. A few that caught my eye immediately include; lot 87, a choice XF copper follis of Constantine II as Caesar, A.D. 316-337. A common coin you might say, but take a look at the image included here and you will see that it is as close to mint state as you will ever get. Among the other Roman selections resides a coin for which the firm holds a fondness. The silver denarius of Trajan, struck in Roman late in his rule around A.D. 114-117, offers a bold portrait, richly iridescent tone, great centering and grades…

FOLLOWING UP ON our April issue Pinnacle previews from the Stack’s Bowers & Ponterio Hong Kong sale, we note that records were set for some of the rarest and finest coins the world has to offer. One of the world’s most respected coin auction firms, Stack’s Bowers & Ponterio excels in acquiring top notch consignments and realizing the best prices on both sides of the globe. In the Hong Kong based Pinnacle Collection auction the firm sold the 'Joseph/Richter' specimen of the rare 1825 pattern ruble of Constantine for an astounding $2.64 million. This was the highest realization in the magnificent Pinnacle Collection, which featured many record breakers and market makers on its way to realizing a total of nearly $19.2 million. We reviewed the history of the Constantine pattern…

DURING THE PANDEMIC, many collectors have turned their attention to organizing and cataloging their holdings so that they can seek out through internet auctions and offering various coins that have eluded them through the years. The top end of the world coin market has blossomed with record breaking prices and the middle, what we used to call the bread and butter coins, those which were the heart of many coin dealers business, have also fared well with rising prices seen at most E-Auctions and Internet sales. The most common world coins, as we have always known, remain inexpensive and have gained little if any attention during the pandemic. But that is just a quick analysis of the world coin market in monetary terms. What remains unrevealed in those numbers is…

The Indian Gold Coin Scheme was launched in 2015 to encourage investing in gold and to use the metal to the benefit of the nation’s economic growth by reducing the amount of the metal being imported. Due to decreased demand, further encouragement is now being given. The government passed several amendments to the scheme during March, hoping to make India’s gold coins popular and to make them available directly to buyers. India uses the term ‘coin’ loosely. Most coin collectors will likely term these bullion pieces as precious metal tokens since they are identified by weights rather than by denominations. According to the March 30 Financial Express newspaper, “The central government recently approved several amendments to the Indian Gold Coin Scheme. The change in rules is expected to popularize Indian…

Coins have never had a monopoly on being the only form of tangible cash. Intrinsic value or specie coinage has always had strong acceptance. Fiat money, not so much. Paper money, backed by something physical or not, has continued to be accepted as a form of currency since it was first introduced in China in the 11th century (Maybe as early as the 7th century). In more modern history, checks, credit and debit cards, and finally electronic transfers have entered the mix. Each of these can be argued to be a form of fiat money. What makes electronic transfers including Bitcoin and other nebulous unbacked forms of fiat cyber cash different is that they don’t exist physically. Well, they haven’t existed physically until now. Physical rather than digital Bitcoin-backed ‘bank’…

Countries are known to have converted a single bank note denomination into a coin or a coin into a bank note denomination at a time, but four denominations at once is unusual. Ukraine recently not only stopped issuing four bank note denominations in favor of these same denominations being issued as coins, but it also introduced price rounding rules—with taxes added to the bill after this fact. Ukraine is now going through its first currency changes since its national hryvnia currency system was introduced in the early 1990s as Ukraine became independent of the quickly collapsing Soviet Union. The 1-, 2-, 5-, and 25-kopek coins will be removed from circulation (the 1, 10 and 50 kopek will remain as legal tender). The four smallest bank note denominations are being replaced…

THIS YEAR MARKS the 60th Anniversary of the enacting of the Antarctic Treaty. Regarded by many as one of the most successful international agreements ever negotiated, this treaty set an example of peaceful cooperation during a tense time in world politics. Given the respect the Antarctic Treaty holds, Pobjoy Mint is delighted to announce the release of a beautiful new £2 coin on behalf of the British Antarctic Territory to commemorate the anniversary. There are very few places on this planet where there has never been war, where the environment is fully protected and where priority has been given to scientific research. Antarctica is one such place, a whole continent that the Treaty Parties have designated as a “natural reserve, devoted to peace and science”. Originally signed on 1st December…

RUSSIAN CZAR IVAN IV is known to history as Ivan the Terrible and well-earned this feared name. The first years (1533-1547) of his reign were relatively mild as various relatives jockeyed for power. In the absence of firm authority, public order began to deteriorate; pillage and theft became the established rule. In late 1546, barely 16 years old, Ivan shocked the court by seizing control of the government and marrying, almost in the same breath. The coronation was held in January 1547, in itself showing haste as the normal date was September 1, New Year’s Day in the Russian calendar. It was traditional to throw gold coins under the great prince’s feet, but a drawing of this ceremony shows the coins being thrown at both head and feet. These coins…