Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2023 i World Coin News

On the NumisMaster front, we hit a huge milestone in July, having added 10,000 new coin types in the first half of 2023. That’s a massive number and major accomplishment for the Numis-Master team. Our New Issues Analyst, Jennifer Bushland, has spearheaded this growth effort and can be very proud of what has been achieved. Over 2,000 new master records, or coin types, have been created since our last installment. These crossed over 30 countries and included a massive boost to our flagging Russian listings, totaling over 600 items. Niue, which was brought fully up to date in March, has had nearly 200 more commemorative coins issued in their name in the ensuing three months. These have also been added to NumisMaster, with more than 150 images to brighten their…

We’ve heard this story before elsewhere in the world, but here it goes again. Due to inflationary pressures eroding the purchasing power of small change coins the Isle of Man is considering ending the circulation of its 1-, 2-, and 5-pence coins. IOM Treasury Minister Alex Allinson said any change to the IOM’s change “must be carefully considered.” Should the IOM decide to scrap its three lowest coin denominations payments would likely need to be rounded to the nearest 10 pence. Allinson acknowledged coinage “within our culture has been embedded over many centuries,” adding, “Any change to the way society uses cash must be carefully considered.” IOM coinage is denominated in Manx pounds. IOM coinage, including both circulation and commemorative issues, were minted by the Pobjoy Mint between 1971 and…

The career of Alexander the Great marks the entrance of Europe in the grand contention of Empires on the Old World stage. It had been the “Middle East” and China, with Europe a wilderness of troublesome but otherwise unimportant barbarians. Alexander changed that, taking European culture, by military means, all the way to India. The Chinese, always peering beyond their western borders toward the trouble that they knew was going to be eventually coming, took notice of the changes. But that’s another story. At their time of maximum expansion, the Achaemenid Persians, whom Alexander conquered completely, occupied parts of the Balkans and directly threatened the Greeks of Greece proper. They failed in their attempts to take Greece, but they owned Thrace, now parts of Northern Macedonia and Bulgaria. The Kings…

A Hsüan-t’ung silver Specimen Pattern “Long-Whiskered Dragon” Dollar Year 3 (1911) SP63 NGC sold for $690,000 to lead Heritage Auctions’ HKINF World Coins Platinum Session and Signature® Auction - Hong Kong to $9,675,525 June 21-23. The result followed the June 20 HKINF World Paper Money Signature® Auction - Hong Kong auction that finished at $1,503,400, bringing the combined total for the two events, each of which included multiple new records, to $11,178,925. The event, according to Heritage Auctions Executive Vice President of International Numismatics Cris Bierrenbach, trumpted both the demand for elite world and ancient coins, and Heritage’s position as the world’s premier numismatic auctioneer. “This event was another fantastic Hong Kong showing that not only confirms the state of the market,” he said, “but also that Heritage continues to…

Once again Israel has demonstrated that it is serious about preventing antiquities, including coins, from being looted. On June 7 the Israel Antiquities Authority announced the seizure of 21 illegally excavated ancient coins from an unnamed eastern Jerusalem resident. Jerusalem District police in conjunction with the Antiquities Authority arrested a person described as being in his 30s on suspicion of antiquities theft, illegally possessing archaeological artifacts, and attempting to illegally sell them. The coins covered a long period of time, ranging from between the occupation of the region by ancient Rome to when Jerusalem was under Muslim rule. According to IAA information, the suspect obtained the coins by using a metal detector at various archaeological sites in Jerusalem. Ancient Jewish presence in Palestine is an important factor in Israel’s continuing…

The ruins of the Gonio Apsaros fortress are situated south of village of Batumi, the village being just north of Turkey at the mouth of the Chorokhi River in what today is the transcontinental nation of Georgia. Georgia is situated on the border of Europe and Asia. Pliny the Elder mentions the fortress in his first century A.D. work Natural History. A century later the fortress is mentioned in Appian’s Mithridatic Wars. The grave of Saint Matthew, one of the 12 apostles of Jesus, is believed to be inside the fortress. (This can’t be verified since Georgia forbids digging near the alleged gravesite.) Since that time Gonio Apsaros has been controlled by the Byzantine Empire, Genoa, Ottoman Empire, Russia, Soviet Union, and now by Georgia. Sanctioned archaeological excavations are currently…

Due to inflation many countries are considering introducing higher denomination coins or bank notes. Not India. The Asian nation is withdrawing its highest denomination bank note, a note with a face value of 2,000 rupees. According to the Reserve Bank of India, there is evidence the denomination is not being commonly used for transactions. An official statement from the RBI reads, “The stock of bank notes in other denominations continues to be adequate to meet the currency requirement of the public.” India’s 2,000-rupee bank note is worth about $24.50 U.S. on international exchanges. The denomination was introduced in 2016 following the Narendra Modi-led government having withdrawn the 500-, and 1,000-rupee notes on short notice in an effort to allegedly flush out counterfeits in circulation. The ultimate result appears to have…

In early November 1796 Catherine II died after a reign of more than 34 years. Her son Paul who succeeded her, was faced with a number of economic problems, but the most pressing was the decline in value of the paper currency. The first assignats (paper money) had been issued in 1769 by Catherine II as one way of stretching the always thin financial resources of the Russian Empire. Because the Treasury was invariably unable to balance the budget, due to frequent wars and rebellions of the 1770s and 1780s, the value of the assignats, in terms of the silver ruble, declined only gradually at first but by the mid–1780s the depreciation was increasingly apparent. As late as 1785 the value of the paper ruble was still as high as…

On 23-24, 2023, two Künker eLive Premium Auctions took place. Auction 389 contained, among other things, an extensive series with coins from Bremen-Verden as well as the last part of the Dr. Walter Kemmlein Collection with Saxon issues. Auction 390 presented the last part of the Salton Collection with a clear focus on Roman antiquity, Italy and the German states. While the total estimate of both auctions had been 630,000 euros, the hammer price was twice as much and amounted to 1.5m euros. In this review, we present some exciting results. Bremen-Verden There is a good reason why a Swedish king is depicted on the reverse of a coin from the formerly Catholic dioceses of Bremen and Verden. After the Reformation, the dioceses were turned into Protestant territories. The Peace…

At a time when much of the rest of the world is considering if a cashless society may be inevitable, Switzerland is hunkering down, ensuring its cherished franc coins and bank notes remain as legal tender. Often considered the currency of choice as a safe harbor for funds, the Swiss franc has been a bastion of stability even when the rest of the world’s economy is in turmoil. Although the United States government can now view what U.S. citizens have sequestered in Swiss bank accounts, this hasn’t deterred many from having their money locked away in Swiss rather than in domestic banks. The Swiss federal government is seeking to amend Switzerland’s constitution to make cash a legal right. The issue is of sufficient importance that seven members serving as the…

The publication Central Banking reported on April 27 that Argentina was importing its bank notes from several countries. On May 22 The Guardian newspaper reported Argentina’s newest and highest denomination bank note, the 2,000 peso, was worth $4 U.S. in international exchange markets. On June 20 the New York Times newspaper headline read: “In Argentina, Inflation Passes 100 percent (and the Restaurants Are Packed).” Javier Milei is an Argentine congressman and economist who is the front runner running for president. Milei has been vocal, saying if he wins he will make the U.S. dollar the official currency and “blow up” the Banco Central de la República Argentina or Central Bank of Argentina. What’s going on here? The peso has suffered the humiliation of being named the worst-performing currency in emerging…

On June 28, 2023, the Croatian National Bank issued two new collector coins in collaboration with the Croatian Mint. They are dedicated to the Croatian polymath Faust Vrančić. Faust Vrančić: The Croatian Inventor Faustus Verantius, better known in Croatia today as Faust Vrančić, lived during the last phase of the Renaissance, from 1551 to 1617. He was born in the city of Šibenik, now a very popular tourist destination, the son of a noble diplomat. His uncle was Archbishop of Esztergom and one of the most famous humanists of his time. It was thanks to him that Vrančić found his way into the world of intellectuals. After studying in Hungary, Padua and Venice, this gifted man was summoned to Prague by Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor, to be his secretary.…