Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2023 i World Coin News

Look to the S’s for this month’s NumisMaster build-up. Saint Helena was a significant benefactor, receiving a boost of 215 new master records, which is our database term for coin types. Over 60 percent of these came into the system with accompanying images, but the occurrence of off-metal strikes with same dies reduced the number of coin photos we needed to collect. Other ‘S’ countries improved include San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, Saudi Arabia and Sierra Leone. These combined for nearly 60 new master records and about 40 new detail lines. The largest NumisMaster project of this past month focused on the Solomon Islands. It involved researching, entry and image gathering for over 1,500 Solomon Islands issued legal tender commemoratives. Completion of this project brought our listings for Solomon Islands current…

Poland. One of the great nations of Europe during the Renaissance, it fell on hard times in the 18th century and, beginning in 1772, its neighbors (Russia, Prussia, and Austria) carved up the country for themselves. The Poles, until that time, thought of their capital, Warsaw, as the Paris of the East and were justifiably proud of their heritage and accomplishments in many fields. Russia occupied the bulk of former Polish lands, but important parts were held by the Prussians and Austrians. In 1816 Russia began a special coinage for the Kingdom of Poland, which existed in name only under Russian Czar Alexander I as king. These coins were made to pre–1795 Polish standards, however. Long pent-up emotions exploded in November 1830 when Polish rebels seized control of Warsaw. There…

Sponsored by The year 2023 brought much excitement for the Coin of the Year program. At the beginning of the year, things were on track for another usual year following the timeline implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. The COTY 100 was announced in the January issue, the Top 10 appeared in the February issue, and the 2023 Coin of the Year Champion was announced in the March issue of World Coin News. Behind the scenes however, discussion of change was in the air among COTY staff. COVID had brought about doing virtual ceremonies that were uploaded to YouTube and NumismaticNews.net, but they weren’t the same as the live ceremonies that everyone loved attending. Some staff members also pointed out that it can be confusing having an awards ceremony for coins…

A word of wisdom to collectors of ancient coins—don’t only ensure you know the provenance of your coins. Verify that the provenance of your coins is genuine. Ancient coins have once more been in the headlines of the general press for all the wrong reasons. On June 21, well-known coin dealer Italo Vecchi was arraigned in a Manhattan court, charged with one count of grand larceny in the first degree, two counts of conspiracy in the fourth degree, and second degree criminal possession of stolen property, among other charges. The District Attorney’s office agreed to Vecchi’s release on his own recognizance. British coin dealer Richard Beale and Vecchi (Vecchi is an Italian citizen living in the United Kingdom) have been charged with the fraudulent sale of a 42 B.C. Roman…

Can digital and physical cash successfully co-exist? The European Union may soon find out. The European Central Bank is considering a proposal that would ensure both options exists simultaneously. The European Union is comprised of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. The so-called “eurozone” of EU members that use the EU’s common euro currency system is comprised of Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain. Euro coins feature the symbols of the EU on one side, while the nation of issue can depict anything it chooses on the so-called national…

Once again, Francesco and Federico Pastrone invite coin enthusiasts to the elegant Hôtel Méridien Beach Plaza in Monaco. On Oct. 14, 2023, they will hold their autumn auction sales. As usual, the auction house offers a wealth of high-calibre rarities in the five- and six-digit range. However, there is also an exciting offer of coins and medals in the mid-price segment, especially for collectors of gold issues. Greek Coins Collectors of Greek coinage should take a close look because this Gadoury auction starts with some masterful works of art by Greek engravers. If you prefer Archaic coinage, be prepared to be spoilt for choice. A tetradrachm of Leontinoi, the dies of which were created by the ‘Demareteion Master’? Or rather the iconic fight between lion and bull on a wonderful…

People get into ancient coins for various reasons. There is the sheer oldness of the objects. That such things can exist outside of museums. (Though there are people who think they should NOT be outside of museums.) There is the artistic beauty of some of them. There is the quirky, often ferocious history. Many reasons. It is difficult to make a comprehensive collection of non-Roman ancients, or even to put together a representative “one of each” (ruler, or place, or era) set. Take Anatolia (Asia Minor, some of us used to call it), for example. After Alexander, and well into the Roman period, there were several regional kingdoms, as well as a bunch of rich cities with various degrees of autonomy at various times. On a level above the scrum,…

The Royal Australian Mint has released a collection of five commemorative coins to mark the 50th anniversary of Australia’s most famous building and architectural masterpiece. The commemorative collection has been designed to provide people with a special memento of the Sydney Opera House’s milestone year, with each coin featuring a detailed illustration of the masterpiece’s iconic sails alongside the number 50. Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury, Andrew Leigh said the Sydney Opera House was one of the most distinctive buildings in the world. “It is fitting this iconic building is recognized as a symbol of Australia. Jorn Utzon once said that if the 14 shells of his building were combined, they would make a perfect sphere. So it’s perfectly fitting that they grace a new Australian coin,” said…

World Coin News has reached quite the milestone, celebrating 50 years. Many things have changed over the years, the magazine has seen new editors, new writers, and even knew owners. Even now the magazine is constantly undergoing changes, changes to help improve not only the publication but the hobby as a whole. Improvements to the design to help promote readability and accessibility as well as bringing in new writers that can share their knowledge with their fellow hobbyists and numismatists. Even with all the different changes and improvements, some things will forever remain the same: the love, passion, and dedication to the hobby. There’s never a shortage of topics to run within these pages; from ancient coins that date back to the beginning of coinage history to the latest issues…