Indholdsfortegnelse for Issue 8 i Coin Collector

In this issue we turn the clock back to the California Gold Rush and to the tragic loss of the SS Central America in 1857. As our exclusive article reveals (page 24), the ship had at least 41 English coins on board and these pieces were brought to the surface in 2014. More than 150 years after they were lost beneath the waves these and many other rare coins will be sold to collectors. It’s another example of how our brilliant hobby allows us to travel back in time and learn more about world history. Of course, we’ve seen our own share of history in the making recently and I cannot write to you all without mentioning the global pandemic and its effect on us all. When I penned the…

Stack’s Bowers Galleries are offering to pay the grading fees at Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) and Paper Money Guaranty (PMG) for coins and banknotes consigned to a future Stack’s Bowers auctions. The grading give-away will continue until Stack’s Bowers has given $1 million in free grading to their clients. The remainder of Stack’s Bowers’ 2020 auction season includes official auctions at the ANA World’s Fair of Money, the Whitman Coin & Collectibles Expos, and the Hong Kong Coin Show. Stack’s Bowers also welcomes consignments for their popular Collectors Choice Online auctions. The US auction house is inviting collectors to contact them to learn how they can consign to one of their upcoming auctions and have their coins and paper money graded for free. An expert will discuss the consignment and…

The World Money Fair took place in Berlin in February, just weeks before the global pandemic made such events impossible. The organisers have now revealed the dates for next year’s fair, which will be the fiftieth World Money Fair, as 29 to 31 January 2021. A series of videos and podcasts were produced at the event, some of which can be viewed on YouTube or on the allaboutcoins.co.uk website. Swissmint recently revealed that coins planned to be issued on 7 May have now been postponed until 3 September. The mint also revealed the success of the Roger Federer coin which crashed the Swissmint website due to high demand: ‘The global interest and media coverage of the Roger Federer commemorative silver coins were huge and unprecedented in Swissmint’s history… our webshop…

The International Numismatic Council (INC) and the Congress Organising Committee has announced that the international congress, set to be held at the University of Warsaw, has been postponed with the new dates being 11 to 16 September 2022. The venue remains the same. Michael Alram, President of the INC explained: ‘The uncertainty of the current situation has made us take this difficult step, which appears to be in the interest of everyone. The good news is that our colleagues in Poland will gain more time for preparations, and we are confident that we will be able to all meet in Warsaw in 2022.’ Alek Bursche, chair of the Polish organizing committee added: ‘With deadlines for the signature of various contracts looming, it was important to take the decision at this…

Donn Pearlman Donn Pearlman spent 25 years as a broadcast journalist with CBS in Chicago where he distinguished himself as an anchor and reporter for WBBM-AM NewsRadio 780 and a television reporter. He has written extensively about California Gold Rush sunken treasure recovered from the SS Central America. Mike Roberts A lifelong numismatist, solicitor Mike Roberts has developed a specialist will writing and estate administration service for coin collectors. He has lectured on the subject on numerous occasions to Numismatic Societies throughout England and Wales. Mike writes our latest guide to collecting tokens on page 51. Jonathan Callaway Jonathan Callaway is a retired banker who has researched, studied and collected paper money for over thirty years. He is the co-author of catalogues and histories of the paper money issues of…

Legend Rare Coin Auctions has announced that they will be selling the Bruce Morelan Collection of Early Dollars in October, with the sale set to feature the world’s most expensive coin. The collection is said to be the finest set of Early Dollars ever assembled, and features the famous 1794 $1, which was previously purchased at auction by Bruce for a world record $10,000,000. A statement from the auction house read: ‘In total, the collection includes fifteen early dollars, representing every date and type of dollar struck at the Philadelphia mint from 1794 to 1804. Each coin was carefully selected by Bruce and his partners at Legend Numismatics for quality and eye appeal, and each coin in the set is a highlight in its own right.’ The USA has seen…

I was always mildly interested in history. Growing up in Southern Ontario all the kids knew stories of local battles of the war of 1812. We would search plowed fields for arrowheads or musket balls. But now working as a coin engraver for the Royal Canadian Mint, I have truly become a history enthusiast. The stories grab hold of your imagination. Stories of valour and selfless dedication and tragedy. It makes me reflect on the pandemic crisis. All those personal stories of heroism and sacrifice that are going on all around us daily. I wish we could tell all their stories. In the last year I have had the 100th anniversary of the Canadian National Railway, Canadian troops battling in the Scheldt and liberating the Netherlands, Louis Riel and his…

Collectors were at the Illinois event in force too, all on buying coins. Our table was very busy from start to finish. We had a large selection of merchandise, which I have stated many times is one of the keys to success in today’s market. Another important factors for success these days is diversity of merchandise. Mid-American Rare Coin Galleries offers everything from Colonial coinage to Double Eagles. We also offer an interesting selection of ancient coinage. When walking around the bourse floor of the ANA this year, I was amazed by how many rare coin dealers offered ancient coins. I would estimate that 25-35% of the tables had ancient coins as part of their inventory for sale. This is a huge change from just a few years ago. In…

The annual Presidential Address of the Royal Numismatic Society was broadcast online recently due to the restrictions on movement due to the global pandemic. The special talk is held each year as part of the Society’s AGM, and whilst the AGM had to be postponed, President Roger Bland took to video conferencing service Zoom to speak on ‘single finds versus hoards’. A statement for the Society explained: ‘One positive result of this is that many members of the society who wouldn’t ordinarily make it to meetings in London were able to log in and hear our President, Roger Bland… We were also able to record the presentation, complete with slides, for everyone to enjoy. The address, entitled ‘Problems in Ancient Numismatics 2: Single finds versus hoards: what kinds of information…

The RNS/BNS Numismatic Library, holds over 19,000 items, is currently being re-catalogued with a view to adding details to an online academic library website. The extensive RNS/BNS Library is located at the Warburg Institute, which is currently closed, but work on re-cataloguing our library continues. A statement from the Royal Numismatic Society explained: ‘Over the past year all the books have been re-catalogued to provide more bibliographical information about each title held… The next step, when the library re-opens, is to get our new catalogue added to an online academic library website (jisc.ac.uk). This will allow our library collection to be easily searched from the internet at any time. As jisc.ac.uk also holds the catalogues of many UK academic institutions, if we don’t hold an item you are looking for,…

The 2020 British Art Medal Society (BAMS) President’s Medal is to be awarded to the American Numismatic Society (ANS) for its longstanding promotion of the history of the medal and contemporary medallic art. The Society statement said the ANS ‘has been the foremost supporter of the study of medals in America since its formation in 1858. Its activities embrace many aspects of numismatics but one of its outstanding promotions has been the presentation of the J Sanford Saltus Award for distinguished achievement in the field of the art of the medal, created in 1913. This was initially awarded to American based artists but, in 1983, was extended to include artists from other countries. Since then it has honoured some of the most outstanding practitioners of the art of the medal…

It is difficult to imagine that any coin collector is not interested in history. A young newcomer working backwards and acquiring coins of the British monarchs is bound to ask such questions as ‘Why can’t I find a coin with Edward VIII’s name on it?’ (Try googling ‘Mrs. Simpson’ and ignore all references to Marge, and you can, if you collect the coins of certain British colonies in Africa) or ‘What did George III do?’ (Is losing most of North America a good starting point?). The novice will immediately be lead down all sorts of historical byways. I defy any collector who identifies a portrait on the obverse of a Roman coin not to want to know more about the Emperor in whose name it was minted. But it is…

AUSTRIA (www.muenzeoesterreich.at) Knights’ Tales: Courage Denomination: €10 Diameter: 32 mm Weight: 17.3 grams Metal: Proof/BU Mintage: 30,000 Supersaurs Mosasaurus Hoffmanni Denomination: €3 Diameter: 34 mm Weight: 16 grams Metal: Copper alloy Mintage: 65,000 Big Data Denomination: €25 Diameter: 34 mm Weight: 16 grams Metal: Silver Niobium, Silver Ag (ring) Mintage: 65,000 BELGIUM (www.royaldutchmint.com) Year of Plant Health Denomination: €2 Diameter: 25.75 mm Weight: 8.5 grams Metal: Base Metal Mintage: 300,000 (brilliant uncirculated), 5,000 (proof) CANADA (www.mint.ca) 75th Anniversary of V-E Day: Royal Canadian Navy Denomination: $1 Diameter: 36.07 mm Weight: 23.17 grams Metal: 99.99% pure silver with colour Mintage: 20,000 FRANCE (www.monnaiedeparis.fr) ‘Merci’ Medal Denomination: n/a Diameter: 34 mm Weight: 17.7 g Metal: Base metal Mintage: unlimited Charles de Gaulle Denomination: €2 Diameter: 25.75 mm Weight: 8.5 grams Metal: Base…

Jonathan Callaway is a Director of the International Bank Note Society Lawrence Chard Founder and Expert Numismatist, Speciality Sovereigns Elizabeth Cottam Specialist in Celtic coins and Director of Chris Rudd Ltd Jeff Garrett US coin dealer and board member of the Smithsonian Museum of American History Richard Kelleher Assistant Keeper, Department of Coins and Medals, Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge Jonathan Mann Numismatist and coin dealer, British coinage specialist Rory Naismith Lecturer in Medieval British History, King’s College London Anglo-Saxon and Viking coinage: Gareth Williams Curator of Early Medieval Coins and Viking Collections at the British Museum…

The coin world has seen a number of ‘firsts’ from mints in recent weeks. The Royal Mint have completed their first ‘augmented reality’ coin series; the very first 50p for South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands has been revealed, and the US Mint are preparing their first ever colour coins. The Royal Mint, in conjunction with the Natural History Museum, has launched a commemorative Hylaeosaurus 50p coin, the final coin in the popular Dinosauria Collection series which celebrates Britain’s contribution to the discovery of dinosaurs. The Dinosauria Collection is the first coin series to feature augmented reality technology, which ‘brings the mighty beasts to life’ from the comfort of home. Upon receiving their coin, collectors simply need to download The Royal Mint’s ‘Activate App’ and scan the packaging to…

Down with the mintages In my view, the circulation numbers of the German commemorative coins is far too high. Whoever collects coins is not doing it primarily because of the increase in value. However, it would be unrealistic to ignore the return aspect when collecting coins. And a coin with a circulation of 3 million pieces (the €5 commemorative coins ‘Climate Zones of the Earth’) or 1.5 million pieces (the €10 piece ‘In the Air’) will not have any particular potential for value gains. Unfortunately, this also applies to the commemorative coins from Germany in gold and silver. Often, the new editions were much cheaper to buy on the Internet after a short time than when they were first issued by the official sales outlet. If collectors are punished for…

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The International Banknote Society (IBNS) is inviting nominations for the Banknote of the Year prize. The annual prize invites members of the Society to choose their favourite banknote issued during the year. Nominations received for the 2020 prize so far include the Bank of England’s £20 note, Scotland’s (Royal Bank of Scotland) £20 note and Northern Ireland’s (Ulster Bank) £20 note. Banknotes nominated must have been issued to the public (specimens and non-circulating currencies are ineligible) for the first time during the year of the award, and must have artistic merit and/or innovative security features, and be in general circulation. Members can send nominations to the Banknote of the Year Co-Ordinator by email: banknoteoftheyear@theibns.org. Find out more about the IBNS at the website: theibns.org…

Philip Attwood has retired from his position as the Keeper of the British Museum’s Department of Coins and Medals after ten years in the role and more than forty years spent working in the departments. Attwood joined the British Museum in the late 1970s and soon became an authority on medals, writing many groundbreaking articles on the subject, including a catalogue of Italian medals, c.1530-1600, in British public collections (2003), Hard at work – The diary of Leonard Wyon 1853-1867 (2014), and Medals of Dishonour (2009). Dr Jonathan Williams, Deputy Director of the British Museum, said: ‘Philip is a great curator. He has also been an outstanding Keeper of Coins and Medals. It’s been a privilege to be his colleague. Everyone at the Museum will miss his wisdom, humanity and…

Since it was announced the 2020 Olympics have been officially postponed until next year, the question on all collector’s lips is, ‘What will happen to the 2020 Team GB 50p?’ Initially released as part of the Annual Coin Set in January of this year, collectors are now left wondering if they’ll ever see this coin in their change. What will happen to the Team GB 50p? Amid the Coronavirus pandemic, it has been confirmed the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be postponed until next summer. Shockingly, this is the first-time ever the Olympics have been postponed (they have previously been cancelled three times during the First and Second World Wars). Initially intended for individual release ahead of the games in May, the first question collectors are asking is, ‘Will the Team…

Generally collectors have had to rely upon mintage figures to identify the scarcest coins. But they only tell part of the story. Trying to find a good quality coin from fifteen to twenty years ago, even for a higher mintage issue, is much more challenging than a more recent issue, as coins become damaged over time and are ultimately removed from circulation. Additionally, some designs are more hoarded than others by people who might not normally collect coins – the poignant First World War £2 Coin series being an example. Finally, it can be up to a couple of years before the Royal Mint eventually confirms the actual mintage for an issue. That’s why we have combined the mintage information with two other key pieces of information. • How many…