Indholdsfortegnelse for Issue 44 i Coin Collector

In this edition, there is an article on ‘The Secret Life of Coins’, which ties in with a new podcast and temporary exhibition at the Royal Mint Experience in South Wales. The article features some of the ways coins are used beyond their intended economic one. Among these are the marked coins left at the Foundling Hospital in London, which opened in 1741 as the first home for children of destitute families. These marked coins were among the tokens left by mothers when they entrusted their children to the hospital. The tokens were then folded up inside the child’s admission paper, which was only opened if the child was reclaimed. As the children were renamed on admission, it was hoped the token would help mothers prove their relationship if they…

Coins were stolen from the Milton Regis Court Hall near Sittingbourne in Kent overnight between 14 and 15 October. In the robbery, the museum was broken into and cabinets smashed. The theft included Roman, 13th-century and Victorian coins. Any information given will be treated in strict confidence. Please report any information to Kent Police quoting reference 46/178609/25. The German Federal Ministry of Finance has announced that due to the rise in the price of silver, making the material value of the coins significantly higher than their face values, the €25 collector coin ‘Three Kings’ and the €20 collector coin ‘125 Years of the Wuppertal Suspension Railway’ have been postponed. Options for issuing the coins later – with adjusted parameters if necessary – are currently being examined.…

The numismatic landscape in the United States is currently being dominated by the meteoric rise in precious metal prices. For months, the price of gold has been steadily marching higher and is now at levels that only hard-core ‘gold bugs’ once predicted. The $4,000 per ounce threshold was breached with ease, and higher prices seem nearly certain. Silver prices, which have been lagging gold prices, have now started to catch up. Silver prices finally broke the decades old record of $50 per ounce and are also still climbing. “Coins selling for over $1,000,000 used to be headline news in the numismatic press. This now occurs at nearly every major auction and hardly causes notice” Hobby leaders are trying to figure out how the ballooning of bullion prices will change numismatics.…

We all know coins are handy little things, for buying a coffee, paying for parking or saving in money boxes, but what if we told you they also have a more varied and secret life? The Royal Mint Museum has used this engaging topic as the theme for a new temporary exhibition in the Royal Mint Experience in South Wales and as a brand-new podcast series, exploring the surprising, quirky and downright fascinating ways in which coins have been used over the centuries (Figure 1). We are always working to share our history with new audiences, and the exhibition and podcast will enable more people to interact and engage with the museum and the objects we keep. At the Royal Mint Museum, we are not just interested in how coins…

It was only a matter of time. While metal currency is durable, it is also cumbersome, expensive to produce and uses valuable metals. Fortunately, in the 11th century, China came up with a solution to these problems that revolutionised trade and the monied economy – banknotes. The Song dynasty (960–1279) is often credited with having the world’s first ‘modern economy’. While it feels strange to apply such terminology to the mediaeval world, this period did indeed see vast changes in Chinese society (Figure 1). Technological advances, new, easier to grow rice strains and a massive investment in roads, canals and ports, fuelled population growth and the rise of urban centres. This, in turn, led to a booming economy. Between 750 and 1100, China’s population doubled, and its money supply grew…

Part 2 of the Pelton auction of British and world coins at Coin Cabinet on 23 October included an 1820 half sovereign pattern from the reign of George III (1760–1820) (lot 35). Stuck in gold, it was engraved by Thomas Wyon, with input from Benedetto Pistrucci, and featured the celebrated high-relief ‘Roman Head’ portrait of King George III facing to the right. The unique reverse featured a crowned trunk sprouting the rose, thistle and shamrock, symbols of England, Scotland and Ireland, with flowing leaves uniting the design. Never adopted for circulating coinage, this coin is exceedingly rare, with only six to 10 examples known, and is considered one of the most beautiful of the George III series. It went under the hammer for £31,000. SOLD FOR £31,000 A coins, medals,…

Gold at $4,000, silver at $50 per ounce – what just a few years ago seemed like the ultimate dream of precious metal investors has become reality in autumn 2025. The unprecedented boom in the precious metals market is making global headlines and setting records everywhere. Investors are celebrating new all-time highs, dealers are seeing demand levels not witnessed since 2011, and even collectors are feeling like winners. After all, the coins stored in their drawers and safes have never been worth more. Yet behind all this euphoria lies a darker side – one that could leave deep and lasting marks on the world of numismatics. WHEN COLLECTABLE VALUE MELTS AWAY What is happening right now is without precedent: coins are being melted down on a massive scale. And not…

12 November – Noonans 16–17 Bolton Street, Mayfair, London W1J 8BQ  www.noonans.co.uk 12 November – Sovereign Rarities 17–19 Maddox Street, London W1S 2QH  www.sovr.co.uk 16 November – Chris Rudd PO Box 1500, Norwich NR10 5WS  celticcoins.com 17–19 November – St James’s 10 Charles II Street, St James’s, London SW1Y 4AA stjauctions.com 19 November – Tennants Harmby Road, Leyburn, North Yorkshire DL8 5SG  www.tennants.co.uk 20 November – Spink 67–69 Southampton Row, Bloomsbury, London WC1B 4ET  www.spink.com 25–26 November – Lockdales 52 Barrack Square, Martlesham Heath, Ipswich IP5 3RF www.lockdales.com 27 November – Hansons Heage Lane, Etwall, Derbyshire DE65 6LS  hansonsauctioneers.co.uk 27 November – St James’s 10 Charles II Street, St James’s, London SW1Y 4AA  stjauctions.com 4 December – St James’s 10 Charles II Street, St James’s, London SW1Y 4AA stjauctions.com 6–7…

In the December 2024 edition of Coin Collector, we took a look at coins with the face and monograms of Queen Margrethe of Denmark. This time, we inspect some of her thematic coins. Danmarks Nationalbank started to issue coin series with common motifs in 2002. Since then, an interesting range of mintings have come into circulation. Some of these are still easily found at low cost, while others are hard to get and represent real treasures of modern coin collecting. TOWER SERIES The theme of the first series, with 20-krone coins, was ‘Towers’ and ran from 2002 to 2007. Towers were chosen as a theme because they represented national and historical symbols. The fourth official portrait of Queen Margrethe II by sculptor Professor Mogens Møller can be seen on the…