Innehållsförteckning för Issue 30 från Coin Collector

Excavations have uncovered a hoard of Persian gold coins, likely used to pay mercenary troops, in the ancient Greek city of Notion in western Turkey. The best-preserved remains of Notion date to the Hellenistic period, between the 3rd and 1st centuries BC, but excavation of a large courtyard house has shown it was likely inhabited earlier. A hoard of coins found buried in a small pot in a structure beneath the house has been dated to the 5th century BC. Christopher Ratté, professor of classical studies at the University of Michigan and director of the excavation said: ‘The coins show a figure of a kneeling archer, the characteristic design of the Persian daric, a type of gold coin issued by the Persian Empire and probably minted at Sardis, 60 miles…

The second known New England threepence, the only example available to collectors, is to be auctioned by Stack’s Bowers Galleries in their sale of 18–22 November. The 1652 New England threepence has been recognised as the single rarest colonial coin by American collectors since before the Civil War, with only one specimen known, which has been held by the Massachusetts Historical Society since 1905. A second specimen, once in the Yale Cabinet, was stolen decades ago and never recovered. Recently authenticated by PCGS, this new coin was initially discovered in an antique cabinet among a handful of other US colonial coins in the Netherlands in 2016, although it was not actually postively identified as a New England threepence until 2020. Comparison with a 19th-century woodcut of the stolen Yale example…

A new €100 silver coin from the Monnaie de Paris commemorates 80 years of women’s right to vote in France. The advance of women’s right to vote in France was marked by decades of struggle. The formal recognition of gender equality by General Charles de Gaulle’s provisional government in April 1944, during World War II, paved the way for equality, but women were not actually able to vote until the municipal elections in April 1945, then in the legislative elections in 1948. A 2000 law establishing parity consolidated progress, leading to the active participation of women in French political life today. The Monnaie de Paris is unveiling a collection of coins to commemorate 80 years of women’s right to vote and to celebrate the progress made towards gender equality. It…

The Central Bank of Malta has issued a €2 commemorative coin with the citadel of Gozo as its theme. The city of Victoria, comprising Rabat and the citadel, is the regional capital of Gozo. Built on high ground in the centre of the island, the city has ancient roots that date back at least to the Bronze Age. In 1600, the Order of St John commissioned Giovanni Rinaldini, an Italian military engineer, to remodel and upgrade the defences of the citadel. Although the military importance of the citadel diminished by the 1760s, it remained the administrative seat of government in Gozo. In 1887, for Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, the citadel and Rabat were designated as a city, and by the queen’s consent named ‘Victoria’. In 2014, a large-scale rehabilitation and…

Winners of this year’s Coin of the Year (COTY) were announced during the ANA World’s Fair of Money in Chicago. The COTY Awards, which began in 1984, are considered one of the most prestigious awards among mints worldwide. Every year, nominations are received from an international consortium of mint representatives and numismatists. Then, an international panel of judges of the world’s leading mint officials, medalists, journalists, central bank and museum officials selects winners from ten categories. An overall winner is then selected from the ten category winners, earning the grand title of Coin of the Year. The overall COTY has been awarded to the 2023 American Liberty high relief gold coin, with the coin the winner in the ‘Best Gold Coin’ category. Launched in 2015, the American Liberty coin series…

Warwick and Warwick’s coins, medals, militaria and banknotes sale on 21 August saw some interesting and rare lots, with competitive bidding throughout. A highlight from the coins on offer was an 1847 Gothic crown (lot 454). The coin featured the ‘Gothic Portrait’ of Queen Victoria designed by the engraver William Wyon on the obverse, while the crowned cruciform shields of England, Scotland and Ireland around a central Garter star, with national flower emblems in angles, appeared on the reverse. On the edge, the inscription translated as ‘an ornament and a safeguard. Eleventh year of reign’. From a total of 8,000 Gothic crowns minted in 1847, this extremely fine example had a hammer price of £2,800. SOLD FOR £2,800 Another highlight from the Warwick & Warwick auction on 21 August was…

The Royal Mint have released their third and final coin in their tales of Robin Hood Myths and Legends collection. Deeply ingrained in English legend, the story of Robin Hood has existed through the retelling of adventures since the 13th century, with many believing that the early tales of Robin Hood passed down the generations through the oral tradition of ballads. By the late-14th century, the legendary archer had received his first literary mention in The Vision of Piers Plowman. Since then, he has been subject to many reinterpretations through a variety of mediums. Today’s most popular interpretation of Robin Hood is that he was an aggrieved yeoman. It is said that he was a staunch supporter of Richard I, who joined the king in venturing to the Holy Land…

In 2024, the Principality of Liechtenstein celebrates 100 years of the Swiss Franc as its national currency. To mark this historic and significant milestone occasion, a series of six coins has been created by CIT, including a 1oz coin with a face value of CHF5. Crafted in smartminting® ultra deep relief, the coin depicts the Rhine Valley and the whole region of the Principality of Liechtenstein with topographical accuracy, symbolising the bond between Liechtenstein and Switzerland. The Rhine Valley appears on the right and neighbouring Switzerland is on the left. Around the edge of the Liechtenstein side, all 11 municipalities are engraved in the order of their geographical location. Meanwhile, the Swiss side of the obverse image is completed by having the names of the municipalities that neighbour Liechtenstein engraved…

As a tribute to Finnish architecture, a new €20 silver coin has been released by the Suomen Moneta. At the end of the 19th century, Finland’s national image was built with the aid of architecture. The practice of Herman Gesellius, Armas Lindgren and Eliel Saarinen was founded in 1897, shortly after they finished their architectural education, and it was responsible for many significant works of Finnish architecture during its short period of existence. Some of these have been immortalised by the new coin. The obverse of the coin is distinguished by the images of four buildings stretching towards the centre (the National Museum, Hvitträsk, Tallberg House and the Finnish Pavilion at the Paris World Exhibition 1900), as well as the names of the three architects. The motif of the obverse…

A private collection of 254 gold and silver coins that span the whole of the Greek world are to be sold to benefit the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. The collection is to be sold at Noonans Mayfair on Wednesday, 25 September. The collection is estimated to fetch £1 million and is being sold to benefit the Heberden Coin Room in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford University’s museum of art and archaeology, which houses approximately 50,000 Greek and Roman provincial coins. Dr Alexander Sturgis, director Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology, said: ‘The money generated from the sale will endow the post of the curator of Greek coins at the Heberden Coin Room. This will ensure the long-term future of Greek numismatics at the University of Oxford, where the subject has a…

The first £1 coin bearing HM King Charles III’s official coin portrait entered circulation in the week of 19 August. In total, 2.975 million £1 coins, featuring British Bees, were issued to post offices and banks across the UK. The £1 is part of His Majesty’s definitive collection, inspired by the flora and fauna of the British Isles. British Bees is one of eight new designs that will appear on the nation’s coins, from the 1p to the £2, which feature animals such as the hazel dormouse, puffin and the Atlantic salmon – all species that are in active conservation programmes. Following the reveal of the designs, production of the coins began with several million struck by The Royal Mint in South Wales. The Atlantic Salmon 50p was the first…

SOLD FOR £464 Germany, 1894 20 mark Wilhelm II ‘DEUTSCHER KAISER KÖNIG V PREUSSEN’ gold coin, PCGS MS63 SOLD FOR £223 Trinidad & Tobago, French colonies, 1839 5c copper coin with ‘FD’ countermark (baker François Duclos) creating ½ stampee SOLD FOR £114 Bulgaria, 1884 5 leva silver coin, VF SOLD FOR £619 United Arab Emirates, 1973 10 dirhams ‘Replacement’ banknote, PMG 25 SOLD FOR £266 Sardinia, 1832 20 lire Charles Albert Genoa gold coin, XF SOLD FOR £199 Belgium, 1832, 5 francs Léopold I silver coin, VF SOLD FOR £126 Poland, 1928, 5 zloty Warsaw silver coin, VF SOLD FOR £246 Cameroon, 1957 500 francs French Equatorial Africa & Cameroon banknote BUY AND SELL ON DECAMPE, MORE THAN 80 MILLION COLLECTABLES ARE WAITING FOR YOU!…

The paper money history of Turkey pre-dates the establishment of the modern secular state. We need to look back to the days of the Ottoman Empire when in 1840 the Sultan’s treasury issued notes in kurush, with later issues in piastres. These and later Ottoman Treasury issues are very rare today. A feature of Ottoman-era notes was the tughra, the sultan’s calligraphic monogram. These were highly stylised and incorporated Arabic words naming and describing each sultan. They thus vary and this can help date the notes (Figures 1–3). EARLY ISSUES In 1876, the Banque Imperiale Ottomane was authorised to issue notes. This bank, with its head office in Constantinople, was jointly owned by British and French interests. Their notes were first denominated in kurush, then piastres and finally in livres…

A new €10 silver collector coin from Slovakia marks the 80th anniversary of the Slovak National Uprising. The 1944 uprising ranks among the most important events in Slovak history and was one of the most important anti-fascist campaigns in Europe during World War II. Organised by the underground Slovak National Council and the London-based Czechoslovak government-in-exile, the uprising was an attempt to end the Nazi occupation of Slovak territory and to overthrow the collaborationist government of Jozef Tiso. On 29 August 1944, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Ján Golian, the uprising was declared with the signal ‘Start the eviction!’ From a centre of Banská Bystrica, around 60,000 soldiers and 12,000 partisans from 35 ethnicities and nationalities then engaged in combat operations against the German army. The uprising continued for six…

On 12 September 1848, modern Switzerland came into being with the Federal Constitution, creating a federal state created by the union of the cantons. To mark the occassion, Swissmint will launch a new ‘Switzerland’ silver CHF20 coin on 12 September. The design is characterised by numerous symbols representing Switzerland’s diversity and unity, providing a representation of the many different facets of the country, This special coin symbolises Switzerland and all its cantons. The obverse of the coin depicts mountains evoking the Swiss Alps, a railway in reference to the dense rail network, the edelweiss as an emblematic Alpine flower, a quartz crystal echoing the mineral wealth of the Alps and a bridge symbolising technical infrastructure. Cogwheels refer to watchmaking, and a cheese symbolises the Swiss cheese-making tradition. The flags of…