Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 18 i Coin Collector

It’s incredible how coins can give us an insight into world history, into how different countries and societies evolved, and how their leaders (mis)behaved. We have some fine examples in this packed issue of Coin Collector. Firstly, we explore the complex and altogether intriguing origins of Ireland’s coinage (page 28). Seemingly isolated from its neighbours for centuries, trade in what we now know as Ireland continued without the need for coins, and even the ascendancy of the Romans had little effect on the island. David Collins’ in-depth exploration of the origins of Irish coinage picks up the story and explains how and when coins were eventually adopted; it’s a fascinating read. The early years of the Roman Empire are equally interesting and on page 36 we take a look at…

The exhibition ‘Slavery & the Bank’ runs at the Bank of England Museum until 28 April 2023. The exhibition explores the history of transatlantic slavery through its connections with the Bank of England and the wider City of London. The Museum’s website explains: ‘For over 300 years, the slave trade tore more than 12 million African people from their homes and families. In this exhibition, we reflect on how the wealth created through transatlantic slavery shaped the development of Britain.’ Find out more at www.bankofengland.co.uk/museum The 2022 NGC Registry Award Winners were recently revealed. Each year, NGC recognises outstanding achievement in Registry Set building. For 2022, 10 winners were selected in each of the Best Classic, Best Modern, Best Presented and Best New categories, along with seven Custom Set winners.…

The breaking news that coin shows were making a welcome return first came in April 2022. But, as we now know, it was a little premature. Right after the World Money Fair, the largest coin show in the world, had been cancelled in 2022 due to the pandemic, the organising committee set up an International Summer Fair in Berlin in July 2022. But the event was only a partially fledged substitute for the larger, traditional show, which features mints from all over the world, hundreds of dealers, and thousands of visitors. Thankfully, this time, we can be much more confident that Europe’s shows are back, as they should be, in the flesh and as big as they were before 2020. Back in November, the Sberatel coin show in Prague served…

The legend on our latest coin is ‘FUNDIT AMOR LILLA MIXTA ROSIS’ and it is dated 1625; on the other side we see the happy couple with the legend ‘CH MAG ET HEN MAR BRITT REX ET REG’. The portrait shows Charles I and Henrietta Maria, his French princess. Despite the romantic sentiments of the coin, this was not a marriage made in heaven but in the palaces of London and Paris for political reasons. Charles married the blushing bride first of all by proxy in Paris and then in person when she arrived in England. Sadly we know Charles’ reign ended in war and his execution, but their marriage developed into a true but tragic romance. The coin is a small item but has a pleasant design and is…

AUSTRALIA (www.ramint.gov.au) Domed Silver Proof Coin Lunar Year of the Rabbit Denomination: $5 Diameter: 39.62mm Weight: 31.107g Metal: 99.99% Fine Silver Mintage: 7,500 Mint: Royal Australian Mint Kookaburra World Money Fair Edition Denomination: $1 Diameter: 40.9mm Weight: 31.107g Metal: 99.99% Fine Silver Mintage: 1,500 Mint: Royal Australian Mint AUSTRIA (www.muenzeoesterreich.at) The Popular Pig Denomination: €5 Diameter: 28.5mm Weight: 8.9g Metal: Copper Cu 999 Mintage: 200,000 Mint: Austrian Mint Luminous Marine Life: Blue-Ringed Octopus Denomination: €3 Diameter: 34mm Weight: 16g Metal: Base Metal Mintage: 65,000 Mint: Austrian Mint The Serenity of the Elephant Denomination: €20 Diameter: 34mm Weight: 22.42g Metal: 92.5% Sterling Silver Mintage: 30,000 Mint: Austrian Mint CANADA (www.mint.ca) Truth and Reconciliation Denomination: n/a Diameter: 28 mm Weight: 6.99g Metal: Nickel-plated steel Mint: Royal Canadian Mint COOK ISLANDS (www.cit.li) In…

If you paid attention in class you will be familiar with the hero, Perseus. But for those of us who may have been distracted when Greek mythology was taught at school, you might appreciate a brief summary of the life and adventures of Perseus and the women and goddesses who crossed his path. The concept of an Evil Eye that could harm those drawn to its gaze predates Greek mythology and seems to have come out of Africa, perhaps with the first humans who migrated from the Dark Continent to populate the rest of the Earth. Many thousands of years later Greek mythology tells of a beautiful mortal named Medusa who had a brief encounter with the sea-god Poseidon during a visit to a coastal temple of Athena. The jealous…

Ema Sikic Ema Sikic is an archaeologist and an art historian. She works for A.H. Baldwin’s & Sons in London as a World Coins Specialist with Baldwin’s collection of World and Islamic coins. Ema is a member of the Royal Numismatic Society. Ema provides a guide to coins of the Fatimid dynasty on page 25. David Collins David is the author of The Star of Bethlehem, Amberley Publishing (2012) which explores the famous celestial object. He is a member of the Numismatic Society of Ireland (Northern Branch) and a keen numismatist and amateur astronomer. Read David’s analysis on early Irish coinage on page 28. Jeff Garrett Jeff describes himself as a ‘dealer’s dealer’ with over 35 years of experience in the US coin trade. He has served as President of…

A new exhibition on hoards of coins and other material, Hoards: Archaeological Treasures from West Norfolk, has opened at King’s Lynn Museum in Norfolk and will remain on display until June 2023. Organised by Dayna Woolbright, Oliver Bone and Adrian Marsden, it looks at the rich finds from the King’s Lynn area, spanning some four millennia of the county’s history. The earliest items on display are two hoards from the Bronze Age, one of weaponry including swords and spears, and the other a so-called Smelter’s hoard composed of broken and obsolete metalwork that was destined for recycling. Coins are represented by two hoards from the Iron Age, one a hoard of Continental Gallo-Belgic staters concealed in a cow bone, the other a hoard of silver units produced by the Iceni…

To cover the full story of Kenya’s banknotes you have to go back to colonial days and the East Africa Protectorate. This was formed in 1895 and based in Mombasa, to take over the territory previously controlled by the British East Africa Company. This was effectively the land within the borders of modern Kenya plus the new Protectorate of Uganda added in 1902. In 1905 the first-ever paper money in this part of Africa was issued by the Government of the East Africa Protectorate, for circulation in both Kenya and Uganda. The notes were designed and engraved by Thomas De La Rue, who retained responsibility for all but one of the East African and Kenyan issues – an unbroken period of 127 years. The first issues were denominated in East…

A lucky coin collector made history at the Royal Australian Mint recently as she pressed and took home the first coin for 2023, not only in Australia, but around the world. Mina Hsu, a Taiwanese exchange student at the Australian National University was chosen to mint the very first coin of 2023, a ‘Creatures of the Deep’ $1 coin, the first to feature the recently introduced ‘Memorial Effigy’ of the Queen. Royal Australian Mint CEO Leigh Gordon said: ‘After a two-year hiatus, we are excited to bring back this annual tradition and have members of the public gather in person to collect the first coins, as well as observe the exciting new theme of the collection – Creatures of the Deep.’ A new $10 Cook Islands silver coin, produced by…

We have a 2023 Annual Set to give away in this fantastic competition! The first Annual Sets release to feature the world’s first official coinage portrait of King Charles III, the prize, worth £50, includes five new commemorative coins presented in fold-out packaging that offers insight into the anniversary, event or figure each coin celebrates. The coins in the set commemorate the 75th Birthday of His Majesty King Charles III (£5 coin); the Centenary of Flying Scotsman(£2 coin); the Life and Work of JRR Tolkien (£2 coin); 75 Years of the Windrush Generation (50p); and 75 Years of the National Health Service (50p coin). Each coin features the definitive coinage portrait of His Majesty The King designed by Martin Jennings. HOW TO ENTER For your chance to win, just visit…

Many of the greatest rare coin collections were assembled slowly over many years, if not a lifetime. The famous collector, John Jay Pittman spent several decades collecting coins (including fabulous world coins), and rarely if ever, sold anything. After he passed in the 1990s, his primary residence sold for about $150,000. His coin collection was sold at auction by David Akers for over $30 million dollars. You can easily gather that John Jay Pittman was very passionate about his collection. Like many serious collectors of his generation, Pittman became a true student of numismatics. He used his advanced knowledge to great effect. Pittman never bought mega rarities such an 1804 Silver Dollar, and instead focused on coins that he felt were undervalued. He assembled his collection slowly over many years,…

A medal is sometimes the only surviving memorial to a man or woman who served their country. There are records of course – muster rolls, service papers and censuses – but they do not have that same personal connection. So collectors sometimes find themselves the sole custodians of the stories of lives that would otherwise be forgotten. William Jordan is a good example of this. I bought the Crimea Medal with clasp Sebastopol named ‘W. Jordan, 62nd Regt’, which the vendor said had been awarded to 3774 Private William Jordan, who was killed in action during the final assault on the Great Redan fortress at Sebastopol on 8 September 1855. I checked the medal roll to the 62nd and there was no other W. Jordan serving with the regiment so…

THE UK’S RAREST 10p COINS It’s time for your latest Scarcity Index update, where we reveal the circulation coin causing a HUGE shake-up. This is your chance to discover the UK’s most sought-after circulation 10p, 50p, and £2 coins of the last three months! The information has been compiled using data from the Change Checker Swap Centre and presented in the easy to use indexes below, with arrows to signify how many places up or down a coin has moved since the last Scarcity Index. 50p Scarcity Index This quarter, it’s the circulation Pride 50p coin that has caused a huge Scarcity Index shake-up. Five million Pride 50ps entered circulation in October, and it seems you’ve all been trying to get your hands on it as it’s climbed an astonishing…