Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2025 i World Coin News

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin held a previously unknown BRICS bank note during a photo session at the October 24 BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia. The unveiling of the colorful note caused quite a stir internationally; it features the flags of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, symbolizing the collective ambitions of these nations to explore alternatives to the U.S. dollar in cross-border transactions. The note also raised expectations of a possible future common currency for BRICS members. The note may have drawn too much attention in the wrong direction since BRICS members are still focusing on integrating financial markets and establishing infrastructure for local currency settlements. This hasn’t deterred some speculation that the note could be called the “unit” and might be backed by gold and the currencies of…

Condemnation has followed each of the several times a coin has been struck in the United States that features a living person. The Founding Fathers did not want U.S. coins to resemble those of countries elsewhere on which a monarch appears. Congress passed an act prohibiting the portrayal of a living person on American currency in 1866. 31 U.S. Code § 5112 prohibits the portrait or bust of a living person in the design of our quarter. The United Kingdom has a different tradition; the country prominently features the nation’s living monarch or royal family members on its coins. Without much fanfare, the British Royal Mint has been producing commemorative coins on which, for the first time, a non-royal (or commoner, if you please) is named on British coins. Each…

Lunar New Year came early for Heritage Auctions. At the company’s December 8–10, 2024, HKINF World & Ancient Coins Platinum Session and Signature® auction was a covetable collection of a decade’s worth of Chinese yuan “Lunar New Year” series coins. Crafted in the 1990s, these Ultra Cameo NGC gold coins feature frosted images of Chinese zodiacs in the form of an animal. They are “exceedingly rare,” explains Executive Vice President of International Numismatics at Heritage Auctions, Cris Bierrenbach. “...All with very high grades.” Among this selection is a 2000-yuan 1997 proof with dimpled octagonal perimeters celebrating the “Year of the Ox.” Depicting an ox and a calf in a natural scene, the coin sold for $216,000 and is one of 15 issued. Other Chinese “Lunar New Year” coins at the…

Once again, a find of coins is helping to identify the age of an archaeological dig site. A recent discovery at the Temple of Taposiris Magna, west of Alexandria in Egypt, includes 337 coins on which Cleopatra VII is depicted. Cleopatra VII (69–31 B.C.) is the famous Cleopatra of history, movies, and books. She was the final active ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt, Cyrene, and Cyprus, ruling between 51 and 30 B.C. Her father, Ptolemy XII, struggled to hold onto power as Rome pressed its influence over Egypt. Ptolemy XII was exiled and replaced by Cleopatra Tryphaena, who died soon after and was succeeded by Berenice IV. Ptolemy XII regained the throne alongside his daughter Cleopatra VII as co-ruler in 55 B.C. with the help of Rome. This Cleopatra’s brother, Ptolemy…

The dime, quarter, and half dollar jingling in your pocket may look like they are composed of silver, but in fact, they are not. And the bank notes in the wallets of people all over the world are still referred to as paper money. In the case of about 15% of these currency issues, the notes are made from polymer materials. The trend appears to be growing. What’s not to like about polymer? Polymer is more durable than paper. It offers greater security against counterfeiting as well. Polymer is waterproof, dirtproof, and recyclable. On the other hand, polymer is harder to fold compared to U.S. and other “paper” bank notes. The 25% linen and 75% cotton fiber U.S. notes can be folded 4,000 times without tearing, while the polymer notes…

THE YEAR OF THE SNAKE, the sixth of the twelve Chinese zodiacs, begins on January 29, 2025, and ends on February 16, 2026. According to legend, the snake is the sixth sign because, during a race across a river, it wrapped itself around the hoof of a horse to make up for its lack of swimming abilities. When they were about to cross the finish line, the snake slid off and secured a place ahead of the horse. Each Chinese zodiac is associated with one of five natural elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water, which changes every year. The 2025 element is wood, thus making it the year of the Wood Snake. SNAKE ZODIAC CHARACTERISTICS Snakes are born in 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, and…

Like a snapshot from a well-remembered vacation, a coin can serve as a memento. Upon placing a coin in hand, one may recall the auction or show where they acquired it. Or, after inspecting its historical significance, a coin can take its owner on a voyage to an exotic locale now lost in time. Such feelings of sentimentality and adventure have come together in wholesale coin company Popcoins’ recently released commemorative series, “Journey of a Lifetime,” for the central African country of Cameroon. The series highlights some of the most well-known and must-see travel destinations worldwide. Currently consisting of three styles, each coin’s reverse is inscribed with travel-themed motifs that encircle a colorized, panoramic photograph of a selected exotic locale (Machu Picchu, Horseshoe Bend, or Chichén Itzá). Underneath each image…

On August 28, 2024, the Mint of Finland released a statement: “The Board of Directors of Mint of Finland Ltd. has made a decision on the voluntary termination of the company’s business. The decision is based on global payment changes and weakened business conditions.” Continuing, “Mint of Finland is now focusing on completing the current customer and supplier commitments in accordance with the agreements, estimated by spring 2025, before closing down operations.” This is the latest chapter in Finland’s turbulent coinage history. Finland used foreign coins throughout much of its early history. Between about 1410 and 1558, silver ortug coins were minted at Turku in the name of the occupying Swedish kings. Ores and marks were introduced during the reign of Gustavus I (1523–60). Finland became a Russian grand duchy…

Along time ago, I once bought a batch of old slabbed U.S. silver dollars on behalf of another dealer. I read one slab wrong and called the coin “1879S.” What it was actually was an 1879 plain. On the holder, it said “S dollar,” meaning silver dollar, not “S” mint. The other dealer yelled at me for stupidity and called that mistake a “catastrophe.” Nah. The conquest and sacking of Constantinople by the Crusaders in 1204 was a catastrophe. Here’s what happened. In about a century (12th to 13th), the later Roman (Byzantine) Empire accumulated a rather large debt with various Venetian trading houses. Those traders, who constituted the Venetian ruling class, traded in products and finance. You could call them banks if you want: banks with businesses on the…

Coins with color applications are a controversial topic in European numismatics. While many collectors adore the colorful embellishments, other numismatists, including the European Commission, see the modification of a coin’s design as taboo. The organization considers €2 commemorative coins with color applications as “damage to Euro coins for artistic purposes.” As a result, €2 commemorative coins with official coloration remain rare exceptions, and collectors had to wait six years after the last issue in 2018 for another opportunity to expand their collections. In 2024, however, two exceptions emerged: France decided to issue its second €2 commemorative coin of the year, themed “2024 Paris Olympic Games / Olympic Torch,” in proof quality with a mintage of 20,000, featuring a small floral symbol designed in the country’s national colors. Portugal also honored…