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Maria
Theresa taler is the longest-issued coin
he proverb-writers may want to update the
old saying that "familiarity breeds contempt." If this were always true, how
could one explain the success of the world's longest-running coin, the Maria
Theresa taler? This coin shouldn't have been issued once Maria Theresa of
Austria died, but it was revived because it was so popular for use in trade -
brought back by popular demand, in effect. The coin is still in production
today, with the same designs and same date, 1780..
Horse-drawn
vehicles trace roots to ancient times
Collecting numismatic items that depict
horse-drawn vehicles is one means by which a collector may explore a topical
interest, and one that may include coins that are more than 2,000 years old.
Topical collecting involves selecting a specific theme and seeking numismatic
items that fit that theme..
Beast-like
animals from all cultures appear on coins
From the earliest time, mythological
creatures have captured the interest of humanity. Each culture claims its own
folk tales of various beasts and beast-like creatures. Among them are dragons,
griffins, the hydra, Minotaur, Pegasus and the sphinx, to go along with
modern-day legends like Bigfoot (or Sasquatch) and the Loch Ness Monster. .
Grading
world coins
Abundance of issues means there's no
universally-accepted guidebook Perhaps no aspect of collecting coins is
dissected, discussed and debated as much as grading. No single aspect is more
important, for both sellers and buyers, than the grades of coins. Small
differences among the higher grades can translate into huge differences
financially..
Coinage
of the Byzantine Empire
Coined money played an ever increasing role
in the daily life of the Mediterranean world from the time of its first
appearance in the 5th century B.C. Over the next five hundred years, coins
produced were of regional design and value. It was only during the Roman Empire
that a unified currency was gradually established throughout its vast
territories. This system of coinage continued even after the Empire was divided
into Eastern and Western halves at the end of the 4th century A.D. .
NUMISMATIC
REMINISCENCES OF THE LAST SIXTY YEARS
The following paper, the script of a talk
given by Leonard Forrer to the Society on 28 April 1948, was brought to my
attention by Mr. Peter Woodhead. Although in its nature it is non-scholarly and
Forrer’s interests were primarily classical, it gives a view of the
numismatic scene in the early days of the Society which we both felt would be
of interest to our members today and would be a fitting contribution to this
Centenary Volume of the Journal. I have lightly edited and corrected
Forrer’s original words and added explanatory footnotes where I thought
they would be appropriate and of relevance to students and collectors of
British coins..
Out of
necessity - Metal notgeld substitutes as coinage
Produced primarily in paper as an
emergency substitute for coinage during World War I, notgeld also was produced
in Europe in the early decades of the 20th century in metal and other
compositions. The word "notgeld" literally translates to "emergency money."
Like their paper counterparts, the metal tokens were produced through the
turbulent transition to the Weimar Republic and during the period of
hyperinflation over the next nine years, ending in Germany in 1923. .
Orchids
of metal, paper
Examples of exotic blossoms can be found on coins, paper
money of many nations - The word may well conjure up visions of graceful
blossoms in a rainbow of colors hanging from slender stems. For those who want
orchids that won't die, a wide variety of coins and paper money depicting these
exotic flowers are available. Approximately 20,000 species of orchids grow
nearly all over the world in all shades, shapes and sizes, and there's no end
to the coins and notes featuring these plants..
A Brief
History Of British Coinage
When Did It Start..... British coinage
starts in the late 2d century BCE when Belgic and Gallic Celts traded with the
Isles or fled Roman legions, bringing coins with them. The British Celt
dynasties, including such tribes as the Atrebates, the Cantuvellauni and the
Dobunni, issued a fascinating and beautiful series of coins for over a century,
until Rome conquered Britain around 50 CE. These Celtic issues are among the
most fascinating and beautiful of ancient coins and feature near Picasso-esque
images, chiefly of horses and the human head - two of their chief icons. .
CURRENCIES
OF IMPERIAL RUSSIA
ANA Museum - From ancient times, imported foreign
coinage traditions served many of the monetary needs of the lands that have
come to be known as Russia. Most people had no need for coinage. In cities,
various local systems came and went, reflecting major historical events of the
outside world. The Classical World--particularly the Byzantine State--provided
a long-lasting influence and presence. Arabic coins, and later, those of
Western European Kingdoms, also served existing local needs. .
Introducing
the Euro
The Euro
is the new 'single currency' of the European Monetary Union, adopted on January
1, 1999 by 11 Member States. Greece became the 12th Member state to adopt the
Euro on January 1, 2001. On January 1, 2002, these 12 countries will officially
introduce the Euro banknotes and coins as legal tender. .
Swords
and Crosses on Anglo-Scandinavian Coins
"...the pagans desecrated the sanctuaries
of God, and poured out the blood of saints around the altar, laid waste the
house of our hope, trampled on the bodies of saints in the temple of God, like
dung in the street." From Alcuin's Letter on the Destruction of Lindisfarne by
the Vikings, AD 793 .
"Una
and the Lion: British Gold Coins through the Ages"
ANA Museum - The display features
Thos. A. Law's 2001 Howland Wood Memorial Award for Best-in-Show Exhibit
entitled "104 Rare English Gold Coins, 1344-1839." It fills the lower galleries
of the Money Museum and showcases selected material never before allowed
outside the Royal Mint. Also included are nearly 700 years of English
coronation medals, and artifacts from the early days of Colorado Springs, once
known as "Little London." .
Early
Medieval Corpus
A
project to gather together into a single database all of the single finds of
coins minted 410-1180 found in the British Isles. There are several thousand
such coins, mostly Anglo-Saxon and Norman, but with a smattering of Frankish,
Byzantine, even Arabic, and hundreds more are found every year..
Coinage
in Celtic society
Celtic coins were produced across much of western and
central Europe, from the end of the fourth century BC until the late first
century BC on the continent, and between the late second century BC and the mid
first century AD in Britain. The map below shows how different areas of the
Celtic world made use of different Greek and Roman prototypes for their
coinages..
Collecting
Medieval Coins
The
fascinating series of Medieval coinage represents a roughly thousand-year
period in which the Celtic tribes of Europe learned the art of civilization
after the demise of its great Greco-Roman teachers and replaced their own
tribal polytheism with the monotheism of the Church of Rome. It takes in large
mythic and historic forms such as knights, chivalry, King Arthur and the Grail
quest, the romantic Troubador period of France, Plague, Martin Luthur, Joan of
Arc, witch persecution and the near loss of the Classical body of knowledge. .
The
Dating of the Reign of Muhammad Shah and Nadir Shah’s invasion of
India
Oriental
Numismatic Society -For historical research one often has to convert the
Hegira date to an AD date or the other way around. When doing this, one is
often confronted with differences. When the difference in date appears to be
approximately 11 days, it is clear that this is due to mixing up the Gregorian
calendar with the Julian calendar. In the same article, dates can be found
either according to the Julian calendar or the Gregorian calendar. When other
people refer to these articles, the same mistake is usually copied. It is very
important when using original sources (which is always preferred) to realise
which era the AD date should be converted to. .
Mysterious
Lettering on Canadian Coins
Have you ever wondered about the
significance of the tiny initials found on Canadian coins? Perhaps I should
first ask if you have even noticed that these initials are there in the first
place. Nearly every one of the coins currently in circulation bears the
initials of the person who designed the coin..
Hungry
to collect something different? Some coins, notes depict carnivorous plants
If you're bored
with collecting type or date and Mint mark sets of coins and paper money,
perhaps a topical collecting project might be in order. Topical collecting
involves selecting a "subject" and then building a collection around that
theme, in contrast to collecting an individual series like the Lincoln cent or
building a set of type coins (one of every major design type). .
Kangaroos,
koalas, kookaburras, oh my!
Perhaps no animal is as singularly
identified with a nation as the kangaroo is with Australia. The marvelous
marsupial is one of three creatures featured on Australia's precious metal
coinage. Australia's gold coinage honors the kangaroo while the nation's
platinum coinage features the eucalyptus-eating koala and the silver bullion
coinage captures the cackling kookaburra..
Though
circulating U.S. coins don't bear the dollar sign, many world coins do
The dollar is
truly global - in its history and its use. That doesn't just mean the American
form of money but the term itself. Although the dollar sign does not appear on
any current circulating U.S. coins and is rarely encountered on U.S. coins, the
American Eagle platinum coins do feature the dollar sign. Although U.S. paper
money is a widely accepted currency around the world, it isn't the only world
currency to depict the dollar sign. Collectors can find coins from many
countries that express the denomination with the dollar symbol. More than 40
nations use the dollar sign on their coins.
Bruce
Lorich's British Chronicles
"Rarity" & Survival Appreciated
- As someone who has both collected and dealt in "rare coins" for several
decades, I frequently ponder the concept of "rarity." In numismatics we are
constantly calling coins rare, or very rare, sometimes extremely rare, even
excessively rare on occasion. But what do these familiar terms actually mean?
Let's first turn our attention to how rarity has been defined in two
exceptional references, as it applies to another area of collecting. The
Encyclopedia Britannica says the following on this topic: "A.W. Pollard
once defined book-collecting as 'the bringing together of books which in their
contents, their form or the history of the individual copy possess some element
of permanent interest, and either actually or prospectively are rare, in the
sense of being difficult to procure..
A Brief
History Of British Coinage
When Did It Start..... British coinage
starts in the late 2d century BCE when Belgic and Gallic Celts traded with the
Isles or fled Roman legions, bringing coins with them. The British Celt
dynasties, including such tribes as the Atrebates, the Cantuvellauni and the
Dobunni, issued a fascinating and beautiful series of coins for over a century,
until Rome conquered Britain around 50 CE. These Celtic issues are among the
most fascinating and beautiful of ancient coins and feature near Picasso-esque
images, chiefly of horses and the human head - two of their chief icons. .
Early
Medieval Corpus
A
project to gather together into a single database all of the single finds of
coins minted 410-1180 found in the British Isles. There are several thousand
such coins, mostly Anglo-Saxon and Norman, but with a smattering of Frankish,
Byzantine, even Arabic, and hundreds more are found every year..
Swords
and Crosses on Anglo-Scandinavian Coins
"...the pagans desecrated the sanctuaries
of God, and poured out the blood of saints around the altar, laid waste the
house of our hope, trampled on the bodies of saints in the temple of God, like
dung in the street." From Alcuin's Letter on the Destruction of Lindisfarne by
the Vikings, AD 793 .
"Una
and the Lion: British Gold Coins through the Ages"
ANA Museum - The display features
Thos. A. Law's 2001 Howland Wood Memorial Award for Best-in-Show Exhibit
entitled "104 Rare English Gold Coins, 1344-1839." It fills the lower galleries
of the Money Museum and showcases selected material never before allowed
outside the Royal Mint. Also included are nearly 700 years of English
coronation medals, and artifacts from the early days of Colorado Springs, once
known as "Little London." .
1814
medal given to Cdn native chief - found in riverbank - to be
auctioned
LONDON
(CP) - If it hadn't been for a treasure hunter scanning a muddy Detroit River
bank with a metal detector, a rare medal believed to date to the War of 1812
may have been lost forever. Although the medal's history is somewhat difficult
to trace because of how it was found, experts at Bonhams auctioneers in London
believe the silver medallion minted for a Canadian First Nations chief is a
rare find. .
Mulemania
Continues!
Mules'
involving the Canadian, September and November 1999 Millennium 25 cent pieces
have become a hot item for newspaper, radio and television audiences in Canada!
Additionally, another lesser publicized mule has also been identified on the
commemorative $2 Millennium Nunavut coin. Mule, is collector parlance for an
error coin that has been struck with mismatched dies -- not intended to be used
together. .
1944
NFLD. DECIMAL
This
paper is being written to discuss the Rare/Scarce/Rare appearance of the 1944
NFLD. 1 cent/5 cent/10 cent pieces as the appear in the marketplace and why.I
recently wandered through a copy of a 1983 edition of "Currency and Medals of
Newfoundland". In this process it became apparant to me as to why the above
coins are so difficult to find. .
Mysterious
Lettering on Canadian Coins
Have you ever wondered about the
significance of the tiny initials found on Canadian coins? Perhaps I should
first ask if you have even noticed that these initials are there in the first
place. Nearly every one of the coins currently in circulation bears the
initials of the person who designed the coin..
Canada's
First Coinage
Contrary to what some Canadian coin catalogues have been
listing for well over a century, the first Canadian coin - at least for use
exclusively in Canada - was not the 1670 issue of copper "doubles" and silver
5- and 15-sols pieces. These coins were struck for all French possessions
covered by the boundaries defined as being in the purvue of the French West
India Company, established May 26, 1664. In addition to French Canada, Acadia
and the French settlements of Newfoundland, they were also meant for use in all
the French colonies of the West Indies. .
The
Euro- And its Origins in Ancient History
The Euro, introduced on January 1st, 2002,
is currently the main denomination of coinage in Europe. During the beginning
of 2001 shops started to mark their items in Euros and that country’s
regular currency. Then people started converting their bank-accounts and
holdings in other places into Euros. .
The
architect of the euro
On 1 November Jean-Claude Trichet replaces
Wim Duisenberg as president of the European Central Bank. BBC News Online looks
at the legacy of the Dutch banker who launched the euro. When he took office in
1998, the UK press dubbed the lanky Dutchman "Dim Wim". And during the teething
troubles of the European Central Bank (ECB), whose role was to set interest
rates across the 12 countries of the eurozone, he was often seen to be
mystifying the markets and slow to react to the weakening European economy. .
Introducing
the Euro
The Euro
is the new 'single currency' of the European Monetary Union, adopted on January
1, 1999 by 11 Member States. Greece became the 12th Member state to adopt the
Euro on January 1, 2001. On January 1, 2002, these 12 countries will officially
introduce the Euro banknotes and coins as legal tender. .
Coinage
of the Byzantine Empire
Coined money played an ever increasing role
in the daily life of the Mediterranean world from the time of its first
appearance in the 5th century B.C. Over the next five hundred years, coins
produced were of regional design and value. It was only during the Roman Empire
that a unified currency was gradually established throughout its vast
territories. This system of coinage continued even after the Empire was divided
into Eastern and Western halves at the end of the 4th century A.D. .
Counterfeit
HalfPennies
Did
you know that throughout the entire colonial period, there was no official
currency for the American colonies? As a result, there was a constant shortage
of coinage for everyday use, and merchants and their customers were forced to
use a confusing array of coins from many different sources. The colonists
accepted coins from other countries, such as Spain and France, or sometimes
created their own coins and tokens, but they preferred to use the more familiar
British halfpennies British halfpennies and farthings made from copper whenever
they could.
Counterfeit
British Coppers
C.
Wilson Peck, in his history and catalogue of British coppers (p. 106), states
the counterfeiting of copper halfpence began soon after Charles II started
production of the first regal issue. Apparently the Board of Trade supported a
suggestion that the minting of tin coins would stop the counterfeiting.
Realizing this would help the tin industry and greatly increase minting
profits, proposals were approved for the minting of tin halfpence and
farthings. Tin coinage went into full production under James II and, as
expected, minting profits dramatically increased; Mossman has calculated
profits rose from 18.9% to 66.6%..
Black
Market Robbing UK of Its Buried Treasure
LONDON (Reuters) - A busy black market in
illegally unearthed treasure is robbing Britain of its past and also a better
understanding of its present, an expert said Tuesday. "There is a thriving
black market in antiquities, a lot of which end up in the United States," said
Richard Hobbs, lead curator of the "Buried Treasure: Finding Our Past"
exhibition at the British Museum. "No one knows how big the black market is,
although there have been several attempts to assess it," he told Reuters.
"There could potentially be millions of pounds worth of material." .
Long-lost
coin completes the picture
A gold coin unearthed from the battlefield
of Agincourt, and once handled by the painter JMW Turner, has turned up after
91 years, just in time for a Turner exhibition in Birmingham. Turner's Britain
is a major loan exhibition opening at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
tomorrow. One highlight will be an uncharacteristic sample of the painter's
work from a private album. Vignettes inside include a study with an Agincourt
theme which had a small silk purse, containing a coin from the battlefield.
When the album was bound in 1912, the coin was lost. .
Maria
Theresa taler is the longest-issued coin
he proverb-writers may want to update the
old saying that "familiarity breeds contempt." If this were always true, how
could one explain the success of the world's longest-running coin, the Maria
Theresa taler? This coin shouldn't have been issued once Maria Theresa of
Austria died, but it was revived because it was so popular for use in trade -
brought back by popular demand, in effect. The coin is still in production
today, with the same designs and same date, 1780..
Coinage
of the Byzantine Empire
Coined money played an ever increasing role
in the daily life of the Mediterranean world from the time of its first
appearance in the 5th century B.C. Over the next five hundred years, coins
produced were of regional design and value. It was only during the Roman Empire
that a unified currency was gradually established throughout its vast
territories. This system of coinage continued even after the Empire was divided
into Eastern and Western halves at the end of the 4th century A.D. .
Swords
and Crosses on Anglo-Scandinavian Coins
"...the pagans desecrated the sanctuaries
of God, and poured out the blood of saints around the altar, laid waste the
house of our hope, trampled on the bodies of saints in the temple of God, like
dung in the street." From Alcuin's Letter on the Destruction of Lindisfarne by
the Vikings, AD 793 .
Mysterious
Lettering on Canadian Coins
Have you ever wondered about the
significance of the tiny initials found on Canadian coins? Perhaps I should
first ask if you have even noticed that these initials are there in the first
place. Nearly every one of the coins currently in circulation bears the
initials of the person who designed the coin.. |
