The Central Bank of Malta has issued a silver and a gold coin commemorating Grandmaster Jean de La Valette.

The obverse of the coins shows the Emblem of Malta with the year of issue 2007. The reverse depicts Grandmaster La Valette with the dates of his birth and death (1494 - 1568). These coins are being issued under the Europa Programme 2007 with the theme ‘European Realisation’. The ‘Europa Star’ which is the official logo of this programme, is also being shown on the reverse.

These two coins will be the last coins denominated in Maltese lira and their design is the work of the Maltese artist Noel Galea Bason. The coins were minted at the Royal Dutch Mint with the following specifications: (more…)

Christmas Day yielded an unusual present for Salinas resident Art Ballesteros.

Ballesteros found a real, a Spanish silver coin from the 1500s, on an isolated beach near San Francisco. “It was a Christmas present not only for myself but also for California,” he said. “The coin is extremely valuable.”

He said Wednesday he had gone to visit his brother, Michael, in San Francisco for the holidays. On Christmas Day, they did what they both grew up doing: searching for hidden treasure. They took metal detectors to the beach and began scanning. Read Full Story

MOSCOW. (Nikolai Lukashov for RIA Novosti) - An international archeological expedition to Lake Issyk Kul, high in the Kyrgyz mountains, proves the existence of an advanced civilization 25 centuries ago, equal in development to the Hellenic civilizations of the northern coast of the Pontus Euxinus (Black Sea) and the Mediterranean coast of Egypt.

The expedition resulted in sensational finds, including the discovery of major settlements, presently buried underwater. The data and artefacts obtained, which are currently under study, apply the finishing touches to the many years of exploration in the lake, made by seven previous expeditions. The addition of a previously unknown culture to the treasury of history extends the idea of the patterns and regularities of human development. (more…)

Launching Pilot Program to Increase Circulation of Presidential $1 Coins

WASHINGTON - Jingling in your pockets in 2008 will be Presidential $1 Coins bearing the images of James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren-the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth Presidents of the United States. The United States Mint released photographs of the four coins today.

The United States Mint will be putting a new Presidential $1 Coin into circulation every three months in 2008 beginning with the James Monroe Presidential $1 Coin on February 14. The John Quincy Adams Presidential $1 Coin will follow May 15. Then look for the Andrew Jackson Presidential $1 Coin on August 14 and the Martin Van Buren Presidential $1 Coin on November 13.

“We hope the next four Presidential $1 Coins will not only jingle in pockets but be spent as well,” said United States Mint Director Ed Moy. “These coins are convenient. Each Presidential $1 Coin weighs less than four quarters, and they’re especially useful for vending machines and mass transit.” (more…)