TOKYO (AFP) — After minting 4.8 million commemorative coins to mark a centenary of ties with Brazil, Japan has been forced to change the design due to an infringement of copyright, the finance ministry has said.

The original design showed bronze sculptures of parents and a child standing in Santos, Brazil, where the first batch of Japanese immigrants landed in 1908. But the Brazilian sculptor of the work refused to let the design be used for the 500-yen (five dollar) coin, the ministry said.

Japan had been planning to distribute the commemorative coin in March, believing that an immigrants’ association in Brazil owned the bronze memorial. The association later discovered that the artist also held the right to his work. But redesigining the coin is set to cost the ministry up to 10 million yen (100,000 dollars).

“The minted commemorative coins are made of the same materials as the regular 500-yen coin so we will simply recycle them,” a ministry official said. The new design will feature the ship that took the first Japanese immigrants to South America, superimposed over a picture of the Brazilian nation.

The newly-designed coin will be distributed from June 18.

More than 1.2 million Brazilians have Japanese ancestry, a higher number than in any country other than Japan. Read Full AFP Story

Coin collectors can celebrate the 60th anniversary of the State of Israel with limited numbers of new commemorative coins: in one-, two- and 10-shekel denominations.

The modern coins were designed by by Ruben Nutels, and symbolize the achievements of the state in its first 60 years, and express optimism about a future of peace and prosperity.

The coins bear a pomegranate to symbolize fertility and plenty, alongside a dove and an olive branch, the signs of peace.

The Israel Government Coins and Medals Corporation (IGCMC) has also issued two silver replicas of ancient Jewish coins in honor of the upcoming 60th Independence Day.

They have struck exact silver replicas of two coins that were minted 1900 years ago: one represents destruction and exile, and the other rebirth and independence. They give expression to the importance and meaning of the establishment of the State, independence and sovereignty, according to the IGCMC.

The coins which were chosen to represent these two opposing messages are two bronze coins from the late 1st or beginning of the 2nd century CE.

One is the famous Judea Capta coin minted by the Romans to honor the fall of the Jewish state established in the Great Revolt, originally minted in Rome in 71 CE. The second, minted in Judea in 132-133 CE, is from the Bar Kochba revolt.

The coins may be bought over the Internet as well as at IGCMC stores.

The year 2008 marks the 200-year anniversary of Henrik Wergeland’s birth. On Thursday 8 May, Norges Bank will issue a silver commemorative coin to mark the occasion.

”We hope that this coin will be a reminder of one of Norway’s most significant cultural figures,” says Trond Eklund, Director of Norges Bank’s Cashier Department. He also mentions Wergeland’s importance to the manner in which Norway celebrates its constitution day, 17 May, with a children’s parade.

The obverse of the coin features the portrait of King Harald V, which has been used on special edition circulation coins in recent years. This motif has been designed by Ingrid Austlid Rise, a designer at Det Norske Myntverket AS (Mint of Norway). The motif on the back of the coin was designed by Enzo Finger and depicts Henrik Wergeland’s glasses and signature.

In connection with the issue of the coins, Norges Bank is cooperating with Wergeland 2008, which is a collaborative project between the National Library, the National Archives and the Eidsvoll 1814 foundation. The project was commissioned by the Ministry of Culture and Church Affairs to plan and carry out the official anniversary celebrations.

On 8 May 2008, the National Library will mark the 200-year anniversary of Henrik Wergeland’s birth with a special exhibition and the publication of a book. The silver commemorative coin will be launched in connection with the opening of this exhibition. (more…)

Article from the Filipino Numismatist website with no notation as to its Author.

Recently, I was surprised to know that the Philippine Numismatic and Antiquarian Society, (Founded on March 16, 1929 and One of the oldest Numismatic Clubs in the World
) is bombarded with political controversy. Two factions emerged, a newly set of elected officers facilitated the establishment of a new governance mostly composed of younger members while the other faction, the incumbent officers, who declined to submit to the majority, remained and decided to continue their own version of the organization. So now, there are two Philippine Numismatic and Antiquarian Societies. Both are competing against each other and have concluded their respective auctions both on same set of dates. The incident started when last December, the organization held its annual election. Majority of the officers who won the election elected their pick for presidency. However, the minority of the group did not accept the mandate. Thus, started the creation of two organizations. The first one is headed by Tomas De Guzman, Jr. or “Temboy” as he is known to fellow numismatists. On the other hand, Atty. William Villareal leads the other faction and installed himself as president otherwise.

It’s a disgust to see how greed took over on this once prestigious and respected organization. If Gilbert Perez and other pioneers are here to witness such debacle, they could have scolded these members as if they are just five-year-old kids. It’s a pity how PNAS devolved rather than evolved, since most dealers now control the organization’s interest. Nowadays, online auction such as Ebay became available to local dealers, agents, and collector. The market of coins, ephemera, and other antiquities are big business especially that the market of silver, gold, and other strategic metals is on the rise. Greedy officers in order to protect their interest have manipulated the organization for so many years that they resorted to every corrupt means just to maintain and stay in power. I myself had campaigned for the organization’s reform. But since I have realized that the people whom I trusted my faith with were also dealers who just wanted to replace their competitions and push for their own version of monopoly, I have decided to throw the towel and leave the fight between them inside their own ring. Meanwhile, I can campaign for reform in my own turf, through the Internet. (more…)

Gainesville Coins Inc. is making a conscious effort to conserve our planet. To celebrate Earth Day and spread awareness for this important event, Gainesville Coins will donate a portion of each sale starting April 18 thru April 27 to the Arbor Day Foundation. Here are a few examples of how Gainesville Coins will be cutting their Carbon Footprint.

• Online Invoice System to cut paper-product usage by 50%.
• Furthermore, power usage will be cut substantially simply by shutting down all computers (including printers) every night.
• Gainesville Coins will continue the policy of recycling all retired equipment (including electronics, plastics, glass, newspapers and card board).
• Gainesville Coins has removed All Incandescent bulbs and replaced them with Compact Fluorescent

Earth Day is about our future. Gainesville Coins chose the Arbor Day Foundation after evaluating two factors: Organizational Efficiency and Organizational Capacity. The Earth Day Network Charity efficiently utilizes all charitable donations, and in turn should grow their programs and services over time.

Now, more than ever, we need continual Environmental Education… It’s the Grain of Truth that grew into Earth Day. Not everyone will recall President Kennedy’s five-day, eleven-state Conservation Tour back in 1963, yet he planted the seed. Six years later (1969) Earth Day bloomed into a 24 hour celebration. (more…)