All right, it isn’t actually a bake sale, but it might as well be. On May 15, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5872, an act “To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the centennial of the Boy Scouts of America, and for other purposes.” The other purposes? The sale of the coins by the Secretary of the Treasury, with a surcharge on each coin sold to “be paid to the National Boy Scouts of America Foundation.” In other words, this is a congressionally mandated fundraiser for the Boy Scouts.

With the act allowing for up to 350,000 of this coin to be issued and fixing the surcharge at $10 per coin, the Boy Scouts could receive as much as $3.5 million from their sale. Never before, in the long history of U.S. government-issued commemorative coins, has this benefit been granted to an organization that promotes religion or discriminates based on religion.

What is a Commemorative Coin and How Does the Program Work?

A 1996 U.S. Mint report titled “Commemorative Coins Could Be More Profitable,” described the issuance of commemorative coins as follows: “Every commemorative coin program is authorized by an act of Congress. Congress authorizes commemorative coins primarily as a means of honoring certain events and individuals and raising funds for the coins’ sponsors. On occasion, the proceeds from commemorative coin sales are applied to the national debt. Commemorative coins are legal tender but are purchased and retained by collectors, rather than used as a circulating medium of exchange.”

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A New 1,000-yen coin depicting Japanese red-crowned cranes flying in front of Hokkaido’s Lake Toya is to be produced ahead of the next G-8 summit, which will be held in Hokkaido.

The silver coin is the first in an 8-year series of 94 coins commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Local Autonomy Law. The coin is due to go on sale in time for the G-8 summit to be held at Hokkaido’s Lake Toya in July, and will be given to the leaders of each country there.

The 4-centimeter coin depicts two Japanese red-crowned cranes — an endangered species, whose population is slowly recovering due to conservation efforts — flying over Lake Toya.

A total of 100,000 coins will be issued, with buyers to be picked at random. Each coin will cost 6,000 yen.

Commemorative 500-yen coins will also be issued across the nation this year, going into full circulation by fiscal 2016.

Specifications:

Composition - Sterling Silver - Weight - 31.1 g - Diameter - 40 mm - Mintage - 100,000
Official Issue Date - July 1, 2008

On May 19 the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) will put in circulation a new commemorative coin with partial gold cover. The coin “Seft III” is part of the series “The Treasures of Bulgaria”.

A press conference is held today, May 17 at BNB dedicated to the coin’s presentation by Tzvetan Manchev, Depute Director of BNB.

The bronze cast of the head of Trakya’s ruler Seft III will also be displayed at BNB.

The head is a unique archaeological find discovered in 2004 by the famous Bulgarian archaeologist Doctor Georgi Kitov. Kitov is also among the presentation’s participants.

The head of the coin displays BNB’s symbol and the year 1869 as well as the coin’s nominal value of 10 BGN.

“Bulgarian National Bank” and the emission year 2008 are written around the perimeter of the coin’s head.

The head of the Thracian King Seft III is represented on the con’s tale with the words “The Treasures of Bulgaria” written on the perimeter and “Seft III” below the King’s head.

The coin will be sold by BNB for 69 BGN and its circulation will be 8000 coins. (more…)

This year Herbert von Karajan would have celebrated his 100th birthday. He was born on 5th April, 1908, in the city of Salzburg. To commemorate this great Austrian conductor the Austrian Mint in Vienna is issuing a 5 Euro silver coin on 7th May, 2008.

On the occasion of his death in 1989 the New York Times characterised Karajan as “probably the world’s best-known conductor and one of the most powerful figures in classical music.”

As a child he already showed great talent on the piano. He studied at the Salzburg Mozarteum and later at the university and academies in Vienna. His first public performance (as a “trail-conductor”) was in 1929 with the Mozarteum Orchestra in Salzburg. In 1930 he became the conductor and musical director at the City Theatre in Ulm.

During the war Karajan’s membership in the Nazi Party protected his career and his part-Jewish wife, but it proved a hindrance after 1945, despite his acquittal by the Austrian denazification examining board. Nevertheless, he conducted in Milan and in London as well as at the Lucerne Festival. In 1955 he was appointed the music director of the Berlin Philharmonic for life. In Vienna he conducted the world famous Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and at the Vienna Opera, as well as at the Salzburg Festival, where he also established Easter Festival.

Karajan was recognised worldwide as a masterly conductor. Although he conducted (and recorded) all the great composers, he was especially associated with the performance of the works of Beethoven, all of which he put on record. In 1972 The Council of Europe commissioned him to arrange Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” from the Ninth Symphony as the European anthem. Karajan was also instrumental in the development of the compact disk, lending his prestige and endorsement to the recording and sale of CDs. (more…)