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…)

The National Bank of Poland has introduced new two-zlotys, 20-zlotys and 200-zlotys coins commemorating the 65th anniversary of the Jewish Ghetto Uprising in Warsaw in 1943.

NBP Chairman will present the new coins to the Polish and Israeli Presidents Lech Kaczynski and Simon Peres at a special ceremony in the Presidential Palace in Warsaw, Tuesday.

The two zloty coin will be on sale today, and the 20-zlotys and 200-zlotys coins will be available at NBP branches tomorrow.

The new 200-zlotys coin will be minted in 12,000 pieces. The reverse bears the face of a man in a hat hiding behind a fragment of a brick wall. The obverse shows a burning house and the Polish national emblem - the white eagle with a brick wall in the background.

The 20-zlotys coin minted in silver in 14,5000 pieces will show the Star of David against a brick wall backdrop on the reverse and a tree, and the other side will show loose bricks and flames surrounding the Polish eagle.

The two zloty coin minted in Nordic Gold alloy in 1.75 million copies shows barbed wire in the shape of the Star of David and the face of a girl wearing a beret on the reverse. (mj)