The Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland today (3 September) issued its 2008 €5 silver proof coin and the €100 gold proof coin to celebrate International Polar Year. The coins feature two famous Irish born Antarctic explorers Ernest Shackleton and Tom Crean. Their stricken vessel ‘The Endurance’ is also pictured in the distance on the coins trapped in the packed ice of Antarctica.

This is the first time the Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland has issued a half troy ounce (15.55 grams in weight) gold coin denominated in Euro, with a legal tender denomination of €100.

In keeping with tradition, the national side of the coin depicts the 14 string Irish harp modelled on the ‘Brian Boru’ harp in Trinity College, Dublin. As an addition to the national side of the coin, a laurel wreath, a traditional symbol of excellence and integrity, surrounds the harp. The coins have been designed by renowned Irish artist, designer and medallist Thomas Ryan, RHA.

The coins are available individually in sterling silver which costs €50 and fine gold which costs €395 or as a special two-coin set which costs €440. A limited edition of 5,000 individual silver coins and 2,000 individual gold coins will be issued and there will also be a limited edition of 1,000 two-coin sets issued. An official order form for the coins is available from the Central Bank by phoning 1890 307 607 or from the website, www.centralbank.ie. (more…)

Speculators flocked into platinum on Wednesday after prices tumbled to a six-month low the previous day, while gold dropped to its lowest level in seven weeks before bargain hunters resurfaced.

But worries about falling demand for autocatalysts and poor car sales capped gains on platinum. Gold was under pressure from weak oil as well as a rising U.S. dollar, which prompted investors to ditch bullion exchange-traded funds.

Spot platinum hit a high of $1,575 an ounce, up from $1,563.00/1,583.00 late in New York on Tuesday, when it hit an intraday low of $1,517 an ounce, its weakest since January 22.

“Technical wise, it’s oversold. I do believe we will see some relief buying within the next one week,” said William Kwan, bullion director at Gold Capital Management in Singapore.

Platinum prices have taken a dramatic turn since spiking to a record high above $2,000 an ounce in early March, losing much of their gains to profit taking and a slowing U.S. economy that threatens to slash demand for autocatalysts.

“Investors or speculators have entered the market. But at this moment, buying is not big,” said Yukuji Sonoda, analyst at Daiichi Commodities in Tokyo.

Retail investors re-entered Tokyo futures, but there was still an absence of buying interest from jewellers and automakers in Japan, said Sonoda.

“Anyway, platinum prices have decreased so much, so anytime automobile companies change their minds, they will start to buy little by little,” he said.

Palladium, which tracks movements of sister metal platinum, also bounced after sliding to its lowest level in eight months the previous day. (more…)

Certified Limited Editions of the World’s Purest Official Mint Coin

Santa Monica, Calif. - August 4, 2008 - Goldline International, Inc. today announced it has acquired the very first uniquely designed 2008 .99999 pure gold one-ounce Maple Leaf coins struck by the Royal Canadian Mint. These coins have been independently certified by Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS), one of the premier coin grading services, to be the first seventeen hundred 2008 .99999 pure Maple Leaf coins. The overwhelming majority of these “First Strike” coins are graded in Superb Gem Brilliant Uncirculated (BU) condition. Each graded coin will be sonically sealed in a rigid plastic container to preserve its mint condition. The PCGS certification includes a unique serial number for each coin.

The .99999 Maple Leaf was introduced by the Royal Canadian Mint in 2007 as the purest gold coin struck by a government mint. The original Maple Leaf coin was first minted in 1979 and contained .999 pure gold. In 1982, the Royal Canadian Mint increased the Maple Leaf’s purity to .9999 (or 24 karat), setting a new benchmark for gold bullion coins. The Royal Canadian Mint raised the standard once again with its .99999 Maple Leaf. The .99999 Maple Leaf features a new, elegant maple leaf gracing the reverse and a 12-sided design.

“When Canada increased the gold content of the Maple Leaf to .99999 fine, it set an unsurpassed standard for gold investment products,” said Mark Albarian, President and Chief Executive Officer of Santa Monica-based Goldline International, Inc. “The independently graded and certified 2008 First Strike .99999 Maple Leafs offer collectors and the investment community a special gold coin at a time when investors are seeking a traditional safe haven hedge against inflation and a falling dollar.”

For more information about these 2008 First Strike Maple Leaf gold coins, please visit www.99999mapleleaf.com or call 1-800-827-4653.

Editors Note: The following is a list of Gold Trivia that was sent to CoinLink. We have not checked the facts or the source but we thought it was sort of interesting. Let us know if you have any additional items you think should be added to the list.

• Of the 92 natural elements in the earth’s crust, Gold ranks 58th in rarity.
• Every state in the U.S. has some gold deposits.
• If the U.S.’s pile of gold in Ft. Knox (147.3 million troy ounces according to the U.S. Mint) were to back the U.S. M1 money supply on an even basis, the gold would be worth $940 an ounce.
• When gold is legal tender, governments try to regulate or manipulate its value, and that’s always difficult… when Roosevelt raised gold from $20.67 to $35 in 1934, it immediately devalued the dollar by 40%.
• But from 1786 to 1933, the U.S. government only allowed the price of gold to rise from $17.92 to $20.67. A 15% increase in the official price of gold in 141 years. In the same span, U.S. GDP grew about 28,000%. (more…)

Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson announced that pursuant to Public Law: 31 U.S.C. § 5112(i)(4) the United States Mint will issue a one-ounce ultra-high relief 24-karat gold coin, creating a 2009 version of what many have called the most beautiful gold piece ever made: the Ultra High Relief Saint-Gaudens $20 Double Eagle.

Aided by advancements in technology, the United States Mint now can produce, in quantity, the ultra high relief coin envisioned, but never fully realized, by renowned sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens in 1907.

The mintage of the new coin will be unlimited for one year. Among the production specifications approved by Secretary Paulson are the new coin’s business-strike finish and a diameter of 27 millimeters, making the new collectible coin about 50 percent thicker than other United States Mint one-ounce gold coins.

Only 2009-dated coins will be minted. The coins will go on sale in early 2009, although sales may continue into 2010 if inventory exists.

United States Mint Director Ed Moy will participate in the Opening Ceremony of the American Numismatic Association World’s Fair of Money on Wednesday, July 30, 2008, at 9:30 a.m. ET

Visitors will be able to feel the ultra high relief on plasters of the coin that will be featured at the Ultra High Relief Double Eagle Gold Coin exhibit at the United States Mint booth on the bourse floor at the World’s Fair of Money.

The Obverse: Saint-Gaudens’ Liberty, personified by a statuesque woman striding powerfully forward. Liberty is leading the way with a torch in her front hand and an olive branch in the back hand. The United States Capitol dome is also depicted in the background.

The Reverse & Edge Lettering: A young eagle flying during a sunrise is depicted on the reverse. The motto, “E PLURIBUS UNUM” is on the edge of the coin, allowing a cleaner design on the obverse and reverse.