UNDER SECRETARY BURNS: … The reason we’re here today, ladies and gentlemen, and I want thank you all for being here, is because Cyprus and the United States have a joint mission. Well, let me put it another way, the United States has an obligation to help a friend preserve its cultural and archeological and religious heritage. And the Ambassador and I have signed an extension of the Memorandum of Understanding which will help Cyprus to battle those who would plunder its heritage and seek to sell that heritage illegally in the United States and in other countries of the world.

Great Britain experienced a shortage of small change coins during the 18th and 19th centuries when the Royal Mint chose to concentrate on production of higher denomination gold and silver coins. Likewise, during the Civil War the United States experienced a critical shortage of small change coins, although much of this was due to hoarding. In both situations merchants took matters into their own hands and began making tradesman’s tokens that were the right diameter, weight, and metal content as was the real thing, but with iconography sufficiently different to avoid facing the hangman’s noose for counterfeiting.

Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries’ September 2007 Long Beach Signature Auction of World Coins contains an extraordinary offering of Russian coins and medals, led by a spectacular proof example of the 1836 1-1/2 Family Rouble. The rarity features the portrait of Nicholas I on the obverse, while the reverse features eight smaller cameos of the Imperial family: the bust of Empress Alexandra in the center, surrounded by busts of the royal children with no circles. The auction will be held September 26-29 at the Long Beach Convention Center in southern California (for more details visit www.HA.com