The Austrian Mint’s four coin gold series “Vienna Jugendstil” concludes with the issue of the coin “House No. 38 in the Linke Wienzeile” on 7th November, 2007.

The series began in 2004 with a coin for the Vienna “Secession”, the exhibition hall in which the “Jugendstil” school of art had its origins. 2005 saw a work of sacral art, the “Church am Steinhof” with its golden dome. 2006 brought the “Vienna River Gate” to the City Park, a monumental work for public use. The series now is rounded off with an apartment house designed by the great Jugenstil architect Otto Wagner, who even took an apartment for himself in this building on the street bordering the Vienna River, the “Linke Wienzeile”.

The house was built in 1898-99 and is one of the best known examples of the Jugendstil in Vienna. Occupying a corner block, its cream façade decorated in gold is a prominent sight in the Linke Wienzeile. The rounded corner of the house itself is flanked on top by two female half-figures who, with hands raised to their mouths, trumpet out their joy to all Vienna. These figures are the work of the sculptor Othmar Schimkowitz, who also created the angels on Wagner’s Church am Steinhof. The façade is decorated with gold medallions of women’s heads, designed by the great Jugendstil artist Koloman Moser. Wagner had hoped to create a row of Jugenstil houses along the Wienzeile; a dream that was not to be realised. (more…)

The Royal Mint has issued a special limited-edition set of coins cast in platinum to commemorate the historic redesign of UK coinage set for 2008.

For the first time since decimalisation the legal tender coins of the United Kingdom will undergo a major design change. In the late spring of 2008 the nation will see new designs on the coinage, from the 1p to the £1, reflecting a more modern twenty-first century Britain.

To mark this watershed in numismatic history, and to commemorate the reverse designs that have served Britain well for almost 40 years, the Royal Mint is producing a limited-edition platinum Proof collection.

* This is the first time that these seven definitive coins have been struck in platinum

* Extremely low issue limit of 250 collections to be priced at £4995.00 (more…)

Ottawa, Ontario, October 19, 2007- The Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) today issued 10 new 2007 collector coins, including an elegantly painted 25-cent coin celebrating the 60th wedding anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and a $15 sterling silver coin of Queen Victoria, the first of a five-coin series featuring royal effigies from Canada’s past coinage. The RCM is also introducing gift products to please fans of timeless coin designs and classic winter sports alike.

“The Royal Canadian Mint is proud to complete a very exciting 2007 with an array of collector coins and gift products which are appealing in both their quality and significance to Canadians,” said President and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint, Ian E. Bennett. “These newest Mint products are innovative and attractive choices for the discerning gift giver.”

Here are the highlights of the Mint’s newest selection of products:

2008 VIGNETTES OF ROYALTY SERIES – $15 STERLING SILVER QUEEN VICTORIA
Another design first for the Royal Canadian Mint, this new series features royal effigies on both the obverse and the reverse of these elegant sterling silver coins. The reverse of the first of these coins features an ultra-high relief effigy of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, which appeared on the 1-, 25- and 50-cent coins which were issued in Canada from 1870 to 1901. Future issues from this five-coin series will include King Edward VII and King George V (2008), as well as King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II (2009). All these designs were approved by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Bearing a $15 denomination, this visually impressive, frosted effigy is set against a proof-like field. These coins were struck four times and hand polished in order to achieve their dramatic appearance. Limited to a world-wide mintage of 10,000, the first coin in this series retails for $99.95 CDN.

View the whole article here - on CoinLink Mints Section

The government will likely privatize more than 20 independent administrative institutions that are not as financially dependent on the government as others, sources said. A reorganization and rationalization plan for independent administrative institutions, including the privatization, will be drawn up by the end of this year to be finalized by the Cabinet.

The institutions to be privatized include the Japan Mint, the National Printing Bureau, and the Commemorative Organization for the Japan World Exposition 1970.

The proposed privatization of the Japan Mint, which produces coins, and the National Printing Bureau, which prints Bank of Japan notes, is expected to arouse controversy as the plan must address such issues as how to protect the secrets involved in both institutions’ operations.