COINage Magazine » Blog

My Two Cents’ Worth: The $10-Million Coin

marcy — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:00:14 +0000

Life imitated art in the coin market recently when a 1794 silver dollar—possibly the first silver dollar ever struck by the U.S. Mint—changed hands for just over $10 million in a New York City auction. (Articles on the sale and on the coin appear elsewhere in this issue.) Continue reading Senior Editor Ed Reiter’s column here.

Coinage Kids: May 2013

marcy — Wed, 15 May 2013 16:00:55 +0000

Over the years, the U.S. Mint has produced several coins with flying machines—not just airplanes!—on them. Some of them are shown here. Match the obverse of the coin (numbered) to its reverse (lettered). Take the quiz here.

In the May 2013 Issue …

marcy — Tue, 14 May 2013 21:40:42 +0000

May table of contents

“Land of Water” from the Austrian Mint

Coinage Magazine — Thu, 09 May 2013 17:45:36 +0000

[VIENNA, AUSTRIA] – The Austrian Mint will issue a coin celebrating water, in honor of the UNESCO Year of Water Cooperation 2013.

The reverse of the coin, created by the mint’s chief engraver Thomas Pesendorfer, focuses on life on a small pond and stream, with water gently falling over a little step into a pool where a heron surveys all the goings on. A kingfisher, a water snake and part of a school of fish can be seen in the pond. Lush cattails, and irises, all of which benefit from the sustenance supplied by water, surround the pond. In the distant background dense vegetation comes right up to the water’s edge. Several trees have also been incorporated into the design’s background. Also on this side of the coin is the year of issue 2013 as well as the name of the coin “Land des Wassers,” or Land of Water.

Of course, Austria has an abundance of fresh water that has been used for centuries. Austria’s mountains and environment have long supplied this vital requirement of life. The water of Austria has long been used to nourish its population, as well as for farming, animals, transportation, industry and of course leisure. The Austrian Mint’s current location, which dates from 1834, was chosen because there was a stream nearby to help power the manufacturing process.

Water is vital to all parts of life and no one country can take on the responsibility for clean, pure water well into the future. It is a shared resource that affects all aspects of life: personal, social and economic, as well as the world around us. Therefore, in order to raise awareness UNESCO (United Nations, Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) has designated the year 2013 as the Year of Water Co-operation.

The obverse of the nine-sided coin is the standard 5-euro design, with the denomination encircled by the shields of the nine federal provinces of Austria. In the center is the face value of 5 euros. Mint engraver Helmut Andexlinger designed the obverse.

The 5 euro silver coin has a diameter of 28.5 mm, contains 8 grams of fine silver, a total weight of 10 grams and has a fineness of 800. The coin is available only in special uncirculated quality and will have a maximum mintage of 50,000. Each of these coins is vacuum-packed in a colorful, informative and sparkling-fresh blister pack.

Collectors in the United States and Canada may purchase the “Water” silver coin for 24.95 US each by calling Euro Collections International toll-free at 1 877 897 7696. The coin may also be ordered on-line at www.eurocollections.com

The 200,000 copper coins struck by the Austrian Mint for circulation in Austria will only be available through the Austrian banking network.

Next-Gen Numismatics

marcy — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 18:00:25 +0000

by Amy Drew Thompson

Is there a shortage of torch-bearers to carry this hobby into the future? Opinions differ, but most agree that with encouragement, outreach and a culture of community, today’s Young Numismatists will continue to build on the legacies of whose who came before. Read the entire story here.

My Two Cents’ Worth: Got Change for a Trillion?

marcy — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 19:44:23 +0000

Canada’s Loon dollar coin is affectionately known North of the Border as the “Loonie.” For a short time early this year, it seemed possible–though widely improbable–that Americans might get an even loonier coin, only this time its face value wouldn’t have been just $1 but a trillion dollars. Continue reading Ed Reiter’s column here.

Coinage Kids: April 2013

marcy — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 19:33:09 +0000

What’s Wrong with These Pictures?

At first glance, the coins illustrated here appear just fine. Take a closer look and you’ll see that some of their features have been digitally modified. Can you tell what is wrong on each coin? The entire April 2013 quiz can be found here.

In the April 2013 Issue …

marcy — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 19:17:46 +0000

April Table of Contents

The Cardinal’s Rules

Coinage Magazine — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 20:30:00 +0000

Remember when the “Cardinal Collector” was just another Registry set owner? Neither do we, but we do remember when Martin Logies was just another collector in the crowd. Read on for the entire story.

Davissons Ltd. to Run First Online Auction

Coinage Magazine — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 16:28:45 +0000

Davissons Ltd Announces E-Auction 1

Over a period of 40 years, Davissons Ltd has presented many major mail bid sales and price lists. With Lief Davisson joining the long-time partnership of Allan and Marnie Davisson last spring, the family firm launched their new website in 2012 and are now running their first ever electronic auction.

E-Auction 1 consists of 100 carefully selected Greek, Roman and British coins, tokens and medals, spanning more than 2,300 years of history. High quality photos and lot descriptions for the entire sale can be viewed, and bids can be placed directly on the Davissons Ltd website www.davcoin.com, as well as by phone, fax, email and U.S. post.

The sale features many select pieces, including rare but affordable Roman gold solidii of Jovian and Valens; important Greek silver and bronze, including a good style pleasing shekel of Tyre, an attractive Lysimachos tetradrachm, a minty Sikyon stater, and a lovely toned hemidrachm portraying the head of Cleopatra, as well as a beautiful Larissa facing head drachm, the last two both from the important BCD collection.

The Roman section includes some pretty and inexpensive Republican denarii, and imperial and provincial silver and bronze. An extensive offering of English hammered and milled includes Anglo-Saxon from Eadger through many later monarchs including Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, and a George III “Northumberland” shilling. A piece of high-grade Irish gunmoney is followed by some nice conder tokens and a large format medal featuring young and old heads of Queen Victoria celebrating her 1897 diamond jubilee.

This sale is only the second Davissons Ltd auction to close online. Lots begin closing on Saturday, April 6, 2013 at 10 a.m. using a “soft close” structure. A soft close is meant to imitate a floor sale and discourage the practice of “sniping,” or bidding on a coin at the last second to deny other bidders time to respond. For this auction, every lot is given 40 seconds to close, but if any bids are placed on the lot that is closing then the timer is reset to 40 seconds. This allows all bidders time to think and respond, and there should be no one left frustrated after watching the sale only to be outbid at the last second on their respective lots. Once 40 seconds have passed without a bid the lot is closed, and the next lot begins closing.

After 40 years of print catalogs and mail bid sales, Davissons Ltd has no desire to abandon their paper and ink clients. A high quality printed version of the sale has been mailed to all existing clients, and bids will be accepted in any manner that people are wont to place them: mail, email, fax, phone, in addition to instant online bidding through their website.

For any inquiries please contact Davissons Ltd at info@davcoin.com, phone (320) 685-3835, fax (320) 685-8636, PO Box 323, Cold Spring MN 56320. You may bid by phone, fax, email or U.S. mail. You may view their sale and bid online at www.davcoin.com.