The Berlin State Mint sets a humorous sign in times of the Bitcoin boom: The coin producer from the German capital has designed a medal in bitcoin optics. The official press release states: “Create your own unique experience with the Bitcoin from the German capital – with this Bitcoin you can do everything except shopping.” It’s because the bitcoin of the Berlin Mint is not money – and the Berlin Mint smugly points out that the medal has “almost as few...
Queen Elizabeth II is a head of state who is breaking records almost every week – besides to her 65th throne jubilee, the British Queen also celebrates the 70th anniversary of her wedding with Prince Philip. On the occasion of the 70th anniversary with the Duke of Edinburgh, the Royal Mint issues several special coins. Although the metal selection is at first sight misleading (Platinum is actually for the 55th wedding anniversary and gold for the 50th anniversary), the Royal Mint has...
The hurricane “Irma” is currently sweeping through the Caribbean and takes course on Florida – the natural catastrophe of category 5 is not without a trace in the world of coins: As the British Pobjoy Mint announced in a press release, the hurricane moved over the British Virgin Islands on Wednesday, 6 September . The country is one of the most important partners of the Pobjoy Mint: “As the official mint of the British Virgin Islands our thoughts and prayers are with the...
On August 23 2017, the German Federal Government revealed the first design for a new coin series. For the first time, a gold coin series of “Musical Instruments” will be published in 2018. The 50-euro gold coin “String Bass” (german: “Kontrabass”) will be issued in the second half of 2018 according to a press release issued by the Federal Ministry of Finance. The artist Erich Ott from Munich is responsible for the design. On the minimalist side, the...
In Germany, professional grading and the long-term storage in special holders (“slabs”) are still facing a lot of criticism, but services from commercial service providers such as NGC or PCGS have found their place in other markets like the USA and they are gaining in importance here. But normally collectors do not get to see what happens behind the scenes of grading services. For the 30th birthday, the American grading provider “NGC” (Numismatic Guarantee Corporation)...
In the year 2016, the “Coin Invest Trust” from Liechtenstein surprised the coin collecting community with an innovative coin series – with the help of five ounces of fine silver, they brought a detailed representation of the denali mountains onto a coin. Now the coin makers from Europe, who publish their products under the flag of different countries of the world, are expanding the series – and the result is astonishing: Mount Everest, the world’s highest and best...
The famous dragon boat festival took place on 30th May 2017. It is one of the three most important festivals in China besides the Chinese New Year festival and the Mondfest. The “Royal Canadian Mint” celebrates this special example of Chinese culture with its latest collector’s coin. The “Proof 2017 Dragon Boat Festival” coin has a fineness of 999 pieces of silver and a face value of 25 Canadian dollars. The special feature of the new imprint is the backside, where...
Investing in silver and simultaneously maintaining the passion for collecting – this is possible in an excellent manner with the commemorative coins from Switzerland. The country issues silver commemorative coins and delights collectors with their creative design ideas. On the latest silver coin from the Alpine country, a world-famous custom is appreciated: Yodeling. With a fineness of 825 pieces, the commemorative coins are produced in silver with a face value of 20 Swiss francs. The...
A magnificently designed silver ounce from the Fiji Islands, a low mintage, excellent workmanship, highest striking quality, already sold out by many merchants – whoever gets such a coin, must have a precise knowledge and a good feeling for rare collector’s treasures. A few days ago I sold this coin on Facebook – and the young lady who secured the silver coin is a good example of the fact that coin collecting is not a dying hobby. At first glance, she certainly did not look...
Is it a sensible step to save money and ensure more hygiene in everyday life? Or just another step towards a cash-free society? The surprising abolition of the 1 and 2 cent coins in Italy led to broad discussions. From January 1, 2018, the country does not want to produce single and two cent coins. The smallest euro cent coins are to be gradually abolished. The committee of the Chamber of Deputies has now taken this step in Rome. The prices in Italy will be rounded to the nearest five cent. The...