By Coinweek ….
CoinWeek News Wire for February 3, 2017
Brain Food
1.) Coins discovery ‘will re-write’ Anglo-Saxon history
Historians say an entire chapter of the Anglo-Saxon period will have to be re-written after a metal detectorist found a huge hoard of coins in a field.
James Mather made the discovery of 200 complete silver coins, seven items of jewellery and 15 silver ingots in a field near Watlington in Oxfordshire in October 2015. Its full significance has now become apparent…
2.) City of London’s Goldsmiths begin Trial of the Pyx to test coins
The Trial of the Pyx was established by Henry III in the 13th century to test the quality of the country’s coins. King Henry extracted heavy taxes to finance campaigns in France and the construction of Westminster Abbey and needed to ensure his currency was valid.
The ceremony today remains little changed. Jurors file into the livery hall, where Corinthian columns of scagliola, an Italian technique designed to resemble marble, support the gilded ceiling…
3.) The Artwork Behind U.S. Security Engraving 1830s-1980s at the Grolier Club
The exhibition Images of Value: The Artwork Behind U.S. Security Engraving 1830s-1980s, on public view at the Grolier Club from February 22 to April 29, 2017, presents a rare look behind the images that appeared on bank notes and securities produced in the United States for over 150 years…
4.) It’s been 25 years since Australia’s smallest coins were removed from circulation
And if you want to feel really old — there’s a whole generation who probably has no idea that form of Australian currency even existed…
Under the Radar
5.) Pope Francis to no longer grace Vatican euro coins
The Vatican will stop minting euro coins bearing Pope Francis’ image beginning in March, religious news agency I.media reported on Friday (Jan 27), saying the coins will now carry the Vatican’s coat of arms and European Union stars…
6.) $10 coin, national bird naming highlights of Canadian 150th celebrations
Watch for the $10 coin being minted for the 150th anniversary this year that features five steel grain bins in a field of yellow canola with a pretty cloudy sky above. Canada is written across the bottom with the dates 1867-2017…
7.) State Bank of Pakistan to issue Rs 50 commemorative coin in March to honour Edhi
State Bank of Pakistan will issue commemorative 50-rupee coin in memory of Abdul Sattar Edhi in March 2017 as a small token of appreciation for his selfless services for the country…
Current Events
8.) Rusty rupees: New coins from Seychelles sent to UK for tests
The Central Bank of Seychelles said on Friday that it has sent rusted 10 rupee coins to the UK for analysis. The head of the banking services, Mike Tirant, said authorities received reports of the damaged 10 rupee coins in December last year and started collecting them.
The coins have been sent to The Royal Mint to determine what has caused them to rust barely a month after they were put into circulation…
9.) Employee mined bitcoins on Federal Reserve servers for two years
Nicholas Berthaume worked at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve as a communications analyst, which gave him access to Fed servers. Berthaume installed bitcoin mining software on at least one server there, and created a backdoor to it so that he could remotely access the mining software from home…
10.) New 12-sided high-tech £1 coins sell on eBay for £200 two months before they enter circulation
Hundreds of 12-sided one pound coins handed out to retailers to test ahead of the coin’s March release are selling on eBay for up to £220 a month.
The coins, which are considered ‘trial coins’ aren’t rare, aren’t legal tender and cannot be used in shops, the Royal Mint said…
In Memoriam
11.) J.S.G. Boggs, Artist, Dies at 62; He Made Money. Literally.
Sitting in a Chicago diner in 1984, the artist Stephen Boggs began doodling on a paper napkin as he consumed a coffee and a doughnut. He started with the numeral 1, then transformed it into the image of a dollar bill.
His waitress, impressed, offered to buy it. Mr. Boggs refused, but presented it in payment for his 90-cent tab. The waitress handed him 10 cents in change…
Crime & Punishment
12.) NCIC Crime Bulletin
From the Numismatic Crime Information Center (NCIC):
Theft Gold Fifty Pesos
Detectives with the Pantego, Texas Police Department are investigating the theft of 24 Gold Fifty Peso coins from the residence of an elderly couple. The suspect/suspects may attempt to sell the coins in the North Texas area and possibly the Shreveport/Bossier City area.
Anyone with information please contact Det. Sam Nance at (817) 274-2511. You may also contact the NCIC’s Doug Davis at (817) 723-7231 or email him at [email protected].
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Rare Error Coins-Recovered
In November 2016 the Numismatic Crime Information Center sent out an email crime alert regarding the theft of a group of rare error coins in the California area. Due to the wide-spread email alert and the assistance of Fred Weinberg and dealers who wish to remain anonymous, the coins have been recovered and returned to the rightful owner.
The Numismatic Crime Information Center is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit corporation. P.O. Box 14080 Arlington, Texas 76094.
13.) Canada mint worker who hid $130,000 of gold in rectum jailed
Leston Lawrence stole $127,116 (CA$165,451; £100,000) of gold in 22 pieces.
The 35-year-old, who was found guilty last November, was caught after he had successfully sold 17 of the gold pieces through Ottawa Gold Buyers.
Ontario Court Judge Peter Doody ordered Lawrence to pay a $145,900 fine.
Passing sentence on Thursday, he ruled that Lawrence should serve another 30 months in prison if he fails to pay the penalty within three years of his release…
14.) Four jailed for handling offenses after high-value coin burglary
Initial enquiries found offenders had covered sensors, scooped coins into buckets and used a makeshift zip-wire to get the buckets from the roof to the ground.
“It looked like something you’d see in a movie plot”…
15.) Police search for men who robbed, set fire to Houston coin shop, officials say
Two men broke into a coin shop and robbed the place before setting it on fire causing extensive damage to multiple businesses, police said.
Crime Stoppers will pay up to $5,000 for information leading to the charging and/or arrest of the suspect in this case. Information may be reported by calling (713) 222-TIPS (8477) or submitted online at www.crime-stoppers.org…
Treasure & Archaeology
16.) HMAS Perth at mercy of scavengers 75 years after being sunk
On March 1, Australia will commemorate the 75th anniversary of the sinking of one of its most loved warships, HMAS Perth, in the Battle of Sunda Strait. However there are fears that soon there will be nothing left of the shipwreck off the coast of Indonesia unless she is protected…
17.) Landmark project aims to build relations between metal detectorists and heritage sector
“The intention of the project is primarily to raise awareness of best practice when metal detecting, and to ensure the appropriate support and guidance is available to detectorists. The enthusiasm and expertise of the metal detecting community makes a significant contribution to Scotland’s heritage sector, and we want to help to maximise its potential. By working together we can create a system that ensures the best result for everyone.”
18.) Metal detectorist’s Saxon coin hoard can stay at Ashmolean Museum thanks to fundraisers
The collection of about 200 silver coins, seven items of jewellery and 15 silver ingots date back to the ninth century, including many coins of Alfred the Great, who was born in Wantage and King of Wessex from 874 to 879…
Seventy years after a Philippine Airlines plane burst into flames on impact with Mount Parker, three local history buffs have unearthed a gold coin from the crash site – and with it a forgotten mystery…
ANS News
20.) Congress in Turkey
Dr. Ute Wartenberg, Executive Director, presented “What Happens to Electrum Coinage in the 6th Century BC?” at the Second International Congress on the History of Money and Numismatics in the Mediterranean World. Dr. Peter van Alfen, Margaret Thompson Curator, also presented “New Light on the Earliest Silver Coinage of Lampsacus.” The Congress took place in Antalya, Turkey from January 5-8, 2017.
21.) Nomisma Presentation
Ethan Gruber participated in the Pondera Online Workshop at Louvain-la-Neuve on December 12-13, where he presented “Nomisma.org: Linked Open Data and the Future of Numismatics.” This workshop, hosted at the Université catholique de Louvain, brought together specialists from various areas of ancient material culture to discuss building digital corpora. Pondera Online is a database of Greek weights that will implement data standards established by Nomisma.org.
Upcoming Auctions & Events
- Laser Invest Public Live & Correspondence Auction 163 – February 4
- Effigy Mounds National Monument Quarter Launch – February 7
- Bertolami Fine Arts E-Auction 39 – February 15
- Gerhard Hirsch Nachfolger Auctions 325-327 – February 15-17
- Gorny & Mosch Auctions 244-246 of Ancient, Medieval and Modern Coins – March 6-
- Nomisma Auction 55 – April 4-5
“Good News, Everyone…”
22.) Dubai: Golden Baby grand draw prize winners take home gifts of joy
As part of the campaign, all those who had registered for childbirth at Thumbay Group’s hospitals and clinics during the campaign period (October 15-December 15, 2016), irrespective of their stages of pregnancy were given the assured win of two grams’ gold coin and unconditional diamond vouchers worth AED 250. In addition, the grand draw was conducted at the conclusion of the campaign period, to select five winners each for the grand prizes which included Kalyan Jewellers diamond necklaces worth AED 10,000, gold vouchers worth AED 5,000 and kids’jewellery worth AED 1000…
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