By Coinweek ….
CoinWeek News Wire for March 24, 2017
Brain Food
1.) Show Me The Money: The 1 Króna Coin
Until the mid-to-late 19th century, most financial transactions in Iceland were conducted in vaðmál (homespun wool). However, since 1922, Iceland has issued its own currency, the króna. Iceland never being the best at economic stability, the króna has lost value significantly every decade since its initial issue, and in 1981 we decided to cut a couple of zeros from it, introducing the current króna.
So, let’s meet the 1 króna coin…
Current Events
2.) Serious setback for Om Sin, the coin-swallowing turtle
Om Sin, the turtle who swallowed 915 coins and required an emergency life-saving operation, is in a “very serious” condition and needs more surgery, a veterinarian said on Sunday…
[Sadly, the news was soon followed by reports of the turtle’s death. —CoinWeek]
3.) Thailand’s coin-eating turtle dies of blood poisoning
The cause of death was intestinal obstruction that blocked Omsin’s protein intake, while nickel toxicity from the coins damaged her immune system…
4.) SBI still continuing restricted money transaction in Yavatmal
The State Bank of India branches in Yavatmal are facing acute currency shortage and continuing to follow the restricted money transactions despite the RBI lifting the restriction from March 13…
5.) You’ve got until October to lose the pounds as ‘thrupenny bit’ makes comeback
When the new currency is launched next week, both £1 coins will be in co-circulation until October 15 and will be accepted by banks and businesses.
But after that deadline it won’t be the case, and savers are being advised to empty their piggy banks and coin jars now to ensure they don’t leave any round pounds lying about the house…
6.) Vanishing coins turned into razor blades, ornaments by unscrupulous traders
According to sources, small scale industries in Bangladesh have been making razor blades for shaving purpose and selling the products back in India.
They melt the ferratic stainless steel coins for making razors. Five razor blades are being made from Rs 5 coin and each blade is sold at Rs 2. A large number of hair dressers are using these razor blades. Some groups are engaged in making labels for the razor blades also…
Under the Radar
7.) Commemorative coins honoring Thai Princess
Collectors will soon be able to reserve commemorative coins produced to honour Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn being presented with the World Intellectual Property Organisation’s Award for Creative Excellence…
8.) BNB To Issue Gold Commemorative Epiphany Coin
In accordance with tradition, the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) issues commemorative coins on Christian themes. This year, the topic selected is the Epiphany…
9.) Philippines Circulates the 1-Piso ASEAN Commemorative Coin
On 1 March 2017, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) circulated to the public the 1-piso ASEAN 2017 commemorative coins. The coin was officially unveiled by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and BSP Governor Amando M. Tetangco, Jr. during the launch of the Philippines’ ASEAN 2017 Chairmanship on 15 January 2017 in Davao City…
10.) Footballer Pavel Nedved honoured on special coin in Czech Republic
Nedved’s face is on one of 10 coins to have been included in a ‘Czech football legends’ collection that also features Ivo Viktor, Jan Lala, Karol Dobias, Miroslav Kadlec, Josef Masopust, Karel Poborsky, Antonin Panenka, Josef Kadraba and Zdenek Nehoda…
Crime & Punishment
11.) NCIC Crime Bulletin
From the Numismatic Crime Information Center (NCIC):
Missing/Stolen Package
A package being sent USPS from Florida to New York has been reported lost/Stolen.
The package included the following coins:
- 1812 50C XF 45
- 1803 50C VF DETAILS IMPROPERLY CLEANED
- 1838 50C AU DETAILS IMPROPERLY CLEANED
- 1885-CC S$1 MS 63
- 1893 $5 MS 64
- 1911 $5 MS 61
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Albany, NY Postal Facility
Several packages processed through the Albany, NY postal facility have been reported as being delivered with the contents missing. We are looking for any dealer/collector who has had similar problems with this facility.
Please contact the NCIC’s Doug Davis if you have any information about the cases above. You can reach him at (817) 723-7231 or email him at [email protected].
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The Numismatic Crime Information Center is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit corporation. P.O. Box 14080 Arlington, Texas 76094.
12.) Midland: police looking for owner of rare coin collection
The coin collection includes Australian and foreign currency, with some coins dating back to the early 1900s. Midland Detectives found the coins in a black bag during a search warrant at a property in Ellenbrook on March 15…
13.) Two Oregon teens made more than $50,000 selling fake bars of gold
The phony gold bars likely are copper encased in a thin layer of real gold, he said. Last month, Fleming saw Internet reports of fake Perth Mint gold bars found in the Midwest. He became suspicious of some of the bars he had bought in the past year and popped one out of its plastic case.
He then took a file to the gold bar and gave it the “acid test,” placing a little nitric acid on it.
“It turned green,” he said…
14.) Melbourne coin shop at center of criminal investigation owes woman thousands
A Lake County woman claims a local coin shop that sold her rare silver dollar collection on consignment refused to pay her share which totaled $36,000.
It’s a shop Action 9 first exposed three years ago for taking a customer’s cash, but not delivering any gold coins…
15.) Prolific Burglar’s Loot Up for Auction at Gurnee Coin Shop He Stole From
Paulson has spent decades under police radar but said his most recent burglaries were done for love: the former Lake Villa resident was about to head to prison back in 2013 for an unrelated attempted burglary when he broke into Harbor Coin looking for collectible coins so he could build a nest egg for his wife, according to media reports…
Banknote News
16.) British pounds couldn’t pass Çanakkale
These banknotes, which were printed by the British Treasury using the Ottoman language, were supposed to be used to pay wages to soldiers and officers. Soldiers were supposed to use special printed money with Ottoman script for daily exchanges in the soon-to-be occupied land, especially in Istanbul.
The majority of this money, which was put into circulation and distributed to soldiers, sank in the Dardanelles Strait’s cold waters with the defeated ships and the rest were collected from the soldiers…
17.) Europe’s old friend, the €50 note, gets new life (VIDEO)
As the most popular note, it’s also the most counterfeited euro zone note of them all…
Treasure & Archaeology
18.) See how Treasure Coast lives up to its name at area museums
The ships, carrying significant amounts of gold and silver coins along with jewels destined for the Kind and Queen of Spain, wrecked off the coast during a violent hurricane. More than 300 years later, treasure hunters on land and sea search for the precious metals, giving the area its nickname of Florida’s “Treasure Coast.”
19.) Chinese archaeologists recover more than 10,000 gold and silver items from river
It is believed that in 1646, peasant uprising leader Zhang Xianzhong was defeated in the area by Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) soldiers while attempting to transfer his treasure to the south. About 1,000 boats loaded with money and valuables sank during the skirmish…
20.) Care home residents find ‘buried treasure’ after taking up metal detecting
“At the Hillbury site across the other side of Wrexham, there is Bronze Age burial site which is a protected Ancient Monument – but we have permission to look at the land surrounding it“…
21.) Marcus Aurelius ingot discovered by Devon detectorist could sell for £18,000
The Roman pig iron ingot, complete with inscription, is not regarded by experts as treasure [In the legal sense. —CW] because it is made of lead instead of gold or silver, meaning authorities allowed Jason to keep it. Two foot in length and nearly six stone in weight, the ingot is for sale at Hanson’s Auction House and Valuers in Derby.
The antique is inscribed with the names of Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus, who ruled between 161 and 169AD…
The penny is a Tribtrach type, so-called because of its distinctive design featuring three lines meeting at the centre.
The coin also features the name of Ethelmod, the so-called moneyer whose job it was to check the weight, fineness and purity of Canterbury coins during the reign of Coenwulf.
Few of this type of penny are known to have survived…
Medals, Tokens & Exonumia
23.) Kickstarting modern hobo coins
Artist Chris Ovdiyenko has created a series of modern hobo nickels based on “some of the most iconic coins,” imagining what they would look like if they were overengraved by someone with a delightfully morbid sensibility…
Upcoming Auctions & Events
- Solidus Numismatik Premium Auction 13 – March 25
- Classical Numismatic Group (CNG) Electronic Auction 394 – March 29
- Stack’s Bowers Whitman Expo Showcase Auction – March 29-31
- Davissons Ltd E-Auction 19 – March 30
- Naville Numismatics Live Auction 30 – closes April 2
- Nomisma Auction 55 – April 4-5
- Solidus Numismatik Online Auction 14 – April 22
- Sincona Auctions 37-40 – May 16-18
24.) Ancient Greek and Roman Numismatics // 3-12 July 2017, Athens
The courses will provide a chronological survey of ancient Greek and Roman coinage (from the invention of coinage to the Roman period), combined with special lectures on numismatic methodology, such as the study of coin hoards, metrology, iconography and online resources. Practical sessions will take place at the NHRF premises and in museums…
Just for Fun
25.) Things we used to use coins for
If you have shares in kilns that make piggy banks, it is best that you unload them now. Like, now-now.
While you can always toss your spare change into coin deposit machines or make payment at supermarket self-checkouts, who knows when these too would be subject to limits on certain denominations…
26.) ‘Money taxidermy’: Kelowna artist coins a new art form
It all started when the American economic downturn of 2008 which Zsombor saw as an opportunity.
“It occurred to me that the U.S. dollar was so cheap that a Canadian artist could use it as collage material,” he said.
His first two projects were Bear Necessities and Cash Cow, mimicking Wall Street’s bull and bear sculptures…
“Good News, Everyone…”
27.) Local man finds extremely rare coin hidden in antique table
“I picked up the table and the legs dropped a fraction of an inch,” Johnson said. “When I turned the table upside-down to tighten the threaded bolt in the slotted bracket, I heard a clunk. The drawers were empty. When I turned it back up after tightening the bold, I head another clunk. I pulled the drawers out. Back behind the drawer that I pulled all the way out was this wax paper-type bag taped to the back of a drawer.”
Inside of that wax paper bag was the Holy Grail of coins – A 1854 Arrows Liberty Seated Quarter, one of only about a dozen still that exist in the world…
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