Isle of Man Christmas Angel Gold 2009

Every year, Isle of Man will release the special '12 Days of Christmas' Gold Angel. The limited-edition 2009 coin is the sixth in the series, so it bears a custom privy mark on the reverse featuring 'Six Geese A-Laying'. The Gold Angel is already one of the world's premier gold bullion coins, but the 2009 privy mark is added to only a very small number of coins. Each beautiful and historic gold coin is protectively encapsulated and presented in a handmade case with a certificate of authenticity.

The Reverse design featuring Michael slaying Satan represented as a dragon. Micheal is an archangel. He is viewed as the field commander of the Army of God. St Michael is represented as an angelic warrior, fully armed with helmet, sword, and shield (often the shield bears the Latin inscription: "Quis ut Deus?"), standing over the dragon, whom he sometimes pierces with a lance. He also holds a pair of scales in which he weighs the souls of the departed or the Book of Life, to show that he takes part in the judgment. 'Six Geese A-Laying' is part of the carol of twelve days of Christmas.

Wikipedia Photo: St Michael the archangel, about to slay the devil

This Christmas Angel gold coin is a Legal tender coin of the Isle of Man. Its Privy Mark identifies the special 2009 Christmas edition. With only 1,000 coin minted, this coin is considered as a limited edition. The coin is available in 1/20oz Proof Fine 999.9 Gold. The Obverse of the design featuring Queen Elizabeth II, Isle of Man 2009.

This will be a wonderful Christmas presents for everyone who loves gold! You can buy this fine Proof 999.9 Gold from Pobjoy Mint website for £79.50.

Source: Pobjoy Mint, Wikipedia.

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Rare Canadian Penny sold in Auction

A coin in Canada also known as "King of Pennies" was auctioned by Heritage Auction Galleries in New York on 3 January and 4 January 2010. The coin is extremely rare because only three pieces of the coin is available around this world and all of them is owned by numismatist John Jay Pittman until his death in 1996. Canada King of Pennies or a 1936 dot cent coin, was most likely never released into circulation. The King of Canadian coins was purchased for USD$402,500. 

Canadian authorities had prepared to produce 1937 coins with the effigy of King Edward VIII who, the year before, had succeeded his father, George V, upon his death. But when Edward abdicated the throne to marry an American divorcee, the dies for the 1937 coins, bearing Edward's image, could not be used. That led to a shortage of one, 10 cent and 25 cent coins. In response, the 1936 coin was put back into production but with a tiny dot placed on the reverse to differentiate it. The dot is under the date on the penny and under the wreath on the nickel and quarter, and was meant to distinguish the coins as 1936 productions created in 1937.

The Dot 25 cent coin is easier to obtain but for whatever reason, only three of the Dot pennies are available across the globe. The rumours are that all the 1936 Dots were destroyed because they weren't needed and that a small number survived and entered the market. The 1936 Dot 10 cent is another rare piece where supposedly 191,000 were made, but only five are known. At the last sale of the Dot cent coin six years ago, it went for $207,000.

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£1 coins counterfeiting factory case

Early this year, Thousands of pounds worth of fake £1 coins were uncovered at a counterfeiting factory during a raid on a farm in Kent, heard by Maidstone Crown Court, United Kingdom on 4 December 2009. A news from BBC stated that The coin-making paraphernalia was found hidden in a concealed room behind wooden panelling at Tonge Corner Farm, Tonge, near Sittingbourne on 13 May 2009. The £1 coins counterfeiting factory run by a family of 4.

Photo by wikipedia: Image of real £1 coins on top of fake coin

Michael Silk, 70, of Iwade, Kent and Paul Bart, 65, of Borehamwood, Hertfordshire deny making fake coins. Mr Silk's son Stephen, 49, of Borden, Kent, has pleaded guilty to the charge. Maidstone Crown Court was told on Friday that brothers-in-law Michael Silk and Mr Bart also deny having counterfeiting materials, including a hydraulic machine press, and possessing counterfeit coins with a view to distributing them as genuine. Stephen Silk has admitted having counterfeiting materials.


Andrew Forsyth, prosecuting, told the court police forced entry into a rented industrial unit on the farm and found Michael and Stephen Silk. They recovered £8,000 worth of prepared coins and 14,000 yellow metal discs waiting to be pressed. When Michael Silk's coat was checked it contained keys, a remote device for an alarm system and an adapted spanner, which the Crown alleged was for use on the machinery. But in interview he denied knowledge of any factory or being party to any manufacture of coins.

DNA found on some discarded latex gloves in a bin in the concealed press room was linked to Michael Silk. Neighbours reported a male driver in a white Peugeot frequently visiting the unit, which the Crown allege was Mr Bart, Mr Forsyth said. Mr Bart was arrested when he arrived at the unit during the police search. He told officers he had a key to the unit but did odd jobs and denied any wrong doing.

Source: BBC News, Wikipedia.

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Syrian man with $800K gold freed

Few weeks ago, a news from CBC Canada reported about a Syrian man with $800K gold freed. Khaled Nawaya a flight instructor who was born in Saudi Arabia and holds Syrian citizenship, held on suspicion of being a national security threat after trying to bring nearly $1 million into Canada secretly has been released from custody and now says he's the victim of profiling. All of that because he has a DVD about Sept. 11 and some Hezbollah insignia.

Photo by CBC Canada: Maple Leaf gold coin that carried by Khaled Nawaya

Agents with the Canada Border Services Agency said that when Khaled Nawaya arrived at the Canada-U.S. border south of Vancouver last month, he told them he was carrying $10,000 cash. But a search of his vehicle found more than $800,000 in Canadian gold coins, $80,000 cash and other paraphernalia that agents deemed suspicious. The money has been confiscated. Officers said the search also turned up a pro-Palestinian scarf, DVDs about Sept. 11 conspiracy theories and a ring featuring the insignia of Hezbollah. Hezbollah is a Shia Islam group based in Lebanon and is listed as a terrorist organization in Canada. A Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board adjudicator released Nawaya on 12 November 2009 on the condition that he provide documentation on the source of his money.


Khaled Nawaya, 34 years old, said most of the money came from a lawsuit he won in the United States, where he had lived since 1993. Nawaya declined to comment on the politically related items the CBSA found or his decision to mislead border guards about the money.

"I want to tell everyone who's suspicious (of me) there's no reason to be suspicious, and not everyone who comes from the Middle East is a bad person."

Nawaya's Canadian lawyer admitted Nawaya's behaviour at the border did not serve him well. "He raised their alarm bells, needlessly," Phil Rankin said.

Nawaya's conditions for release require that he provide an address to authorities and check in monthly with the CBSA. Rankin said Nawaya still faces the possibility of charges for not declaring the money, which he may never get back.

This news is a reminder to all of us to check the authority regulations first before we travel between any country. What is the limit of money you can carry when you travel around any country. Do you need to declare that money and what is the procedure? How about if you bring your gold coin along? is that consider as a money in other country?

Source: CBC Canada

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Latvia Lucky Coin won Coin Constrellation-2009

I found this news about a Latvian Lucky Coin won an award in the Third International Commemorative Coins Contest "Coin Constrellation-2009" last month. The "Lucky Coin" won the title "Silver Coin of the Year"award. Altogether 176 coins from 21 countries participated in the competition, organized by the "Watermark Publishing House". The awards ceremony took place at the Hermitage Museum in Russia's St. Petersburg. The silver "Lucky Coin" was minted in Finland in 2008.

Obverse: A cat in the centre is featured against the background of roofs of a city. The inscription LATVIJAS REPUBLIKA is arranged in a semicircle at the top; the numeral 1 is placed in the lower part, and beneath it, the inscription LATS is arranged in a semicircle.

Reverse: Against the background of rooftops, in the centre a chimney-sweep is holding a ladder in his right hand and a coil of rope and a brush with weight in his left hand. A cat and inscription 2008 are placed lower centre.

Edge: Two inscriptions LATVIJAS BANKA (Bank of Latvia), separated by rhombic dots.

The coin called Lucky Coin because it is considered that meeting a chimney-sweep brings you a good luck. When people unexpectedly see a chimney-sweep walking down the street, they think of a wish and rub a black button for all their yearnings and desires to come true. Now and then, chimney-sweeps are even invited to weddings - as an assurance that the new family will be blessed with love, harmony, prosperity, and a flock of healthy children.

As it is not so easy anymore to meet a chimney-sweep on everyday basis, we can rub this coin featuring the sooty man proudly poised on the chimney-top surveying the city, with a cat, that tireless roof-roamer, and a sweeping wind his only companions. If you believe in miracles, the lucky button trick should work: bring good fortune to your home, and fulfil all your secret desires.

Face value: 1 lats
Weight: 22.00 g, diameter: 35.00 mm
Metal: silver of .925 fineness, quality: proof
Struck in 2008 by Rahapaja Oy (Finland)
Artists: Arvids Priedite (graphic design), Janis Strupulis (plaster model)


Source: www.baltic-course.com, wikipedia

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1983 new pence, two pence that worth £500

Yesterday, I read a news about a Weston couple hoping to make thousands from two pence. Brian and Penny Drury, of Palmer Street, stumbled across the rare find in a collectors' pack bought 26 years ago. Brian, aged 43, ordered the souvenir pack from a national newspaper and it has been hidden away and forgotten about since. But when Penny, also aged 43, was told last week that a 1983 two pence coin with new pence written on was valuable she told her husband who confirmed they did have one in their drawer. Brian has put the coin on eBay and is hoping to be able to clear his overdraft with the money he raises from the sale. I try to find this couple auction on eBay but cannot find them.

Photo by: Weston & Somerset Mercury

The British decimal two pence (2p) coin – often pronounced "two pee" – was issued by the Royal Mint on 15 February 1971, the day the British currency was decimalised. In practice it had been available from banks in bags of £1 for some weeks previously. As of December 2005 there were an estimated 6,421 million 2p coins in circulation. The coin was initially minted from bronze, but since 1992 it has been minted in copper-plated steel except for a few months in 1998 when bronze was used again. As copper-plated steel is less dense than bronze, post-1992 coins have been slightly thicker. The original reverse of the coin, designed by Christopher Ironside, is the Badge of the Prince of Wales: a plume of ostrich feathers within a coronet, above the German motto ICH DIEN ("I serve"). The numeral "2" is written below the badge, and either NEW PENCE (1971–1981) or TWO PENCE (from 1982) is written above.

Many people have two pence in their drawer like this couple but only 1983 2 pence with the word new pence on it consider as rare. One website states that the odds of finding a 1983 'new pence' coin are around one in 14,000,000. Consider yourself lucky if you found one of this coin. If you're intended to sale your coin, the price on eBay is between £500 to £700. If you need my advice whether to sale or keep this coin. Keep them for at least 5 years, most probably it will worth five time their current price after that. By the way, it only have a two pence face value. Why do you need to rush selling them? The price will go up every year.

Source: Weston & Somerset Mercury, Wikipedia

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London 2012 Olympic Games 50 pence coin designed by 9 years old

Congratulations to nine-year-old Florence Jackson from Bristol who has made history by becoming the first child to design a reverse for a legal tender United Kingdom coin. Yesterday Royal Mint announced her winning design for the Blue Peter Design-a-50p Competition - chosen from over 17,000 entries - celebrates Athletics and will take its place in the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games 50p collections, a collection of 29 coins with special reverses designed by the nation.


Launched in January 2009, the Blue Peter Competition gave the children of the UK the chance to design a 50 pence coin to mark the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The competition was open to children aged between six and 12 and was to focus on the sport of Athletics. A record-breaking 17,000 entries were received at the Royal Mint. They were split into three age groups and a selection from each group was chosen by a panel of judges made up of independent experts, representatives of the Royal Mint, the BBC, London 2012 and the International Olympics Committee. Selected entries were then put before the Royal Mint Advisory Committee and the chosen winning entry was then approved by the Treasury and Her Majesty The Queen.

Florence was joined by Olympic gold medallist Denise Lewis and Blue Peter presenter Andy Akinwolere at the Royal Mint to strike her first coin and looks forward to seeing her winning design on millions of 50p coins next year.

"It was amazing to visit the Royal Mint and see my picture turned into a coin. I can’t wait to see it in my pocket money!". She will also receive a gold Proof 50p coin featuring her own artwork.

Florence chose to show a high jumper because "I had watched it on TV before and thought it looked fun".

Denise Lewis was pleased to help Florence celebrate her win: "Florence has done all Olympians and Paralympians proud. Her design is simple and effective and I’m honoured to say I saw it first. Florence is a very deserving winner and her coin is a great illustration of how everyone can be a part of London 2012".

Florence’s winning design is the first in a series of 29 officially licensed London 2012 50p designs by the nation that will act as lasting mementoes of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the UK’s most significant sporting event for this generation. The remaining 28 designs - the result of the Royal Mint’s biggest ever competition for the public to design the UK’s coinage - will be revealed early next year. Each coin will represent one of the 29 sports scheduled to take place at London 2012.

Denomination: 50 Pence
Composition: Alloy Cupro-nickel
Weight: 8 gms
Diameter: 27.3 mm
Designer: (Reverse) Florence Jackson

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Edward I Silver Penny coin found

A 13TH century coin has been unearthed by a construction worker while digging the foundations of the new Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Alloway. The coin, a long cross silver penny, was minted in London and bears the head of the Hammer of the Scots – Edward I. Known as Edward Longshanks for his height of 6 ft. 2 in., and sometimes as the "Hammer of the Scots." Edward was ruthless in pursuing his aims and crushing those who opposed him. He conquered large parts of Wales and almost succeeding in doing the same to Scotland.

Image by: forumancientcoins.com

Mint: Canterbury
Weight: 1.415g
Diameter: 19.8mm
Obverse: +EDWR ANGLDNS HYB, tall central fleur to crown, sinister side-fleur broken, late S, facing bust of King
Reverse: CIVITAS CANTOR, long cross with trefoil of pellets in each angle

David Nelson, a Border Construction employee, found the coin while excavating the area around the former recycling point at the Tam O’Shanter Experience.

David Hopes, project curator of the National Trust for Scotland’s RBBM, said: “This coin has a nice connection with Burns in that it was found near the cottage where he was born and where he grew up reading stories about William Wallace who was, as well documented, a great source of inspiration for the young Bard. The coin bears the head of Edward 1, known as Hammer of the Scots, who was repelled by Wallace.

“It will go on display when the new museum opens next summer.”

Since work began on-site in May, a number of interesting artefacts have been re-discovered, including, most recently, an intricate hand-painted portrait of Robert’s son James Glencairn Burns and a letter from General Giuseppe Garibaldi detailing his admiration for the Bard.

All of these items will be displayed in the new museum. The new Robert Burns Birthplace Museum will house more than 5000 items and be the most important Burns collection in the world.

Image by: wikipedia

Robert Burns also known as Rabbie Burns, Scotland's favourite son, the Ploughman Poet, the Bard of Ayrshire and in Scotland as simply The Bard was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who have written in the Scots language, although much of his writing is also in English and a "light" Scots dialect, accessible to an audience beyond Scotland. He also wrote in standard English, and in these pieces, his political or civil commentary is often at its most blunt.

Source: ayrshirepost.net

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London 2012 Games Free Prize Draws

Tommorow will be the last day for London 2012 Games Free Prize Draws by the Royal Mint. The winning individual will receive a £5 London 2012 Countdown Coin worth £1,245. This gold £5 coin is an Official Product of London 2012 games and as such is housed in a bespoke display case featuring the London 2012 logo. An individually numbered Certificate of Authenticity, guaranteeing the provenance and stringent specifications of the 22 carat gold Proof coin, completes the presentation.

The prize draw winner will be chosen at random after the competition closes and contacted via the contact details the participant has registered with. The competition closes at midnight on August 10^th 2009. The prize draw is open to United Kingdom residents aged 18 and over, except employees and the immediate families of The Royal Mint, Bray Leino Limited, their agents, or anyone professionally connected with this prize draw. No purchase is necessary. You can go to Royalmint website to check about the Draws.

In 2012, London will host the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the most prestigious sporting events in the world.To commemorate this auspicious occasion, the Royal Mint has today been joined by Olympic gold medallist Rebecca Adlington OBE to launch the first Countdown Coin, a special £5 coin counting down three years to the exciting event.

Rebecca comments:

"I am thrilled to help launch the Royal Mint's Countdown to London 2012 coin.The Olympic Games is just around the corner and this coin is a great way for the British public to show its support for the sports men and women who are already preparing for this ultimate sporting challenge."

The 2009 UK Countdown to London 2012 £5 coin is the first in a series of four beautifully crafted coins to be launched annually from now until 2012 and is available in gold, silver and cupro-nickel.This year's coin displays the number three to mark the start of the 3,2,1 count down to London 2012, designed in harmony with images of swimmers racing to the finish line.The design is surrounded by a framework border to symbolise the new Olympic stadium as seen from above.The gold and silver versions of the coin are the first UK £5 coins to feature the Olympic rings and logo in full colour.


The London 2012 Olympic Games will be the 30th Olympiad of the modern era and in keeping with this only 4,000 of the gold Proof coins have been made. They are available now at £1,295 each.In addition to the gold Proof coin, a limited issue of 30,000 silver Proof coins have also been produced, each available to purchase for £54.95.500,000 cupro-nickel coins have been produced to Brilliant Uncirculated standard and are available for £9.95 each. The 2009 UK Countdown to London 2012 £5 Coin is an Official Licensed Product of London 2012 and as such is presented in specific London 2012 packaging and features the official London 2012 logo.

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London 2012 coin-Celebration of Britain Silver Collection

I am looking for London 2012 coin on the internet and I found this Celebration of Britain Silver Proof Collection by Royal Mint UK. The series start now and one coin will be sent to you every 28 days, together with a selection of complimentary gifts, until your collection is complete. Celebration of Britain Silver Series is a collection of 18 silver coins that honour Britain's past, people and places. This first ever collection of UK £5 sterling silver Proof coins also an official Product of London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.





You can order today and receive your first coin for just £27.45 (saving you £27.50). The subsequent coins priced at £54.95 a piece. The collection comprises 18 legal tender UK £5 coins struck in sterling silver to Proof quality, and each coin has been designed by Shane Greeves in conjunction with the Royal Mint Engraving Team specifically in celebration of our great nation as we count down to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games - the most prestigious, cultural and sporting event in the world.



With each coin you'll get an informative Storycard that gives more detail about each special coin from this series. Each Storycard provides a special code to unlock a dedicated area of our website that gives you access to a wealth of extra information. On completion of your collection, you'll receive a Certificate of Authenticity.


The first £5 coin of the collection is available now and features on its reverse the image of Stonehenge, highlighting the advancements made by ancient civilisations. The quotation from the English romantic poet and engraver William Blake, ‘Great things are done when men and mountains meet’, can be seen as defining the commitment needed to overcome sporting challenges, while at the same time alluding to the neolithic monument itself. As with all UK legal tender coins, the portrait of Her Majesty The Queen by Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS appears on the obverse.

Shane Greeves (the designer) says:

‘The design concept for this silver series was developed to work across three chosen themes – the mind, body and spirit. The mind, representing the mental strength of our Olympic athletes and our nation’s achievements across the arts, technology and science. The body, celebrating the physical strength of our athletes, while exploring the wonders of the natural world across Britain. And finally, the spirit, praising the inner strength of our athletes, while portraying different aspects that occur across British life.’

The inscription and central image of each coin are brought together by a series of intersecting lines that cross the surface of the coin. These lines are details from the Golden Mean, a mathematical formula that has fascinated mathematicians, artists, psychologists and biologists for nearly 2,400 years.

source: theroyalmint.uk

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London 2012 is 3 years away but many collectables already on sale. Celebration of Britain Silver Collection is a good buy for your collection. I check Pound exchange rates today and its already at 5.91 Ringgit Malaysia per 1 UK pound. You can check their exchange rates for your country using xe.com widget, at the bottom of my blog. Just select UK pound and your country currency to check their exchange rates. Will you be in UK for the London 2012 Olympic or Paralympic Games? Share your Olympic story in here.

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Rare silver 1 penny coin could be worth £7k

Rare coin become a hot story in UK recently. After a 20 pence phenomenon, now it is a time for a 1 penny silver rare coin. Yesterday, I found a news about a grandmother from Bridgwater, Somerset found a rare 1 penny silver coin. Unwittingly handed over to Tania Simmonite at the market stall where she sells cheese, the piece appears to have been released into circulation without undergoing the usual copper-plating process. Royal Mint had confirmed that this is a genuine monetary unit. If the undated rare 20 pence coin can go as far as £7,000 this coin for sure will be worth much much more.

For a list of Most valuable world pennies, you can read: Top 5 World Rare Penny.

Daily Mail on July 2009 reported, The rare silver 1 penny coin could be worth up to tens of thousands of pounds thanks to its peculiar colouring. Unwittingly handed over to Tania Simmonite at the market stall where she sells cheese, the piece appears to have been released into circulation without undergoing the usual copper-plating process.

After finding it in her till, Mrs Simmonite, 69, contacted the Royal Mint who confirmed it was a genuine monetary unit. What they did not tell her, however, was how much the penny might be worth. But after a 20 pence coin without a date mark on its surface was sold earlier this month for £3,500, the grandmother is feeling optimistic about putting it up for auction and could receive an even higher price because of its scarcity.

She said yesterday: 'I was really surprised when I found the penny in the till.

'When I first saw it I thought it must be a fake but I decided to investigate.

'I phoned the Royal Mint and they said they would look at it - and they confirmed it was genuine, sending me a letter telling me how it came about. But I haven't a clue what it's worth.'

Last month it emerged that a rare error at the Royal Mint caused tens of thousands of 20p coins to be produced without their year of manufacture stamped on them. Experts had predicted that the coins could be worth £50 each, but soaring demand pushed the price of a single coin up to £7,100 on eBay. The coins were left dateless when the 20p piece was redesigned. The Mint does not know how many undated coins were released into circulation, but estimates range between 50,000 and 200,000.

Asked about the value of the silver penny from 2003, Jeffrey Day, a coin specialist at Lawrences auctioneers, said: 'If the undated 20ps were selling for thousands of pounds then this coin has to be rarer.

'But there is no way of knowing how many of these are in circulation and the only way of finding out its true value is at auction.'

Mrs Simmonite, from Bridgwater, Somerset, added: 'I can't even remember who gave it to me - I feel so lucky.

'I have kept it wrapped up in a bit of tissue but at my age I think it would be a good idea to sell.'

Source: Mail online.UK

I wish her good luck on selling her rare 1 penny silver coin. For me that is a very Extremely rare coin and should worth at least 5 figure pounds. For anyone who found a rare 20 pence coin, my advice keep them for at least 5 years. It not easy to sell them at such high price at the moment since there is already to many people selling them. Expert only put their value at £50. Its not that much.

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Rare 20 pence coin on sale for £20,000 on eBay

Last week a shocking incident happen in United Kingdom. Royal mint which have a strict quality check made an error when producing tens of thousands of 20 pence pieces earlier this year. Many seller in eBay selling them with a buy now option as high as £20,000. Source from BBC said that this is the first time since 300 years, British coin without date come into circulation. The highest bidder so far won an auction for £7,100. I browse eBay today for 20 pence error coin and nothing much happen with the highest bidding so far is just around £410.

Soaring demand pushed the price of a rare 20 pence piece up to £20,000 on eBay today. Experts had predicted that the coin minted without a date mark, could be worth £50 each. But collectors have been scrambling to buy the currency after it emerged that the Royal Mint made an error when producing tens of thousands of 20 pence pieces earlier this year.

Collector's piece: Coins were minted missing their date

eBay has been inundated with coins for sale as those who have found them attempt to cash in. Many sellers are offering purchasers the chance to 'buy it now' at prices of up £20,000. Several are hoping to get more than £10,000 for their 20 pence rare coin. One seller appeared to have fetched £7,100 at 2pm yesterday - 35,500 times its face value - although it is not clear whether the coin has been paid for.

Bidding on the auction site started at 99p and it gradually crept up to £100 by Monday evening. Yesterday one potential buyer started bidding off at £600, soon followed by a bid of £800. Then it shot up to £5,000 and kept rising until the price reached £7,100. A spokesman for eBay said: 'The winning bid was definitely £7,100, but I can't confirm yet whether the actual transaction has been completed yet.'One cheeky seller is asking for £20,000 for an undated 20p piece. Unsurprisingly, there were no bids.

The coins were left dateless when the 20 pence error coin was redesigned. The Mint does not know how many undated coins were released into circulation, but estimates range between 50,000 and 200,000. This is the first undated British coin to enter circulation in more than 300 years - the last occasion was 1672, when Charles II was on the throne.

The 20 pence error coin has caused a great deal of excitement among coin collectors because the Royal Mint, in Llantrisant, South Wales, is normally so careful about the manufacture and release of coins into circulation. The problem occurred after all the coins from the 1p through to the £1 were redesigned last year. The designs for the 5p and 10p had been unchanged for four decades.

There is an unwritten convention that designs should be changed at least every 40 years to keep the coinage fresh. The Royal Mint's usually impeccable quality control somehow slipped up and the so-called 'mule' escaped into circulation. A 'mule' is a coin that has mismatched sides - a reference to the mule being a mismatch of a horse and donkey.

Source: dailymail.uk
Picture by alasdair from predecimal.com

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Royal Mint produces Olympic coin for collector

I just found another story about collector coin for 2012 London Olympic Games by Royal Mint, London. Olympic coin and banknote are one of the good investment since Olympic only been held in 4 years time. It is also hard to get hold of this coin since not many of this Olympic coin been produced each time. I try to find if there is any Olympic coin collector webpage but the best I can found is this official website of the Olympic movement. This official website give some information about all the memorabilia and Olympism. Below is the original story and picture of the coin from times online.

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Llantrisant: The Royal Mint has produced a collector’s coin to count down to the 2012 Olympic Games. The gold and silver versions are the first UK £5 coins to feature the Olympic rings and logo in full colour, said the mint, based in Llantrisant, South Wales.

The coin has images of swimmers racing to the finishing line, while the border design represents the Olympic Stadium in East London as seen from above.

A new coin in gold, silver and cupronickel will be launched each year until the Games. There are 4,000 gold proof coins costing £1,295 each, 30,000 silver proof coins at £54.95 each and 500,000 cupronickel coins at £9.95 each.

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If any of you knew any website from personal collector of Olympic coin please do give me the link in comment or via e-mail. I can see from the official website of the Olympic movement, Olympic coin started with 1951 Helsinki Olympic coin. The design of the Helsinki Olympic coin is simple but has a big mark in history of Olympic collectibles history. With small mintage for everyone in this world, it price will surely skyrocket everytime Olympic is coming.

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Royal Mint London 2012 Olympic 50 pence design Competition.

Royal Mint of United Kingdom is organizing a 50 pence design competition. The last date for submitting Your design is on 24 april 2009. The competition is open to the general public and offers a winner the chance to have their designs made into coins and circulated. Contestants must select one of 27 Olympic and Paralympic sports to represent on their design; they may not include the image of recognizable sportsmen or sportswomen, and they must include the Olympic or Paralympic logo.

You can go to their official website at www.royalmintcompetition.co.uk for detail of the competition. The winner of the this competition will get £1,000 including a solid gold version of the winning coin. The winner is also invited to see how his/her design to be transformed into actual United Kingdom coins at Royal Mint.

For me and rest of this world, this competition is only for United Kingdom (sigh). The portrait of Her Majesty the Queen will be used for the ‘head’ side of the coin, so you will only need to provide a design for the ‘tail’ or ‘reverse’ side. You are free to draw your design in whatever way you wish, whether through a computer programme, in felt tip, pencil or ink. However all designs submitted must be presented on the design template. Below are some of the previous 50 pence design.

You need to register online. After that, they will provided you with the design template. The template includes the mandatory elements of the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games logos and the value of the coin (50 PENCE). The last day of the competition is coming near. To all of my friend in United Kingdom who is participating, Good luck.

Update: The winner of this competition will only be announced in November 2009 by Royal Mint UK.

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Republic of Croatia or Republika Hrvatska banknote

Another Small banknote in my collection is Republic of Croatia or Republika Hrvatska 1991-1993 issue banknote. In 1991, notes were introduced in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 25, 100, 500 and 1000 dinara, with 2000, 5000 and 10,000 dinara notes added in 1992 and 50,000 and 100,000 dinara in 1993. The obverse of all banknotes was the same, with a picture of Ragusan scientist Ruđer Bošković. Notes up to 1000 dinara had Zagreb cathedral on reverse. The higher denominations featured the Ivan Meštrović sculpture History of the Croats on the reverse. The 1 dinar size is approximately at 53 mm x 105 mm.

The dinar was the currency of Croatia between December 23, 1991, and May 30, 1994. The ISO 4217 code was HRD. The Croatian dinar replaced the 1990 version of Yugoslav dinar at par. It was a transitional currency introduced following Croatia's declaration of independence from Yugoslavia. During its existence the, dinar declined in value by a factor of about 70. The dinar was replaced by the kuna at a rate of 1 kuna = 1000 dinara. The word "kuna" derived from the Russian "cunica" which means marten, reflects the use of furs for money in medieval eastern Europe.

Roger Joseph Boscovich (18 May 1711 – 13 February 1787) was a physicist, astronomer, mathematician, philosopher, diplomat, poet, and Jesuit from Ragusa (today Dubrovnik, in Croatia) who lived for a time in France, England and some Italian states. He is famous for his atomic theory, given as a clear, precisely-formulated system utilizing principles of Newtonian mechanics.In 1753 he also discovered the absence of atmosphere on the Moon

Zagreb Cathedral on Kaptol is probably the most famous building in Zagreb, as its spires can be seen from many locations in the city. The building of the cathedral started in the 11th century (1093), although the building was razed to the ground by the Tatars in 1242. At the end of the 15th century, the Ottoman Empire invaded Bosnia and Croatia, triggering the construction of fortification walls around the cathedral. Few of these fortifications are still intact.

In the 17th century, a fortified renaissance watchtower was erected on the south side, and was used as a military observation point, because of the Ottoman threat. In 1880, the cathedral was severely damaged in an earthquake. The main nave collapsed and the tower was damaged beyond repair. The restoration of the cathedral in the neogothic style was made by Hermann Bollé, bringing the cathedral to its present form. As part of that restoration, two spires of 105 m height were raised on the western side, both of which are in the process of being restored during a massive general restoration of the cathedral.

Source: Wikipedia, Krause Publication

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