The Perth Mint of Australia launched a new proof set of silver coins depicting five classic motorbikes from around world. The set includes five, 1-oz legal tender coins made from 99.9% pure silver with each struck in proof quality.

The five-coin proof set celebrates America’s Indian Chief of the 20’s, Germany’s BMW R12 from 30’s and 40’s, Britain’s BSA Gold Star from the 50’s and Norton Commando from the late 60’s and early 70’s, and finally, Japan’s Honda Dream CB750 Four launched in 1969.

On the reverse of each coloured coin is one of these uniquely famous motorcycles, which appears to be racing past a background. Below is the motorcycle’s manufacture’s logo, and the coins $1 face value.

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New York precious metals jumped off a cliff Thursday and hit the ground hard. Silver, gold and platinum plunged 13 percent, 4.8 percent and 4.9 percent, respectively. Precious metals weren’t lonely in their fall. U.S. stocks tumbled while oil lost 4.6 percent.

In fact, markets on the whole moved lower over economic concerns that were further aggravated by today’s news of rising U.S. jobless claims and falling factory orders.

November crude oil dropped $4.56 to $93.97 per barrel. It ended toward its intraday low of $93.88.

December silver plunged $1.65 to close to $11.12 an ounce.

October platinum lost $50.10 to end at $979.60 an ounce.

December gold fell $43 to settle at $844.30 an ounce.

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Four numismatic articles are referenced on CoinNews every Tuesday and Thursday. These articles are not authored by us, but we recommend collectors read them for their unusual or interesting content. Have you written or know of an article that should be highlighted on CoinNews? Please let us know! Here are today’s articles:

10 Great Dream Coins
By Mike Thorne, Coins Magazine

In my personal experience, money has always been an object. I’ve been known, for example, to bypass a type of fish at the grocery story because I thought the price was a dollar a pound too high… Having said that, for this article I’m going to fight my normal tendencies and go for broke. I’m going to choose coins that have always appealed to me at least in part because they really are so far out of my league.

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Queues for coins as gold rush starts, again
By Philip Scott, This is Money

As faith in the banking and political system rapidly flounders, nervous savers are once again rushing to that most traditional of safe-havens; gold and demand for the metal in physical form has soared. London based, international gold dealers, ATS Bullion, has enjoyed a surge in business…

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Geologists hunting for diamonds instead recently discovered a 500-year old Portuguese shipwreck filled with silver and gold coins, copper ingots, cannons and other valuable artifacts off the Namibia, African coast.

“The vast amounts of gold coins would possibly make this discovery the largest one in Africa outside Egypt,” said Francisco Alves, a Lisbon-based maritime archaeologist.

There were fears high costs and weather conditions would force a halt to recovery efforts, but all the shipwreck contents are now expected to be retrieved by next week’s end, the ministry of culture in Lisbon said Wednesday.

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Duvall 4-E Variety is Just the Second Reported Specimen

Virginia Beach, VA. DLRC Auctions is proud to offer this week the second known example of the rare Duvall 4-E variety of the Lafayette dollar. This variety was thought to be unique until the discovery of this coin, which has been graded AU58 Cleaned by Dominion Grading Service (DGS).

According to John Feigenbaum, President of David Lawrence Rare Coins, the coin has "the initial appearance of a mint state coin but the luster is almost too nice and lacks the frosty surfaces of a true mint state.

The coin has virtually no wear and has been very lightly cleaned to show evidence of wipe lines upon close examination in proper lighting. The only significant mark on either side of the coin is a 3 mm scratch on Washington’s cheek. Without the mishandling, this coin might have otherwise graded MS63."

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