The Government of the British Virgin Islands has approved the release of a new coin to celebrate the Centenary of Naval Aviation.

On 7 May 1909, the Admiralty placed the first order for an aircraft specifically for use in military and naval operations. Little did they know that this single action would ultimately lead to them being one of the key players in the development of military and naval aviation around the world and to the eventual foundation of the Royal Air Force.

Despite initially trying to dissuade officers from following an aviation career, it was soon realised that those that took to the skies in those early days were not only adventurous and brave men but also pioneers in this new form of warfare. Read the rest of this entry »

The Chinese lunar calendar is known to be thousands of years old but they still use it today to mark special events and festivities. In fact, their system is known worldwide along with the twelve animals used to differentiate its cycles.

Said to signify the courage and competitiveness of a natural leader, the tiger is one of those twelve animals and is found on some of the newest releases from The Perth Mint. The 2010 Year of the Tiger Silver Coins feature a variety of options for the collector or gift giver.

Perhaps the most popular in this series will be the colored tiger silver coin. Struck from one ounce of 99.9% pure silver, the 1 dollar face value coin shows a lying tiger that has been colorized to its natural hues. To the left of the tiger is the Chinese character for the animal while underneath is the inscription ‘Year of the Tiger.’ The colored coin is available from the Perth Mint for $68.18 AUS and ships with a presentation case. It is limited to a mintage of 170,000 worldwide. Read the rest of this entry »

The second 100 Euro coin in the gold series "Crowns of the House of Habsburg" will be released on Wednesday, 4th November. It is dedicated to the so-called "Archduke’s Hat", a name derived from the red velvet cap within the crown itself.

The title of archduke was invented by Rudolf IV in the spurious document of 1358/59 called the privilegium maius. It was an attempt to assert the status of the House of Habsburg as the equal of any Prince Elector of the Holy Roman Empire. There exists a mediaeval portrait of Rudolf wearing a crown similar to the Archduke’s Hat. Early versions of the crown have not survived, being either broken up or melted down.

In 1616, however, Archduke Maximilian III of Tyrol had the present Archduke’s Hat fashioned and he gave it to the Augustinian Abbey of Klosterneuburg just outside Vienna in honour of St. Leopold, whose tomb and shrine are still situated there to this day. The crown was not worn as such. There was no coronation. It was rather a symbol of authority and rank. It was brought into Vienna only for the ceremony of homage paid by the Estates of Lower Austria on the accession of a new Habsburg ruler. Even today the crown is not permitted to be outside the walls of the abbey for more than 30 days at a time. Read the rest of this entry »

Winter Park, Florida — Daniel Frank Sedwick, LLC held their 6th overall and 2nd fully live internet auction of numismatic and shipwreck treasures on October 15-16, 2009, realizing a record price of over $1.6 million* in 2082 lots. Featured in the sale were coins and artifacts and printed materials from around the world, including the prestigious collections of Mark Bir, Louis Hudson, Herman Blanton and Thomas Sebring.

"This was by far our best auction, and the feedback from both consignors and bidders has been overwhelmingly positive. We greatly exceeded our goal of $1 million, and over 94% of the lots sold," said Daniel Sedwick, company principal and founder.

"We were honored to present for sale several great collections of coins and artifacts, including a few significant coins that are rarely offered at auction. This is proof that our relatively new and rapidly growing Treasure Auctions are a competitive specialized option for consignors, with an unparalleled level of personalized service from beginning to end for both bidders and consignors alike."

Setting the tone for the sale was lot 1, a Mexican cob 8 escudos fully dated 1709, which found a home with a private collector for a record price of $46,000*. Some 70+ gold cobs followed thereafter. Read the rest of this entry »

Twenty years ago in 1989 the Austrian State Mint passed from the Treasury into the ownership of the central bank. The mint was given the freedom to produce and sell products in accordance with the demands of the modern numismatic and investment markets.

One of the very first innovations introduced by the new CEO, Paul Berger, was the production of a gold bullion coin for investment purposes: the Vienna Philharmonic.

On 16th October this year a limited quantity of 6,027 Vienna Philharmonic coins, each weighing 20 ounces of fine gold, will go on sale in Europe, America and Japan. Read the rest of this entry »

The Austrian Mint in Vienna is issuing the second coin in its €10 silver commemorative series "Tales and Legends in Austria". The theme of the new coin is the captivity of the English king, Richard I, on his homeward journey from the Third Crusade in 1192 and the legend of his loyal friend and troubadour who is said to have discovered in which castle the king was being held.

The first part of the story is indeed history. Richard, called the "Lionhearted" even in his lifetime, mortally offended Duke Leopold V of Austria and the German knights in the crusader army by having the duke’s banner torn down from the walls of the captured city of Acre and letting it be trampled in the dust. Read the rest of this entry »

Ottawa, Ontario, - As Canadians start planning for the holiday season, the Royal Canadian Mint has unwrapped its latest collector coins and gift products of 2009.

A vivid array of precious and base metal coins await the sophisticated collector or gift-giver with offerings such as:

The public can now purchase these new products, while a new Vancouver 2010 silver collector coin featuring an ultra high relief First Nations-inspired rendition of the sun goes on sale October 7. Read the rest of this entry »

Hockey victory voted by fans as the top Canadian Olympic Winter Games moment of all time

OTTAWA, ONTARIO — An historic Olympic hockey victory for Canada is now forever etched on a 25-cent coin. The Royal Canadian Mint is inviting Canadians to save the latest circulation coin in its Vancouver 2010 collection - the 25-cent coin celebrating the men’s hockey gold at Salt Lake City in 2002.

The launch of the coin was commemorated today at a special event for local hockey youth with special guests including NHL hockey star and member of the 2002 men’s Olympic hockey team Michael Peca, Ottawa 67’s head coach Chris Byrne and members of the Ottawa 67’s hockey team.

"Many Canadians from coast to coast remember where they were on February 24, 2002 when the final seconds of the game counted down to the exhilaration of Canada’s first Olympic gold medal in men’s hockey in 50 years," said Ian E. Bennett, President and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint. "We can each relive the thrill of that magical day by saving this special 25-cent coin while looking forward to new memories which will be made at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games."

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On October 1, 2009, the People’s Republic of China is celebrating its 60th anniversary of independence – appropriately with fireworks (which the Chinese invented). China’s status as one of the world’s great financial powers is reflected in the designs of their 60th anniversary coins.

The 1 oz. .999 fine pure silver coin (100,000 authorized) and 5 oz. .999 fine pure gold coin (600) each features a modern bridge and skyscrapers. Read the rest of this entry »

The Royal Australian Mint is now offering the 2009 $1 Inspirational Australian Steve Irwin Uncirculated Coin. This coin is the second in a series of Inspirational Australians that last year featured Mary MacKillip, who was beatified by Pope John Paul I in 1995.

Steve Irwin was a well-known celebrity who met an untimely fate in 2006. Host of the popular Crocodile Hunter series, Irwin was enthusiastically supportive of Australia’s wildlife.

His parents started the Australia Zoo and Irwin grew up around exotic creatures. He is attributed with wresting with his first crocodile at the age of nine. Not content with merely putting on a show, Irwin was adamant about educating the public about wildlife as well. Read the rest of this entry »