Volunteer or Else

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If I had any spare time would I volunteer? Well luckily I found this coin instead so I will not be answering that question.

This is actually the sixth time I found this particular Canadian dime and also the least shiny of all of them. When I first found one back in 2001 I was amazed with the quality. It has all the luster of a proof coin yet it was in circulation. Quickly I found a few more all equally proof-like.

Every world coin book I read gave conflicting information about these coins. Some said they were limited, others claim they were only made in proof, and most just overlooked that type.

Thanks to the Charlton Standard Catalogue of Canadian Coins I know the story.

This is an International Year of the Volunteer design on a dime. Made from Multi-Ply plated steel it was made to commemorate the 7.5 million Canadian volunteers who work towards making Canada a better place for all. (Of course I'm quoting the book.)

The reverse has three figures, which look all like women to me, and a radiant sun. The banner says YEAR OF VOLUNTEERS ♦ ANNEES DES BENEVOLES. They were issued for circulation but made with a higher quality, also in silver, and in proof.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 10 Cents / Canada
Year: 2001 P (Non-Proof)
Mintage: 224,714,000
Metal: 92% Steel, 5.5% Copper, 2.5% Nickel (Pictured on a magnet)
Value: $0.10 in G-4

I'm guessing if more people volunteered they might have gotten a special quarter or dollar.

Do you have any Canadian coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

It's Something

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Yes I've been busy and have not been able to post regularly on my new finds. I will say it's not much of an issue since most of my finds are common despite the fact I tried to make change as much as possible.

The U.S. nickel and dollar were from a MetroCard vending machine while the Canadian nickel is from change at a store. Just to get dollar coins I use the MetroCard machines and while most of dollars are from 2000 and crusty brown they do have a quick turnaround. A recent subway trip got me a 2009-P 11th President dollar coin which is good since it came out on August 20, 2009 and it was in my hand by October 18, 2009.

Again nothing too special about each coin:

• The 2006 Canada 5 cents is the first one for me.
• The 1957-D U.S. nickel is the 4th for me but it is half a century old so why not.
• The U.S. dollar is just 1 month old and that is early for a change find.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 5 Cents / Canada
Year: 2006 RCM Logo
Mintage: 43,008,000 (Estimated)
Metal: 94.5% Steel, 3.5% Copper, 2% Nickel
Value: $0.05

Type/Country: 5 Cents / United States of America
Year: 1957 D
Mintage: 136,828,900
Metal: 75% copper 25% nickel
Value: $0.05

Type/Country: 1 Dollar-James K. Polk / United States
Year: 2009 P (Edge normal or ^^)
Mintage: 46,620,000 (Estimated)
Metal: 88.5% Copper, 6% Zinc, 3.5% Manganese, and 2% Nickel
Value: $1.00 in AU-50

Still not one 2009 dime or nickel.

Do you have any coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

2008 Canada Quarter in the Black

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Few finds of interest and little time to post has slowed down my posting. This find was made in September and I used the scanner to grab an image.

While the coin itself is not particularly special the background is why I wanted to post. Taking this art class the professor made sure we bought a specific type of black construction paper.

The point was made that not all black construction paper is made equal. In the above scans you see a bit two black construction paper backgrounds. The slightly faded purplish piece is from a kid's pack. The nice dark true black is from a professional and expensive art store.

How does this relate to coins?
Let me bring this full circle. When using a camera or a scanner black backgrounds are the best. They bring out the luster of a coin with no reflections. The white flash that silver coins tends to have is very muted. Gold coins look especially great against a black background.

Now if I can only wipe all the dust of the scanner it would be great.

Type/Country: 25 Cents / Canada
Year: 2008 RCM Logo
Mintage: Not yet known.
Metal: 94% Steel, 3.8% Copper, 2.2% Nickel
Value: $0.75 in MS-60

Looking back at my pictures you may notice I enjoy using all kinds of backgrounds, kind of like an inside joke that only I'm in on.

Do you have any Canadian coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

Hungary for Coin

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Finally cleared out the left side of my desk from any lingering coins. This was the last of what I thought were interesting coins I got from a huge lot a while back. Now the right side of my desk has a few "bad" coins that are crusty of almost worn that I have to photograph but that may take some time so enjoy this little filler.

It is 116 years old and from Hungary. Although dated 1893 I'm not sure if it was minted in 1893 0r 1892 as the book list mintage for both years as 1892.

10 Fillér K.B, the KB is the mint mark for Kremintz.

MAGYAR KIRÁLYI VÁLTÓPÉNZ which means Hungarian Royal token coin.
I think VÁLTÓPÉNZ should be separated to VÁLTÓ PÉNZ but my Hungarian is almost non-existent.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 10 Filler / Hungary
Year: 1893
Mintage: 15,753,000
Metal: 100% Nickel
Value: $0.25 in F-12(although the verdigris on this one drops the value to metal value)

There are some edge varieties but with only one I don't have enough to compare it to and little information from any other source.

Do you have a coin from Hungary and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

1 Day or 8 Years

It is still a fresh wound and the threat is still out there.

Once again on September 11, 2001 nineteen Muslims under the banner of Al-Qaeda hijacked four planes and crash most of them in American buildings. The loss of life was large. Right-wing-Islamic religious hate is what sparked the attack as none of the hijackers were poor or oppressed.

Never forget.

1974 Canada Cent

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Nothing special to see here but I feel I must post something coin related before September 11.


Found in my change with a few older nickels but nothing to write about. I have a summary on Canadian coins that I want to share but that may take some time due to my new schedule.

Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 1 Cent / Canada
Year: 1974
Mintage: 692,058,489
Metal: 98% Copper, 0.5% Tin, and 1.5% Zinc
Value: $0.02 in F

I did enjoy the pictures taking with a borrowed camera, lots of nice color and contrast.

Do you have a Canada coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you

Edward Kennedy Quarter

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Gothca! Sort of.

Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington the composer, artist, and great musician is who I'm talking about. Finally, after its initial release on January 26, 2009, I got one of these quarters at this particular time. One thing that slowed its circulation was a famous doubled die error surrounding the ELL and the piano keys.

The one pictured below was plucked out of my change after an art store visit. It is not special or doubled in any way, it is not even shiny. Still I got it, leaving only Guam and American Samoa still not found for this year.

I've always been a fan of Duke Ellington but it seems odd to put him on a quarter. Yet this wasn't the real controversy. Once the design and figure were chosen a motto was placed on the coin saying "Taxation Without Representation" which was quickly rejected by the mint. The motto Justice For All was used instead.

The District of Columbia residents must pay federal taxes but they do not get a vote in Congress. I always thought this would be our 51st state quickly followed by Puerto Rico being our 52nd but that has yet to happen.


Here's the stats...
Type/Country: 25 Cents-Washington D.C. / United States
Year: 2009 P
Mintage: 88,800,000 (Estimated)
Metal: 91.67% Copper 8.33% Nickel
Value: $0.25 in F-12

For those wondering I still haven't found any 2009 nickels or dimes.

Do you have a state quarter and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

British Virgin Islands Proofs

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The technical history of coins can easily be traced. The design, metal, and location is something that every society kept extensive records. Even when records are lost modern science can tell what base metals or minting techniques were used. What is often forgotten is the practical use history.

Take the U.S. half dollar since 2001 none have officially been released for circulation. While seldom seen many people still find these modern halves in their change and even more get them from banks and use them in stores. Not to mention casino use.

The British Virgin Islands coins have a similar history. Their official currency is the U.S. Dollar but the Franklin Mint issues all of their "other" coins.

Here is where the history gets sketchy. In 1973 and 1974 I think they issued coins for circulation...or were they? Averaging 15,000 coins the first two years they dropped off to less than 1,000 for the years afterward. Did some people actually use them? Were they intended for locals or tourist like the Cuban two-coin system?

Well I would need several dozens first hand experience stories for a somewhat complete picture. Remembering that if you ask a dozen Americans if $2 bills are still made and used 11 out of 12 will say no and they would be wrong.

A second shot to show the mirror field and the frosty Queen given it that nice cameo effect.

Never finding any British Virgin Islands coins in my change these slightly hazy coins are from that lot I bought a long time back. I really like the pair of birds, they did this on most of these lower denomination coins. After 1985 they completely stopped making these coins and focused on high denomination issues. In 1996 and 1997 reports of $500 dollar coin and others became unclear. From 2002 to present they just pump out low mintage commemorative coins.

Here's the stats from left the top row ...
Type/Country: 25 Cents / British Virgin Islands
Year: 1973 Proof
Mintage: 181,000
Metal: Copper-Nickel
Value: $1.50 in Proof-65(the one pictured is less)
Weight: 7.75 grams(weight is not official)

Type/Country: 50 Cents / British Virgin Islands
Year: 1973 Proof
Mintage: 181,000
Metal: Copper-Nickel
Value: $2.50 in Proof-65(the one pictured is less)
Weight: 14.62 grams(weight is not official)

The coin books did not list the weight for non-silver version of these coins I used my digital scale to get the weight. The silver versions weighed more but were only made in 1977.

Do you have a British Virgin Islands coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

Stamp It, Don't Lick It

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A recent study by the American Chemical Society concluded that up to 90% of all U.S. notes contain cocaine. The reason for the high numbers could not be verified.

The Study
Using a modified gas chromatography-mass spectrometer the bills of 30 cities in 5 countries were analyzed for illicit drugs. The easiest drug to test for is cocaine so all other chemicals were dismissed. Earlier studies were broader in chemical analysis and used techniques that lead to destruction or contamination of the bills being studied.

The Stats
234 U.S. notes
27 Canadian notes
?? Brazil notes
112 Chinese notes
16 Japanese notes

Highest Percentage - U.S. #1, Canada #2, Brazil #3, China #4 , Japan #5
Highest Cities - Washington D.C. at 95% followed closely by Baltimore, Boston, and Detroit
Highest levels - Canada with 2.4 micrograms to over 2,530 micrograms of coke per banknote, U.S.A. is number 2.

Conclusion
No affect what so ever. Most of amount were less than a grain of sand and probably from cross contamination and not direct contact.

Opinion
Drug dealers and counterfeiters mostly from Mexico and South America are the likely key to the problem. International criminals love U.S. money and will sell counterfeits but only use real money when drug dealing.

The problem is so horrible that nearly every bill used outside America gets stamped.

Japanese possibly Korean stamp left, South American stamp on the right.

El Chato means The Flat? Possibly Mexican but most Latin American countries use this term.

SA possibly South Asian I've seen this among Korean stampings.

Cambio BANʞDOLLAR, L.C.G., Amery ?????, O??? Cambio.
All I know is Cambio means change.

A faint ANGEL $%&, Cambio $, ? , ? $ Money

That final bill contained 10 stamps from foreign exchange stamps. With the rampant fakes a person wanting American money must go to an exchanger who verifies the authenticity of every bill by stamping it.

Again drug dealers make there own stamps so each time the note is exchanged it gets re-stamped. By the time these bills com back to the U.S. they passed about a dozen exchangers and also several kilos of drug money.

Update: That red bird stamp L.C.G. is probably the Nazca Bird Line art from Peru.

Also these stamped notes have no extra value and may actually lose value if the ink cannot be removed.

Do you have note or currency and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

Norway Ore Bust

Do you have a coin from Norway and want to know its value? Leave a comment

Norway's coinage was affected uniquely by WWI and WWII.

The top coin you see is 1 Ore from 1919. Other 1 Ore coins from the same series were made of bronze this one is iron. Although Norway remained neutral during WWI they lost most of their mining operations and cargo ships trying to navigate in the war zone.

The entire 1 Ore series from 1908 to 1952 coins are not rare. The iron years from 1918 to 1921 actually have a higher mintage than normal. They do have an increased value because iron is a horrible metal for coins. It will rust under most conditions so finding these coins in un-rusted high grades is difficult.

Obverse

Looking at the bottom two coins it would surprise most people to know they were made during the same time period. 1941 and 1945 10 Ores were issued using both of the design you see. The one with hole is a regular copper-nickel issue. The other is a German occupation issue done in zinc. Again like the iron coin zinc is highly unstable and finding them in high grades becomes difficult.

Reverse

If all these coins were as fine as the copper-nickel holed coin they would fetch $10 to $15 for the set. Unfortunately we have oxygen in our atmosphere so that ruins everything, numismatically speaking.

Here's the stats from left the top row ...
Type/Country: 1 ore / Norway
Year: 1919
Mintage: 12,930,000
Metal: Iron
Value: $1.50 in Fine(the one pictured is less of course)
Weight: 2.00 grams

Type/Country: 10 ore / Norway
Year: 1941
Mintage: 10.150,000
Metal: Copper-nickel
Value: $0.30 in Fine
Weight: 1.50 grams

Type/Country: 10 ore-German Occupation/ Norway
Year: 1945
Mintage: 12,930,000
Metal: Zinc
Value: $4.00 in Fine(the one pictured is less of course)
Weight: 1.25 grams

I added the weight because these are among the lightest coins I ever held. Half the weight of a modern U.S. cent the final 10 ore listed can sit in your hand and you wouldn't feel it.

Do you have a Norwegian coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

Museum Quality: Part 2

Continuing the March Metropolitan Museum of Art trip I just have a couple of numismatic related items that came to my attention. Aside from my small examples The Met has dozens more ancient coins and coin jewelery. Plus they have some Augustus Saint-Gaudens sculptures and statues. Saint-Gaudens was a famous artist who made many coin design in the 1930s.

Gold aurei coins of the first twelve Caesars mounted in a 19th century bracelet. Inspired by the 2nd century writer Suctonius who write biographies of the first twelve Caesars some made this bracelet out of real ancient coins.

Featured are on the first bracelet are Julius Caesar, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero. While on the second bracelet are Galba, Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian.

Here are some random ancient coins.

Royal Badges - Official coins and medals of various kingdoms.

Silver tetradrachm with the head of Adriadne on one side (not pictured)
and the labyrinth in Knossos.
From Gortyn, Crete, 2nd century B.C.

Silver tetradrachm
with the head of Athena on one side
and the owl in wreath.
From Athens, 135-134 B.C.
I love the owl design because it reminds me of the movie Clash of the Titans.

Ptolemy III coins from Thebes hoard 246-222 B.C.

Most likely from the same hoard as the previous image.The Egyptian section is very dark and no flash photography or video is allowed so I could not get a good image.

One thing with Egyptian coins were there thickness. They look like chocolate candies, Peppermint Patties to be exact.

I recommend visiting The Met but give yourself time the place is large and most of the coins are in corners and dead spots.

I took hundreds of pictures from armors to paintings to statues to fully recreated rooms but this one was one of my favorites.


The stained-glass dome was part of Manhattan home circa 1904 and possibly made by Tiffany Studios. Something about it was just very appealing. Sure it has nothing to do with coins or currency but everyone can enjoy its simple beauty.