WBCC Newsmail 189, Volume 5, March 25, 2000
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Composed with help from members of the
Worldwide Bi-metallic Collectors Club (WBCC)
and weekly published by Martin Peeters, Netherlands,
Focal Point of the WBCC, martinp@westbrabant.net
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Dear WBCC members and non WBCC members,

Although it was a quiet week, still news about Bi-metallics, so I hope you
enjoy reading it !!

1. My new E-mail address (1)..........by Jackey Endsley, USA

Please read my E-mail address: Jackey Endsley (WBCC member #110)
jme@xtalwind.net

2. My new E-mail address (2)..........by Manuel Gonzalez, Spain

Please read my E-mail address: Manuel Gonzalez (WBCC member #67)
sdgmdg@teleline.es

3. My new E-mail address (3)..........by Jeff Timmons, USA

Please read my E-mail address: Jeff Timmons (WBCC member #36)
jfftmm@foxinternet.com

4. Bi-metallic Turn Token.....by Martin Peeters, Netherlands

I could obtain a Bi-metallic Turn Token. It is a 45mm large token and issued
by the ING bank in the Netherlands for high employes. It is made to
calculate the Change rate between the Guilder and the Euro. Setting the
Guilder in one side, one can see on the other side the Euro value. Unknown
till now where it is made. When you look in the WBCC Homepage
http://www.geocities.com/RodeoDrive/7513/wbcc/wbcc.html you can see a
scan of this Bi-metallic Turn Token

5. Bi-metallic Canada 2 Dollar blanc...by Martin Peeters, Netherlands

This week I could obtain a Bi-metallic 2$ planchet used by the Canadian
Mint. The ring and centre were seperate as they are bofore striking. Now I
understand why several misstrikes are possible. When the ring and centre
come together in the Mintpress and the are not at the right place when the
die is striking we have a misstrike. The only thing that bothers me is: how
can they go out of the Canadian Mint while, I assume, they check each
Bi-metallic 2 Dollar.

7. New Bi- or Tri-metallic images....by Rod Sell, WBCC Homepage Provider

This weeks new pictures in the WBCC Homepage:
http://www.geocities.com/RodeoDrive/7513/wbcc/wbcc.html

* New Australian Page Bi-Metallic Images from Australia
* Singapore Year 2000  $5 in Special  Fortune Pack
* US Good For 1 Token from John Zywicki of Pulaski, Wisconsin
* The P-Z page has been split to the 3 pages below with the relevant tokens
also shown:
- Bi-Metallics Images from Countries P-R
- Bi-Metallics Images from Countries S
- Bi-Metallics Images from Countries T-Z
* US Trade Token page Alabama to Iowa has been split into the 2 pages below:
- Bi-Metallic US Trade Tokens Alabama to Arkansas
- Bi-Metallic US Trade Tokens California to Iowa
* US 5 Cent Trade Token from Goodman Lumber Co of Goodman Wisconsin.
* The Netherland Bi-metallics have been divided into the 3 Pages below:
- Bi-Metallics Euro & Ecu Images from The Netherlands
- Bi-Metallics MTT Images from The Netherlands
- Bi-Metallics Images from The Netherlands
* Netherlands Bi-metallics token calculator. The inner piece rotates to
convert Guilders to Euros
* Silver Strike Token from Crystal Casino Aruba
* US Atlantic City Expressway Token from Pleasantville NJ
* Bahrain 500 Fils of Year 2000
* Germany Munzpragstaat Munnich inlay tokens.
* Netherlands MTT 1 from Wijk bij Duurstede
* Netherlands MTT 2 from Wijk bij Duurstede
* Netherlands MTT 3 from Wijk bij Duurstede
* Austria 2000 Sigmund Freud 50 Schilling
* Gibraltar 1999 2 Pound Mare of Diomedes

8. Bi-metallic 2 Pound 2000 from the UK...by Martin Peeters, Netherlands

According the latest brochure I received from the Britsh Royal Mint Coin
Club, the following sets for the year 2000 are available with the
Bi-metallic 2 Pound 2000 (Edge 'Standing on the Shoulders of the Giants')

* 2000 BU set (Price 11,50 Pound)
* 2000 Wedding set (Price 15,95 Pound)
* 2000 Baby set (Price 15,95 Pound)
* 2000 Standard Proof set (Price 29,95 Pound)
* 2000 DeLuxe Proof set (Price 39,95 Pound)
* 2000 Executive Proof Set (69,95 Pound)

Order address:
Royal Mint Coin Club
PO Box 500
Cardiff
Great Britain
CF1 1HA

also available at:

Airedale Coins
PO Box 7
Oakwood Park, Lady Lane
Bingley, West Yorkshire
BD16 4ST
England
E-mail: order@airedalecoins.com
Homepage: http://www.airedalecoins.com

9. The World Of Bi-metallics Catalog...by Martin Peeters, WBCC Focal Point

The new edition (April 1st) of The World Of Bi-metallics catalog is almost
ready for distribution. This edition covers
* Section 1: WBCC Activities
* Section 2: 958 (+ 24) Coins from 74 (+2) Countries
* Section 3: 197 (+ 3) Ecus/Euros from 25 (+5) Countries
* Section 4: 446 (+30) Tokens from 32 (+1) Countries

10. Coin World article...by Martin Peeters, Netherlands

The following article can be read in the March 30th edition of Coin World.
It is written by WBCC member Ken Potter.

--Quote
Setting The 'mule' record straight
Guest Commentary
Ken Potter, is an error specialist, dealer and frequently reports on new
error finds of both the U.S. and Canadian Coins

In the Jan. 24 issue of Coin World (Page 1) I wrote about a new discovery of
a "mule" enor on the bimetal Canadian $2 Nunavut coin. "Mule" is collector
parlance for an enor coin struck with mismatched dies - not intended to be
used together. The "mule" which is found in proof like sets, was the result
of a standard $2 obverse being mated to a reverse designed without a raised
border sunounding the inner core; intended to strike the sterling silver
Proof version of the coin. That article contained two errors on the
technical information given on the standard and sterling silver $2 Nunavut
coins. None of the inaccuracies change the coin's collectibility or the fact
that it is a "mule". However, I did want to set the record straight. Based
on information that I obtained from one of my sources, I reported that the
obverse and reverse dies used to strike the $2 Nunavut  pieces for
circulation proof like sets and specimen sets (which are struck on a
standard, bimetal, nickel-aluminum bronze planchet), included a raised
border (on the coin) that sunounds the inner core to aid funneling of metal
into the interlocking mechanism used to secure the outer ring and core. I
also reported that the planchet for the sterling silver version is of
one-piece construction and contains a gold overlay to the central area
normally occupied by the core and that because no interlocking mechanism was
necessary for this one-piece planchet, the border was eliminated from the
reverse for aesthetic reasons.
However, Worldwide Bi-Metallic Collectors Club member Frans Woons of Canada
disagreed and stated that the sterling silver planchet was bimetal, composed
of two-piece constniction and that a quick check with the Mint confirmed
this. Wanting to be sure that the Mint provide him with accurate information
on the sterling silver planchet (and not mistakenly on the standard
planchet), I decided to reaffirm his information by contacting the Mint
myself. Since I was also bothered by the statement that an interlocking
mechanism would employ a raised border that, by my logic, would serve to
pull metal away from the core rather than funnel it in, I decided to ask
about that too. In response to these questions, Piene Morin, RCM public
relations, supplied the following information:
"The bimetallic sterling silver $2 coin found in our Proof set is not
produced out of [a) one [piece) planchet; it is two pieces that will be
struck together and as we are striking the coin we will lock them into
position. So it is a true Bimetallic coin in the sense that it has two
elements. The core of the inner core is also made out of silver similarly to
the outer ring but it is plated gold. Then you take that inner core, you
deposit it inside the inner ring and then at the striking level you impart
the designs as well as lock the mechanism together. In terms of why there is
a rim and [or] why there is no rim [bordering the core on the various
versions of the coin]; [or] why did we decide to eliminate the rim [around
the core] - simply for esthetic reasons. The rim in itself is not a part of
a locking mechanism, it was just an esthetic element. In the case of the
Proof $2 we decided to remove the ring just for esthetic reason to make it a
little bit different so that when you are acquiring the Proof set you are
truly acquiring a product with various distinctive features; one, of course
being that it is made out of sterling silver instead of nickel and the $2
inner core is gold plated as well as the fact that the $2 has different
particularities such as the removal of the actual border that you'd find on
a specimen or circulation [strike]" ©
--Unqote

11. Collectors Universe article........by Martin Peeters, Netherlands

The following article can be read in Collectors Universe pages,
http://www.collectors.com/worldcoins/ , and it is written by WBCC member Ken
Potter

--Quote
Three Millennium ‘Mules' Found on Canadian Coinage!
Ken Potter - March 23, 2000  $2 Nunavut coin

‘Mules' involving the Canadian, September and November 1999 Millennium 25
cent pieces have become a hot item for newspaper, radio and television
audiences in Canada! Additionally, another lesser publicized mule has also
been identified on the commemorative $2 Millennium Nunavut coin. ‘Mule,' is
collector parlance for an error coin that has been struck with mismatched
dies -- not intended to be used together.

Small quantities of the September, "Canada Through a Child's Eye" and
November, "The Airplane Opens the North," coins were reported found in some
of the Royal Canadian Mint's special proof-like, "Souvenir Sets," mated with
a regular obverse die intended for use with the standard Caribou design
reverse.

The Caribou design was not struck for circulation in 1999 but was issued in
some of the standard numismatic sets. It's obverse does not include the
denomination, which is traditionally found on the reverse surrounded by the
antlers of the Caribou. The denomination was moved from the reverse to the
obverse for the special Millennium coins in order to make room for the
commemorative motifs.

The result of this muling was a small quantity of September and November
coins struck with the larger bust obverse bearing no denomination – or what
the general press in Canada has been referring to as the, "Missing 25 Cents
coins."

Reports indicate that the errors are being found in sets delivered by the
RCM in September and October. These sets are comprised of proof-like
examples of the 12 Millennium 25 cent coins (and a specially-designed medal)
inserted into an oval-shaped cardboard holder described by the RCM as, "a
reproduction of an original Thomas Bowen chart published in 1785" -- simply
referred to by collectors as a map of Canada.

It appears that the discovery was first reported to the public via two eBay
auctions which began within minutes of each other on December 18, 1999 by
Colonial Acres Coins of Kitchener, Ontario.

Soon after the first auctions appeared, Canadian radio and television
audiences were greeted with reports on the errors described as Millennium 25
Cent pieces missing the denomination. The first report of a radio broadcast
came in to me on December 21st from Laurie Alain who heard it on an Ottawa
radio station the same day. She found specimens missing other design
elements but it is unclear if she found any of the mules. Gary Blenkhorn, of
Ontario, who said he is not a collector but traditionally buys a few sets
every year to give out as Christmas gifts, said he first learned of the
errors while watching television. Blenkhorn, whose sets arrived in
September, said:

"We first heard of the errors ... when we were watching the news about one
or two days after Christmas. We thought we should check them just in case.
To our astonishment we found that two of our three sets contained the coins
like they were talking about. The September and November coins had the ‘25
cents’ missing under the Queen's bust. We had to remove the coins from the
cardboard holder to see the Queen side, they came out very easily and we
were able to put them back in. To my knowledge these have only been found on
these two months. I have heard rumors about one set with October and
November but I haven't heard for sure."

Todd Sandham of Colonial Acres Coins provided information on where they are
being found. In an e-mail dated January 3rd he states: "... so far the Mule
quarters have only been found in the Royal Canadian Mint's Millennium
Uncirculated Set. I have received confirmation from about 20 individuals who
have found the mule 25c's in the oval map of Canada holders. None of the
25c's found were contained in the Christmas cover packaging. It would seem
that the mule 25c was produced sometime in September (we had an unopened box
of 40 maps that we had received in September and consequently found a
handful of mule 25c's in those sets). The Christmas covering started
sometime mid-November - and apparently they produced new sets - i.e. did not
go to their existing stock and re-pack them. Therefore this would explain
why no large busts have been found with Christmas covers.

”We found a pretty good mix between sets containing both Sept and Nov. and
others containing only one of the 25c's (mules)."

Although it appears to have been known to "insiders" for months, word that a
mule also exists on the $2 Nunavut coin came in right on the heels of the
discovery of the September and November Millennium 25 cents mules.

This time the RCM included some $2 Nunavut Millennium ‘Mules' into its
standard seven-coin "uncirculated sets" (referred to by collectors as
proof-like sets). The $2 Nunavut piece was struck for circulation,
proof-like sets and specimen sets on a standard, bimetallic, nickel-aluminum
bronze planchet. The obverse and reverse dies used to strike these coins
include a raised border (on the coin) that surrounds the inner core. The
raised border aids in the funneling of metal into the interlocking mechanism
used by the RCM to secure the outer ring and core. The planchet for the
sterling silver version is of one-piece construction and contains a gold
overlay to the central area normally occupied by the core, so no
interlocking mechanism or border is necessary. While the obverse used to
strike the sterling silver version has a raised border around the core area,
the reverse does not and it is speculated by noted Canadian numismatic
researcher and error specialist, Patrick Glassford, to have been eliminated
to create a more aesthetically pleasing appearance to the finished product.

The error, which was first brought to my attention via an educational
Internet site managed by Glassford, is comprised of an obverse with the
raised border around the inner-core, mated to a silver-proof-style design
reverse without the border. Pascal Goovaerts of Montreal, Quebec, who first
reported the error to Glassford (and apparently discovered the variety),
stated that the reverse die does not have a proof finish, indicating that
the die was improperly processed for proof-like production. Goovaerts said
that he found one of the errors in a batch of 20 proof-like sets that he
ordered directly from the RCM on June 18th. He discovered the variety
shortly after receiving them and placed one up on eBay in July. He did not
supply the results of his auction but noted that he sold two of the three
examples he was able to uncover of this coin.

He stated that on November 20th , he met a spokesperson from the RCM at the
Nuphilex coin and stamp show in Montreal, QC, who told him that the RCM
control process found the wrong die in use and informed staff that ‘mules'
could have been struck and that they decided to destroy many sets. Goovaerts
believes that only a few sets were delivered to the public. The original
design of the two-dollar coin, introduced in 1996, shows an adult polar bear
in early summer on an ice floe. It was struck for several months of 1999 on
standard and silver planchets and included into early issues of the RCMs,
uncirculated, specimen and proof sets. None were produced for general
circulation.

The Nunavut $2 coin, which was designed by the Inuit artist, Germaine
Arnaktauyok, was struck in three metallic versions: 22-karat gold, sterling
silver and standard metals. The gold version is comprised of a 22 karat gold
inner core with 4.1 karat gold outer ring, the sterling silver version
contains a 92.5% sterling silver outer ring and a 22-karat gold plated
center; the standard planchet is comprised of an outer ring of nickel and an
inner core of aureate aluminum-bronze.

While it is too early to predict the estimated rarity or ultimate value of
any of the 1999 Mules, the pieces are currently enjoying a wide range of
price-results on the Internet-based eBay auctions.

Prices have ranged from $214.50 to $455 each, in auctions I've observed for
the 25 cent varieties. No auction results are currently available to me for
the $2 variety. Glassford notes wide swings in price but believes they will
settle in around the $500 level for the individual 25 cent pieces and the
$75 to $150 range for the $2 coin.

Millennium 25 cent pieces were photographed courtesy of Bob Fowkes of
Michigan. The images of the $2 coin illustrated here are courtesy of Patrick
Glassford.

Ken Potter is the official attributer and lister of world doubled dies for
the Combined Organizations of Numismatic Error Collectors of America and for
the National Collector's Association of Die Doubling. He privately lists
U.S. doubled dies and other collectable variety types on both U.S. and world
coins in the Variety Coin Register. He also pens Coin World's Varieties
Notebook column found in the first issue of every month.
For more information on either of the clubs, or on how to get a variety
listed in the Variety Coin Register, send a self addressed 99c (US) stamped
long envelope to Ken Potter, P.O. Box 760232, Lathrup Village, MI
48076-0232.
--Unqoute

12. Coin World article...by Martin Peeters, Netherlands

The following article can be read in the March 30th edition of Coin World.

--Quote
Hungary celebrates first 1,000 years of nationhood
National Bank of Hungary issues new gold, bimetal commems to honor event
This year, the people of Hungary are commemorating their thousandth year as
a nation. The National Bank of Hungary is honoring the occasion with two
commemorative coin issues, a 3,000-forint bicolor piece made of silver and
gold, and a 23.7 karat gold 20,000-forint coin. Each of them features the
crown of St. Stephen, Hungary's enduring national symbol and the emblem of
the state. An outline of the crown is shown on the pure gold gilded core of
the 3,000-forint silver coin, within the legend Magyar Koztarsasag (Republic
of Hungary). The crown is the main motif on the 20,000-forint gold coin.
The obverse of the gold coin also makes use of one of the engraving on the
crown an enamel pichure of Saint Michael the Archangel. (T'he Archangels
Michael and Gabriel depicted on the crown were intended of the divine source
of the ruler's power). The reverse of the 3,000-forint bicolor pays tribute
to the   cradle of the Hungarian state, the medieval Royal Palace in
Esztergom. Esztergom was St. Stephen's birthplace and Hungary's first
capital. It is represented by an engraving of the rose window in the palace
chapel. The issue of these coins is limited to 3,000 Proof gold coins and
just 5,000 specimens of the bicolor in Proof and another 5,000 in
Uncirculated. Orders will be filled in the order received. The silver coin
is denominated at 3,000 forints. It comes in both bicolor and brilliant
Uncirculated versions. The inner core of the bicolor coin is plated with
gold. The price is $42.50 for   the silver coin and $49.50 for the bicolor
coin.
[snip]
The North American representative of the National Bank of Hungary is the
Coin and Currency Institute. For more information, contact the Coin and
Currency Institute, PO. Box 1071, Clifton, NJ·07014, telephone (800)
421-1866, fax (973) 471-1062 or E-mail:mailto:mail@coin-currency.com. Visit the
Web site at http://www.coin-currency.com/. ©
--Unquote
 

"See" you next weeks,
Martin Peeters, Focal Point of the
Worldwide Bi-metallic Collectors Club
martinp@westbrabant.net
--------------------------------------------------------------
The Worldwide Bi-metallic Collectors Club
was established September 14, 1996 and is the very first Worldwide
Collectors Club using the Internet. Goal of the WBCC is exchange
Bi-metallics and exchange knowledge about Bi-metallics
WBCC Organisation:
WBCC Homepage Provider: Rod Sell, Australia, Rod.Sell@elderwyn.com
WBCC DoCu-Centre: Frans Dubois, Netherlands, dubois.f@wxs.nl
WBCC Public Relations: Cliff Anderson, USA, chander@mciworld.com
WBCC Research Centre: Paul Baker, UK, 113076.167@compuserve.com
WBCC Developement Centre, Jack Hepler, USA, leslie.j.hepler@saic.com
WBCC Focal Point: Martin Peeters, Netherlands, martinp@westbrabant.net