WBCC Newsmail 190, Volume 5, April 1, 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,

A little sensation in this week's WBCC Newsmail to report. Just read
further. I hope you enjoy reading it !!

1. Bi-metallic amusement tokens............by Cliff Anderson, USA

In the WBCC Homepage
http://www.geocities.com/RodeoDrive/7513/wbcc/wbcc.html you will see two
Bi-metallic amusement tokens that I don't know anything about. WBCC member
Brian Silsbee sold them to me and said that he didn't know anything either,
except that he had them for a long time and had never seen others like them.
The Hawaii Cosmic Fantasy Restaurant & Gaming Resort has an armadillo
playing on each side. And the ABC amusement token is the same design on both
sides.
Does any member have any catalog or information on amusement tokens to
further describe these and other Bi-metallic amusement tokens? If yes please
E-mail me at: chander@mciworld.com

2. Bi-metallic future 1 Euro 2000 available...by Martin Peeters, Netherlands

As you know 11 Countries of the European Community are preparing the
introduction of the future (Bi-metallic) 2002 Euros. The National Mints are
striking now these Euros and store them at several places in the 11
countries. It is almost impossible to visit these places, although in the
Netherlands. Still I succeeded in obtaining several Bi-metallic 1 Euro
pieces dated 2000 and depicting the Dutch Queen Beatrice. Because I have
only a few pieces I will give them away by lottery for the WBCC members. For
complete instructions (to be sure only WBCC members can obtain a Bi-metallic
1 Euro 2000) how you can obtain a piece look at:
http://www.geocities.com/RodeoDrive/7513/wbcce-i/wbcc01042000.html Good
luck!

3. 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
* US  ABC Amusement Token
* Hawaii Amusement Token
* Isle of Man 2000  2 Pound
* US $1 Trade Token from Mengel Box Company of Dyersburg, Tenn
* US 5 Cent Trade Token from Bridgeport Coal Co. of Bridgeport, Texas
* US 25 Cent Trade Token from Bridgeport Coal Co. of Bridgeport, Texas
* Elks Carnival & Street Fair Schwaab S.&S. Co.  Milwaukee

4. Bi-metallic 2 Pound 2000 I.o.M..by Manuel Gonzalez, Spain

Refering to WBCC Newsmail 185, item 3, about the Isle of Man new Bi-metallic
2 Pound 2000, "Christian Heritage", it is vailable for 4 Pounds 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/

A picture of this new Bi-metallic 2 Pound 2000 can be seen in the WBCC
Homepage: http://www.geocities.com/RodeoDrive/7513/wbcc/wbcc.html

5. Bi-metallic section of Paul Davis...by Martin Peeters, Netherlands

Paul Davis of Arctic Coins (several WBCC members know him from eBay) has a
special page offering Bi- and Tri-metallics. The URL is:
http://www.arcticcoin.com/bimetal.htm

6. Bi-metallics from the BRM...by Martin Peeters, Netherlands

The BRM (British Royal Mint) site has had a big update in the last week or
so.
Now when you open the site.... http://www.royalmint.com/
Then
Select - About us
then
Select - How we make coins
then
Select - Two Pounds coins
You can then read about the processes used by the BRM in the manufacture of
Bi-metallic coins.

If at the homepage and you
select - Shop
then
select - Collections
then
select 1999-2000 Masterpiece Millennium Collection

A picture of the Falkland Bi-metallic 2 Pounds coin - silver proof with
outer-ring being goldplated can be seen

This piece is the first in a 24 coin multi-national series. It is a
"subscription series" buyers acquire the whole series by paying 24
installments of around 30 to 35 Pounds (depending where you are different
tax is due).

7. Bi-metallic Gibraltar 2 Pound serie...by Martin Peeters, Netherlands

In the Gibraltar "The Labours of Hercules" Bi-metallic 2 Pound serie, till
now 1 piece has been issued in 1997, 3 pieces were issued in 1998, 4 were
issued in 1999 and the following 4 designs are planned to be issued in 2000:

* Takes the golden Hippolyta's girdle of the queen of the Amazons
* Seizes the cattle of Geryon
* Fetches the golden apples of Hesperides
* Captures the three-headed dog Cerberus

So the complete "The Labours of Hercules" serie contain 12 Bi-metallic 2
Pounds. Till now I didn't see the 2000 pieces.

8. 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
Richard Giedroyc

--Quote
Latvia Joins Bimetallic Club
Richard Giedroyc - March 28, 2000

Latvia has joined a club that is quickly becoming less and less exclusive as
interest in issuing ringed bimetal coins continues to grow among world
governments.
Late last year, Latvia issued a 1999-dated ringed bimetal 2-lats coin for
circulation. The coin is composed of a copper-nickel ring and a
copper-nickel-zinc center. The center of the coin is golden in color, while
the outer ring is a distinctively different silver or white color.
The obverse depicts the heraldry of Latvia with legend LATVIJAS REPUBLIKA
and the date. The reverse depicts a cow with the denomination. The reverse
design elements link the ring and center parts of the planchet through
clouds appearing on each part of the two-metal coin blank.
The coin has an interrupted reeded edge with edge lettering LATVIJAS BANKA
(Bank of Latvia) twice, each separated by dots. According to the WBCC
report, the coin has a diameter of 26.3 millimeters and a weight of 9.5
grams.

There was a time (back in 1982) when only Italy, San Marino and Vatican City
were issuing ringed bimetal coins for circulation. The coins were all struck
exclusively at the Italian State Mint at that time.

Today, only the WBCC can identify how many countries are issuing either
circulation strike or collector commemoratives using ringed bimetal
planchets. The concept has become popular with governments because the
ringed bimetal coins have a distinct color difference from other single
composition metal denominations, the colors can be varied if more than one
ringed bimetal denomination is issued, and the coins are difficult to
counterfeit.

In addition to this, Mints looking to make a profit from sales of collector
coins have found these ringed bimetal coins are popular. The coins are
sufficiently popular that the WBCC was founded on the Internet to service
people collecting these and other coins composed of more than one distinct
and separate metal as a specialty area.

The WBCC sends weekly newsletters online to all club members and publishes a
catalog of all world coins, medals and tokens known to be bimetal or more.
(At least three ringed tri-metal coins have been struck as of 1999.) The
British Royal Mint struck the new 2-lats coin for Latvia.
According to information from the central bank of Latvia, the previous
2-lats coins were too easy to counterfeit and accounted for almost three
quarters of all the counterfeits in circulation.
Latvia has a numismatic history dating to 1285, but in modern history coins
and bank note have only appeared since 1989, when the Supreme Soviet of the
now-defunct Soviet Union granted the Baltic republics of Estonia, Latvia and
Lithuania the right to issue their own currencies. Each of these three
republics was a Soviet Socialist Republic at the time.
Latvia began issuing its own Latvijas Banka coins and bank notes in rublis
denominations on par with the Soviet ruble in 1992. The Soviet Union
collapsed at that time. Some of the new nations coming from the breakup of
the Soviet Union joined the Commonwealth of Independent States currency
union using Russian rubles, but Latvia elected not to join the CSI.
The following year the Latvia currency system was changed to the traditional
lat denominations of the past with 200 rublu equal to one lat. Bank notes
are issued today in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 500 lati. Some
coins also circulate.

Richard Giedroyc is a numismatic writer, researcher, auction cataloger and
coin dealer. He has been in the hobby and business most of his life, now
having more than three decades experience in this fascinating hobby field.
During this time Giedroyc has been the owner of Paris Bergman Galleries,
owner of Classical Coin Newsletter, international editor of Coin World and
owner of Giedroyc-Anderson Interesting World Coins. He is currently a
numismatic consultant. He has written more than 2,000 byline numismatic
stories and contributed to several coin catalogs.
--Unquote
 

"See" you next weeks,
Martin Peeters, Focal Point of the
Worldwide Bi-metallic Collectors Club
martinp@westbrabant.net
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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