WBCC Newsmail 248, Volume 6, May 12, 2001
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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, bi.metallic@kabelfoon.nl
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Dear WBCC members and non WBCC members,
I hope you really enjoy reading this weeks WBCC Newsmail !!
1. My new E-mail address..by Nick Sicurella, USA
Please read my new E-mail address: Nick Sicurella (WBCC member #111),
nicks3@earthlink.net
2. Bi-metallic pattern from Chile....by Francisco Jovel, Chile
If you take a look in the WBCC Homepage
http://www.geocities.com/RodeoDrive/7513/wbcc/wbcc.html
you can find a
scan of a problable Bi-metallic pattern of Chile which I obtained.
I
believe this was made to test the machinery for the new Bi-metallic
500
Peso coins. Both sides depict the same design, the Chilean coat of
arms. If
somebody knows more about this, please E-mail me at: fjovel@sixbell.cl
3. Bi-metallic proposals from Basil...by Antonio da Silva, Brasil
Last weekend I was visiting weekly numismatic fair here in Sao Paulo,
where
I find a brochure issued by Central Bank of Brazil in 1998 describing
the
contest to choose the new brazilian coins family including the first
brazilian Bi-metallic, participated many designer whole country. The
design
winner was the currently showing allegory of republic in Bi-metallic,
in
this brochure apears also the others 1 Real Bi-metallic designs refused,
you
can see in WBCC page, this coins was not minted. I think some are very
beautiful as that shows "Cristo redentor" wourldwide famous monument
in Rio
de Janeiro and that shows Tucano bird.
4. Bi-metallic Medal from Russia......by Wadim Nensberg, Russia
If you take a look in the WBCC Homepage you can see a scan of the 2001
issue
of continued Bi-metallic tokens set dedicated to "Russian Imperators"
The
5-th token in serie.
Also 5 Bi-metallic tokens were minted in serie "Russian Patriarkhs".
On the
reverse under the date 1710 is placed a mint mark, date of issue and
on the
right hand is a mark of gold plating "Gold" ring -"silver" inside.
5. Bi-metallics - who makes what?.....by Paul Baker, UK
Have you ever wondered where your coins have come from. Perhaps you
got your
latest (new issue) coins from a friend, who got them from a dealer,
who got
them from a wholsesale-dealer, who got them from the relevant mint.
But what
next ? Well the mint may or may not have made the blanks. So in some
instances the blanks may have travelled thousands of miles to a mint.
Since
the alloy only starts to be anything resembling a coin when it becomes
a
blank, let's not worry about where the alloy comes from - that would
be
another story.
Whenever press releases are put out about new coins, varying amounts
of
details are given about the producer of the coins. Sometimes clues
are given
on the coins themselves, as to their origin (for example - mint marks).
Most
collectors like to find things out about their coins - perhaps about
the
alloys used, the subject of the designs, the designer, the dimensional
specifications, the current exchange rate value etc... To me
one rather
challenging thing to find about about a coin is - where was it minted
and
did that mint make the blanks or did it buy them in. (Turning this
around -
I also look at each mint or blanks supplier and look into who their
customers have been.)
It would be impossible to find this information for every coin - so
I
concentrate on determining the origins of just certain categories of
coins.
One of these categories is of course bi-metallic coins (mainly just
those in
base alloys). Coins by the Royal Canadian Mint, coins for India and
coins
for Africa are all other categories of coins I investigate.
I have been looking into mints for bi-metallics for worldwide circulation
coinages for over a year now. I started with the easiest first e.g.
the G.B.
bi-metallics are all made by the British Royal Mint in South Wales.
Soon I
had all the easy ones done. Here are a couple of the harder ones I
have
recently worked out. I hope to get something of a full list prepared
for all
to see - some time in the not too distant future.
A few days ago (with the help of "Yahoo") I found information at
http://www.martkorea.or.kr/ec98-4.html
, from April 1998, about the source
of the recent issues of Iranian 250 Rials coins (KM-1262). This page
included details that tell us that Poongsan Corp. of South Korea recently
(as at April 1998) won a contract to supply 1,700 tons of bi-metallic
blanks
for the Iranians to strike (presumably at their mint in Tehran) into
circulation coins. This equates to around 160 million of the 10.7 gram
250
Rials coins, the only bi-metallic coins of Iran. Also included in this
contact were 4,500 tons of copper-nickel coin blanks. The length
of this
contract could well be greater than one year - but details are not
given.
Poongsan is one of the biggest supplier of coin blanks in the world
and has,
over the past 20 years, (as at April 1998) supplied 17,000 tons of
coin
blanks to Iran (which I can only image, could well have included an
amount
of bi-metallic blanks).
I do often use search engines specific to other regions of the world,
but
the key bit of information for my second recent "discovery" was also
found
via "Yahoo". This case is one is about bi-metallic blanks that travelled
even further than the distance from South Korea to Iran. In Newsmail
199
Item 5 details were given of the Malaysian 1 Ringgit released on May
2nd
2000 commemorating the Thomas/Uber Cup Badminton Championships. I had
got
those details of Malaysia's first bi-metallic coins from the site of
Bank
Negara Malaysia, in particular a press release of theirs at
http://www.bnm.gov.my/pa/2000/0502.htm
. (This press release is still at
that URL.) There were actually three coins with the design seen on
these
bi-metallics. The three coins were a Gold coin of 8 grams and mintage
8,888,
a Silver coin of 25 grams and mintage 20,000 and the bi-metallic (CuNiAl
ring, CuNi outer) with a mintage 2 million. All coins are said to have
been
made by Mariwasa Kraftangan Sdn. Bhd. of Malaysia. The page
http://www.moneycards.at/en/news/20000405105719.html , interestingly,
gives
details of a contract won by the Austrian Mint in January 2000. This
was a
contract for ""blanks, minting tools and 2 coining presses for the
production of 8,888 gold coins, 20,000 silver coins and 2 million special
circulating coins for collectors in Malaysia"". This information plus
specification details etc.. found elsewhere mean the following. The
blanks
and tooling for the Gold coins (RM100) and the Silver coins (RM10)
for the
Badminton Championships were supplied by the Austrian Mint and the
coins
struck in Malaysia by Mariwasa Kraftangan Sdn. Bhd. Likewise the bi-metallic
1 RM coins were made in Malaysia by the same company and also used
blanks
from the Austrian Mint. Furthermore it would rather seem that the blanks
for
the Malaysian bi-metallics are identical to those for the all recent
bi-metallic Austrian 50 Schilling coins. Both coins are known to be
26.5mm
diameter, 8.15 grams mass and have CuAl6Ni2 outer-rings. The Austrian
coins
are usually detailed as having cores of "Magnimat 7". This is clad
layers of
Nickel and Copper-Nickel. The Malaysian coins are said to have CuNi25
cores.
However since both have the same (oddly) weak magnetic properties it
would
seem rather likely that these cores and hence whole blanks are identical.
(Without the regions of pure Nickel in the core there would be no
magnetism.) It is also rather likely that one or both of the presses
supplied along with the blanks were used for striking the bi-metallic
coins.
6. The WBCC Bi-metallic Quiz Game #248...by Jack Hepler, USA
Pedro Nunes and Garcia de Orta are honored on Bi-metallic coins of what
country?
a. Argentina
b. Brazil
c. Portugal
d. Spain
Please send your answer to me: heplerj@juno.com.
I'll be out next week but
you will see the results of this Quiz in the #249th issue of the WBCC
Newsmail.
Answer to Bi-metallic Quiz Game question #247.
This African country has produced two bi-metallic coins for circulation.
The first in 1987 and a second in 1995 of a different value.
The design
reflects both the Arabic and the European influence in that the date
is
shown both in the Muslim and the Christian years. The country
crest is
flanked by two lions and topped by a star.
a. Algeria
b. Kenya
c. Morocco
d. Syria
Answer to Question #247 is "c", Morocco
Summary of answers to Quiz Game Question #246; 100% correct.
All players
got the correct answer.
7. WBCC Auction Page (WAP).........by Rod Sell, WAP Provider
WBCC Auction 26 has almost closed. Look for the result at:
http://wbcc-online.com/Auction26.html
(NEW URL !!)
WBCC Auction 27 is open now, and closes 10 PM Sydney Time Saturday May
19,
2001 Sydney is 10 Hrs ahead of Greenwich (London) Time.
http://wbcc-online.com/Auction27.html
(NEW URL !!)
Please read the WBCC Auction Rules.
Listed are:
* Colombia 500 Pesos 1996 UNC, Reserve $3.00
* Italy 500 Lire 1982 XF and 500Lire 1998 IFAD UNC, Reserve $3.00
* Croatia 25 Kuna 2000 UNC, Reserve $6.50
WBCC Auction 28 details can now send to Rod Sell at Rod.Sell@elderwyn.com
If
possible send a scan of the coin.
8. 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
* Chile Pattern Piece
* Brasil 20 proposals for the 1 Real coin
* Australia $20 Gold & Silver "Sir Donald Bradman"
* Russia Imperator Series "Peter The Great" Medal
9. Bi-metallic collection for sale...by Curt Judge, USA
My Bi-metalllic Coin Collection is for sale. 316 different Bi- and
Tri-metalllic coins all in 2X2 vinyl flips cataloged with Krause numbers.
Coin condition is superb with 98% being UNC, BUNC or Proof. 2000. Edition
of
Krause World Coin Catalog included. 1500 US$ or best offer plus postage
and
insurance.
Complete listing available via email from Chjtoken@aol.com
If no sale by
May 30, I will offer individual coins at a low fixed price and the
better
items via WBCC auction.
10. Bi-metallic Yuri Gagarin offer.... by Wadim Nensberg, Russia
I have a limited offer for the 10 ruble 2001 Gagarin Bi-metallic for
2US$.
If you have interest, contact me at: wadim@caravan.ru
"See you" next week,
Martin Peeters, Focal Point of the
Worldwide Bi-metallic Collectors Club
bi.metallic@kabelfoon.nl
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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, cliff38@earthlink.net
WBCC Research Centre: Paul Baker, UK, 113076.167@compuserve.com
WBCC Developement Centre, Jack Hepler, USA, heplerj@juno.com
WBCC Focal Point ANA 2001 Convention, Ray Lockwood, USA,
sunray@comteck.com
WBCC Focal Point: Martin Peeters, Netherlands, bi.metallic@kabelfoon.nl
WBCC Homepage: http://www.geocities.com/RodeoDrive/7513/wbcc/wbcc.html
"All That Is Bi-metallic" Webside: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Estates/9540/bmhome.html
Bi-metallic Forum Page: http://network54.com/Forum/86625
The WBCC is officially sponsored for the Basel World
Money Fair by:
* Imprensa Nacional - Casa da Moeda, S.A (The Portuguese
Mint)
and * Schuler Presses, Germany