Dear WBCC members and non WBCC members,

Welcome into the World of Bi-, Tri- and Tetra-metallics.
I hope you enjoy reading this week's issue of the WBCC Newsmail.

Newsmails can now be viewed with images at
http://wbccnewsmailsendlist.groups.live.com/
first you have to join the newsgroup.

1. Bi-metallic 1 Pound from GB.....by Paul Baker, UK
Quote from BBC:
A new (Bi-metallic ) £1 coin, designed to be the "most secure in the world", is set to be introduced in 2017.
It comes amid concerns about the 30-year old coin's vulnerability to counterfeiting, with an estimated 45 million forgeries in circulation.
The new coin is based on the design of the old 3d (three penny) piece, or threepenny bit, a twelve-sided coin in circulation between 1937 and 1971.
A competition will be held to decide the image on one side of the coin.
The Royal Mint, which believes 3% of existing £1 coins are fake, said the move would increase "public confidence" in the UK's currency and reduce costs for banks and other businesses.
The announcement comes as Chancellor George Osborne prepares to deliver his fifth Budget on Wednesday.
'Iconic design'
The current £1 coin was introduced in 1983 as part of the phasing out of the one pound note, which was ultimately withdrawn five years later.
Of the 1.5 billion coins estimated to be in circulation, as many as two million counterfeit ones are removed every year.
The government said the existing coin had been in existence longer than most others and that its technology was no longer suitable to combat increasingly sophisticated counterfeiting techniques.
The proposed new coin will be roughly the same size as the current one and will be based on the once popular three pence piece that disappeared after decimalisation in the early 1970s.
As well as its unique shape, the new coin will be made in two colours and will incorporate state-of-the-art technology to ensure it can be quickly and automatically authenticated at all points.
While the Queen's head will be on the obverse side of the coin, as it is on all legal tender in the UK, the Treasury has said there will be a public competition to decide the image on the other other side.
"With advances in technology making high value coins like the £1 ever more vulnerable to counterfeiters, it's vital that we keep several paces ahead of the criminals to maintain the integrity of our currency," they said.
Adam Lawrence, the chief executive of the Royal Mint, said the process could change the way coins were made in the future.
"The current £1 coin design is now more than 30 years old and it has become increasingly vulnerable to counterfeiting over time.
"It is our aim to identify and produce a pioneering new coin which helps to reduce the opportunities for counterfeiting, helping to boost public confidence in the UK's currency in the process."
The Bank of England, which earlier this year announced that banknotes would be made out of plastic rather than cotton from 2016, said the move would "enhance the security and integrity of the currency"
See also at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yz7-35zmAJY&feature=player_embedded

2. Bi-metallic 2 Euro 2014 from Italy.....by Pabitra Saha, UK
Italy Carabinieri Bi-metallic 2 Euro 2014 has been minted and is ready for issue
Specifications
External ring: CuNi
Center disc: 3 layers, Ni-Brass, Ni, Ni-brass
Diameter: 25.75 mm
Width: 2.20 mm
Weight: 8.50 g

3. Bi-metallic Fantay 250 Roubles 2014 from Russian Overseas Territories.....by Pabitra Saha, UK
Here is a picture of the Bi-metallic 250 Rouble 2014 from the Russian Overseas Territories

4. Bi-metallic Car Was Token from the USA by Bob Spend (via Rod Sell)
Once and a great while I run across a Bi-metallic that I don't think is listed on the group's site. Here  is a carwash token from Quarryville PA with images.
Quarryville// Car Wash (two dots, around) // $100
Carwash Token // No Cash value (two dots, around) // $100
25 mm brass with 10 mm N(I) center, reeded edge

5. Bi-metallic Fantasy's from Isla De coco Island 2014.....by Pabitra Saha, UK
Fantasy Bootlegger Dollar bimetallic coin from Alcatraz Island with Al Capone on Obverse

6. Bi-metallic Quiz Game #919….…by Jack Hepler, USA
Pskov Oblast was commemorated with a Russian Bi-metallic 10 Roubles in 2003. 
The Oblast is bordered by Belarus and which two other countries 
Pskov Coat of Arms

See this coin and others at the WBCC website:  http://wbcc-online.com
Please send your answer to: heplerj@juno.com

WBCC Quiz Game Prize
A Bi-metallic prize will be awarded each month.
The player who has the most correct answers in a month will be the winner. 
If there is a tie, a random drawing will be conducted to select a winner.

Bi-metallic Quiz question #918
In 2005, Russia issued a Bi-metallic 10 Roubles to commemorate which war?
Answer:  World War II.
The March Quiz Game winner will be announced in the April edition of the WBCC Newsmail.

9. Super Quiz #34…………by Jack Hepler, USA
Austria has issued a series of Bi-metallic 25 Euro coins with a core of Niobium. 
Niobium metal exhibits a rather novel characteristic that allows oxidation in predictable colors. 
Austria has utilized this characteristic to produce colored Euro coins since 2003.
There have been three issues using the same color.  Name the color and the years of issue.

Answer to Super Quiz #33
Eight “Bundesländer Series” Bi-metallic 2 Euro coin designs have been issued by Germany thus far. 
Each coin features a landmark.  Which two landmarks (of the eight) are the closest to each other?

The two closest landmarks are the Holston Gate in Lubeck, Scheswig-Holstein and the Schweriner Schloss in Mecklenburg-Volpommern. 
They are located only about 60 km from each other.

There were five players in this game

10. New Bi-, Tri-, or Tetra-metallic images...by Rod Sell, WBCC Webmaster
The new Bi-, Tri-, or Tetra-metallic images are shown at:
http://wbcc-online.com/new-releases/new-images.html

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"See you" next week,