2014 $20 Bald Eagle Silver Coins in Canadian Mint Subscription

Still available from the Royal Canadian Mint is a subscription for three unique 2014 $20 Bald Eagle Silver Coins. The subscription was initially released earlier in May but was unavailable to online ordering for much of the month.

                                                      2014 $20 Bald Eagle Silver Coins

These Royal Canadian Mint images show the three 2014 $20 Bald Eagle Silver Coins that are available through subscription

Three one-ounce silver coins in the highest purity are included in the subscription with each presenting a different view of the majestic bird.

"The arrangement of the feathers above its large golden eyes gives the adult eagle a frowning appearance that is perhaps a factor in the bird’s symbolic associations with power," describes the Royal Canadian Mint’s website on the 3-coin subscription page.

"The most important attribute on this iconic head, however, is the eyes. It is this gifted vision that empowers the eagle to spot relatively small prey underwater or in grassy plains while soaring hundreds of metres in the air despite these prey animals’ natural camouflage."

These three silver coins offer a view of a bald eagle in the midst of its hunt. The natural habitat of the bald eagle ranges throughout most of North America from Alaska down to the northern parts of Mexico. 

Described as a ‘sea eagle,’ the bird is typically found near large bodies of water where it finds a majority of its prey. Bald eagles are not actually bald but were given the name because of the white feathers on their head can make them appear bald.

Designs and Specifications of Canadian Bald Eagle Silver Coins:
Each 2014 $20 Bald Eagle Silver Coin is composed of one ounce of 99.99% pure silver. They offer different views of the bird as designed by Canadian artist Claudio D’Angelo and described below:

$20 Bald Eagle With Fish 1 oz. Silver Coin — This coin shows a Bald Eagle after just having caught a fish. The water beneath is still rippling from the successful capture.
 

$20 Soaring Bald Eagle 1 oz. Silver Coin — A colored depiction of a Bald Eagle is shown on the reverse of this coin as it soars high above a body of water with a Canadian shoreline seen below.
 

$20 Perched Bald Eagle 1 oz. Gold-Plated Silver Coin — Selective gold-plating is applied to the eagle as it appears perched on the branch of a pine tree. A fish hangs from its left claw.
 

The silver coins are struck to proof quality with a weight of 31.39 grams and a diameter of 38 mm. CANADA, 2014 and 20 DOLLARS is inscribed on the reverse of each.

Shown on obverses is Susanna Blunt’s effigy of Queen Elizabeth II. ELIZABETH II and D G REGINNA is inscribed around the effigy.

Pricing and Ordering
The 2014 Bald Eagle Fine Silver 3-Coin Subscription is sold on a pay-as-you-go basis with individual coins shipped monthly as they are charged to the buyer. Prices include:

2014 $20 Bald Eagle with Fish Silver Coin for CAD $89.95, or about US $82.79
2014 $20 Soaring Bald Eagle Silver Coin costs CAD $99.95, or about US $92
2014 $20 Perched Bald Eagle Silver Coin is sold for CAD $114.95, or about US $105.80

Each is encapsulated and presented in a Royal Canadian Mint-branded maroon clamshell with a black beauty box.

Subscriptions are available through the Royal Canadian Mint website at mint.ca

http://www.silvercoinstoday.com/2014-20-bald-eagle-silver-coins-in-canadian-mint-subscription/1010212/

Petit Nicholas From France!

A lot of surprises from the Monnaie de Paris recently, not only the France-China: 50 years of Diplomatic Relations, but the dome shaped FIFA 2014: World Cup in Brazil as well. Few days ago, the mint has just announced another set of gold and silver coin featuring the French comics Little Nicolas.

 

The obverse of the first €10 silver coin is based on the book “Les Vacances du Petit Nicolas” and depicts the main character on the beach.

 

Nicholas was created by René Goscinny and Jean-Jacques Sempé in the 1950’s. For over 60 years, this mischievous little boy has won the hearts of generations of loyal readers. 

 

 

The reverse of all coins of the series represents Nicholas running with his satchel in hand. His name is inscribed above, while below appear the signatures of the two authors of the series: René Goscinny and Jean-Jacques Sempé. A little touch of red, so characteristic of Nicholas’ drawings, can be found on all coins and other products related to this series.

 

After a successful film adaptation in 2009, a second film based on the book “Les Vacances du Petit Nicolas” will be released in July 2014. In light of this success, it seemed fitting for Monnaie de Paris to create three coins inspired by Nicholas.

http://www.silvercoinstory.com/petit-nicholas-from-france/

Coins, Jewelry Can Bring Money!

That old gold necklace or silver coin could be worth something, but there are several factors to consider, says Barry Dick, president of Ursa Major Gold, Silver and Coin.

Dick, who is based in Richmond, BC, was in Cold Lake on May 12 and 13 to analyze coins and jewelry.

“It’s gold and silver and platinum in any and all forms,” said Dick.

Items are not resold but are melted down, as Ursa Major deals directly with a smelter.

Broken chains, earrings, engagement and/or wedding rings (known as “unloved jewelry” in the trade), charm bracelets, and even dental gold are fair game, as is Canadian paper money.

“The provinces used to issue bank notes before they were standardized (in 1937),” said Dick, adding items such as Prosperity Certificates, introduced in Alberta in 1936, are also accepted.

The amount paid for any item will depend on several variables, such as the condition, supply and demand, and, in the case of bank notes, the serial number.

With the latter, Dick also looks for the signatures of the Governor of the Bank of Canada and his deputy. If the note belongs to a time when one of those positions was held briefly by one of the signers, the note could be worth more.

“Then, we look at the condition of the bill,” said Dick.

With coins – Dick is a certified coin grader – the first consideration is whether or not the coin is collectible; that potential rarity is then combined with the item’s condition to get a numismatic value.

If the coin is worn, Dick looks at whether or not it is made or silver, in which case it is melted down to extract that silver.

Jewelry is looked at for its purity of gold or silver, and then weighed. It is melted, not resold, said Dick.

He stressed he is not appraising the gold, but is assessing how much gold is in the item.

“We pay the same for a broken chain as for a chain that’s operational … Gold is gold is gold.”

Most customers, Dick noted, bring their items in because they are downsizing and want to get something for them.

Dick came to his love of coins early, beginning his first collection at age 7. He went on to pan for gold at age 16.

He strongly urges customers not to use mail-in companies, which pay only pennies on the dollar and do their business out of sight of the client.

“I’m transparent. I do things in front of the customer, and with a full explanation as well. There’s no back room, or curtain.”

Dick said he cover the four Western Canada provinces, and comes to Cold Lake about once a year.

http://www.coldlakesun.com/2014/05/20/coins-jewelry-can-bring-money

Finest Silver 1776 Continental Dollar Brings $1.41 Million

From May 16th and May 17th Heritage Auctions will sell the US Colonials offered as part of the Newman collection. Included are many colonial rarities, including pieces that have been off the market for many years. 

Perhaps the most exciting and historical of all lots offered is lot 30423, one of only four 1776 Continental Dollars known to exist in silver. Struck in 1776 by a very young United States of America. 

Continental Dollars are generally regarded as the earliest coins struck after the United States declared itself independent from Britain, although the exact time of striking is unknown. 

The coin, graded by NGC as MS-63, sold for $1.41 million yesterday evening, setting a new record for any Continental Dollar.

The Continental Congress never officially authorized coins with the inscription “CONTINENTAL CURRENCY”. Instead, it is speculated that their legislation was considered to have been included in some of the later acts of 1776 authorizing the issuance of paper money to fund the war effort. 

One-dollar currency was included in the early denominations authorized and issued in 1776, although the later acts lacked specific legislation for paper money of one-dollar value. It is therefore speculated that the Continental Dollar was meant to replace the paper money of the same value. 

Examples struck in pewter come to the market with some regularity, and a few Continental Dollars are known to have been struck in brass. Silver was in extremely short supply during the early revolutionary war years, so it must have been decided to strike the coins in a metal of lesser value.

The first major reference work on American colonial coins, Sylvester S. Crosby’s 1875 work The Early Coins of America spent less than two pages describing the Continental Dollars, listing it under the “patterns and tokens” section. 

Eric P. Newman, whose collection is being sold, wrote the definitive reference work on the series, in 1952. He listed a total of seven die combinations, of which only two varieties are represented by silver examples, varieties 3-D and 1-C, with two of each known in silver. 

Three of the four coins show significant evidence of circulation, indicating perhaps that Continental Congress intended to replace pewter coins with silver coins whenever the silver became available. Only one uncirculated piece is known to exist, and this is the coin that Heritage sold.

The pedigree of the coin auctioned by Heritage is relatively well documented. It first appeared in a British auction sale in 1886, held by Sotheby’s. The coin made its way back to the United States, where it first was offered in a Chapman auction sale six months after the sale in Britain, in mid 1887.

The lot, however, was withdrawn, and not offered for sale until 1912, again by Chapman, when it sold for $2,200. After a number of private transactions, including sales by Waldo Newcomer and the “Col.” E.H.R. Green estate, the coin was purchased by Eric P. Newman in 1952 for $2,500 and has remained in his collection ever since.

All three other known silver examples were part of the John J. Ford sales held in the early 2000s, and have not been auctioned publicly since then. Given the fact that these historic coins are offered for sale very infrequently this was an extremely important offering. 

It can easily be decades before any of these coins are offered again for sale, and it is likely that when it does such a coin will be part of a major collection and gather major attention.

http://news.coinupdate.com/finest-silver-continental-dollar-auction-result-3293/

2014 Australian Saltwater Crocodile 1oz Silver Bullion Coins

The Perth Mint has introduced a new silver bullion coin featuring the Australian Saltwater Crocodile. The coins carry a limited mintage and are packaged in tubes which contain an interesting new security feature.

 

The saltwater crocodile is the largest of all living reptiles and is found in suitable habitats from northern Australia through Southeast Asia to the eastern coat of India. The males of the species can grow to 7 meters in length and weight over 1,000 kilograms. 

 

Females are much smaller and reach only 4 meters in length and 100 kilograms in weight. The Saltwater Crocodile is an extremely formidable and opportunistic predator capable of killing almost any animal that enters its territory. Due to their size and distribution, they are the most dangerous of all crocodiles to humans.

Saltwater Crocodile Silver Bullion Coin

The reverse design features an image of the saltwater crocodile with it mouth open and sharp teeth displayed. The inscriptions include “Australian Saltwater Crocodile”, “2014″, and “1 oz 999 Silver”. The obverse design features the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Queen Elizabeth II with the Australian legal tender denomination of “1 Dollar”.

Each coin is struck in 99.9% pure silver with a weight of 31.135 grams and diameter of 40.60 mm. There is a maximum mintage of 1,000,000 pieces.

Packaging

 

The coins come packaged in tubes of 25 coins, with 20 tubes placed in a monster box of 500 coins. An interesting feature is that the tubes carry a tamper evident security seal. The undisturbed seal would provide some assurance that the coins included in the roll have not been handled or cherry picked for high grade specimens.

The new Australian Saltwater Crocodile Silver Bullion Coins are being exclusively distributed within North America by CNT (Coins ‘N Things). It seems like CNT will handle distribution on a wholesale basis, meaning that the coins should be available at the retail level from a variety of coin and bullion dealers.

http://world.mintnewsblog.com/2014/05/2014-australian-saltwater-crocodile-1oz-silver-bullion-coins/

Decade On Coins To Go Public: Numismatists To Study Nabarangpur Treasure!

Bhubaneswar, May 11: Ancient coins unearthed a decade earlier in Nabarangpur district will be displayed at the State Museum and also be researched upon by numismatists and epigraphists.

The rare coins, which are now in the safe custody of the Nabarangpur district treasury, will shortly be supplied to the State Museum for detailed study, said sources at the state culture department.

In 2003-04, villagers discovered the rare coins near Kosagumuda in the district when present state tourism and culture secretary Arabinda Padhee was the collector there.

“The collection that was unearthed by chance by the local residents included unique silver and gold coins that were clearly ancient,” reminisced Padhee.

“The coins have a few Persian symbols and emblems of a spider and other images that were most likely propagated on coins during the Mughal era, may be under Akbar’s reign,” he said.

The villagers, following local traditions, considered it a bad omen to find coins under the soil and were hence worried. “They believed that to reverse the negative energy of the coins, a small shrine had to be built. 

I asked them to hand over the coins to the district treasury and in return ensured that the local administration helped the villagers build the shrine. Ever since, the coins were safely kept in the treasury,” said Padhee.

Last week, he requested the superintendent of the State Museum to collect the coins from the district collector of Nabarangpur so they are studied by experts and also displayed at both the district and state museums.

“We have already arranged for officials of the State Museum to collect these coins that include five gold and 50 silver coins, within a week. Once here, they will be studied and researched upon by experts. 

We are also planning to host an exhibition tentatively on May 18. A pair of ancient elephant tusks from Jeypore will also be brought here for better preservation,” said Sushil Das, director state culture department and superintendent-in-charge of the State Museum.

Curators and scholars at the numismatics department of the State Museum will be utilizing the rare coins for detailed research of the inscriptions on them that could also throw light on the history of the state and the events that had brought the coins to Nabarangpur a few centuries ago.

“We need to see the coins and study them well to understand the symbols and inscriptions which really would be the key to the history the coins uphold. It could give us new perceptions of the state’s history of ancient trade as well as politics,” said an official of the numismatics section.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1140512/jsp/frontpage/story_18331231.jsp#.U3CQf_ldX3g

Victoria's Craigdarroch Castle Featured On New Coin

Craigdarroch Castle’s collection of fine stained glass will soon be featured on a new silver collector coin by the Royal Canadian Mint.

Officially unveiled today, the coin, which features a replica of one of the stained glass windows that adorns Craigdarroch Castle, is the first in the Royal Canadian Mint’s Stained Glass series of coins.

Coated in glass-like enamel, the $20 coin shines and reflects light much like the exquisite Victorian residential stained and leaded glass collection for which Craigdarroch Castle is renowned.

“This stunning coin is a wonderful celebration of the stained glass windows that are admired by the thousands of people that visit Craigdarroch Castle each year,” said John Hughes, executive director of Craigdarroch Castle.

“It’s an honour for us to work with the Royal Canadian Mint, and to see our stained glass collection’s timeless beauty and craftsmanship forever immortalized on this fine coin.”

The focal point of the coin’s design is made up of a grouping of six brightly coloured flowers.

To create a stained glass effect, each petal is filled in by hand with blue, purple and red translucent enamel and green translucent enamel painted as veined leaves.

A diverging brick pattern, like that of the castle’s original windows, serves as a backdrop to the flowers, while the obverse of the coin features the effigy of Queen Elizabeth by Canadian portrait artist Susanna Blunt.

A national historic site, Craigdarroch Castle’s stained glass collection is believed to be one of the most exquisite in North America.

The history of the stained glass, however, is largely a mystery. An 1890 newspaper clipping mentions an order for interior woodwork from Chicago furniture company A.H. Andrews & Co. that included “windows.” However, it’s unclear if the order is in reference to the cherry window sash only or if it includes the stained glass windows.

With a limited mintage of 7,500 coins, the Craigdarroch Castle coin retails for $129.95. To purchase, please telephone the Royal Canadian Mint toll-free 1-800-267-1871

http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/258177751.html

CanadianBullion - 1 oz 2014 Britannia Silver Coin

The Britannia is one of the oldest coin designs in the world. Dating back to Roman times, the first century A.D., and then reappearing on the farthing in 1672 and every British monarch's coinage ever since, it is easily one of the most recognizable designs of all time. 

Britannia was originally a Roman personification of the country of Britain (a regular custom for the Romans), but since about the second century A.D. has been referred to as a goddess, most often of the sea. 

Although the reverse design of this more recent bullion coin changes every year and is sometimes standing, sometimes sitting, one thing remains the same, this "Lady of the Sea" stands as a reminder of the history of her heritage.

The obverse features the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Queen Elizabeth II and the script "'Elizabeth 'II' D'G Reg' Fid' Def' 2 'Pounds". Both sides of this coin also feature a patterned border with "dentils" (the name for an architectural feature that is often used at the termination of beams in the ancient and Renaissance buildings).

The reverse bears the design of Phillip Nathan and features a standing Britannia, with her hair blowing in the wind and her gaze fixed to the sea. She is wearing a helmet with a highly pronounced plume  that evokes the design used by the Romans. 

She carries a trident in her right hand and in her left an olive branch and a shield bearing the Union Jack. The entire design is encircled by the dentil design and the words "Britannia 2014 1 oz 999 Fine Silver". The coin also bears the artist's last name, Nathan, rather than the typical initials.

Since 2013 Britannias are made from .999 pure silver although previously they were .958 pure silver (or "Britannia Silver"). The Britannia and its heritage are a testament to the continuity of the Royal Mint. They are great for both stackers and collectors alike. Get yours today and own a piece of this remarkable lineage.

http://canadianbullionservices.com/1-oz-2014-britannia-silver-coin