Hello folks,

One of my favorite topical collecting themes is bears. I've always loved the animal and my favorite football team is the Chicago Bears I have a bear for my company mascot and his name is Ursus Maximus (Greatest Bear) or Vrsvs Maximvs for you Latin purists for spelling.

Anyway, I collect ancient and modern coins with bears on them and love to see images of coins in other collections to add to my want list

Here are some of the ancient bears:



Hadrian, AE17, Mysia-Hadrianothera. ADRIANOC AVGOVCTOC Bare head of Hadrian right. ADRIANOQHRITWN Bear head left. von Fritze, "Die antiken Munzen Mysiens", Berlin 1913, p.199, 565-6.

According to von Fritze, the bear depicted is apparently the she-bear Hadrian killed in a famous hunt, whereupon he founded on that site, the city of Hadrian's Hunt (Hadrianothera) as referenced to vita Hadriani 20, 13. Ex Moneta, March, 2001. Ex Dr. Busso Peus Nachf. Munzhandlung Catalog 366, Auction 25, Lot 583, October, 2000.



Autonomous Issue, AE26, 150-100 BC, Spain-Ursone. Helmeted head of Athena right, VRSO behind. Bear seated left, MAR[C Q] (MAR ligate) behind. Villaronga 7. Ex Melqart Coins, October 2001. Ex Alvarez Burgos, 1979.

And here are some not-so-ancient bears:



Switzerland-Abbey of St. Gallen, Half Thaler, 1776
BEDA . D . G .-S R . I . P .
Coat of arms surmounted by bishop's mitre, angel presenting branch to praying bishop with hand of God above in wreath below
ABB . S . G .-E . S . I . A . V . E .
Bear walking right, left paw raised, tree trunk in right paw, in laurel-wreath, 1776 in exergue, V below
Edged design of overlapping triple-leaves
Silver, 31mm x 33mm, 13.97g
KM 26; HMZ 750
Ex Swiss dealer, February 2002



Switzerland-Abbey of St. Gallen, 20 Kreuzer, 1774
BEDA . D . G . S . R . I . P . S .-G . E . S . I . I . V . TH . A . V . A . E
Coat of arms surmounted by bishop's mitre, 20 in wreath below
S . GALLUS . ABBAS
Saint Gallus, nimbate, seated left, shepard's crook in left hand, loaf of bread in right hand offering to bear standing right, tree trunk in right paw, 1774 / H in exergue
Milled edged
Silver, 28mm x 29mm, 6.57g
KM 24; HMZ 753
Ex Swiss dealer, November 2001

Note: When the Monk (who would later become Saint) Gallus came to the woods in what would become St. Gallen, a bear came to help him build his hut. That is how the bear made it into the arms of the canton of St. Gallen.



St. Gallen - 1621, AR Thaler. KM 61.

This piece was acquired, quite unbelievably, from a Florida dealer on eBay in 1999. He acquired it from an auction in Austria. It is the centerpiece of the Bears collection and the coin featured in our logo.



California - 1925-S, silver commemorative half dollar.



Bay Bridge - 1936-S, silver commemorative half dollar.

Most of my collection still needs to be sent out to my photographer, but at least that gives you a small taste of my favorite collection.

Enjoy!

--Beast

WOW, you are going to make someone very happy. I know this guy in a forum that collects bears on coins. Maybe I should tell him to come in here

http://forums.collectors.com/messageview.c...855&STARTPAGE=1

I have a Soviet medal that features a bear and a cub, but nothing as great as yours:



There is a series of endangered animals or rather called "Red Book", or better known as "Protect the world" that Russia has minted recently, probably in 1993.

And finally... there are two trial Soviet coins that were minted as trial strikes... price tag is a horror but... well enjoy the pictures...

http://www.numismat.ru/cgi-bin/auction.cgi...=asc&material=0

Mexico $5 Black Bear, part of the endangered species series.

Thanks for the interesting replies and images! Here is the link to the section on my site with all of the world bears (I have quite a few to add yet and the entire section needs to be rephotographed and redesigned with my new format and my photography skills are terrible!)

Bears:

http://www.beastcoins.com/Topical/Bears/Bears.htm

Enjoy!

--Beast

Nice stuff!

There's a German state...maybe Anhalt, that has a bear on it's coins.

Here's a couple of modern bears you don't appear to have. The first is a bi-metallic 2 diner coin from Andorra dated 1984. It just doesn't scan all that well (as you can easily see).

The second is a silver 10 diner coin from Andorra dated1992 showing a bear and his / her cub. I was reluctant to take it out of the holder hence it is a bit blurred.

I just received few days ago 50 Pennia 1991 Finland with a polar bear...

That reminds me, much of the coinage of Greenland has polar bears on it. I think i've got a 50 ore coin somewhere with Mr Bear on it...... must look it out.

Then of course there are the Australian gold and platinum bullion `Koalas' .

Yes, it seems that he already has that bear. I was going to offer one if he did not.

btw: it is not a polar bear, but a brown bear. There are no polar bears in Finland, except at a zoo.

Although my photos are terrible, here is the 25 Ore Greenland bear:



And the 50 Pennia Finland bear:



I don't have the Andorra bears yet (I pretty much just buy the bear coins when I happen upon them and don't actively go into the markets to but them specifically unless I need a particular one for a study or article or something), but I do add everything to my want list for when I attend shows

Here is an Anhalt-Germany 2/3 thaler bear:



and a 1/6 thaler version:



Here is a massive, 57mm silver medal from Switzerland with a gorgeous bear on it (that one cost me quite a bit at an auction):



Switzerland-Bern, Medallion of Sechszehnerpfennig (six-decimal pfennig), circa 1760
RESPUBLICA BERNENSIS
Bear standing facing, head right, in splint mail shirt, scepter in right paw, left paw on shield decorated with Bern coat of arms, standing on military items, flags and column in background
FELICITAS REIPUBLICAE
Felicitas standing facing, scepter and sword in right hand and resting on book placed on cippus, fasces in left, owl at feet, stork next to cippus
SENATUS ET SEDECIM / VIRI REIPUBLICAE / BERNENSIS in exergue
Morikofer designer, Dassier engraver
Plain edge
57mm, 90.78g
Schweizer Med. 633
Ex Jean Elsen, March 16, 2002, Auction 69, Lot 3109

and another 58mm silver piece:



Switzerland-Bern, Medallion of Sechszehnerpfennig (six-decimal pfennig), c.1818
RESPUBLICA BERNENSIS
Bear standing facing, head right and sticking out tongue, both paws on shield decorated with Bern coat of arms, standing on military and agricultural items, flags in background
FELICITAS REIPUBLICAE
Felicitas standing facing, scepter and sword in right hand and resting on cippus, fasces in left, owl at feet
SENATUS ET SEDECIM / VIRI in exergue
S. Burger designer
Plain edge
58mm
Schweizer Med. 635
Ex Jean Elsen, March 16, 2002, Auction 69, Lot 3110

Here is one from a set from Spitzbergen in 1993:



and another from a 1998 set:



Doggone bears are all over the place!

Enjoy!

--Beast

What about the toonie?

Quite possibly so, since today's Saxony-Anhalt also has a bear in the state's CoA. The bear also appears on the coins from Berne, CH ...

http://secure1.moneymuseum.com/frontend.re...mVDZ71ybFgk.jpg
http://secure1.moneymuseum.com/frontend.re...1B28p5TW0Dg.jpg
http://secure1.moneymuseum.com/frontend.re...lWaCDoR7aAH.jpg

... and can be found in the CoA of Berlin, DE, which in turn is displayed on some coins such as these modern commems:

http://www.inkoze.de/deutschland/ddr/geden...zpraegungrs.gif
http://www.muenzpage.de/bilder/001/00050a.jpg

Christian

Canada ROCKS when it comes to bears! Here is a 2000 twonie:



They have a ton of different bears I still need to get, but some of them are ungodly expensive in gold and platinum, so they are on my want list, but down the road a bit

Yeah, Bern-Switzerland has a ton of bears as well (I think I have something like 50 different pieces from there):





St. Gallen-Switzerland does too:



as well as the Swiss Canton of Appenzell:



Ancient bears are the tough ones though. I've been averaging one example per year over the past six years. Next to impossible to find!

--Beast

Nice, thanks for sharing.

I love that story. How did the monk get a bear to build a hut. Did he use honey, or just the power of the Lord?

I think he must have had some honey on that loaf of bread he was giving the bear or something....

When the rust will attack the coin, the bear will be brown. Until then, the coin is white, so bear is polar...

I don't have a pic, but there's a very nice Bear medal struck for the state of California's centennial. I've had one before but don't have one now. The medal is about 48mm and is either copper or bronze. If another turns up, I'll let you know.