tabbs

There are several euro note tracking sites; the biggest one is Eurobilltracker: http://www.eurobilltracker.eu The other two I know of are: http://www.eurotracer.net (see above) http://www.myeuro.info Christian

Just bought the bimetallic version of the Don Quijote coin. It is very nicely designed and made indeed. They had it at the mint store in Mexico City. Side note about that store: It is very coveniently located, right on Paseo de la Reforma (Zona Rosa), but difficult to find. Had we not looked the address up before, we would not have found the entrance. The price for the bimetallic version (the silver piece was sold out) is 150 pesos, about 12 euro. Neat! Christian

The Mexican mint has a new web site (see below). And the central bank's website also has some coin related information ... http://www.cmm.gob.mx/cmm/ (Casa de Moneda de Mexico) http://www.banxico.org.mx/cMoneda/FSmoneda.html (Mexican Central Bank - info about coins) Christian

Not only that - it also had a very interesting mint/die theme. The later ones are OK but not that neat in my opinion. Christian

Got a payment from Art ... and very fast. In fact, much faster than I am with my feedback. Christian

Just received a payment and a little extra (the €2 FI 2005 commem) from Harri today. Thank you! Christian

Fast payment, thanks a lot! Christian

Last year's €10 coin from Greece (Mount Olympus National Park) also has a peculiar edge design: It is indented, but instead of the seven notches that we know from the "Spanish flower" coins (e.g. the 20 cent pieces) it has 5 x 2 indentations. Christian

Might also be a reference to a Grimm Brothers fairy tale. In German that one is called "Tischlein deck dich". It is about a father who chased his three sons out of the house (long story); each son learns a trade and at the end gets something special from his master. One of them gets this donkey who "spits and shits" gold coins when you say the magic word. That is where the word "Dukaten-Esel" (ducat donkey) comes from. Oh, and at the end of that tale the three sons and their father live happily together again. Christian

Nice one! And it seems that they have a Fountain of Youth there. After all, the text around that "pool" scene where people leave their crutches says "Ravensberger! Help! With a caring hand support the old age (ie. elderly people) in the home land." Ravensberg was the name of that area; don't know if it still is officially used. The other side says "Stadtsparkasse Bielefeld" in green. The text in orange I cannot read, but what is funny is the reference to that record biker Guignard on the left, upper and right edge of the note. He got the world record on a Göricke bike from Bielefeld! Christian

Guess those characters are a little difficult to read; the name of the place is actually Bad Sachsa (or "Bad Sachsa am Südharz"), nowadays in Lower Saxony. The note was apparently used to promote the place. Landschaftlich ...: Scenic health resort recommended by doctors Wintersport ...: Winter sports - longest sledge run of the Harz The building is the "Städt(isches) Badehaus", ie. the municipal health swimming baths. Christian

Just got "GeldKunst - KunstGeld", a book (in German) about commems of the Federal Republic including alternative designs that were not minted. http://www.coinpeople.com/index.php?showto...ndpost&p=153394 http://www.medaillenkunst.de/publikationen/0000000321.htm Christian

Got a great book today. It is called "GeldKunst - KunstGeld" and shows all commems ever issued in the Federal Republic of Germany, along with the designs that won a second, third etc. prize but were not minted. It also shows the (minted) designs of the GDR coins, a few coins that were planned but never issued, and the winning participants of a contest for new/young designers. The book has about 500 pages (size ~ 20x25 cm), and the first 200 pages or so are articles about the history of commems, about the role of the mints or about the designs of the federal eagle on the commems. Nice price (less than €20) and pretty interesting. Christian

Right, except that "vorstinnen" is plural. So in German you would say something like "Fürstinnen-Regierung". Christian

Got a Dutch 50 gulden coin from 1990 yesterday. It commemorates 100 years "Vorstinnenregering", ie. women as heads of state. The coin shows the queens Emma, Wilhelmina, Juliana, and Beatrix. http://i14.ebayimg.com/02/i/05/ed/2b/2e_1_b.JPG (Shows the coin design, but that is not "my" coin.) Christian

All these Münster notes refer to the "Wiedertäufer" (anabaptists) who were very influential in the city in the 16th century. Jan van Leiden was even made "King of Münster". Their rule, which was first revolutionary but then turned into a brutal regime, ended in a massacre when the bishop re-conquered the city. The cages with the dead bodies of the Wiedertäufer leaders (see the "E" notes) were put up on the tower of a church in central Münster, as a deterring measure, where they can still be seen. The cages, that is. More about the Wiedertäufer in Münster: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Münster_Rebellion The church tower with the cages: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bild:KäfigeLamberti.jpg A quick translation of what the text (which again is not standard German but similar to the language on the Ahaus note) says ... -A- Jan Bockelson, tailor, born in Leyden, became Wiedertäufer king in Münster. The preacher Rottmann defends what is taught about the anabaptism. -B- Bernt Knipperdollinck, a cloth dealer whom Jan van Leyden made an executioner. The Wiedertäufer, full of frenzy, shout "You‘ll be sorry" and "Repent" like crazy. -C- Berntken Krechting, pastor in Gildehaus, was a Wiedertäufer main matador. Who stood up against polygamy, got a biff on the head from the Wiedertäufer. -D- A king ... preaches everywhere: One god, one faith, one ... That one can make anything from a tailor ... can be seen ... (Cannot read all, but this obviously refers to the tailor - Jan van Leiden - who became king.) -E- Jan, Knipperdollinck and Krechting are caught, killed, and hang from St. Lambert's tower. All who made a deal with Jan van Leyden were caught and massacred. Christian

There is some information about those cards on page 166-167 of this PDF document: Czech Coins and Medals 1993-2005 http://www.mint.cz/en/images/Katalog_minci_a_medaili.pdf (in Czech, about 220 pages) Seems they have done it from early on (1993-). Problem is, I do not understand Czech ... Christian

Belgium actually. But of course nobody used them as means of payment there either. Christian

Yesss! I have one of those cards too. (Got it along with a Czech coin dated 2002 that commemorates the introduction of the euro cash.) Usually I trash most of the "paper" that comes with a coin - not in this case though. Christian

Wow. Quite a "simple" design - basically the reproduction of two pages from the book - but nevertheless a very interesting coin. Christian

Dvi/Dave, for some reason I cannot send you a PM. http://www.coinpeople.com/index.php?showtopic=6482 So here is a "public copy" of what I wrote to henare. Hope you see this: Sorry, getting the additional Mozart coins has taken a while, but tomorrow morning I can pick some up. Problem is that shipping has become a little expensive. Deutsche Post now charges €3 for mailing a letter of the "padded envelope" type to the US. Still interested? Let me know ... Christian

And once you are, make sure you tell all us CoinPeeps about such opportunities in advance, hehe. Christian

Nordic Ski World Championship. I have that one too ... Christian

Sh-sh-sh. That's where I "got" them from. Maybe I should have explained that the black spot at the end (€20 note) was added intentionally by the user who posted the note, so that the last two digits are not visible. The rest however is actually a mis- or rather double print. He entered the serial number that begins with an R; I suppose that the s/n was legible in the second place on the note. As for the blob on the €50 note, the guy who found it wrote that he checked this with UV light and very bright light, but apparently there has never been a number. Maybe some grease on the paper. Don't think he entered that one, hehe. Christian

Here are some pictures (not mine) of euro notes with errors: http://img386.imageshack.us/img386/600/image50rk.jpg ... a €50 note with a damaged printer code (instead of the blob there should be a digit) http://personal.inet.fi/koti/pekka.perus/nauha2.jpg ... a €10 note with an odd holostrip (left edge is cut off, part of the strip to the right is visible) http://img140.echo.cx/img140/5079/ihmeseteli0ln.jpg ... a €20 note with a double serial number Christian