Serendipity

My own personal favourite is the silver Perth Mint Star Trek coin. It was my very first silver coin and the first-ever Star Trek bullion coin. I loved this novelty coin so much that I ended up stacking eighteen of them in an air-tite tube. Set in the future, the science fiction series followed the 23rd century adventures of Captain James T. Kirk and the Constitution-class starship U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701, a powerful interstellar spacecraft dispatched by the Earth-based Starfleet Command to explore the galaxy.

The best way to clean old coins is, incredibly, to not to clean them at all! Your first instinct, if you collect or want to sell old coins, might be to try to get them as shiny and beautiful looking as possible. However, the reason that you shouldn’t clean old coins is that their tarnish and signs of age are actually part of their appeal. Only one of the graded 1866 Victoria sovereigns shown in the example is worth £550. The Victoria sovereign to the right was once cleaned with evident scuffs and hairlines. It is now worth £450 which is a loss of £100.

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My 2018 Chinese Panda stack consists of the 30 and 8 gram Gold Pandas along with a full stack of fifteen 30 gram Silver Pandas. The obverse of each Panda depicts the Hall of Prayer for Abundant Harvests in the Temple of Heaven in Beijing encircled with the Chinese characters “中华人民共和国” (People’s Republic of China) closed off by the year of issue, 2018. The reverse features a large portrait of the giant panda eating a bamboo shoot.

1980 Elizabeth II Sovereign aUNC The 1980 Elizabeth II decimal head is the second circulating coinage portrait of the Queen by Arnold Machin. This has always been my favourite portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen has ruled for longer than any other reigning monarch in British history, becoming a much loved and respected figure across the globe. As the 1980s began, politics was a hot topic and the television of the time reflected this with millions tuning in to watch the satirical Yes Minister. A recession loomed but Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher insisted, "The lady's not for turning," and John Lennon was shot dead at his New York home. Many were sad to see the pre-decimal sixpence withdrawn from circulation, but it lived on in the Christmas puddings of many a family home! DESCRIPTION Elizabeth II (1952-), gold sovereign, 1980, second shoulder-length portrait right, wearing a tiara and off the shoulder dress, by engraver Arnold Machin, Latin legend and toothed border surrounding, ELIZABETH·II·DEI·GRATIA·REGINA·F:D: (“Queen Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God, Defender of the Faith”), rev. struck en médaille, St. George on horseback slaying dragon with sword right, plumed helmet with three-strand streamer, horse with long tail, ending in three strands, with one spur higher up at curve, broken lance on ground-line to left, date in exergue, tiny B.P. raised in upper right of exergue for engraver Benedetto Pistrucci, edge milled (Marsh 311; S.4204). Almost uncirculated. Calendar year mintage 5,100,000. Queen Elizabeth II, Coronation Day, 1953, by Cecil Beaton.

Three Queen Elizabeth II Special Reverses Three Queen Elizabeth II Special Reverses: Golden Jubilee Shield Reverse by Timothy Noad (2002), Adjusted St George & the Dragon by Timothy Noad (2005), Diamond Jubilee by Paul Day (2012). DESCRIPTION Elizabeth II (1952-), gold sovereign, 2002, fourth portrait right, wearing a tiara, tiny IRB raised below truncation for engraver Ian Rank-Broadley, Latin legend and toothed border surrounding, ELIZABETH·II·DEI·GRA REGINA·FID·DEF (“Queen Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God, Defender of the Faith”), rev. struck en médaille, Shield of Arms within open laurel wreath, date below, tiny TN monogram raised to the right for engraver Timothy Noad, edge milled (Marsh 316; S.SC5). Calendar year mintage 75,264. Elizabeth II (1952-), gold sovereign, 2005, fourth portrait right, wearing a tiara, tiny IRB raised below truncation for engraver Ian Rank-Broadley, Latin legend and toothed border surrounding, ELIZABETH·II·DEI·GRA REGINA·FID·DEF (“Queen Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God, Defender of the Faith”), rev. struck en médaille, image of St. George, carrying a shield and a sword, slaying the dragon, date beneath the dragon’s wing, tiny TN monogram raised between the horse’s leg and the dragon’s wing to the right for engraver Timothy Noad, edge milled (Marsh 321; S.SC6). Calendar year mintage 45,524. Elizabeth II (1952-), gold sovereign, 2012, fourth portrait right, wearing a tiara, tiny IRB raised below truncation for engraver Ian Rank-Broadley, Latin legend and toothed border surrounding, ELIZABETH·II·DEI·GRA REGINA·FID·DEF (“Queen Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God, Defender of the Faith”), rev. struck en médaille, image of St. George on horseback, attacking the dragon with a lance, date to the left, tiny PJD raised below the horse’s hoof to the right for engraver Paul Day, edge milled (Marsh 335; S.SC8). Calendar year mintage 432,925. NOTES The 2002 sovereigns honour the Golden Jubilee (50th anniversary of the accession to the throne) of Queen Elizabeth II by reviving a modern version of a coin design last seen on half-sovereigns of Queen Victoria in 1893. Instead of the renowned Benedetto Pistrucci engraving of St. George and the dragon, the reverse of the 2002 gold sovereign carries the Royal Coat of Arms for only the second time in 115 years. The only previous occasion was for the 500th Anniversary of the Sovereign in 1989. The 2005 sovereigns have a new interpretation of the St. George and the dragon legend; Timothy Noad's Art Deco rendition shows the warrior as a knight fighting against the dragon with a sword. Strikingly different from Benedetto Pistrucci’s well-known and much-used representation, Noad’s St. George appears more animated and dynamic, ready to swipe the dragon with a mighty backhanded stroke! For the 2012 sovereigns, the Royal Mint launched a competition to find a new design. The Royal Mint Advisory Committee eventually selected a design by the British sculptor Paul Day. “I have chosen to opt for a romantic version of the St. George and the dragon theme,” said Paul, “a medieval knight of Arthurian legend rather than a classical hero. I have given the dragon a more threatening attitude and size, so that it represents a real menace and not a weak foe.” Paul deliberately left very little empty space, making the reverse as engaging as possible and very different from the obverse. As he says, “I have always been attracted to detail which requires a closer look to be unpicked and fully understood.” Paul Day’s original model for the reverse of the 2012 sovereign.

1914 George V London Mint Sovereign EF George V was the monarch of Great Britain during the First World War and grandfather of the present-day Queen Elizabeth II. A quiet and somewhat socially awkward man, George’s inspiration came from the fact that he seemed more like the common man than any of his predecessors and his reign is seen now as something of a bridge between the old Victorian age, and the present world we live in today. George’s reputed last words were: “Bugger Bognor!” (When told by his doctor he would soon be well enough to visit Bognor Regis.) DESCRIPTION George V (1910-36), gold sovereign, 1914, London Mint, bare head left, B.M. raised on truncation for engraver Bertram Mackennal, Latin legend and toothed border surrounding, GEORGIVS V D.G.BRITT:OMN:REX F.D.IND:IMP: (“George V, by the Grace of God, King of all the Britons, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India”), rev. struck en médaille, St. George on horseback slaying dragon with sword right, plumed helmet with three-strand streamer, horse with long tail, ending in three strands, with one spur higher up at curve, broken lance on ground-line to left, tiny WWP raised under lance for Master of the Mint, William Wellesley Pole, date in exergue, tiny B.P. raised in upper right of exergue for engraver Benedetto Pistrucci, edge milled (Marsh 216; M.C.E. 642; S.3996). Extremely fine. Calendar year mintage 11,501,117.

Three Victoria Heads Princess Alexandrina Victoria was born in 1819, crowned as Queen Victoria in 1837 when her uncle, William IV, died and reigned through a period of unprecedented change until her death in 1901. Victoria ruled for 64 years, a record only recently surpassed by Queen Elizabeth II. Over her long reign she posed for many portraits for coins but on the gold sovereigns there are three major variations: Young Head (1838-1887), Jubilee Head (1887-1893) and Old (Veiled) Head (1893-1901). DESCRIPTION Victoria (1837-1901), gold sovereign, 1871, London, Tower Hill Mint, third young filleted head left, W.W. raised on truncation for engraver William Wyon, date below, hint of doubling in legend both sides, Latin legend and toothed border surrounding, VICTORIA DEI GRATIA (“Victoria, by the Grace of God”), rev. struck with inverted die axis, engraved by Jean Baptiste Merlen, crowned quartered shield of arms, laurel wreath surrounding, die number 14 below, emblems below, Latin legend and toothed border surrounding, BRITANNIARUM REGINA FID:DEF: (“Queen of the Britons, Defender of the Faith”), raised hairline flaw in last A of legend to rim, edge milled, weight 7.97g (Bentley 558; Marsh 55; M.C.E. 531; S.3853B). Tiny obverse rim nick, otherwise pleasing good extremely fine. Ex Douro Cargo, Spink Auction 118, 20-21 November 1996, lot 1377 (part). Calendar year mintage 8,767,250. Victoria (1837-1901), gold sovereign, 1887, London, Tower Hill Mint, Jubilee crowned veiled head left, pearl earring and 13-pearl necklace, tiny J.E.B. raised on truncation with right angled J for engraver Joseph Edgar Boehm, first abbreviated Latin legend and toothed border surrounding, VICTORIA D:G:BRITT:REG:F:D: (“Victoria, by the Grace of God, Queen of the Britons, Defender of the Faith”), rev. struck en médaille, St. George on horseback slaying dragon with sword right, plumed helmet with three-strand streamer, horse with short tail, ending in three strands, with one spur higher up at curve, broken lance on ground-line to left, tiny WWP raised under lance for Master of the Mint, William Wellesley Pole, date in exergue, tiny B.P. raised in upper right of exergue for engraver Benedetto Pistrucci, edge milled, weight 7.99g (DISH.L7 C; Marsh 125B; M.C.E. 547; S.3866). Light bag marks both sides, otherwise almost extremely fine. Calendar year mintage 1,111,280. Victoria (1837-1901), gold sovereign, 1899 S, Sydney Mint, Australia, crowned old veiled head left, tiny T.B. raised on truncation for engraver Thomas Brock, Latin legend and toothed border surrounding, VICTORIA·DEI·GRA·BRITT·REGINA·FID·DEF·IND·IMP· (“Victoria, by the Grace of God, Queen of the Britons, Defender of the Faith, Empress of India”), rev. struck en médaille, St. George on horseback slaying dragon with sword right, plumed helmet with three-strand streamer, horse with long tail, ending in three strands, with one spur higher up at curve, broken lance on ground-line to left, tiny WWP raised under lance for Master of the Mint, William Wellesley Pole, mint mark S at centre of ground-line, date in exergue, tiny B.P. raised in upper right of exergue for engraver Benedetto Pistrucci, edge milled, weight 7.99g (Marsh 168; M.C.E. 558; S.3877). Lightly toned, some surface marks, otherwise extremely fine. Calendar year mintage 3,259,000. Queen Victoria by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, 1842 (left), Heinrich von Angeli, 1890 (centre) and 1899 (right).

1911 20 French Francs - Marianne Rooster I recently bought this 1911 20 gold French franc restrike to serve as my “lucky coin” during the coronavirus pandemic. I would like to think that the fair French maiden Marianne won’t allow the pandemic to deprive us all of our inalienable rights to life and personal liberty. The obverse of the 1911 Marianne Rooster with a mintage of 5,346,044 by Monnaie de Paris (Paris Mint) depicts a beautiful laureate right-facing bust of the French maiden Marianne. The oak-leaf wreath encircling Marianne’s conical Phrygian or liberty cap symbolises the strength of the legend République Française (French Republic) surrounding her bust. The Third Republic arose after the fall of Napoleon III because of the ill-fated Franco-Prussian War in 1870 and survived through World War II. The Marianne bust was designed by Jules-Clément Chaplain, a French sculptor, who was one of France’s finest medalists. With Louis-Oscar Roty he helped found the Art Nouveau movement. Marianne has been the national personification of the French Republic since the French Revolution, as the personification of its official motto Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité (Liberty, Equality, Fraternity) and reason, and a portrayal of the Goddess of Liberty. Due to the high copper content, 90% gold and 10% copper, the Marianne Rooster like Marianne’s red Phrygian cap displayed in paintings takes on a distinctive golden reddish hue. The Marianne Roosters with only .900 gold fineness are not regarded as investment coins in the US which require a minimum level of .995 gold purity. The French national motto, Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité, surrounds the unofficial emblem of France, the left-facing Gallic Rooster (Le Coq Gaulois, Gallic Cockerel) strutting across a flowering meadow, struck with inverted die axis. The national motto is also a prominent part of the raised edge lettering of the franc. The 20 francs denomination flanks the cockerel’s legs with the date, 1911, below which is flanked by the privy marks of a torch and a cornucopia. At 21mm in diameter, the Marianne Rooster is approximately 1mm smaller than a 22.05mm British sovereign which is why the coin is encapsulated in a 21mm direct fit air-tite capsule which I had to order specifically from the US. NOTE All dates from 1907-1914 have been officially restruck. They are not fakes, as officially minted with the original dies, but copies that were reminted 1921 and 1951-1960. Most collectors actually prefer the almost uncirculated restrikes to the worn circulated originals because they look sharper. The 1899-1906 originals can be differentiated from the restrikes by the raised edge inscription Dieu Protège la France (God Protect France). Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix, 1830.

I’ve just landed! I’m a newbie from London, UK. I’m adjusting to my new surroundings.