WBCC Newsmail 16, november 30, 1996 --------------------------------------------------------- I still get reactions on the Coin World article what means we get more members You can read a 'Profile' later. As announced in WBCC Newsmail 15 you can read an article with the name "What is a Bi-metallic ?". There is also news about the Worldwide Bi-metallic Collectors Club (WBCC) organisation and again Hot Bi-metallic news. 1. Hot Bi-metallic news..................By Frans Dubois, Netherlands I have been informed that a new 100 Dinar Algerian Bi-metallic coin will be issued in januar/februar 1997. Further details unknown. 2. Hot Bi-metallic commemorative news...........By Martin Peeters In the Netherlands there is a new commemorative Bi-metallic. This Bi-metallic is from a school called (in The Netherlands) HTS, free translation: High Technical School. This school, in the city Dordrecht, exists in 1996 now 85 years. So they have made a very nice styled Bi-metallic to cellebrate it. 3. The WBCC Documentation Center.............is Frans Dubois When the WBCC wants to know more about Bi-metallics we must have a WBCC Documentation Center. Now Frans Dubois of The Netherlands is gattering information about Bi-metallics. So if you have something, like articles, brochures etc. send it to Frans. His address will be published in the letter with the catalog your getting hopefully end this week. 4. West African States........................By Martin Peeters In WBCC Newsmail 14 I spoke out my doubts about the 250 Francs 1996 of the West African States. Well this Bi-metallic realy exists. I've got it this week from the Coindealer A. Jorg, Germany. 5. What is a Bi-metallic ?..........................By Larry Friemel, USA Martin has asked that I put together for discussion purposes a little article on the term bi-metal, bimetal and/or bi-metallic. I have taken a few moments, put fingers to keyboard and the following thought came to mind. Since most of these comments are purely my first impressions, they should no doubt stimulate some discussion. As always the first thing I want to do is find an expert on the subject. Well, I looked around and I think we (the WBCC) are those experts. So I took the next step and consulted my tried and true standby the Webster's New World Dictionary. There I found the following definitions: bi-, a prefix meaning having two; joining or involving two , joining, adj, bringing or coming together; connect; unite , involving, adj, to make intricate metal, n, anything consisting of metal such as iron, gold, copper or an alloy such as brass, bronze, etc The only other definition I found close but unrelated was bi-metallism, n, the use of two metals, especially gold and silver, as the monetary standard, with fixed values in relation to each other I checked several available numismatic publications but they provide me no further definitions. I guess they assumed the reader knew what it meant already. However, before I address Martin's assignment, I want to set aside the issue of whether this bi-metal is a circulating legal tender coin, a non-circulating non-legal tender coin, a medal, a token, a Toy coin, an ancient trading piece, or whatever. I will for simplicity refer to the item in point as a bi-metal. Therefor, utilizing the above very simple but straight forward definitions, I would suggest that any of the following combination of items would certainly fit into the bi-metal category: -- Dual (two) piece ringed bi-metals (example - France's 10 francs and many others) -- Bi-metals created by inserting a metal slug (example - the 1792 US silver center cent and several early American merchant tokens) -- Bi-metals resulting from the addition of gilt or cameo overlays (not painted or colored) of gold and any other metal (example -Canada's aviation commemoratives; Andorra's various gold on silver commemoratives) -- Bi-metals made using inlays (example - Gilbraltar's inlayed Goaliath European football championship 1 crown -- a colored scene on a gold inlay) -- Bi-metals created when another metal is anodized onto its surface (example - many casino chips with their artificial gold rings) -- Ancients (here I use the term very generally) made of more than one metal (example - China's 5AD knife money with gold engraving; Egypt's pharaoh period burial money which is white metal fashioned after a cowry shell with gold inlay; Ethiopia's 3rd century AD Axumite Empire bronze with gold inlays; and 1689-90 Irish gun money made from pewter James II Crowns and half pennies with brass plugs) -- Bi-metals resulting from encasing a coin within another metal collar (examples - 1844 Joseph Moore penny with its Farthing insert; Frans Woons encased US or Canadian dimes and cents with there advertising or good luck messages; and the United States 1874 Bickford Dollar) I am not sure where the French false coins belong not knowing how they apply the imitation center coloring. Maybe they are gilt, maybe they are annodized, or maybe they are simpley painted. If painted then they would not qualify as bi-metals, but because of their uniquness they would still be specimans I would include in my collection. If you buy into any of this yet, then from bi-metals it is a small jump to items with more than two metals such as: -- Tri (three)- metals (example - France's 20 francs) -- Quad (four)- metals (example -one medal made circa 1904, which has four round pieces of aluminum arranged within a round brass planchet. This medal is pictured on page 10 of David Schenkman's Bimetallic Trade Tokens of the United States.) If we add these thoughts and items to our collecting scope, maybe we are really multi-metal collectors not simply bi-metal collectors? Now if I really wanted to reach, I could also including into my simple bi-metal definition such items as a ring with an inlayed coin or a pendant made up of a medal filigree holder containing a coin or (I will leave the rest up to your imagination). But even these exceed my zone of outer limits for bi-metals, because I tend to collect items that are generally round in nature and are coin like in purpose. On the flip side of this coin, what is not a bi-metal? Well, I would say an encased stamp, is certainly not. I would also say a United States Lincoln penny is not even though it is a multi-metal sandwich coin comprised of a zinc core with a copper coating (sort of like an M&M candy). Now what have I done? I think we have just added a new definition to bi-metal (at least as we are interpreting it). That is -- it not only must be made of two different metals, BUT these two metals must be visible to the eye. A coin such as the US cent may be made of two (or more metals), but only one is visible (in this case the copper outside coating); therefore, it is not by our new definition a bi-metal. So, when all is said and done, are we back to what areas of multi-metals do we collect and what is the nature of a multii-metal coin club; not what is a bi-metal? I think that is another equally or even more significant discussion topic when the dust settles, don't you? My problem is I can understand and tolerate all of the above. I do not think this has to be so specialized a pursuit to exclude anyone who wants to explore even the fringes as I have defined them. I would like to end with an article from Coin World International that was printed sometime this summer, by Richard Giedroyc, titled "Someone in China experimented with bimetallic coins millennia ago". It states, "Ringed bimetallic coin collectors may be surprised to learn coins of more than one separated metal dates back nearly two millennium. Two gold inlay, cast copper cash coins of China issued between A.D. 7 and 23 appear in separate lots in the Sept. 5 auction to be conducted in Hong Kong... The coins appear to predate gold inlay, struck bronze coins of the Axumite Empire (modern Ethiopia) by several centuries. So little is documented on the gold inlay coins of China that auction cataloger Robert van Bebber told Coin World three different source books couldn't agree on what the denomination was meant to be once the gold inlay was added to what has been a 1-cash coin. According to van Bebber, the coins were initially cast, as were all Chinese coins of this period. The inscription area on the round part of the key-shaped coins (Larry note: We often call the knives) appears to have been etched out and the gold inlaid. Van Bebber said he was not certain how much gold had been added, but it appeared to be pounded onto each coin in what may have been a labor-intensive process by perhaps a goldsmith. Van Bebber said the three sources he used indicated the gold appreciated the value of the coin from 1 cash to either 500, 1000 or 5000 cash. Key or sword or knife money is one of many forms of coins used in China about this time that bridged the gap between primitive money and round cash coins that are similar to round coins of today. ... Knife money may have at one time represented the value of one knife in barter. Van Bebber said of the gold inlay Chinese coins, "As far as I know, its the only coin type that is like this.". Each of the gold inlay coins in the auction were cast during the reign of Wang Mang. The Chinese characters read "Yi Tao P'ing Wu Chien." The gold inlay is on the "Yi Tao" part of the inscription. "Yi tao p'ing wu chien" translates to one knife (value 5000) according to Fredrik Schjoth in "The Currency of the Far East"." I hope you find the results of this little assignment somewhat stimulating and interesting. I will be looking forward to your various comments -- Larry Friemel, WBCC Helpdesk, lrfriemel@ccgate.hac.com 6. Profile of a (new) member Name: John Magruder, USA E-mail: magruder@inna.net Age: 33 Profession: Forester Hobbies: Bi-metallics, lumber tokens, family history Goal: Live long and prosper 7. Euros....................By Larry Friemel I've got a confirmation from the French mint and states that all mints have agreed to make the 1 and 2 Euro coins bi-metallics! It states that they plan on having a common obverse, but country specific reverses. This appears to mean that we will have 2 new bi-metals a year from 13 countries if each country does its own thing and doesn't decide to share a common set of currency. I sort of doubt that any sharing will happen. That is 26 bi-metals per year possibly. This should keep us busy. I hope someone (or some mint) some where decides to put together a yearly set of Euros. It would make it easer from this part of the world (USA) to collect them. 8. Mexico 1995 and 1996 Bi-metallics....By Eugine Canham, USa Mexico produced the 50 New Peso 1995 only in Bu and in 1996 only in Proof. All 1996 Mexico Bi-metallics will have new (KM) catalog numbers because they have dropped the NEW from all coinage and currency for 1996. I spoke to Fred Borgmann the 'New Issues Editor' of the standaaed Catalog of World Coin News and he informs me that the new numbers will be: 1 Peso 1996 KM 603 2 Peso 1996 KM 604 5 Peso 1996 KM 605 10 Peso 1996 KM 606 20 Peso 1996 KM 607 50 Peso 1996 KM 608 So it seems that they will be making all denomination for 1996 ! 9. 'The World of Bi-metallics'..............By Martin Peeters This week was quiet hectic for me. Making the catalog 'The World of Bi-metallics' complete, print out about 35 pieces, get them togther and post them. All the members of the WBCC get a copy of it and in this week you should get it by post. 10. Next week WBCC Newsmail In next week WBCC Newsmail their will be a complete list of all WBBC members (25) till now. The names, which country they come from and their Internet connection. Happy Bi-metallic hunting, Martin Your Focal Point of the WBCC