WBCC Newsmail 54, Vol. 2, August 22, 1997

Dear WBCC members, this weeks WBCC Newsmail is a little shorter then
usually, still there is some interested Bi-metallic news. So enjoy it !!

1. Educational Bi-metallic pack...By John Baker, UK, Non WBCC member

    I purchased just a week ago the following "educational pack" which I
have previously seen briefly in someone else's (British) Royal Mint
literature. Four (Bi-metallic) pieces are packed in a colourful plastic
package of a similar type to those used for the G.B. mint sets. This pack
is a must for a WBCC member, surely. The four pieces are as such:

a) Outer blank - the plain disc that when punched through the middle will
become the outer ring.

b) Inner blank - the blank that will be later fixed into the outerring
blank.

c) "Blank" coin - this is the outer ring and inner core blanks bonded
together. But this piece is not exactly blank as the edge is incusely
lettered and the rim formed. The edge inscription reads " DECUS ET TUTAMEN 
* ANNO REGNI XLVI * ", the "*"s are actually not asterisks but small
symbols with five sections a little like the rose found on the G.B. 20
Pences, only much smaller. This lettered edge we are told is applied to the
outer ring before its original centre is punched out of it. The edge
inscription means "An ornament and a safeguard. Regnal year 46.". Regnal
dates are rarely seen at all these days, the last regular occurence of
regnal dates on the edges of G.B. coins was on the later crowns (5
Shillings) of Queen Victoria (KM-783).

d) Complete trial coin - this is as (3) above but with the final operation.
This is the application, in one go, of the obverse and reverse designs and
the milled edge. This complete piece has an obverse not quite the same as
the actual two pound coin - portrait is slightly different and words are
punctuated slightly differently. The reverse has on the inner core a ship
design which is a little like that on the New Zealand Bi-metallic 50 Cents
KM-90. The reverse design on the outer core is just the words "ROYAL MINT
TRIAL" above the ship and below ship is the date "1994". Finally the
lettered edge now has over it a milled edge, like with the edges on the
G.B. one Pound coins, of course the words are the same as the words on
piece (3) above, however the "rose" symbols are less clear on this piece
due to the edge milling application.

The pack tells us that (a) the inner core is of Copper-Nickel (75% Cu, 25%
Ni), 19.80mm diameter and mass of 6.03 grams and (b) the outer ring is
Nickel-Brass (76% Cu, 20% Zn, 4% Ni), 28.40mm diameter and mass of 5.97
grams. The pack gives the piece a denomination of two pounds. Finally most
of the printed information in the pack is about the production of these
pieces and this is entitled "From raw metal to finished coin"

You can see the Educational pack at:
http://www.royalmint.com/coinframeset.html

2. Bi-metallic Tunesia roumer...By Frans Dubois, Netherlands

   A colleque of mine has visited Algerian this summer. He brought to my
attention that there should be a Tunesian Bi-metallic. He couldn't tell
what domination the circulated coin was. Maybe one of you have more about
this new Bi-metallic.

3. Monaco Tri-metallic 20 France 1995...By Jean Verleg, Netherlands

   Back from a holiday, one of my kids brought for me the Monaco 1995 Min
set. It was a nice surprise, this set contains the Bi-metallic 10 franc and
the Tri-metallic 20 franc dated 1995.  

--Remark of the WBCC Focal Point:
This confirms the earlier message (WBCC Newsmail 53, issue 11) of Gerhard
Schon.

4. Mars Pathfinder non ringed Bi-metallic...By Gerhard Schon, Germany

    The company of "Muenzpraegstatt GmbH", Germany, is offering a 50 mm
silver medal on the Mars Pathfinder mission with the red planet rendered as
an off-center copper inlay.

5. My Bi-metallic want list.........By Luis Wulschner, Mexico

    My Bi-metallic want list is as follows:
Adorra 2 Dinars (KM-27 and KM-28)
France 10 Francs (KM-969, Montesquieu)
France 1 Ecu 1994 (20 Year Pessac)
France 5 Ecu 1994 and 1995 (Strassburg)
France 10 Ecu 1995 (Conflans)
France 3 Euro 1996 (Le Borget)
Gibraltar 4.2 Ecus (Knight)         

If someone has available or can get for me one of these pieces I am
interested in acquiring them or exchange them for Mexican Bi-metallic coins
(one to fifty pesos) in UNC/BU condition. 
Please contact by e/mail: momomex@mail.internet.com.mx

6. WBCC improvements......By Martin Peeters, WBCC Focal Point

    The WBCC is now almost a year running.
It takes me every week a lot of time to compose the WBCC Newsmail, I don't
do that in my own but offcourse with help of the WBCC members and also non
WBCC members.

I would like to get some improvements proposals from the WBCC members.
What do you like to change?
Must the weekly WBCC Newsmail go in an other outfit?
Must the contens of the weekly WBCC Newsmail change?
Must the WBCC change?

When you have some suggestions please send them to me, but please don't
forget one of the major goals of the WBCC: Exchange Bi-metallics and
exchange knowledge of Bi-metallics.

"See" you next week on sunday,
Martin Peeters, Focal Point of the
Worldwide Bi-metallic Collectors Club