WBCC Newsmail 66, Vol. 2, November 15, 1997 Dear WBCC members, The WBCC is still growing. This week I've got 5 E-mails from collectors who want to join the WBCC. Before they are a WBCC member I send them information about the WBCC to see if they are real potential member. Sometime I get an answer, sometimes not. You can read now again some very fine news about Bi-metallics. As usual: Enjoy it!! 1. New member...By Martin Peeters, WBCC Focal Point This week w've got a new member. He is the youngest WBCC member. Let me introduce him to you: Name: Peter van Dongen Jr, Netherlands (WBCC member #70) E-mail: mediagr@concepts.nl Age: 12 Profession: Student Hobby: Collecting Bi-metallic and World coins 2. Final design future German Bi-metallic Euro's...By Martin Peeters Germany has introduced the final design for the future (2002) Legal Tender Euro's. The 1 and 2 Euro will be Bi-metallic. The observe will be the same in all the 15 EC countries. The German Euro's reverse depicts a Eagle (center) and 12 stars (ring). When you want to see a picture of it look into the WBCC Homepage: http://www.geocities.com/RodeoDrive/7513/wbcc/wbcc.html 3. Final design future Belgium Bi-metallic Euro's...By Martin Peeters Belgium has introduced the final design for the future (2002) Legal Tender Euro's. The 1 and 2 Euro will be Bi-metallic. The observe will be the same in all the 15 EC countries. The Belgium Euro's reverse depicts King Albert the Second (center) and 12 stars and the year 2002 (ring). When you want to see a picture of it look into the WBCC Homepage: http://www.geocities.com/RodeoDrive/7513/wbcc/wbcc.html 4. Two new Bi-metallic Croatia 25 Kuna 1997..By Joel Anderson, USA As announced in WBCC Newsmail 65, item 2, there are indeed 2 new Bi-metallic 25 Kuna 1997 of Croatia. You can see a picture of them int the WBCC Homepage: http://www.geocities.com/RodeoDrive/7513/wbcc/wbcc.html They are the same size and material as the previous 25 Kuna. They have a common reverse (or is it obverse) which is the same as the previous Croatian 25 Kuna. One coin commemorates the 5th Anniversary of Croatia joining the United Nations (must not be much to commemorate in Croatia). The other commemorates the World Esperanto Conference held in Zagreb. 5. An Italian Bi-metallic.......By Koen Helling, Netherlands This week I got a Bi-metallic, 1/2 Luigini 1995, from the Principato di Seborga (a small state somewhere in Italy), which had its own coins in the 17 century. The size off the coin is about 31 mm. At one side of the coin there's a portrait of Giorgio I, Principe di Seborga. At the other side there's a 'picture' of a building. The centre of the coin is 'silver-coloured' the outside more or less brass-coloured. 6. MTT's...........By Serge Pelletier (Non WBCC member), Canada The French Ecu/Euro mentioned in WBCC Newsmail 65 item 3, are Municipal Trade Tokens (MTT's) and did have legal tender in those cities during a limited period of time. Those WBCC members interested in knowing more about MTT's should consult my site at: http://www.aracnet.net/~mrmtt 7. Portuguese Mint set 1997...By Martin Peeters, Netherlands This week I visited one of Europe's largest International Coinfairs. In the Belgium city Tienen there were more then 500 meters of tables available for the coindealers from Belgium, Netherlands, Germany and Great Britain. On this coinfair I could obtain the 1997 Portuguese Mint set called "Lisboa Expo '98" (in Bu and Proof). This is a real unique Mint set because not only the normal 1997 coinage is in this set, but also 4 Bi-metallics: a. 100 Escudos 1997, Lisboa b. 200 Escudos 1997, Garcia de Orta c. 100 Escudos 1997, Sea Wolf of the Desert Isles d. 200 Escudos 1997, Dolphins of the Portuguese Caost This Portuguese Mint set "'Lisboa Expo '98" is the first one worldwide, containing 4 different Bi-metallics!! Notice: a and b are now only in the Bu and Proof Mint set available, c and d are also available loose. 8. New Bi-metallic 5 Ecu/Euros....By Martin Peeters, Netherlands This week I've got from the Belgium firm Bosch Coins, these 2 new (Non Legal Tender) Bi-metallic 5 Ecu/Euro's are dated 1996. Like the earlier struck Bi-metallic 5 Ecu/Euro Beatrix and Mitterand, the observe is the same. These new ones depicts Conrad Adenauer of Germany and Winston Churchill of the UK. These 5 Ecu/Euros are struck at the Belgium Mint and can be seen in the WBCC Homepage: http://www.geocities.com/RodeoDrive/7513/wbcc/wbcc.html The Belgium Firm has an E-mail address ( boschcoins@club.innnet.be ). Please notice: the dealer doesn't responce to E-mails but will take orders when you send them. This I've got from him personally after contacting him by phone. 9. New Bi-metallic Italian coin...By Martin Peeters, Netherlands From non WBCC member Paul Baker from the UK, I've got the following 2 messages dated 10/11/97 and 12/11/97: --Quote From: INTERNET: RAMBLER32@aol.COM To: COINS Mailing list, INTERNET: coins@uni.edu Date: 10/11/97 16:21 Re: Press release: New Italian 1,000 Lire Coin Sender: coins-owner@uni.edu Rome, November 10 - Italy's first 1,000-lire coins were put into circulation today and the initial reaction was that they looked good, shiny and chic. The new coin was putting a new zing into transactions as money changed hands at coffee bars and newsstands. Although larger than the 500-lire coin introduced not too long ago, it is similar in that it uses two different metals and consists of a central core of one color and an outer rim of another. The 500-lire coin had a golden central disc of bronzital, surrounded by a silver-colored ring of acmonital. The 1,000-lire coin has a silver-colored center of cupronichel surrounded by a golden ring of bronzital. The profile of a woman wearing a tower-like crown, a traditional symbol of Italy, graces the face of the new coin. On its obverse is a map of Europe, thus giving the nod to both patriotic and European sentiments. The mint distributed a first batch of 30 million today and said that by the end of the year 180 million of them should be in circulation. --Unquote --Quote From: INTERNET: RayHeuer1@aol.COM To: COINS Mailing list, INTERNET: COINS@uni.edu Date: 12/11/97 12:35 Re: Italian 1,000 Lira coin Sender: coins-owner@uni.edu I just read that Italy has been forced to stop production of their new 1,000 Lira coin. It seems that the map of Europe on the reverse doesn't include what used to be called East Germany. Although production has been halted, there are no plans to recall the coins that are already in circulation. For those interested in such things, 1,000 Lira is approximately 60 cents US. --Unquote 10. New Bi-metallic in Dutch Mint set...By Martin Peeters, Netherlands At the Dutch Mint everybody can let make a (commercial) mintset for promotional purposes. There are several examples of them in the past. Now a famous TV personality has made a Dutch Mint set with an own Bi-metallic medal. The name of this TV personality is Bart de Graaf. There are 1000 sets produced and the price is 150 Dutch Guilders, about 75 US Dollars. 11. Münzprägstatt München Internet page....By Gerhard Schon, Germany Münzprägstatt München, Germany now has an internet page at: http://www.muenzpraegstatt.de/ --Remark of WBCC Focal Point: This page is just made so not too sensational. No Bi-metallics are shown yet. 12. WBCC Bi-metallic token comments...By Martin Peeters, WBBC Focal Point I've still got some comments from WBCC members about the WBCC Bi-metallic token: Ken Brown, Canada: "I just picked up my mail and discovered your envelope containing the WBCC Bi-metallic...Very Nice." Louis Crawford, USA: "Received my WBCC tokens in good shape; they look really good." Randall Rogers, USA "Received WBCC coin. It was quite good." Serge Pelletier (non WBCC member) , Canada: "Just received the WBCC Medals, thanks! I must admit I was surprised to see it uniface. I guess the good thing about it is that the members can personalize them so they become somewhat of a -numismatic visit card -" Bryan Ryker (non WBCC member), USA: "Thanks for the WBCC piece. You did a nice job with the design. I especially like that you limited the production." Ray Lockwood, USA: "I like the uniface WBCC medal very much!!" Eugene Canham, USA: "I have today received the 2 pcs, WBCC tokens! Very nice looking pieces!" John Magruder, USA: "I recently received the WBCC Bimetalic coin in the mail. It is very impressive." Ingrid Biery (non WBCC member), USA: "Thanks you very much for sending the WBCC own Bi-metallic so quickly. It is a beautiful piece to add to my collection." Cliff Anderson, USA: "Thanks for delivery the WBCC Bi-metallic which arrived today. It really is terrific." Brad Strong, USA: "Really enjoy the new WBCC token. Nice work!" Patrick Glassford, Canada: "The WBCc Bi-metallics are very nice !" Daniel Shoemaker, USA: "I just recieved my WBCC Bi-metallic, and it's great! I feel proud to have one of only 113 coins. The blank back looks great, and shows us what all Bi-metallics have in common. Thanks!" "See" you next week, Martin Peeters, Focal Point of the Worldwide Bi-metallic Collectors Club martinp@concepts.nl