WBCC Newsmail 74, Vol. 3, January 10 , 1998 -------------------------------------------------------------------- Composed with help of several members of the Worldwide Bi-metallic Collectors Club and published by Martin Peeters, The Netherlands, Focal Point of the WBCC, martinp@concepts.nl -------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear WBCC members, Please find issue 74 of the WBCC Newsmail. I hope you still enjoy readingit!! 1. A new member...by Martin Peeters, WBCC Focal Point We have now a new (80th) member. Pleasy add him in your list. Name: Gabor Toth (WBCC member #80), Hungary E-mail: softcont@mail.elender.hu or g_toth@freemail.c3.hu Age: 38 2. Profile of a member....by Martin Peeters, WBCC Focal Point Here you find the Profile of WBCC member Russ Weltmer. Name: Russ Weltmer(WBCC member #71), USA E-Mail: rweltmer@nothnbut.net Age: 62 Profession: Retired electronics engineer Hobbies: World coins (1 per country since 1800), US & Canadian transportation tokens, WWII US OPA tokens, first year of useage of 20th century metals and alloys, coin dating system examples, helping wife and grandkids collect coins. Against: NCLT's, proofs, collector ripoffs, "investment" dealers. Goal: Finish at least one collection of something. 3. Competition.....by Frans Dubois, Netherlands A little WBCC competition. The question is: Who the first WBCC member who has a 1998 Legal Tender Bi-metallic Coin? With this competition you can't win any price, but the honor the become the "1998 WBCC most fanatic Bi-metallic hunter". 4. Taiwan Bi-metallic 50 Yuan...by Chung-Jen Chen, Taiwan The 6th series of Chinese new year proof coin will be issued by central bank of Republic of China on Jan 7, 1998. The whole set cost 700NTD and contains 1998 0.5, 1, 5, 10 and the Bi-metalic 50NTD, also includes two medal: tiger and central Mint. Only 100,000 sets be produced, as usual it probably be sold out in 1 hour and no export to foreign. People who interested can buy it from any branch of Bank of Taiwan. So, the Bi-metallic Taiwan 50 NTD already has 1996 (70,000), 1997 (70,000), 1998 (100,000) proof and 1996, 1997 UNC version. The proof is in set only and the UNC come from UNC set (Taiwan butterfly series) or mint roll 5. Portugal mis-uses "Bi-metallic"....by Dean Neald, Canada I came across an interesting advertisement for a Bi-metallic coin that I thought the WBCC members might be interested in. I took a look in the December WBCC catalogue and I could not find a listing for this coin. I also question whether it is a true Bi-metallic coin by the club's definition. Anyway I saw an advertisement in the November 1997 issue of "World Coin News". The advertisement is for a Portugal 500 Escudo coin, for the years 1996 + 1997. It is a coin which has a thin layer of gold attached to a silver coin. Except the gold is applied to one side only. The result is a Bimetallic coin that is gold on one side and silver on the other! Interesting concept, but I do not know if I would call it a Bi-metallic coin orjust a clad or laminated coin. I do not recall seeing anything about this coin in the WBCC Newsletters but I could be wrong. Anyway I thought that you and the other WBCC members might be interested in this coin. --Remark of the WBCC Focal Point: This Portugal 500 Escudos was once mentioned in WBCC Newsmail 62, item 6. Then it was not clear if it was a Bi-metallic or not. I think it is clear now, it is non a Bi-metallic as we are used. The Portugal Mint is mis-using the word 'Bi-metallic". 6. Netherlands Bi-metallic 200 Euro...by Frans Woons, Canada In the November 1997 issue of the German coin magazine "Geldgeschichtliche Nachrichten" ("News about th history of money") (Vol. 32, No. 182) I read on page 358 some more information about the 200 Euro "Jan Pietersz. Sweelinck" coin with Kinegram struck by "De Nederlandse Munt" (Dutch Mint). In the description it says, among other things, that the kinegram shows (depending on the viewing angle) either six stars or the Euro Symbol (a stylized letter E) or the words DE NEDERLANDSE MUNT KINEBAR TM. Some technical data about this coin include: - weight: 153.5 g .999 silver plus 2 g of .999 gold for a total of 155.5 g. - diameter: 65 mm - date: 1997 - edge: serrated - mintage: 2000 specimens in Proof quality. The above is probably also true for other 200 Euro coins with kinegram struck by "De Nederlandse Munt". 7. Coin World articles (1)....by Ray Heuer, USA In last week's WBCC Newsmail (#73), one of the lead articles in the Jan. 5, 1998 issue of Coin World, but this issue contained a wealth of information relating to both Bi-metallic coins and the WBCC. - Article 1: As you mentioned, the Citizen's Commemorative Coin Advisory Committee recommended that a $5 gold/platinum Bi-metallic coin be issued in 2000 honoring the Library of Congress. - Article 2: The "Readers Ask..." column by Richard Giedroyc mentioned an 1844 ringed Bi-metallic "model penny" produced by British die sinker Joseph Moore as test coins for a proposed decimal coinage. The article mentions that models were produced from 1844 to 1848 in denominations ranging from 1/32 farthing to 1 crown in various metals, but only specifies the 1844 penny as Bi-metallic. An illustration accompanying the article implies that an 1844 halfpenny was also ringed Bi-metallic, but does not state it as a fact. - Article 3: The WBCC is mentioned, and John Becek's article in the Dec.13 WBCC Newsmail (mistakenly referred to as the WBBC Newsmail) is quoted in an artcle on the 1997 Italian 1000 Lira ringed Bi-metallic coin which had to be withdrawn due to an incorrect map of the European Union. WBCC member and coin dealer Joel Anderson is extensively quoted in the same artice. Mr. Anderson's address is given in the article, but the WBCC's is not. - Article 4: Portugal is releasing a 500 Escudo coin honoring Father Antonio Veira on the 300th anniversary of his death. A .925 fine silver coin blank will be laminated with a tenth of an ounce of .9167 fine (22 karat) gold, resulting in a Bi-metallic coin that is gold on one side and silver on the other. The article did not say, but I presume that the gold side will be the obverse. There will be 15,000 Bi-metallic proofs, and the diameter is noted as 30 millimeters. --Remark WBCC Focal Point: You could read more about this in Item 5 -Portugal mis-uses "Bi-metallic"- - Article 5: Finally, an article on the scheduling problems that San Marino is having with its 1000 Lira ringed Bi-metallic coin. 8. Coin World article (2)...by Ray Heuer, USA I just today received the January 12,1998 issue of Coin World, and the "New Coins" section describes a new ringed Tri-Metallic coin from Monaco, a 27-millimeter 20 Francs coin dated 1997. The center is copper, the inside ring is nickel, and the outer ring is copper-aluminum-nickel, and it has an interrupted reeded edge. The devices are on the inner two rings, and the legends are on the outer ring. In addition, an article on technological innovations in 1997 illustrates the British 2 Pound bimetallic coin. 9. New Bi-metallics scans (1)....by Larry Friemel, USA This week, I got my Gibraltar mint set from Pobjoy the Jersey 2 pound coin. When you look into the WBCC Homepage you can see pictures of them: http://www.geocities.com/RodeoDrive/7513/wbcc/wbcc.html 10. New Bi-metallics scans (2) ...by Frans Woons, Canada On the WBCC Homepage you will find a couple varieties of scans of Canadian $ 2 pieces dated 1996. It seems to be struck slightly off-centre: the inner rim is at the left in the "white" metal while at the right it is in the "yellow" metal. The cross-overs are at the 1 of 1996 and, about diametrically opposed to it, between the maple leaf and the D. Further a scan what shows a defective planchet. There is some metal missing between the 6 of 1996 and the A of REGINA. I do not know whether this happened in or outside the mint. 11. Bi-metallic Model 1 Penny....by Russ Weltmer, USA I received in the mail today a pricelist from Farthing Corner World Coins/Paper Money and found in the Great Britain Tokens section: "Model Penny Cir.. (CA?) 1840's XF Victoria on White metal Center US$10.00" If anyone is interested, their address is: Farthing Corner P.O. Box 26 Clearlake Oaks, CA 95423 Fax:(707) 998-4514 (anytime) E-Mail: Fartcor@aol.com (anytime) I assume this is the (ND) 1844, Model 1 Penny, J. Moore, X24 from our catalogue (The World of Bi-metallics). 12. Mexico Bi-metallic varieties...by Paul Baker (non WBCC member), UK I recently got the following Mexican bimetallic coins. I chose the best pieces from a bag of 50 or so and found varieties with the 1994 pieces. I got: Mexico 1 New Peso KM-550 1992 (yellow), 1993 (yellow), 1994 (yellow) Mexico 2 New Pesos KM-551 1992 (yellow), 1993 (yellow), 1994 (yellow), 1994 (redder) Mexico 5 New Pesos KM-552 1992 (yellow), 1993 (yellow), 1994 (yellow), 1994 (redder) (Colouring refers to the colours of the centres.) The "redder" centres are distinctly different in colour to the "yellow" ones but they DO NOT appear to be "normal" Bronze as usually seen. I suspect the centres are just a different mixture of aluminium-bronze to that used in the earlier pieces. Do "redder" examples exist of the 1 New Peso KM-550 dated 1994 ? Am I right in thinking that the 1992 and 1993 dated pieces of all three types exist only in the "yellow" variety ? 13. US Inlay Bi-metallic Medals..by Ken Potter (non WBCC member), USA America The Beautiful - complete 8 piece set in original case of issue. 1,000 grains sterling silver 30mm Stunning Frosted Cameo Proof with Deep Mirror fields, inset into a 50mm Antique Silver "outer ring". Each of the proof insets is offset in various directions creating working space for a complimenting design in the antique silver area. Each of the medals shows interesting displays of Americana. One of the most beautiful sets of medals that I've ever seen produced by FM. Edge marked 1976 $150.00 America The Beautiful -Above the Fruited Plain", a single piece as described in the above set. Father and Son planting a sapling in inset (located off-set to 8 O'clock); an apple orchard in "outer ring". An outstanding single - beautiful for "Fathers Day"! US$20.00. America The Beautiful - "God Shed His Grace On Thee", another single as above w/inset located at 12 O'clock depicting a family of Pilgrims walking home from church; outer ring depicts dear at wood's edge drinking from a pond, US$15.00. "See" you next week, Martin Peeters, Focal Point of the Worldwide Bi-metallic Collectors Club martinp@concepts.nl