Star Trek is a great theme for commemorative coins, especially once it turned fifty years old. The original series and its familiar characters are best known, with star Trek the Next Generation being second. The images are so familiar that several major mints have issued star Trek coins.
The Royal Canadian Mint is a wonderful source for coins, including some coins from other countries, The history of the Royal Canadian Mint to offer free shipping to United States and Canadian addresses on orders over one hundred Canadian dollars is a real plus. This is especially a good deal now that the Canadian dollar is about three-fourths of a United States dollar in value. Converting currency is easy with many card services, and the fee is often nominal. some cards charge only about one percent of the transferred money.
The New Zealand Mont makes many commemorative coins, and having the royal Canadian Mint offer them certainly is a value to customers in the United states and in Canada.
The numismatic world existed for years with coins bearing interesting designs on the reverse, and often an important figure on the obverse. The coin would be in a single metal, or a metal alloy. For collectors, that was fine. After all, coins were intended for spending, and numismatic considerations were often secondary, if considered at all. Mints occasionally released commemorative coins for the collectors, and minted a small number of proof coins compared to what was placed into circulation. Then, mints started attempting to sell coins, perhaps to offset the rising costs of coin making and increased costs for the metals used. Major Mints Respond to the Need to Make Coins More Interesting.
Well, making coins more interesting means something to some, but not to all. Some coin collectors insist that the historical value is the real value, and shun new coin types. But, many others, enough to entice the mints, accepted these coins and clamored for more. It seems mints must now compete for the collectors’ money.
Enameled and Gilded Coins
Many coins are selectively colorized with enamel. This can especially enhance a fine silver coin, but it should be added by the mint. Adding enamel later by a third party is not well received by the numismatic community. The Perth Mint is one of the leaders in colorizing coins, and others are trying to catch up. The Royal Canadian Mint has recently made great strides, and may now have the process perfected to the same standards as the Perth Mint. More enameled issues are coming from the Perth Mint, but that may be because the Royal Canadian Mint is using multiple innovations.
Other Mints that have been colorizing coins with success are the Singapore Mint, the Mint of Japan, and the New Zealand Mint.
Gilded coins are selectively covered with gold gilt, which gives a unique finish with a richness that cannot be described in words. Here, the Perth Mint has been leading the way.
Bimetallic Coins
Making bimetallic coins is a real challenge for a mint. The metals must respond to heat and cold by expanding and contracting at about the same rate, or the coins would simply come apart at the seams.
The most interesting bimetallic coins are the coins with a silver ring and niobium in a central disk.Niobium can be colorized by electroplating, which gives a totally different appearance than one gets from an enameled coin.This technique appears to be mastered by the Austrian Mint, and now by the Royal Canadian Mint.
Unusual Shapes
Coins are often round. Now, they can be triangular, elliptical, and rectangular. The Perth Mint has issued coins shaped like the map of Australia.
Swarvoski Crystals and Other Stones
Embedding Swarvoski crystals into silver coins, and a few other coins, has been mastered by the Mint of Poland and by the Royal Canadian Mint. What really works here is the range of colors possible.
The Perth Mint has found a way to have large, translucent opals in the center of coins, and windows with gemstones in other coins.In fact, the Perth Mint has embedded real gemstones, including diamonds, in some coins.
Holographic Coins
Holograms on coins immediately leads to the Royal Canadian Mint, where holograms have been in use for years. Now, the Royal Australian Mint is accepting the challenge and releasing holographic coins. In some cases the image appears to change color, but having the image itself change has also been accomplished.
Glow in the Dark
Yes, the Royal Canadian Mint has issued glow in the dark coins, and they are quite popular.
Fossils and Meteorites
Among the more unusual things embedded in coins are fossils and fragments of a meteorite.
Other innovations also have been tried, and other mints have also added to the wealth of unusual coins, but these are the ones I am most familiar with. Oh, I realize someone will point our the Perth Mint coins where the outer ring moves with respect to the inner ring, but that series is over, and appears to have been a one time event. And I am certain I have not heard of everything, since I do not follow the releases of every mint. http://blackspanielgallery.com
The Transportation Series of coins lasted but two years, 2000 and 2001, but is today a highly sought after series. The subject matter of the series itself is a source of interest. The coins depict modes of transportation with a historical point of view. There are two coins each that feature an automobile, if you are a little generous with the term automobile, two old steam engines, and a pair of sailing ships. One of each mode of transportation was minted for each year.
Images used were taken by Black Spaniel Gallery, and are our images.The Transportation Series of coins lasted but two years, 2000 and 2001, but is today a highly sought after series. The subject matter of the series itself is a source of interest. The coins depict modes of transportation with a historical point of view. There are two coins each that feature an automobile, if you are a little generous with the term automobile, two old steam engines, and a pair of sailing ships. One of each mode of transportation was minted for each year.
Highly Collectible Coins With Excellent Specifications
Short series are easy to complete, so collectors are inclined to acquire them. This series has but six coins, making it a very short series.
Another factor in collectability is the quality. The royal Canadian Mint is perhaps the world leader in innovation as well as in quality. These coins are also made to the high proof standards. In addition, these are Sterling silver coins, which means they contain 0.9250 purity of silver, and about 0.925 of a Troy ounce ASW (actual silver weight).
My coin book, North American Coins and Prices, does not show a mintage for the 2000 issues, but does show a mintage of only 15,000 each for the 2001 issues. One thing that might have caused this is the Royal Canadian Mint occasionally prints a maximum mintage on a coin’s Certificate of Authenticity, but there is no guarantee that number will be demanded by the public, hence ever minted. Let it suffice to say the entire set is limited in availability.
These coins were issued in beautiful mint cases, one of which is shown below.
These coins have a denomination of $20, and were never intended to circulate.
These coins each bear a nice cameo showing the same subject from a different perspective. The book I am using identifies the cameos for the 2000 coins as multicolored, and those for the 2001 coins as holograms. The Royal Canadian Mint has a rich history of hologram inclusions on coins, and it is possible the 2000 issues just used a different wording. I have seen two of the 2001 coins, but have not come across any 2000 coins from this series.
The 2000 Coin Subjects
Some Canadian Firsts in Transportation
The First Canadian Locomotive shows a steam engine with steam coming from its smoke stack traveling right to left.
The First Canadian Self-Propelled Car has large wheels and a smoke stack on the rear.
The Bluenose Sailboat is the ship under sail.
The 2001 Issues Famous Carriers
A Steam Locomotive, which is specifically the Scotia.
The Marco Polo coin shows the ship under full sail.
The Russell Touring Car is a beautiful car depicted from the side.
Why No Aircraft? From 1990 through 1999 the royal Canadian Mint had minted twenty Sterling silver coins,with a $20 denomination, and a gld colored cameo of one or more aviators, called the Aviation Series, so the aircraft had already been minted.
First, a Mardi Gras doubloon is a coin shaped object, often made of metal. The first Mardi Gras doubloons were minted in 1959 and made an appearance during the Rex parade on Mardi Gras Day 1960. They have been around ever since, and have had varied degrees of desirability. They represent the organization that authorized them, and become a part of the history of a particular Mardi Gras. And, they make excellent mementos of a parade from which they came. http://blackspanielgallery.com
The Aluminum Doubloons
Those Most Easily Obtained
The aluminum doubloons are usually about the size of a silver dollar, but there is no standard. Minting the same size for different organizations has its advantages for the person minting the doubloons, and since those who toss the doubloons to the crown have to pay it is logical that most are the same size. They can be produced more cheaply if the mint does not have to handle them is a special manner.
Aluminum doubloons usually carry the theme of the year on one side, and identify the organization of the other. They are normally dated, and may appear in a multitude of colors. The most frequently encountered doubloons are uncolored, but there are often also anodized doubloons as well. Each organization determines its colors, and the doubloons from a given parade might all be one color, or may be any of several colors. The edges are reeded or plain, and in some cases both edges are used in the same parade, although not on doubloons of the same color.
Of course there were always organizations that wanted to be set apart, so octagon shaped doubloons and miniature doubloons are two examples of how that was accomplished.
Rarity depends on the number produced, which is controlled by the organization. Some organizations make a certain doubloon rare to encourage people to try harder at acquiring one. Occasionally, there is a real special doubloon thrown only by certain officers of the organization. It is not uncommon to have a special doubloon made thicker than the average doubloon.
A celebrity Grand Marshall, especially for one of the larger parades, may throw a special doubloon with the celebrity’s image on it.
In the early years of doubloons they were very popular, and people often stomped on them when they hit the ground. Then, when it was clear of others they would reach down and pick the doubloon up. Of course this scratches the doubloon, rendering it less desirable. Others would hit the street and chip off some of the color. So, quality doubloons were best obtained by a mid air catch, being handed the doubloon, or standing where the doubloon would most likely fall of grass.
Collectible Interest Varied
When doubloons first came out people wanted them, and they were often grabbed as soon as they came in reach. Collections were kept in albums. Since there were so many parades that no one could possibly get one of each possible doubloon due to conflicting schedules, doubloon shops sprng up and price lists came out. People hid their collections, and some were valued in the thousands of dollars.
Interest dropped when the plastic cups came out. The cups could be painted with the organization’s name and theme of the year. Plastic cups were cheaper, so float riders opted to spend more on cups and less on doubloons. Cups were useful, so the cups became the focus. Doubloons would be left on the ground. Fewer and fewer organizations threw doubloons, and fewer people collected them. The value of the collections plummeted.
Now, there is a small resurgence, but the cost of aluminum is keeping it from really taking off. However, more are being picked up as soon as they are thrown. But, not many are being thrown.
Another factor that must be taken into account is that Hurricane Katrina flooded many homes where the collections were stored, and entire collections were lost. This discouraged some people who, after collecting for decades, had to either stop collecting doubloons or start over. And, the older ones will not be replaced easily.
One way some doubloons were made to be set part is to have them made in more than one color on the same doubloon. This is a more expensive process, so grabbing one from a parade would be a rare event. These are often handed to friends of those who by membership in the organization have the right to buy them from the organization.
The Fine Silver Doubloons
Very Special And Highly Collectible
One type of Mardi Gras doubloon that is never thrown to the crowd, and may even be unfamiliar to many people who live in New Orleans, is the fine silver doubloon. The fine silver doubloon is usually about one Troy ounce, but there is no real standard. The amount of silver varies, and according to an expert friend of mine can vary for the same organization during the same year.
You Need to Have Connections for One of These, Or Buy It
Oxidized doubloons are also minted by some organizations, and do have a higher value than a similar aluminum doubloon. But, one of these oxidized silver doubloons in no way approaches the value of a fine silver doubloon. I have heard of others, such as ceramic doubloons. Some special for the members only aluminum doubloons also have been produced. It is difficult to know exactly what is out there, and the mintage is not necessarily something that an organization might choose to release. Indeed, a parade is not a necessity for an organization to produce doubloons. Many parades have ceased to roll, but the organization still holds an annual ball and other functions. Even basic aluminum doubloons from these organizations are difficult to find.
The effigies of Queen Elizabeth II, as used during different years, is a series of coins that make a tribute to Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The first coin, minted in 2014, in the series is nearing a sell our.
Whenever a person collects something having a book can be very valuable. Not only do you need information, but you need current information. Updating outdated books is essential, and using magazines to keep even more current is advisable.
One thing a book can help with is the value of your coins. You should know the value of your collection. Another is the history or small variations of different coins. Still other books help with specialized collections, such as error coin collecting. So, not all books are alike.
The current Red Book, a must hav for collectors of United States coin is
Books That Help with Value
And, Also What Books Are Available
Getting a good price book is important. But, which ones are best? Well, that depends on what you collect, or more specifically, from what parts of the world your collection comes from. And, there may be a need for multiple books covering some countries.
If your collection is from the United States, use The Official Red Book A Guide Book of United States Coins. But, the same company also makes a Blue Book. What is the difference? They are by the same company, and have the same author. Well, one is what you can buy a coin for, and the other is what you can sell it for. Dealers have to make a profit. Most dealers sell at the Red Book price, and buy at the Blue Book price. Well, actually a dealer has access to the changes that occur in pricing, but the Blue Book gives you an idea what to expect.
Canadian coins have their own books. I recommend the book shown below for North American coins. It also includes United States coins and Mexican coins. Can you use this one source instead of the Red Book? Yes. But I recommend both for United States coins. What additional information this gives is an ASW and AGW value for silver and gold coins, respectively. ASW means actual silver weight, and AGW means actual gold weight. It saves a lot of calculations.
There is a world coin book set. Unfortunately, there are so many coins, the world books are often split by year groups.
Some countries whose coins are collected have books devoted to their coins only. There are books for Canada and the United Kingdom. There is a book for Australian coins and banknotes, but Amazon does not normally carry the latest edition. I will place my link below, and any Perth Mint banner on my Black Spaniel Gallery website can get you to the Perth Mint’s site. It is in the gifts section.
Specialty Books Special Collections
Some people collect ancient coins. These will probably not be well represented in books that are not devoted to them. Collecting ancient coins can be fun, and some are inexpensive, but know what you are doing. Since ancient coins were made by a person with a hammer, they are generally not well made. Some were made on the run. Armies had to be paid, and portable mints often went with armies minting soldiers’ pay.
Why are some inexpensive? Soldiers going into battle often hid their coins, and these are still being dug up. Those who were killed in battle had their treasure buried nearby, but no one knew where.
The problem is the crude way in which they were made, and the condition they are often found in. Counterfeit ancient coins are easy to produce, so you will need a book to know exactly what should be there.
Mints often make errors. Current errors are a problem, the extent of the error is unknown, so a value cannot be accurately assessed. Older errors are easier to value, and images are important for those searching for them. Books are needed to cover errors. Some happen in a random manner regularly, such as an off center strike. Others, like double strikes, or misspellings do not repeat for all coins. Perhaps a penny has a double date. It is not likely a quarter for that year would have one also.
Coin Types Definitive Books
Some books address a single coin, such as the Morgan Dollar or Buffalo Nickel. Here you should expect a history of the Morgan Dollar or Buffalo Nickel, and details not normally given in a general coin book. Key and semi-key dates should be noted, and details such as a die chip for a key date should be provided. People often counterfeit key date coins, but the dies are never perfect. A small extra piece of metal, or a truncated denticle can be a telling clue if a rare coin is what it is being offered as.
Special books on coin types are necessary. How much detail each book has is another matter. Some may just give histories, others just fine details. But, if you collect a certain coin type, know as much as you can about it.
The United States Mint has had much success with its State Quarter program. Collectors embraced the quarters with enthusiasm. Indeed, with three mints producing them, and five states covered in a year, the normally high mintage quarter had the annual demand spread out. And the art on the reverse often made the quarters aesthetically pleasing. Finally, the United States Mint had moved from repetition of images used, in most cases, for decades, into multiple new and exciting images annually. But, there are only fifty states, and after the 2009 six coin designs celebrating the territories it would have been devastating to the numismatic community if something just as popular had not been started. Indeed, Japan had started its Prefecture series, which is similar to our State Quarter series. Fortunately, the America the Beautiful quarter series came immediately, starting in 2010.
The America the Beautiful series is similar to the State Quarter series in that five states are honored each year by a park or monument.The subject matter is especially appealing, since many beautiful images can easily be used.
The American the Beautiful Quarter Program
Multiple Versions on the Same Quarters.
The America the Beautiful Quarters first began being minted for release in 2010. The Denver and Philadelphia Mints have been charged with the coins intended for circulation. However, there is a twist. The San Francisco Mint also mints coins that are considered circulation coins. This designation is a misnomer. The coins are not intended to circulate. Perhaps the term business strike would be more appropriate, since the only thing special about these coins is that they are sold by the mint, not sent to banks. Oh, they do carry the S mintmark. But, they are sold at a premium in rolls and in bags. The least quantity one can buy from the mint is forty, or ten dollars face value. And, they are not included in the mint sets!
The San Francisco Mint also makes silver quarters, using the same standard as was used prior to 1965.These are minted in proof, but so are the clad quarters.One problem is too many people think the S indicates the coin is proof, but it is not necessarily so.The clad quarters could either be proof or not.However, the silver quarters are proof.
The silver proof quarters are sold as a set, but are also sold as part of a larger proof set.
As desirable as these quarters are, especially the silver quarters, there is a much larger version, allowing one to see details the eye might miss.These are the five Troy ounce fine silver coins.Here, one might think one has found a coin at a wonderful value, but be aware both a proof and a business strike version exists for each quarter.The quarter for sale by the mint is the proof coin, and is rather expensive.The other version only dealers can purchase from the mint.They both bear the denomination of twenty-five cents, but are huge for quarters.
The fine silver quarters are 0.999 pure silver, while the smaller silver quarters are 0.900 silver.Look for the Certificate of Authenticity if you are buying proof coins.And the box should also be included if it has not been sent out for grading.
Since the smaller silver quarters were not intended for circulation, if you would like graded coins they are easily found.Initially, the proof quarters are encased at the mint.This helps preserve them.When a third party grading service becomes involved they may be encased as single coins or as a set.If it is quality at a good price you are after, consider PF-69 grade.The difference is almost twice as much money for PF-70, and it is not that likely you will ever see a difference.In fact, many collectors believe there is no such thing as a perfect coin, so they will not buy a coin graded PF-70.
The List of Quarters
Including Future Quarters
The territories are again being included, but instead of a year with six quarters issued, one is deferred until 2021.
2010 Quarters:
Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Yosemite National Park, California
Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
Mt. Hood National Park, Oregon
2011 Quarters:
Gettysburg National Military Park, Pensylvania
Glacier National Park, Montana
Olympic National Park, Washington
Vicksburg Military Park, Mississippi
Chickasaw National Recreation Area, Oklahoma
2012 Quarters:
El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico
Chaco Culture National Historic Park, New Mexico
Acadia National Park, Maine
Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii
Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska
2013 Quarters:
White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire
Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial, Ohio
Great Basin National Park, Nevada
Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine, Maryland
Mount Rushmore National Memorial, South Dakota
2014 Quarters:
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
Arches National Park, Utah
Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado
Everglades National Park, Florida
2015 Quarters:
Homestead National Monument of America, Nebraska
Kisatchie National Forest, Louisiana
Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina
Bombay Hook National Wildlife Preserve, Delaware
Saratoga National Historic Park, New York
2016 Quarters:
Shawnee National Forest, Illinois
Cumberland Gap National Historic Park, Kentucky
Harpers Ferry National Historic Park, West Virginia’
Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota
Fort Moultrie/Fort Sumter National Monument, South Dakota
2017 Quarters:
Effigy Mounds National Monument, Iowa
Frederick Douglas National Historic District, District of Columbia
Ellis Island National Monument/Statue of Liberty, New Jersey
George rogers Clark National Historic Park, Indiana
2018 Quarters:
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Wisconsin
Voyageus National Park, Minnesota
Cumberland Island National Seashore, Georgia
Black Island National wildlife efuge, Rhode Island
2019 Quarters:
Lowell National Historic Park, Massachusettes
American Memorial Park, Northern Mariana Islands
War in the Pacific National Historical Park, Guam
San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, Texas
Frank, Church River of No Return, wilderness, Idaho
2020 Quarters:
National Park of American Samoa, American Samoa
Weir Farm National Historic site, Connecticut
Salt River Bay National Historic Park and Ecological Preserve, U. S. Virgin Islands
Marsh-Billings-Rockerfeller National Historical Park, Vermont
