Münchner und Bayerische Glücks Münze

Transcription

1 Ral e i g h C o i n C l u b Established in 1954 November 2009 IN THIS ISSUE ARTICLES Münchner und Bayerische Glücks Münze RCC 2010 Elections Nominations Canada Releases Second High-Relief Silver Dollar Final Lincoln Commemorative Cent Set for Release REGULAR FEATURES President s Message Meeting Minutes Show Calendar Club Notes METALS INDEX Spot Prices as of 28 October 2009 Platinum: $1309 (+$30.00) Gold: $ (+$26.80) Silver: $16.17 (+ $0.03) Münchner und Bayerische Glücks Münze By Dave Provost Thanks to a client meeting, I had the good fortune to travel to Munich, Germany recently. Having never been to Germany, I extended my trip by a couple of days to get the chance to see some of the city and enjoy a bit of the German culture. During the flight over, the gentleman I was seated next to jokingly mentioned that, as I was heading to Munich, I wasn t really visiting Germany, but rather Bavaria. Either way, I was looking forward to my days of seeing the sights. It was a cool and rainy day in Munich when I arrived, and after a sleepless overnight flight of just under nine hours I was eager to get to my hotel for a hot shower and a refreshing nap. After collecting my bags, I made my way to the taxi stand and instantly found an available cab. The adventure that happened over the next 30 minutes was certainly not on my itinerary! Just outside of the airport, my taxi entered the famous German Autobahn. It wasn t long before my driver accelerated past 100 kilometers per hour (kph) about 60 miles per hour and continued to accelerate to 120 kph then to 140 kph and then to 160 kph and beyond. It was about the time we reached 160 kph (100 mph!) that I began to contemplate the physics of hydroplaning and the potential ill effects of same. The light rain continued to fall and the road surfaces were clearly wet with occasional standing water. None of this seemed to bother my driver, however, as he continued to push our vehicle beyond 160 kph and eventually topped out at just below 200 kph. I had never gone 125 miles per hour in a taxi before. In fact, I had never gone 125 mph in any car before! As my driver seemed calm and in control, I remained calm as well and soon found I was enjoying the experience. Of course, next time (if there is a next Page 1 Müncher und Bayerische Glücks Münze continued on Page 4

2 Raleigh Coin Club PO Box Raleigh NC http// Established 1954 Club Officers President David Boitnott Vice President Jim Jones Secretary Richard Brown Treasurer Steve Pladna Sergeant-at-Arms Benji Harrell Directors (Term Ending) Roger Beckner (2009) Kent Woodson (2010) Paul Livingston (2011) Newsletter Editor Dave Provost Club Affiliations American Numismatic Association Member #C Blue Ridge Numismatic Association Member #C3383 Eastern States Numismatic Association Member #0026 (Life) North Carolina Numismatic Association Member #C14 (Life) Contents Copyright Raleigh Coin Club 2009 The RCC grants permission to reprint for non-profit educational purposes only any articles not individually copyrighted by the author provided the RCC Newsletter is cited as the source. October Meeting Minutes The October meeting was called to order by President David B at 7:35pm; 28 members and guests attended. Old Business David B began the meeting with a check on items that were introduced at the September meeting and were scheduled for follow-up in October. First up was Roger B s proposal for a club trip to Williamsburg, VA. Roger did not have any updates, so the topic was tabled until next year. The next two items Paul Li s proposal for distributing Red Books and coin magazine subscriptions to local high schools and an update on the RCC show dates for 2010 from Paul La also had to be postponed due to the required members not being in attendance. Steve P then provided the Treasurer s Report and final numbers regarding our 2009 show. Steve reported that the club treasury is in solid financial shape and that it appears our annual show generated over $3,500 in net profit. David B then provided an update on the potential opportunities we have to help local Boy Scouts earn their coin collecting merit badges. David reviewed the request for assistance from the Zebulon troop, as well as information he had received regarding a couple of regional programs, including a large multi-badge program ( Merit Badge University ) that last year involved over 1000 local scouts. David supported the club s involvement in the programs, noting that it is part of the club s charter to help educate those who are interested in numismatics. He then asked for volunteers to assist with the club s efforts; Bruce S and Dave P offered to help. Ben P reported back on a potential vendor for the new signage the club is considering. The club approved a motion to move forward with obtaining the new signs; David B and Ben met during the break to review the specific requirements. Meeting Minutes continued on page 7 Page 2

3 President s Message Well, it s November already and we ve put it off long enough we need to decide on a new meeting day for 2010 at this month s meeting. The AA will have the hall every Monday and Thursday starting in January. I will talk with the folks at the church one last time and confirm what nights are available. Keep your fingers crossed maybe the AA has already fallen off of the wagon. Doubt it, so I m thinking Wednesday is a church night and that pretty much leaves us with Tuesdays. To complicate matters, the Fuquay-Varina Coin Club meets the second Tuesday of the month. There are a few of us (call us traitors I can handle it) that live on that side of the county who would like to attend both club meetings. Therefore, I suggest we adopt the first or third Tuesday of the month. We will discuss and decide at the November meeting. The RCC s involvement with the local Boy Scout troop regarding their coin collecting merit badge program continues to linger as I have not had time to work on it. While I was hoping to do something for them by mid-october, at this point I d settle for something by the end of the year! The October 1 st deadline for the November 14 th and 15 th Bi-District Fall Merit Badge Clinic held at multiple Church of Latter Day Saints locations in and around Raleigh came and went. I didn t feel comfortable committing the club on short notice so we ll let this one pass. There s always next year. In September we formed a nominating committee to put together a slate of candidates for elections this fall. Somehow, they succeeded in getting all the current officers to agree to run for another term. As I understand it, there are no challengers so no politicking, bribery, suspense or excitement involved in this year s election. I will have the committee read the ballot and then ask the Secretary to cast one vote to accept. However, I still want to know what the committee slipped into the soda during the refreshments last month! Everything seems Page 3 November Meeting Notice DATE Thursday, 12 November 2009 TIME 7:30pm WHERE Ridge Road Baptist Church DOUBLE PROGRAM Foreign Currency Noah Clapacs US Currency w/ Judson Lyons Signature Sherrod Gresham a bit fuzzy now, especially what possessed me to do this for another year. I think I got snookered again! I have also received some traffic from dealers concerning the dates of 2010 show. For now, I have been quoting the June 20 th weekend but have promised an update after our November meeting. I expect an update from Paul La either prior to or at our upcoming meeting regarding what he may have been able to work out with the Fairgrounds regarding moving our date. One way or the other, when we leave the November meeting, our 2010 Show dates will be set as we need to begin promoting our show and letting dealers know our plans. If we stay with our current dates, we will need to get busy early and work extra hard to make the Father s Day weekend work in spite of the circumstances. It will be an uphill battle with no guarantee of success, but if we wait much longer it will be a guaranteed failure. See ya at the November meeting. Remember, promote the hobby and the club recruit a new member there s points in it. David W. Boitnott

4 Münchner und Bayerische Glücks Münze (cont.) Continued from Page 1 time!), I hope only to enjoy such speeds on a clear, dry day! Before getting down to business, I had the chance to visit the BMW Museum. I passed the BMW factory and museum while en route to my hotel so I had a sense of how long (and expensive!) of a taxi ride to expect. A brief conversation with one of the hotel staff encouraged me, however, to forego the taxi and use Munich s inexpensive rail system to make the trip. A short walk from my hotel brought me to a nearby train station and a 25-minute ride dropped me off practically at the museum s door. I used the train system on a couple of other occasions while in Munich and have nothing but good things to say about it! After my meetings were completed, I had a couple of days to wander about Munich s City Center and enjoy its varied offerings. Neuhauser Strasse a street lined with shops and stores of all kinds -- was my first destination as it would lead me directly to the Marienplatz -- a large open plaza in the center of the City Center. The main attraction of the plaza is the Neus Rathaus or New City Hall. The building was built between 1867 and 1908 in Gothic Revival style and is stunning in appearance. It continues to house many of the offices of the city s government, including the Mayor s Office. One of the attractions of the Neus Rathaus is the 43-bell glockenspiel housed in its 275 foot tall main tower. In addition to the bells, the tower also features two sets of life-size automated figures that re-enact the marriage of Duke Wilhelm V in 1568 and then the Coopers Dance of 1517 while the bells of glockenspiel ring. The bells ring several times each day and each show draws a crowd of camera-toting tourists I admit to being one! Page 4 As I always do when traveling in Europe, I kept my eyes open for numismatic souvenirs as I went about my sightseeing. This time out, the pickings were rather slim, unfortunately, with my only finds being a pair of Good Luck medals that I found in the Tourist Information office located in the Neus Rathaus. One featured designs specific to Munich while the other included elements representative of Bavaria as a region. The obverse of the Munich piece features several prominent landmarks of the city, including the Neus Rathaus, the Frauenkriche (Cathedral Church of Our Lady) and the Olympiaturm (Olympic Tower). The reverse depicts a version of Munich s coat-of-arms which features a monk holding an oath book in his outstretched left hand while his right hand is raised in vow of the oath. Munchner Glücks Pfenning or Munich Good Luck Pfenning encircles the coat-of-arms. [See Figure 1.] Figure 1. Obverse of Munich Good Luck Medal The Bavaria medal features the Neuschwanstein Castle on its obverse. The castle is located about two hours outside of Munich and is one of Germany s most popular tourist attractions. The castle was built for Ludwig II of Bavaria. The foundation stone for the castle was laid in 1869, but work was not completed on the immense castle until 1892 about six years after King Ludwig II s death in The medal s reverse features the coat-of- See Glücks Münze on Page 5

5 RCC 2010 Election Nominations Glücks Münze (cont.) As we do every year, we will devote a portion of the November RCC meeting to the election of officers for next year. At present, each of the current officers has agreed to run again and serve the club if elected. Continued from Page 4 arms of Bavaria and an inscription which translates as God is with you, land of Bavaria. It s not too late, however, to throw your hat into the ring and run for a club office! If you have thus far been shy but would really like to step up and take a leadership role within the club, please contact either Dave P or Jim G before the November meeting (or speak with either of them in person at the November meeting before we formally convene). Following is the list of current nominees by office: President: Vice President: Secretary: Treasurer: Sargeant-at-Arms: Director ( ) David Boitnott Jim Jones Richard Brown Steve Pladna Benji Harrell Roger Beckner Figure 2. Obverse of Bavaria Good Luck medal I hope to get back to Munich some day as there is much to see and experience in and around the city. Now that I have my Munich and Bavaria Good Luck pieces, maybe I ll get lucky and my next trip will coincide with the annual Munich International Coin Fair! Until next month, Happy Collecting! Answer to What Coin Am I? on page 7 01$ dlog esuops tsrif noskcaj 8002 Remember!!! We Have Moved Our Meeting Location! We Now Meet at the Ridge Road Baptist Church 2011 Ridge Road in Raleigh Page 5

6 Canada Releases Second High-Relief Silver Dollar By Dave Provost The upcoming 2010 Winter Olympics to be held in and around Vancouver, British Columbia from 12 February through 28 February has been the subject of an extensive commemorative coin series struck by the Royal Canadian Mint (RCM). The series includes base metal circulation coins, special edition silver and gold coins (some with colorized or holographic design elements) and even a one ounce silver bar or wafer. The first coins of the series were released in 2007, with new coins released in each calendar year since. The day after our October club meeting, I received notice of the RCM s latest Vancouver 2010 release a high-relief, proofonly, limited edition silver dollar. As a longtime collector of Canada s commemorative silver dollars, I was quick to check out this new coin at Several of the design themes used by the RCM for its Vancouver 2010 coins are inspired by the art and folklore of Canada s First Nation communities; Canada uses the term First Nation as we use the term Native American. The design of the new silver dollar falls into the First Nation group as it features a symbolic representation of the sun that is based on the images of the sun that have long been carved into the masks and totem poles of Canada s first communities. Among these First Nation communities, the sun is said to represent life, abundance, healing and peace. (See image.) The coin is the second high-relief commemorative silver dollar released by the RCM; it follows a 2008 coin that commemorated the 90 th anniversary of the WWI Armistice and featured a high-relief poppy blossom superimposed on a Canadian maple leaf. Reverse of 2010 commemorative silver dollar The Sun. (Image courtesy of The reverse design of the 2010 coin features a right-facing portrait of Queen Elizabeth II along with the logo of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games. The Sun reverse was designed by First Nation artist Xwa lack tun (Rick Harry); the traditional obverse portrait of the Queen is the work of Susanna Blunt. The coin is struck in sterling silver (92.5% silver, 7.5% copper) with a diameter of 36.15mm and a weight of 30.0 grams. As with the 2008 high-relief silver dollar, just 5,000 of the coins are to be struck. Based on the impressive results the RCM achieved with the previous high-relief dollar, I am looking forward to receiving my Sun Dollar and examining the coin s detail up close! Until next month, Happy Collecting! Page 6

7 Meeting Minutes (cont.) What Coin Am I? Continued from Page 2 New Business David B asked for an update from the RCC Nominating Committee. Dave P indicated that all current officers/ directors up for re-election have agreed to run again. Dave P also reminded members that there was still time to add their name to the 2010 ballot and that they could do it up to the start of the November meeting. David B asked for volunteers for the November exhibit case/ Short Program; Cliff S agreed to prepare it. David B then asked for a volunteer to bring the November refreshments; Roger B volunteered. Show and Tell Bruce S brought a set of the 1896 Educational Series silver certificates ($1, $2 and $5) and briefly discussed some of the controversy that surrounded the naked breast design of the $5 note. Halbert C discussed a coin he found at the recent NCNA show in Hickory, NC. It was a commemorative coin of Indonesia marking the 25 th anniversary of their declared independence. The coin featured a nice depiction of a Bird of Paradise. Sanford S passed around a 1/ 24 Riksdaler from Sweden. He noted that while the coin is from 1777, it was denoted as a piece from 1877 by the little-known NNC grading service. Gene F once again discussed a countermarked coin, this month showing an 1845 Large Cent that was marked with Use GGG. Gene noted that GGG stood for Goodwin s Grand Greasejuice -- a popular hair pomade at the time. Roxanne B brought in a meat ration token from Canada and a Chinese coin. Roger B offered up a 1965 Kennedy half-dollar that represented a struck-through minting error. The coin, graded MS-64, was struck through a piece of string. Meeting Minutes continued on page 8 Page 7 Show Calendar Nov Raleigh, NC Carolina Coin and Stamp Show Nov 21 Answer can be found on Page 5. Holshouser Building NC State Fairgrounds Hours: Sat Sun Tables: ~70 Free 10:00am to 5:00pm 10:00am to 3:00pm Mooresville, NC Lake Norman Coin and Currency Show Lake Norman Coin Club National Guard Armory N Broad Street, Hwy 115 S Hours: Sat Tables: ~40 Free 9:00am to 4:00pm Nov Rocky Mount, NC Coin and Currency Show Rocky Mount Moose Lodge 521 Country Club Road Hours: Sat Sun Tables: ~40 Free 10:00am to 6:00pm 10:00am to 4:00pm Additional local show information can be found at:

8 Club Notes 1. The election of club officers will take place at the November meeting. Please see elsewhere in the Newsletter for the current slate. If you are interested in running for a club office there s still time! Please contact Dave P or James G ASAP! 2. Cliff S has reserved the monthly exhibit case and will be presenting November s Short Program. 3. Roger B will be bringing the November meeting refreshments. 4. Please remember to bring a Show-and-Tell item (or two!) to share with your fellow RCC ers. 5. Please see VP Jim J if you d like to present a program at one of our 2010 meetings. Why not share your passion for your collection with the rest of the membership?! (And remember, you ll earn a silver Eagle for your efforts!) Final Lincoln Commemorative Cent Set for Release The final 2009 commemorative reverse design for the Lincoln Cent is due to be released on 12 November. The design Presidency in Washington, DC features the US Capitol dome (partially completed) as seen at the time Lincoln took office as President. The design is the work of Susan Gamble. Meeting Minutes (cont.) Continued from Page 7 Cliff S presented a 1962-D Roosevelt dime with attractive toning. David B showed the NCNA Ted Hendrick Award trophy that was to be shipped to this year s winner Bill Brewer. Noah C offered up two polymer notes for Antarctica; it was mentioned that the notes are meant to be fund raisers vs. true legal tender. Dave P passed around a 2003 Canadian $20 coin featuring a holographic image of Canada s portion of Niagara Falls. Short Program Dave P provided the Short Program for the evening; he discussed topical collecting within the modern US commemorative series and made specific reference to coins honoring Washington, DC landmarks. To illustrate the theme, Dave s nephew Will H displayed four of his commemoratives the 1992 White House, the 1994 US Capitol, the 2000 Library of Congress silver dollars plus the 2001 Capitol Visitor s Center halfdollar. Full Program Dave P also presented the full program for the evening. His talk was entitled US Platinum Eagle Coinage." The program began with a brief history of platinum coinage, starting with the 19 th century rouble coinage of Russia and ending with the modern bullion coins of Australia, Canada, China and others. The program then turned to the US Platinum Eagle series which began in Dave discussed the bullion coin issues as well as the proof coins struck for collectors, and illustrated the designs used each year. The talk ended with a discussion of the mintages for the series and their relation to the advancing spot price of platinum. Door Prizes The monthly member attendance and door prizes were selected and the meeting officially adjourned at 9:25pm. Page 8