New coins from Serbia

On 16 June 2010, the NBS will release a 1-dinar coin (made of steel core), 2 and 5-dinar coins (made of copper, zinc and nickel alloy – Cu75 Zn24,5 Ni0,5) and 10 and 20-dinar coins (made of copper, zinc and nickel alloy – Cu70Zn18Ni12).
Apart from designation of “2010” as the minting year, other features of 1, 2, 5 and 10-dinar coins are unchanged. The 20-dinar coin also has “2010” as the minting year, but it now features the portrait of Georg Weifert on its front.
Coins of 1, 2, 5 and 10 dinars will be used in regular cash payment operations, whereas the 20-dinar coin will also serve for marking the 160th anniversary of birth of Georg Weifert, a Serbian industrialist and the National Bank’s long-standing Governor (1890–1902, 1912–1926).

Source: Governor’s Office

Belarus 20 roubles 2008, silver commemorative coin

Obverse: at the top – the relief of the State Coat of Arms of the Republic of Belarus and inscription REPUBLIC OF BELARUS; in the center – on a background of a symbol of eternal movement – wheels of a distaff passing in structure of annual rings on cuts of a tree – the stylized image of silhouettes of cuckooes and elements of the Belarus national ornament; beneath: year of issue, fine silver alloy standard at the bottom – face value 20 ROUBLES – inscriptions along the rim at the top REPUBLIC OF BELARUS.
Reverse: in the center – the stylized image of a cuckoo, which wings remind a wave of long sleeves of lady's wear in dance; on a silhouette of a bird – elements of the Belarus national ornament; under the right wing – conditional images of statuettes of children and ovals in the form of eggs which serve as symbols of a legend; at the left on a circle an inscription: The Legend of the Cuckoo.
Design: O. Novoselova (Belarus).
Minted by: CJSC "Lithuanian Mint", Vilnius, Lithuania
Silver, Alloy standard of silver: 925
Denomination: 20 rubles
Weight of coin: 33.62 g
Fine silver content: 31.1 g
Quality: "proof"
Diameter: 38.61 mm
Mintage: 5000 pcs.

Source: National bank of the Belarus.

Grading coins

Lets see how the Standard Catalog of World Coins attempts to guide us through grading.

''In grading coins, there are two elements to look for: 1) Overall wear, and 2) loss of design details, such as strands of hair, feathers on eagles, designs on coats of arms, etc. The age, rarity or type of a coin should not be a consideration in grading, Grade each coin by the weaker of the two sides. Grade by the amount of overall wear and loss of design detail evident on each side of the coin. On coins with a moderately small design element, which is prone to early wear, grade by that design alone.

For Brilliant Uncirculated (BU) grades there will be no visible signs of wear or handling, even under 30-power microscope. Full mint luster will be present. Ideally no bag marks will be evident.

For Uncirculated (Unc.) grades there will be no visible signs of wear or handling, even under a 30-power microscope. Bag marks may be present.

For Almost Uncirculated (AU), all detail will be visible. There will be wear only on the highest point of the coin. There will often be half or nore of the original mint luster present.

On the Extremely fine (XF) coin, there will be about 95% of the original detail visible. Or, on a coin with a design with no inner detail to wear down, there will be a very light wear over nearly all the coin. If a small design is used as the grading area, about 90% of the original detail will be visible. This latter rule stems from the logic that a smaller amount of detail needs to be present because a small area is being used to grade the whole coin.

The Very Fine (VF) coin will have about 75% of the original detail visible. Or, on a coin with no inner detail, there will be moderate wear over the entire coin. Corners of letters and numbers may be weak. A small grading area will have about 66% of the original detail.

For Fine (F), there will be about 50% of the original detail visible. Or, on a coin with no inner detail, there will be fairly heavy wear over all the coin. Sides of letters will be weak. A typically uncleaned coin will often appear as dirty of dull. A small grading area will have just under 50% of the original detail.

On the Very Good (VG) coin, there will be about 25% of the original detail visible. There will be heavy wear on all the coin.

The Good (G) coin's design will be clearly outlined but with substantial wear. Some of the larger detail may be visible. The rim may have a few weak spots of wear.

On the About Good (AG) coin, there will be typically be only a silhouette of a large design. The rim will be worn down into the letters if any. ''

The 2 Euro coin 2004 Greece

Greece publishes 2004 the first 2 Euro Intending coins, which is course valid in the entire monetary union. European back, weight and material correspond to the normal rotating coin, the illustrated page show a Discus thrower and the Olympic rings. The European commission has green light on 30 September 2003 given for a new series of 2 Euro Think of coins. Starting from this year it is open all member states to coin/shape per year an intending coin in the value from 2 Euros to which exhibits the same specifications and the same European side, like the normal course coins. This new 2 Euro Think of coins is in completely euro country official, legal tender. For the editions of these coins, differently than thus with the rotating money, limitations, maximum limits of the embossing quantities, were specified. In completely euro country course-valid with the introduction of the euro-coins in the year 2002 one had agreed on European level first to leave it provisionally with the well-known national backs of the course coins. The population should get accustomed only once to the new change. Now the European commission in coordination with the governments of the euro-countries waived this restriction starting from the year 2004 for the 2 Euro coin. Greece premiere as the first country of the monetary union Greece uses the new freedom. On the occasion of the presentation of the Olympia intending coins too „2004 “in November in Berlin the director of many years of the national mint Athens, Konstantin Karkazis explained Athens that the Greek government had seized the resolution to publish 2004 from cause of the Olympic summer games such a coin. As motive a Discus thrower is intended. In addition the five Olympic rings are to be represented on only 2 Euro coin shaped with the year 2004. The height of the edition was not announced yet, however probably lies in the million-range. The 2 Euro coin, at the beginning of the yearly in Greece is in circulation given to be seen, is as addition to the precious metal program of the country. It is with the own population, in addition, beyond the borders of the organizer country for the sporty major event recruit - the classical auxiliary function of a coin already in the antiquity.