The London 2012 Olympic coin collection

The Royal Mint launched new Olympic collection of twenty nine fifty pence coins. First eight of them will be in circulation from the November 2010. Each of them is featuring a sport from the London 2012 Olympic Games. The first series of eight coins are devoted to the aquatics, archery, athletics, cycling, gymnastics, hockey, rowing and triathlon. Designer of each coin are different. Denomination of these coins is fifty pence, alloy is cooper and nickel, weight is eight grams, diameter 27.3 mm.

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

Each year Unesco awards a major city the title of World Book Capital, based on the best programme submitted by the competing candidates. The purpose is to bring literature to as many people as possible, and to encourage reading. In June 2008 Ljubljana was chosen from among seven competing cities at the Unesco headquarters in Paris to be the tenth holder of the title of World Book Capital, which it will bear from 23 April 2010 to 23 April 2011. Its programme consists of a host of original ideas to promote access to books, and to encourage literature, authors, books and reading. The basis of the programme is the involvement and connection of all links in the literary chain, from author to reader.

World Book Capital 2010 will undoubtedly be the most important event and the event most focused on a mass audience during the whole time that Ljubljana will hold the title. Events being held as part of the overall event include World Literature: Festival of the Fable 2010, and World Book Summit 2011: the Book as an Agent of Human Development, along with a whole spectrum of cultural events in Slovenia and in neighbouring regions. As World Book Capital, Ljubljana will promote the principles of freedom of expression, equality, education, the free circulation of information, and educational, scientific and cultural content, and inter-cultural dialogue as defined by Unesco, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Florence Agreement.

In deciding to issue the collector coins, the government has joined in with the promotion of books and Slovenian culture, as Ljubljana’s title as World Book Capital 2010 means that Slovenia and its capital will be able to raise their worldwide profiles as a country and city with a rich literary history, and as places of contemporary literary and cultural creativity. The coins feature the façade of Plečnik’s National and University Library, with its Ionic column in front of the window of the reading room. The outline of an open book, which develops from a scroll on one side, illustrates the historical development of the book.


Original design by: Matija Marinko, Ljubljana
Production and minting: Mint of Finland, Vantaa, Finland

Gold coin:

Nominal value: EUR 100

Weight: 7 g

Diameter: 24 mm

Purty: Au 900/1000

Issued: 4,000 coins

Silver coin:

Nominal value: EUR 30

Weight: 15 g

Diameter: 32 mm

Purty: Ag 925/1000

Issued: 6,000 coins

Collector bi-coloured coin:

Nominal value: EUR 3

Weight: 15 g

Diameter: 32 mm

Alloy: disc 75 Cu 25 Ni / ring 78 Cu 20 Zn 2 Ni

Issued: 300,000 coins

Danmark commemorative coins 2010

Commemorative coin to mark the 70th birthday of Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II on 16 April 2010.
A commemorative coin will be issued to mark the 70th birthday of Queen Margrethe II. This is in keeping with the Danish tradition of issuing commemorative coins to mark special events in the royal family.The commemorative coin can be viewed on a special exhibition in the palace museum in the period 10th April - 1st August 2010.

A new portrait of the QueenThe motif of the obverse of the coin is a new portrait of the Queen by the sculptor Lis Nogel. The new portrait is also to be used on the ordinary 10- and 20-krone coins from 2011 onwards. The reverse was designed by Ronny Andersen, Royal Armorist, and shows the royal coat of arms set against a background of daisies – a reference to the Queen's nickname, Daisy.

1,000-krone gold coin

The gold coin is minted in 900 ‰ gold (Au) with a diameter of 22 mm, a weight of 8.65 g and a nominal value of 1,000 kroner. The recommended retail price for the gold coin is DKK 3,000 incl. VAT.

500-krone silver coin

The silver coin is minted in 999 ‰ fine silver (Ag) with a diameter of 38.0 mm, a weight of 31.1 g and a nominal value of 500 kroner. The silver coin is sold at its nominal value.

20-krone coin, ordinary version1.2 million ordinary circulation coins will be minted and sold in rolls of 20 coins each.

Source: Danmarks Nationalbank

2010 Lincoln one cent coin

The current Lincoln cent's reverse (tails side) design is emblematic of President Abraham Lincoln's preservation of the United States as a single and united country, as required by Title III of Public Law 109-145, the Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005. While the obverse (heads) continues to bear the familiar Victor David Brenner likeness of President Lincoln that has appeared on the coin since 1909, the reverse features a union shield with a scroll draped across and the inscription ONE CENT.
The 13 vertical stripes of the shield represent the states joined in one compact union to support the federal government, represented by the horizontal bar above. The horizontal bar features the inscription E PLURIBUS UNUM—"out of many, one"—while the inscription UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is depicted along the upper rim of the coin. The union shield, which dates back to the 1780s, was used widely during the Civil War. The shield is also featured on frescoes by Constantino Brumidi throughout the halls of the U.S. Capitol Building completed in the mid-19th century.
The Secretary of the Treasury approved the reverse design for the coin after consultation with the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts and review by the Citizen's Coinage Advisory Committee.
These one-cent coins have a metallic content of 2.5 percent copper, balance zinc. They are issued for circulation in quantities sufficient to meet the demands of commerce. Numismatic (proof and uncirculated) versions are included in the United States Mint's annual product offerings.

Source US Mint

Swiss 10 francs 2010

The Alpine MarmotThe nimble marmots never cease to fascinate the many visitors hiking in the National Park, whether for their cute manner, shrill whistling or scraps reminiscent of exhibition fights. In the harsh mountain climate, the marmots only find enough food to sustain them from May to September. In order to survive the six-month winter hibernation, during the summer, they eat to build up a thick layer of fat. At the beginning of October, the marmots retreat to their well-padded dormitory. By reducing body functions, their energy consumption drops to one tenth of its normal level. Marmots spend 90 per cent of their lives in their extensive networks of burrows, safe from the cold and predators. They establish several entrances to enable them to beat a hasty retreat. Thanks to their sense of touch, marmots are very much at home in the dark.Marmots live in family groups, each with an adult male and female as well as several young animals. In May, 34 days after mating, the female gives birth to between two and six naked, blind and deaf young, each weighing around 30 grams. The habitat of our Alpine marmots extends from the Alpine meadows above the tree line as far as the glaciers. In the National Park, they are especially common in the Val Trupchun and on Munt la Schera.

The bimetal coin 2010 'Swiss National Park – Alpine Marmot' at a glance

Date of issue: 21st January 2010

Design: Niklaus Heeb, Rodersdorf

Coin image: Alpine Marmot
Legal face value: 10 Swiss francs
Alloy: Cupronickel + Aluminium Bronze
Weight: 15 g
Diameter: 33 mm (Core 23 mm/Outer ring 33 mm)
Uncirculated: Max. 94,000
Proof: Max. 12,000

Source: Swiss mint

Bank of England `voted unanimously` on base rate

The minutes from the latest Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting show that rate-setters voted unanimously to keep the base rate at 0.5% for the twelfth consecutive month.
There had been some speculation as to whether the Bank of England might raise its base rate slightly, after inflation was revealed to have risen to 2.9% in December.
But it seems that other economic pressures led the MPC to leave the rate unchanged.
Many economists believe the base rate will remain at 0.5% for the duration of 2010.
However, with inflation rising further to 3.5% in January, the Bank may come under more pressure to raise the base rate in order to encourage lower spending levels.Read more