News from austrian mint for year 2012

             

Newsletter 30.01.2012 Klimt and his Women Gustav Klimt’s paintings may be among the most famous, coveted and valuable in the world today but you no longer need to be a billionaire to start your very own collection of his greatest masterpieces. To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Viennese master’s birth in 1862, from 2012 the Austrian Mint is producing its brilliant new five-coin series, Klimt and his Women. From classical and allegorical to erotic and mythological, Klimt succeeded in portraying female beauty like few other painters, to the extent that his name is synonymous with the representation of the female form. As in the case of many great artists, Klimt’s work was characterised by distinct creative periods, one of the most successful being his “golden phase”. Each of the five stunning coins in this magnificent collection depicts a different painting of a woman from that phase. For just €505 each mini masterpiece can be yours in solid gold. What could be more fitting? Five years, Five Klimts A woman whose relationship to the artist is still a matter of speculation, a tree blossoming in a mystical manner, a kiss that continues to move the world more than a century after it was painted. These are just three of the works from Klimt’s golden phase that open up manifold associations of love, happiness and hope to the observer and will form part of our unique Klimt and his Women series over the next five years. Each beautiful new 50 euro solid gold coin in the series, all featuring a woman who moved Klimt, will be issued at the beginning of every year from 2012 to 2016. Committed to creating coins that are both worthy of the great artist and do justice to his artistic vision, our engravers have devoted themselves to the subject with their usual passion, vigour and creativity. Take a look at the first coin in the collection, Adele Bloch-Bauer I, and you will see exactly what we mean. The great man himself would no doubt have been very proud. Adele Bloch-Bauer I One of Klimt’s most famous paintings, Adele Bloch-Bauer I is both the first in the collection and a prime example of the artist’s golden period. Wealthy and worldly, Adele Bloch-Bauer was one of the most prominent women in turn-of-the-20th-century Vienna. Gustav Klimt took some four years to complete the famous portrait of her reproduced in exquisite detail on the coin's reverse, which led to speculation that the lady and the artist, whose portrait features on the coin's obverse, were lovers. Whether or not the painting was a veritable labour of love has never been proved, but when it sold for $135 million in 2006 it was the most expensive painting in the world at that time. Bearing the letter ‘K’, it also provides the first letter in his name, and with each subsequent coin providing a different letter so that the complete series spells the word ‘KLIMT’, once you have started you won’t want to stop until you have completed your very own Klimt collection. Specifications quality proof face value 50 Euro date of issue 01/25/2012 coin design Th. Pesendorfer H. Wähner diameter 22 mm alloy Gold Au 986 fine weight 10 g total weight 10.14 g price € 505  Please Order the coin here. Official Austrian Euro coin set 2012 in special uncirculated quality Get a lasting and comprehensive numismatic memento of 2012 in the shape of the superb Official Austrian Euro Coin Set 2012 . The eight-coin set contains the 2 euro coin issued by all 17 eurozone countries to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the introduction of euro banknotes and coins. Following a Europe-wide competition, the winning design was chosen from the work of Helmut Andexlinger, one of the Austrian Mint’s leading designers. A winning combination of award-winning design and premium quality, this mini masterpiece is guaranteed to please. Specifications title Euro Coin Set 2012 face valui 1 Cent to 2 Euro date of issue 2 January 2012 mintage SU 50,000 price € 24,- (20 % VAT incl.) Please order the set here.  Brand new but already a best seller - Baby Euro Coin Set 2012 Make the wonderful event even more unforgettable with our Baby coin set 2012. Featuring all eight uncirculated quality euro coins, the Baby coin set 2012 is both a charming memento of a child’s birth as well as a lasting memory of the year in which he or she was born. Patron of our 2012 Baby coin set, our original Happy Teddy Bear by world famous teddy bear manufacturer Steiff is guaranteed to delight any child. It can be ordered on our website under accessories.   Please order the set here.  The maximum mintage of both Euro coin sets together is 50,000. Winter Youth Olympic Games 2012 The first ever Winter Youth Olympic Games is an occasion worth commemorating in style. Being the third Winter Olympics to be held in the capital of the Tyrol makes Innsbruck 2012 even more memorable. This superb silver medal makes it unforgettable. At Innsbruck 2012 more than a thousand teenagers from some 60 countries competed in a total of 15 disciplines from 7 different winter sports, a particular highlight being the first ever staging of competitive women’s ski jumping in the history of the Winter Olympics. The obverse of the 40mm diameter medal shows these 15 disciplines, while its reverse shows the official logo of the Winter Olympics and the year 2012. The inscription “1st Winter Youth Olympic Games, 13-22 January 2012” appears in the outer ring on both sides. The medal is fittingly struck to a limited mintage of 2012 pieces.  Specifications titel Olympische Jugend-Winterspiele in Innsbruck alloy copper and nickel total weight 20.50 g diameter 40.00 mm  mintage 2012 pcs. price € 20.12,- (20 % VAT incl.) Please order here.

2012: first mintage of an estonian euro banknote

The ECB published its 2012 production target.

http://www.ecb.int/stats/euro/production/html/index.en.html

We note that in 2012, it plans to issue an estonian €20 banknote (EE).

This would be the first euro banknote issued by this country and that adopted the euro on january the first 2011.

Note however that this document relates to the production. He gives no information concerning the release.

To be continued ...

Source: ECB annual report

Meeting with AD€ at LA MONNAIE DE PARIS - December 2011

Several points were discussed during the meeting at which the AD€ was represented by Serge WIOTTE, author of the report (thank you to him) and Bruno Ramos:

Parts of the series "Hercules":

The range of Hercules 2012 Euros will consist of a well-Silver € 100 (April), a gold  € 1000  (April) and a gold € 5000. This gold € 5,000 coin (999/1000 of gold) weighing 75.00 grams and a diameter of 45 mm, will be struck in 2,000 copies. (Subscription in November and delivery before the holiday season).

A proof € 10 Silver coin will be issued at the same time with the same characteristics, with 10,000 copies hit the prices ranging from € 35/45.

On this matter,  Mr. C. BEAUX points out that in general the Paris Mint strives to ensure a ratio Face value / weight of fine metal of 70 to 75% for Gold Coins and 50 to 60% for Silver.

1/8th of an ounce gold coin:

A reflection on the possibility of striking gold coins UNC, with a weight of 4 g and a diameter of 20 mm (like  the € 200 gold coin "regions") and 12 reproduce the annual themes of the Paris Mint. At this stage it is still a reflection.

Currency Rates of Monnaie de Paris:

La Monnaie de Paris is continuing its efforts to modernize and is able to announce a drop in future prices.

- 10% cuts on silver coins, with inevitable adjustments to fall on good deals.

- 5.5% cuts on gold coins.

The cuts doen't concern of course circulation coins, sold at face value.

M. C. BEAUX said, and hopes that the evolution of prices of precious metals will be progressive over time. For the comfort of Collectors. For the evolution we have experienced in recent months is good for anyone.

At this point the questions given on the dates of upcoming releases, including:

- The Euro Regions:

€ 10 Silver subscription on 22/06/2012. Each region will be shown in two parts, the portrait of a character and the illustration of his work, except one region which has two characters. No characters were represented in his lifetime, the choice of these historical figures was also dictated by the need for compliance with the parity. All will be unveiled in Berlin.

- € 200 gold coin:

The subscription will be launched in September 2012.

Note that given the success of the Mint with "Hercules" coins, it is possible that this coin will be issued again in 2013.

FRANCE: the 2012 New SOWER

La Monnaie de Paris presents the new 2012 Sower with the back "10 years of the Euro"

It is available in silver and also gold.

½ gram of gold to 60 €

¼ ounce to 490 €

½ ounce to € 1000

2 ounces to 3900 €

(Prices shown are list price).

Source: Monnaie de Paris

New collector coin in Finland celebration the Year of design

             

Collector coin for the Finnish Year of Design

Inspiration a defining moment for a designer

 

Next year, during Helsinki’s tenure as the World Design Capital, international attention will focus on Finnish design. Mint of Finland and the Ministry of Finance are planning to issue a collector coin in honour of the year of design. A piece by designer Henna Lamberg, depicting inspiration ‒ the motivator of all creative work – has been chosen as the coin's theme. Download image of plaster cast that models the coin from here.

 

Finnish design is experiencing a boom around the world, and in recognition of this, the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design elected Helsinki as the World Design Capital for 2012. The design coin will allow Finland to have an international souvenir that expresses what our country is like today.

 

When a product looks and feels good, it is well designed. ‘The design of the coin to be introduced follows Scandinavian principles: it is clear-cut and focused. The collector coin will, however, also be an expression of our times, as its lines and various alternating surfaces make it modern’, says Henna Karjalainen, Communications Director of Mint of Finland.

 

In search of inspiration

 

Inspiration is the force behind creativity. The collector coin for the jubilee year has been designed by industrial designer Henna Lamberg, who explains that she did not want to let the audience off easy.

 

‘The coin will safekeep my inspiration, in the way I experienced it.  Inspiration is the moment when I know what I intend to do, and the plans for a design become clear. I hope the coin will inspire ideas and make people think of its story’, says Lamberg.

 

The collector coin for Finnish creativity will be minted with a nominal value of €50, and its materials will be gold and silver. A base-metal version of the coin, with a nominal value of €5, will also be minted.

 

The Collector Coin Committee established by the Ministry of Finance selected the theme of the collector coin amongst competition entries. Senior Budget Secretary Marja Kirppu from the Ministry of Finance acted as the chairman of the Collector Coin Committee.

 

Other members of the Committee included Paul Gustafsson, CEO of Mint of Finland, Maria Lähteenmäki, Docent at the University of Helsinki, Heikki Malme, Chief Curator at Ateneum, Iiro A. Ahokas, representing the Finnish Association of Designers Ornamo, Niels Haukeland, representing the Association of Finnish Sculptors, Kai van der Puij representing the Finnish Association of Architects, and PekkaTimonen, representing the World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 programme.

Sources: Mint of FINLAND 

choose the design of an official issue of the Mint of FINLAND

             

Make your vote count 11-19 January 2012

Have your say on the design of the Ice Hockey World Championships 2012 collector coin

 

Today, Mint of Finland has opened a public vote to decide the design of the Ice Hockey World Championships 2012 collector coin. Visitors to the Mint of Finland website can vote for their favourite from 10 potential coin designs until 19 January. The design with the most votes will be minted on the coin, which will be issued on 2 April 2012. Download images of the potential coin designs here.

At the same time, voters will be entered into a prize draw, in which everyone will have the chance to win a copy of the final minted coin. The results of the prize draw will be announced on 23 January 2012.

A coin for hockey fans

Mint of Finland is getting its skates on and joining in the ice hockey fever by issuing a Ministry-of-Finance-commissioned coin for a nation of hockey fans. The 2012 Ice Hockey World Championships will be jointly hosted by Finland and Sweden.

"At the Finnish Ice Hockey Association we are proud that the World Championships will be commemorated with a collector coin. There are a huge number of hockey fans in Finland, so a collector coin will be a great souvenir for them," says the president of the Finnish Ice Hockey Association and the Organising Committee for the 2012 Ice Hockey World Championships, Kalervo Kummola.

Artists from all over Finland have sent 29 entries to the collector coin design competition, from which a Collector Coin Committee assigned by the Ministry of Finance selected 10 designs for the public vote.

"The designs capture the excitement of the movement of our skilful hockey heroes on the ice and the atmosphere of the ice hockey arena. In April we will get to mint a coin that hockey fans everywhere can feel is their own," says Paul Gustafsson, a member of the committee and CEO of Mint of Finland.

 

The jury was made up of experts from the fields of art, minting and ice hockey

The jury of experts that whittled down the number of entries for the public vote included Finnish Ice Hockey Association communications manager Henna Malmberg, industrial designer Hannu Havusto from The Finnish Association of Designers Ornamo, sculptor Anssi Taulu from the Association of Finnish Sculptors and architect Risto Iivonen from the Finnish Association of Architects.

The president of the Collector Coin Committee is Professor Yrjö Sotamaa of Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture. The permanent members of the committee include Mint of Finland Ltd CEO Paul Gustafsson, Senior Budget Secretary Marja Kirppu from the Ministry of Finance, Head of Currency Department Mauri Lehtinen from Bank of Finland, University of Helsinki lecturer Maria Lähteenmäki and curator Heikki Halme of the Ateneum Art Museum.

 

 

Sources: Mint of FINLAND

The package: 2011 BU set of MONACO and 2011 BU2€ Commemorative Coin

Stamps and Coins Museum of MONACO offers to its clients the following package:            

- the 2011 BU box with €2 CC prince Albert Wedding at €150.

- the annual 2011 BU set including divisionnal coins and the €2 CC at €220.

These two items may be bought in one single order at the promotionnal price of €340 ( €30 of price reducing)

Sources: Stamps and Coins Museum of MONACO and AD€ Forum.