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G8 SUMMIT LEADERS GIVEN IMAGINARY FUTURE WORLD CURRENCY While the world's economies travel down the tubes, some of our world leaders were given fancy books and expensive gold coins at their summit in Italy this week. Stephen Pradier forwarded this article. -Editor  World leaders attending the Group of Eight summit opening Wednesday in Italy will each be presented with a gift from the past and one for the future.Handmade books portraying works by Neoclassical sculptor Antonio Canova, as well as gold coins representing an imaginary future world currency will be given to the participants at the opening of the three-day summit. There are 10 copies of the book, commissioned by Italy's Premier Silvio Berlusconi from the Bologna-based art publishing house Fondazione Marilena Ferrari, each with a personalized dedication for the leader who receives it. The 28-inch by 17.5-inch (71-centimeter by 44.5-centimeter) Canova books were crafted at no cost by 23 Italian craftsmen using traditional techniques, the publishing house said. Each weighs 53 pounds (24 kilograms). The books' covers are decorated with white marble bas-reliefs and the volumes are bound with silk and gold thread. They include etchings and dozens of black and white photographs of Canova's artworks, including artistic close-ups of his statues. The coins, made by Belgian Luc Luycx, who designed one side of the Euro coins, are called "eurodollars," in a symbolic call for a common currency to unite Europe and the United States. They have a value of euro 2,800 ($3,900) and were produced by the United Future World Currency, a group pushing the idea of a global currency. To read the complete article, see: G-8 leaders to receive books on Canova, gold coins (http://apnews.myway.com/article/20090708/D99AAJS02.html) The conspiracy theorists will have a grand time talking down the "Eurodollar" unified currency idea. But these prototype coins should be of some interest to numismatists and economic historians. Wayne Homren, Editor The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org. To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum All Rights Reserved. NBS Home Page Contact the NBS webmaster 
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