LOOSE CHANGE: JANUARY 24, 2021

Minting Technology

To read the complete article, see:
State-of-the-Art Minting Technology (https://coinsweekly.com/state-of-the-art-minting-technology/)

1656 Cromwell 50 Shilling Gold Coin Sells

A rare gold coin depicting a portrait of Oliver Cromwell has sold for a world record £471,200 at auction.

The 50 shilling piece, dating back to 1656, is one of only 12 in existence, auctioneers Dix Noonan Webb said.

It was described as "extremely fine and rare" and had an estimate of £100,000 to £150,000 before going under the hammer.

The coin was part of the collection of American-born Marvin Lessen, who later moved to Scarborough.

Peter Preston-Morley, of Dix Noonan Webb, said the price was a record for a Cromwellian coin.

To read the complete article, see:
Oliver Cromwell gold coin sells for world record £471k at auction (https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-55753406)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
DNW NORTH YORKSHIRE MOORS PART IV SALE (https://www.coinbooks.org/v24/esylum_v24n01a22.html)

Brasher Doubloon Sets Record

A rare gold coin made by a noted craftsman in New York in 1787 has sold at auction in Dallas for $9.36 million.

Heritage Auctions offered the New York-style Brasher Doubloon on Thursday evening as part of an auction of U.S. coins. Heritage said the sale is the most ever paid for a gold coin at auction and the buyer wished to remain anonymous.

"The Brasher Doubloons, for coin collectors, coin connoisseurs, this is sort of a holy grail ... the one piece that is the most famous and the most desired coin," said Todd Imhof, Heritage's executive vice president.

To read the complete article, see:
Rare gold coin sells for $9.36 million at Texas auction (https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/rare-gold-coin-sells-936-million-texas-auction-75426866)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
HERITAGE OFFERS PARTRICK BRASHER DOUBLOONS (https://www.coinbooks.org/v24/esylum_v24n01a20.html)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
DEL MONTE BANANA LABEL ERROR NOTE POPULAR (https://www.coinbooks.org/v24/esylum_v24n03a35.html)

Lösers in Death Rituals

The death of John Frederick is commemorated by an impressive lösers, which will be auctioned off as part of the Friedrich Popken Collection on 28 January 2021 by the Osnabrück auction house Künker with an estimate of 75,000 euros. The löser depicts a skeleton tearing off the leaves from a palm tree. The image had been designed with great care. As the heir of John Frederick of Brunswick-Calenberg gave a detailed account of his funeral in a comprehensive publication, we can understand the role these coins played in the death ritual. And this gives us a clear indication of why Brunswick dukes had lösers minted in the first place.

To read the complete article, see:
Lösers in Death Rituals: The Funeral of John Frederick of Brunswick-Calenberg (https://www.kuenker.de/en/information/presseinformationen/aktuelle-mitteilungen/342)

Framed Displays of Japanese Money

The object's precise history is uncertain. At the bottom of the frame is a title label "Japanese Old Gold and Silver Coins 大日本古金銀貨幣”" in Japanese and English.

In addition to the title label, the 33 replica coins have individual or group labels, printed on paper, in both Japanese and English, identifying them by type, date, metal and weight (in grammes).

It is obvious when looking at these objects that they are replicas, made for display, and never intended to be handled outside of the frame. In 2018, gallery conservation staff captured X-ray fluorescence (XRF) data for all coins within this frame, and found copper and zinc to be the predominant metal throughout rather than gold and silver. The differences in metal composition imply that the objects—though adhered to the backing and as of yet not individually weighed—do not weigh what the labels describe. In other words, they are replicas made with a cheaper metal core that has been coated. The physical differences between these replica coins and authentic Edo (Tokugawa) coinage hints that the objects were not made for recipients familiar with authentic Japanese coins, let alone the large oval pieces of the Edo (Tokugawa) period.

To read the complete article, see:
76. FRAMED DISPLAYS OF JAPANESE MONEY AS WESTERN DECORATIVE ARTS (https://chinesemoneymatters.wordpress.com/2021/01/15/76-framed-displays-of-japanese-money-as-western-decorative-arts/)

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