Norway 10 krone 2011 - University bicentenary

New circulating commemorative:

"University bicentenary"



To mark the bicentenary of the founding of Norway's first university, Norges Bank is issuing a special edition 10 krone circulation coin on Tuesday, 3 May. The coin is legal tender and will be issued at nominal value. 10 krone coins in the standard design will not be issued in 2011.

2 September 2011 will be the 200th anniversary of King Frederick VI's assent to the founding of a university in Norway. Over a century and a half, Norwegians fought to have their own university, first in 1661, later in the 1760s and 1770s and with particular intensity in 1793-95, but each time their demands were rejected by the King in Copenhagen. When King Frederick VI gave his assent in September 1811, the exact location of the university was yet to be determined. Kongsberg was considered, but in spring 1812, Christiania (now Oslo) was finally chosen.

In issuing the coin, Norges Bank has emphasised that the occasion is not geographically limited to Oslo but commemorates the beginnings of higher education and science and scholarship in a broad sense. In 2011 Norway has eight universities, with university-level education offered in all parts of the country.

(information by Pabitra Saha)
(all data and image taken from the Norges Bank)

LINK: Norges Bank

SPECIFICATIONS
Diameter: 24,00 mm
Thickness: 2,00 mm
Weight: 6,8 gr
Alloy: 81% Cu, 10% Zn, 9% Ni
Edge: Alternate plain/milled
Designers: Ingrid Austlid Rise and Enzo Finger

Serbia 2011 - Redesigned coat of arms

My friend Ranko, from www.singidunum-online.com, just informed that finally we'll see different 2011 circulation types in Serbia, as the redesigned coat of arms has been approved. The striking of the new coins has already started. First one will be the 5 dinara, soon available in rolls.

Here are both old and new coats of arms:



And here are low quality images of the coins obverses (new one on the right):



(images by Ranko Mandic and Wikipedia)
(information from Ranko Mandic)

LINK: National Bank of Serbia
LINK: New coat of arms for Serbia

Slovenia 3 euro 2011 - 20th Anniversary of Independence

New bimetallic circulating commemorative planned for june. This is just a provisional design:

"20th anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Slovenia"



(image taken from ebay seller chrislobe)

LINK: Slovenia 20 years
LINK: Bank of Slovenia

Magnetic Maldives 25 & 50 laari 2008

The 25 & 50 laari coins KM71 and KM72 have always been made of Nickel-Brass.
Wolfgang Schuster has reported magnetic issues from 2008, so, new KM subtypes should be added.



(information and scan by Wolfgang Schuster)

Netherlands 5 euro 2011 - Dutch painting

New silver plated commemorative:

"Dutch painting"



SPECIFICATIONS
Composition: Silver plated CuNi
Weight: 10.50 g
Diameter: 29.00 mm

LINK: Royal Dutch Mint

Australia 20 & 50 cents 2010 - Royal Marriage

"Marriage of HRH Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton"

A circulating rolled 20 cents coin was minted by the Royal Australian Mint to mark the Royal Marriage:



Also, a 50 cents item was minted, available in a souvenir card:



Finally, another 50 cents item selectively gold plated, will be available to complete the wooden box set along with the Engagement item:



(information by Pabitra Saha)

LINK: Royal Australian Mint

20c rolled coin SPECIFICATIONS
Composition: CuNi
Weight: 11.30 g
Diameter: 28.52 mm
Designer: V. Gottwald
Portrait: Ian Rank Broadley
Mintage: unlimited

50c card coin SPECIFICATIONS
Composition: CuNi
Weight: 15.55 g
Diameter: 31.51 mm
Designer: V. Gottwald
Portrait: Ian Rank Broadley
Mintage: unlimited

Czech Republic 200 koruna 2011 - 2 commemoratives

Two new silver commemoratives:

"200th Anniversary of the Opening of the Prague Conservatory"



"First Public Flight of Jan Kasper"



SPECIFICATIONS
Composition: Silver 925/1000
Weight: 13.00 g
Diameter: 31.00 mm
Edge: reeded

(information and images by Gijs Vlothuizen)

LINK: Czech Mint

New coins for Samoa

The 2 tala banknote will be replaced by a coin. Besides they plan to reduce the size of the 10, 20 and 50 sene coins, and the one tala coin. Finally, they will stop minting of 1, 2 and 5 sene coins because they are rarely used.

The new coins could be in circulation by the end of 2011. They will be minted at The Royal Australian Mint.

LINK: Savali News
LINK: Radio New Zealand International
LINK: Samoa News
LINK: Samoa Observer

(information by Pabitra Saha and Aidan Work)

France 1000 euro 2011 - Hercule Gold BU

New commemorative:



SPECIFICATIONS
Composition: Gold 999.99/1000
Weight: 20.00 g
Diameter: 39.00 mm
Mintage: 10 000

It has been sold for 1000 euros, but according to the Mint's information, the whole mintage is already sold out. These seem to be good times for gold investing.

(information by Pabitra Saha)

LINK: French Mint: Monnaie de Paris
READING: www.loretlargent.info (in French)

Ukraine 2 hryvnia 2011 - 350 years Ivan Franko National University

New commemorative:

"350 years to Ivan Franko National University of Lviv"

Coin is dedicated to one of the oldest universities of technological development having glorious history, the Lviv Polytechnic National University that is a vigorous centre of science and education, a generator of ideas and inventions.



SPECIFICATIONS
Composition: CuNiZn
Weight: 12.80 g
Diameter: 31.00 mm
Mintage: 45 000

The University:



Also, a 5 hryvnia silver proof item has been minted, with this specifications:

Composition: Ag925
Weight: 15.55 g
Diameter: 33.00 mm
Mintage: 7 000

(information by Gijs Vlothuizen)

LINK: National Bank of Ukraine

Poland 2 zlotys 2011 - Beatification of John Paul II

New circulating commemorative:

"Beatification of John Paul II"



SPECIFICATIONS
Composition: Nordic gold, CuAl5Zn5Sn1
Weight: 8.15 g
Diameter: 27.00 mm
Mintage: 1 000 000

Also other commemoratives will be released, in silver and gold:



SPECIFICATIONS
Composition: Silver 925/1000
Weight: 28.28 g
Diameter: 38.61 mm
Mintage: 80 000



SPECIFICATIONS
Composition: Gold 900/1000
Weight: 1.00 g
Diameter: 12.00 mm
Mintage: 10 000



SPECIFICATIONS
Composition: Gold 900/1000
Weight: 8.00 g
Diameter: 21.00 mm
Mintage: 8 000



SPECIFICATIONS
Composition: Gold 900/1000
Weight: 93.30 g
Diameter: 50.00 mm
Mintage: 500

LINK: National Bank of Poland
LINK: Polish State Mint

Mexico 20 pesos 2010 - Octavio Paz

New bimetallic circulating commemorative:

"Octavio Paz: 20 years of his Literature Nobel Prize"



Octavio Paz Lozano (March 31, 1914 - April 19, 1998) was a Mexican writer, poet, and diplomat, and the winner of the 1990 Nobel Prize for Literature.



(coin image from www.worldbcnews.com)
(bio data from wikipedia)

LINK: Banco de Mexico

Australia 50 cents 2010 - Royal Engagement and Marriage

2 new commemoratives:

"Engagement and Marriage of HRH Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton"

The design by Stuart Devlin will feature on two products: for those that just want a small collectible to remember this moment, a commemorative CuNi 50 cent coin in card is available already.
The selectively gold-plated coin will be available in a wooden box set that will house it along with the exclusive wedding coin to be released in the future.



The wooden box set:



(information and images by Peter Kaminsky and Pabitra Saha)

LINK: Royal Australian Mint

SPECIFICATIONS
Composition: CuNi
Weight: 15.55 g
Diameter: 31.51 mm
Designer: Stuart Devlin
Portrait: Ian Rank Broadley

Spain 5 euro 2010 - Cities: Avila & Albacete

Coins #5 and #6: "Avila and Albacete"



Avila is the capital of the homonymous province, in the autonomous community of Castilla y León. Albacete is the capital city of the homonymous province in the autonomous community of Castilla La Mancha. Here are bigger images of their coats of arms:



In the Avila coin we can see the Medieval City Walls that surround the whole city:



Albacete coin shows the famous Cuchillería building:



SPECIFICATIONS
Composition: 0.925 silver
Weight: 13.50 g
Diameter: 33.00 mm
Mintage: 15,000

LINK: Spanish Mint's "Cities collection"

Bulgaria 10 levs 2011 - Zograf Monastery

New silver commemorative:

"Bulgarian churches and monasteries: Zograf Monastery"

The Saint George the Zograf Monastery or just Zograf Monastery is a Bulgarian Orthodox monastery on Mount Athos (the "Holy Mountain") in Greece. It was founded in the late 9th or early 10th century by three Bulgarians from Ohrid and is regarded as the historical Bulgarian monastery on Mount Athos. It is traditionally inhabited by Bulgarian Orthodox monks.



A picture of the monastery:



(image by Pabitra Saha)
(information taken from the Wikipedia and Bulgarian National Bank)

LINK: Bulgarian National Bank

SPECIFICATIONS
Material: silver 0.925
Weight: 23.33 g
Diameter: 38.61 mm
Mintage: 6,000
Edge: plain
Mint: Sofia, Bulgaria
Artist: Ivan Todorov and Todor Todorov

Canada 2011 - Fauna commemoratives

New commemoratives:

"Great Gray Owl & Elk Calf"

These items can be found only in sets. They should be considered legal tender anyway, and will have their own KM catalog number.



LINK: Royal Canadian Mint

LuzDeFaro - VISTA Euro Annual Album 2011

LuzDeFaro announces the new VISTA Euro Annual Album 2011 (by Leuchtturm).
For collecting the full euro coin sets for the year 2011.
With 11 VISTA coin sheets and delightful embossing on the spine and cover.



LINK: LuzDeFaro
LINK: VISTA Euro Annual Album 2011

Russia 10 roubles 2011 - Buryatia

New bimetallic circulating commemorative:

"Russian Regions: Republic of Buryatia"



Flag and coat of arms of the Republic of Buryatia:



(information by Antony)

LINK: Bank of Russia

Kazakhstan 50 tenge 2011 - Yuri Gagarin

New circulating commemorative:

"Space: First Cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin"



(information and image by Gijs Vlothuizen)

LINK: National Bank of Kazakhstan

SPECIFICATIONS
Weight: 11.37 g
Diameter: 31.00 mm
Thickness: 2.00 mm
Edge: grooved with 10 sectors of corrugation
Mintage: 50,000