Russia 10 roubles 2012 - Belozersk

New bimetallic circulating commemorative:

"Russian ancient towns: Belozersk"



(information by Dmitry Petrov and Antony)

LINK: Bank of Russia

Venezuela 25 centimos 2011 - 200 years of the signing of Independence

New circulating commemorative:

"200 anniversary of the signing of Independence"



(news by Antony)

LINK: Numismatic catalog of Venezuela
LINK: Banco Central de Venezuela

Malaysia 1 ringgit 2012 - Centenary of Girl Guides

New commemorative:



(information and images by Pabitra Saha and Lunaticg)

LINK: Malaysia Banknotes & Coins by Lunaticg

SPECIFICATIONS
Alloy: Nordic Gold: Cu89 Zn5 Al5 Sn1
Diameter (mm): 30.00 mm
Weight: 8.80 g
Shape: Round with milled edge
Mintage: 15 000

Canada 25 cents 2012 - Coloured CuNi quarters

New coloured commemorative quarters:

-Dinosaurs series "Pachyrhinosaurus lakustai"
-"Titanic"
-Birds of Canada series "Rose-breasted Grosbeak"
-"100th Anniversary of the Calgary Stampede"
-Flowers and little creatures series "Aster with Bumble Bee"



LINK: Royal Canadian Mint

Denmark 20 krone 2012 - Kong Frederik IX ferry

New circulating commemorative:

"SHIPS: Kong Frederik IX ferry"



The ferry Kong Frederik IX was built at Elsinore Shipyard. When it was put into service on 16 December 1954 it was the world's largest ferry. It served several routes e.g. between Denmark and Germany and across the Great Belt. In 1997 it was taken out of service and for a few years it served as a museum ferry at Nyborg. In 2005 the ferry was scrapped.

LINK: Denmark National Bank
LINK: Danish Royal Mint

SPECIFICATIONS
Composition: Aluminium Bronze, 92%Cu6%Al2%Ni
Diameter: 27.00 mm
Thickness: 2.35 mm
Weight: 9.30 g
Edge: rim with interrupted milling
Designers: Elisabeth Toubro

Italy 5 euro 2012 - Sistine Chapel

New silver commemorative:

"500th Anniversary of the unveiling of the Sistine Chapel frescoes (1512-2012)"



SPECIFICATIONS
Material: silver 925
Diameter: 32.00 mm
Weight: 18.0 g
Edge: Continuous coarse milled

LINK: Italian Mint

Finland 10 euro 2012 - Armi Ratia

New silver collectors issue:

"Armi Ratia"



The Mint of Finland has announced the issue of a new collector coin which pays tribute to one of Finland's most well-known female entrepreneurs and founder of one of the country's largest clothing, textile and home furnishing companies. Armi Ratia (1912-1979) was the founder of Marimekko in 1951. She is remembered in Finland as both charismatic and very creative, which led to her substantial commercial success in Finland and internationally.

The obverse of the coin is the work of artist Kari Markkanen and depicts a candid and informal portrait of Armi Ratia. A series of wavy lines or stripes representative of some of Marimekko's well-known textile designs is seen behind the portrait. The reverse motif is designed by Maija Isola and includes a series of Marimekko's trademark flowers with the center flower depicted in vivid magenta and orange color.

(news and image by Pabitra Saha)

SPECIFICATIONS
Material: Silver 925
Diameter: 38.60 mm
Weight: 25.50 g
Designer: Kari Markkanen & Maija Isola
BU mintage: 20 000
Proof mintage: 20 000

LINK: Bank of Finland
LINK: Mint of Finland

Cyprus 5 euro 2012 - EU Council Presidency

New silver collectors issue:

"Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU"



(news and image by Pabitra Saha and www.coin-database.com)

SPECIFICATIONS
Material: Silver
Diameter: 38.61 mm
Weight: 28.28 g
Designer: Loanna Kalli
Finish: proof
Mintage: 8 000

LINK: Coin Database

Canada 20 dollars 2012 - Queen's Diamond Jubilee

New silver issue:

"Queen's Diamond Jubilee"



(news by Pabitra Saha)

SPECIFICATIONS
Material: fine silver (99.99% pure)
Diameter: 27.00 mm
Weight: 7.96 g
Edge: serrated
Designers: Laurie McGaw (reverse), Mary Gillick (obverse)
Mintage: 250 000

LINK: Royal Canadian Mint

Belgium 10 euro 2012 - Paul Delvaux

New silver collectors issue:

"European Artists: Paul Delvaux"



Paul Delvaux (23 September 1897 - 20 July 1994) was a Belgian painter, associated with Surrealism, famous for his paintings of female nudes in oniric landscapes. The coin bears his portrait, as well as a detail of his painting "The Canape Vert", from 1944:



(image and data by Pabitra Saha)

South Korea 1000 won 2012 - Yeosu EXPO

New trimetallic commemorative:

"World Expo 2012 in Yeosu"



The Expo logo and mascots:



The Central Bank of Korea also issued 3 silver and 2 gold coins.

(news by Gijs Vlothuizen)

SPECIFICATIONS
External rim: copper 75%, zinc 21%, nickel 4%
Internal rim: copper 75%, nickel 25%
Center: copper 65%, zinc 35%
Weight: 10.10 g
Diameter: 28.20 mm
Mintage: 40 000

LINK: Bank of Korea
LINK: Expo 2012

Spain 10 euro 2012 - 1812 Constitution Bicentenary

New silver collectors issue:

"200 years of Spanish Constitution of 1812"



The monument in Cádiz, Andalucía:



SPECIFICATIONS
Composition: .925 Silver
Weight: 27.00 g
Diameter: 40.00 mm
Finish: proof
Mintage: 10 000

LINK: Spanish Mint (FNMT)

Belarus 1 & 20 roubles 2012 - Belarusbank 90 years

New CuNi and silver collector issues:

"90 years of the Bank of Belarus"



SPECIFICATIONS
Composition: CuNi
Weight: 15.50 g
Diameter: 33.00 mm
Mintage: 4 000



SPECIFICATIONS
Composition: Silver .925
Weight: 33.62 g
Diameter: 38.61 mm
Mintage: 7 000

Both coins bear an image of the new building of the Central Bank:



(information and images from monetastic.ning.com)

LINK: National Bank of the Republic of Belarus

Finland 20 euro 2012 - Equality and Tolerance

New silver collectors issue:

"Equality and Tolerance"



According to UNESCO's definition, tolerance is the acceptance that people of different appearance, status, speech, behaviour and values have the same right to live in peace and be as they are.

The coin has been designed by art student Katri Piri.

(news and image by Pabitra Saha)

SPECIFICATIONS
Material: Silver 925
Diameter: 38.60 mm
Weight: 33.62 g
Designer: Katri Piri
BU mintage: 20 000
Proof mintage: 20 000

LINK: Bank of Finland
LINK: Mint of Finland

Ireland 10 euro 2012 - Jack Butler Yeats

New silver collectors issue:

"European Artists: Jack Butler Yeats"



(image and data by Pabitra Saha)

SPECIFICATIONS
Composition: .925 Sterling Silver
Weight: 28.28 g
Diameter: 38.61 mm
Finish: proof
Mintage: 12 000
Designer: Michael Guilfoyle

LINK: Central Bank of Ireland

Italy 10 euro 2012 - Michelangelo

New silver issue:

"Artists: Michelangelo Buonarroti"



The Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato (Italian State Mint) announced the issue of their latest coin which is part of the EUROPA series for 2012 which pays tribute to European Artists throughout the ages.

The coin's subject is Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (1475 - 1564), or known simply as Michelangelo. The world renowned sculptor, painter, architect, poet, and engineer during the Italian Renaissance period exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art. Michelangelo is most noted for having created two of the most influential works in fresco in history, the scenes from Genesis on the ceiling and The Last Judgment on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. The Statue of David completed by Michelangelo in 1504, is one of the most renowned works of the Renaissance.

(image and data by Pabitra Saha)

LINK: Italian Mint

Slovakia 10 euro 2012 - Master Paul of Levoca

New silver commemorative:

"Master Paul of Levoca"

Russia 2 roubles 2012 - 1812 War Victory

New circulating commemorative:

"200th Anniversary of the Victory in the War of 1812"



SPECIFICATIONS
Diameter: 23.00 mm
Mintage: 5 million

LINK: Bank of Russia

Germany 10 euro 2012 - Help Hungry World

New CuNi commemorative:

"Help Hungry World"



(news and image by Gijs Vlothuizen)

SPECIFICATIONS
Composition: CuNi
Weight: 14.10 g
Diameter: 32.50 mm
Mint: G
KM number: 309

Germany 10 euro 2012 - Frederick the Great

New CuNi commemorative:

"Frederick the Great"

Money and Medals Newsletter

The Money and Medals Newsletter is a free digital publication which appears three times a year and covers numismatic news, events, museum exhibitions and auctions predominantly with a UK focus.

We'd like to take the opportunity to invite you to join our subscription list. To sign up to receive the Newsletter please contact rkelleher@thebritishmuseum.ac.uk.

The Newsletter is part of the wider work of the Money and Medals Network which aims to act as an information exchange for curators in the UK whose collections include coins, medals and other objects relating to monetary and economic history and numismatics.

The website is www.moneyandmedals.org.uk and can also be found on Twitter (@moneymedalsnet), Facebook and Tumblr.

France 10 euro 2012 - Hercule

New silver commemorative:



SPECIFICATIONS
Composition: Silver 500/1000
Weight: 10.00 g
Diameter: 29.00 mm
Mintage: 10 000
Artist: Joaquim Jimenez
Mint price: 35.00 euro

(information and image by Pabitra Saha)

LINK: French Mint: Monnaie de Paris

Netherlands 10 cents 2012 - Orange issue

New coloured circulating item:

The Dutch Mint will be issuing this nice coloured edition of the circulation 10 cents 2012. It will be available in credit card. It shows the dates of the UEFA Cup matches.



LINK: Dutch Mint

Norway 200 krone 2012 - 75th birthdays of King and Queen

New silver commemorative:

"75th birthdays of the King and Queen"

Their Majesties King Harald V and Queen Sonja both celebrate their 75th birthdays in 2012. To mark the occasion, Norges Bank will issue a commemorative silver coin.

King Harald celebrates his 75th birthday on 21st February, and Queen Sonja celebrates her 75th birthday on 4th July. King Harald succeeded his father, King Olav V, to the throne on 17 January 1991. The King and Queen were consecrated in Nidaros Cathedral on 23 June 1991. The King and Queen were married on 29 August 1968 in Oslo Cathedral and have two children, Princess Märtha Louise and Crown Prince Haakon.



The presentation box and certificate:



(news by Pabitra Saha)

SPECIFICATIONS
Composition: silver .925
Weight: 16.85 g
Diameter: 32.00 mm
Edge: plain

LINK: Norges Bank

Austria 20 euro 2012 - Egon Schiele

New silver proof:

"Artists: Egon Schiele"



A unique collaboration between 14 European Union member states, the European Silver Programme is a series of commemorative 20 euro silver coins designed to celebrate common aspects of European identity. The theme chosen for 2012 is artists, which has provided the Austrian Mint with the perfect opportunity to pay homage to a painter who, along with his mentor Gustav Klimt, is the country's most internationally revered.

Often referred to as the "20th-century Mona Lisa", Portrait of Wally features his lover, Valerie Neuzil, who modeled for many of his controversial paintings and shared his life until he married a more socially acceptable woman. Painted in 1912, it now forms part of the collection of the Leopold Museum in Vienna, home of one of the world's most comprehensive Schiele collections. The picture is shown on the coin's reverse, while a portrait of the artist himself is depicted on its obverse.

With a maximum mintage of 50,000 in 900 silver Proof quality only, the coin comes in a protective box with slipcase.

(image by Pabitra Saha)
(information taken from the Austrian Mint)

LINK: Austrian Mint

East Caribbean States 2 dollars 2011

New circulating commemorative:

The coin celebrates 10 years of Financial Information Month.



(image by Egon Conti)

Poland 2 zlotys 2012 - UEFA Euro2012 Cup

New circulating commemorative:

"UEFA Euro2012 Cup hosted by Ukraine and Poland"



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

LINK: National Bank of Poland
LINK: Polish State Mint

Ukraine 5 hryvnia 2012 - Ivano-Frankivsk

New commemorative:

"350 years of Ivano-Frankivsk city"



SPECIFICATIONS
Composition: CuNiZn
Weight: 16.54 g
Diameter: 35.00 mm
Mintage: 35 000

(information by Gijs Vlothuizen)

LINK: National Bank of Ukraine

Kazakhstan 50 tenge 2012 - Mir Station

New commemorative:

"Space: Mir Station"



(news and image by Gijs Vlothuizen)

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

LINK: National Bank of Kazakhstan