Monday Minting News from around the Globe, 26 Aug 2024

From South Africa …

South Africans are buzzing with excitement with the release of the fourth decimal coin series, with the star of the show being the inclusion of a 1oz 99.9%Ag silver Bee proof crown. The Bee is the latest design as part of a program celebrating South African ecology. I do love that all 11 South African official languages are featured on the fourth series – an incredible feat. samint.co.za

From the Czech Republic …

August was a huge month for the Czech Mint, with releases celebrating a huge diversity of topics including St. Wenceslas, double-armed cross, armoured vehicles, JFK, Virgo, Legends of Czech castles, Princess Libuse, the Olympics, journeying around the world, the prehistoric plesiosaurus and of course the iconic Czech Lion! Check out the new releases here: Products of the month | Czech Mint (ceskamincovna.cz)

From Slovakia …

Mincovna Kremnica commemorated the 80^th anniversary of the Slovak National Uprising with poignant new coin designs. The proof-like coin set and the 10€ BU coins seem to be sold-out from the Mint, however the uncirculated coin set is still available Súbor mincí SR (2024) – 80.výročie Slovenského národného povstania | Mint Kremnica

From Korea …

During August, the Korean Mint Corporation and the National Museum and Cultural Foundation announced a new cooperation to promote the cultural heritage of Korea. The organisations will work together to better commercialise cultural assets within the collections of national museums and to explore sponsorship to protect cultural heritage in Korea. Press Release < Newsroom < Korea Mint (komsco.com)

From the USA …

In addition to taking home plenty of gold, silver and bronze medals from the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, the USA gave a very special medal away on August 11 as part of a time-honoured Olympic tradition. The Mayor of Los Angeles presented the Paris Mayor with the official LA28 Handover Medallion, designed and struck by the US Mint! To view this stunning medallion and to understand more about the handover medallion tradition, head to the US Mint website Handover Medallion Presented at 2024 Summer Olympic Games | U.S. Mint (usmint.gov)

From Japan …

The Japan Mint has had a very busy August with numerous new products being released into the market. One that struck me is the 2024 Japan Coin Set, which combines aspects of Japanese culture seamlessly to create a striking and powerful set that will be treasured by many. I particularly liked the design of the packaging which was inspired by manga and anime-style of artwork. 造幣局 : 2024 Japan Coin Set (mint.go.jp) In addition, the Japan Mint also announced the release of a new series themed for each national park in the lead-up to the centenary of the National Park System in 2031.

From France …

With all eyes on Paris for the Olympics and Paralympics, what better time for the Monnaie de Paris to release 24 million commemorative 2€ coins to celebrate hosting the biggest show on the planet! Check out the story of this beautiful and symbolic coin and lets enjoy the continuation of the ultimate sporting festival with the commencement of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games!

From Switzerland …

A new gold coin has just hit the shelves, and the Swiss Mint seems to be bang on target with this release! Featuring a modern, minimalist reverse design, the Swiss Mint shines a light on 200 years of the Swiss Shooting Federation with the coin launched at the big jubilee festival in Aarau. Gold coin “200 years Swiss Shooting Sports Federation” (swissmint.ch)

From Germany …

Schuler announced the appointment of a new CEO. Martin Drasch will take up the post from 1 October 2024. He comes from a 5-year stint as CEO of Manz AG, a mechanical engineering company based in Reutlingen. Read more here https://www.schulergroup.com/unternehmen/presse/pressemeldungen/tab/archiv/2024/240730_ceo/index.html?sLang=en

From Canada …

The Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) continues to educate citizens and collectors alike with a great new article outlining the design process for commemorative circulating coins. The RCM have always been great storytellers and this article is no different, reflecting on 80 years of commemorative circulating coins and how the approach has evolved over time. Definitely worth a read: Circulating keepsakes: The design process of a commemorative circulation coin | The Royal Canadian Mint

From the UK …

Some exciting royal news came out of the Royal Mint in August, with the first £1 coin bearing the official portrait of His Majesty King Charles III being released into circulation. The reverse celebrates the humble but environmentally critical role of Bees in Britain, of which there are 250+ species! This is the latest release in the popular collection featuring flora and fauna of the British Isles. King Charles’ £1 coin Featuring British Bees Buzzes into Circulation | The Royal Mint

From Australia …

Perth Mint went all out in August, making headlines in Australia with the release of the opulent 2024 10oz Gold Proof Jewelled Turtle coin. In an incredible feat of minting, and with a tiny mintage of just 8 coins, the work features pink diamonds from the Argyle Diamond Mine in Western Australia. At an RRP of AUD$269,000, this is an exclusive release for a very discerning buyer indeed! Jewelled Turtle 2024 Gold Coin | Perth Mint On the bullion side, Perth Mint released a low mintage 1oz silver coin celebrating the unbridled wild Australian Brumby which is bound to be popular with investors Australian Brumby 2024 1oz Silver Bullion Coin (perthmint.com)

Christmas has come early at the Royal Australian Mint with the release of a new September 2024-dated 50c Christmas Festive Florals design in both silver proof and base metal uncirculated. Earlier this month, RAM released rolls of circulating coins (10c, 20c, 50c and $1) featuring the new King Charles III effigy. The release was particularly novel, with RAM announcing ‘premium’ rolls (featuring an obverse at one end and a reverse at the other) and ‘non-premium’ rolls which were a double-head or a double-tails. A great way to ensure nothing goes to waste! As has become more customary, RAM is using EQL to launch both products to reduce the incidence of bots and scamming, in an effort to get the maximum amount of product into the hands of collectors. New Release August 2024 – King Charles III Rolls | Royal Australian Mint (ramint.gov.au). New Release September 2024 – Christmas Festive Florals | Royal Australian Mint (ramint.gov.au)

Other industry news in brief:

• In good news for cash, Cash Matters shares with us the news that the UK have introduced new cash access rules which will come into effect from 18 September UK Introduces Cash Access Rules (cashmatters.org)
• A reminder that The Coin Conference is taking registrations. Head to Lisbon from 28 – 30 October to join Central Banks, Mints, suppliers, distributors, recyclers and others within the coin ecosystem to learn, exchange knowledge and make new connections The Coin Conference
• Finally, remember to register for the 2025 MDC in Cape Town, South Africa from 27 – 30 April. All MDA members receive a discount on registration! Mint Directors Conference 2025 |

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