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| A colorized Panda for my wife |
CHINA - PANDA SERIES
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S5Y 1998 PANDA COLORIZED
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PCGS PF 68 Cameo
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| Type 1 Stella |
LIBERIA
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$40 2002 FLOWING HAIR STELLA
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PCGS PF 69 Ultra Cameo
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When I was a young lad, I spent countless hours thumbing through the Redbook of United States Coins dreaming of the coins I wanted to collect. Two of many coins I dreamed of owning were the type 1 and type 2 $4 gold Stellas (Stella is the Latin word for star). Endearing me to both of these coins is the fact that they are an oddity, struck in gold, and are rare. The fact that they are also expensive to own did not deter me from dreaming but realistically, owning just one of these gems, let alone both coins is never likely to happen.
Several years ago, I considered buying Stella copies to supplement my gold type collection. After all what other alternatives were there other than purchasing the real thing. This was until I discovered suitable substitutes from Liberia representing both coin types that were most importantly, affordable. With that, I purchased both coins for my collection.
The Republic of Liberia issues several coins as tributes to famous and rare United States pattern coins. Among them are the type 1 and type 2 Stellas. The obverses of both coins are reminiscent of the original type 1 Stella designed by Charles Barber, and the type 2 designed by George T Morgan. The common reverse has a similar 5 point star, or Stella with the inscription, 1 Stella/4000 Cents. The Latin motto Deo Est Gloria (God is Glorious) is the same as the original $4 Stella and the face value of the Liberian coins is $40 rather than $4. The obverse lettering is very much like that of the original $4 Stella and has the coins weight and fineness delimited by thirteen stars. These two Liberian gold coins issued in 2002 are graded by PCGS at PR-69 DCAM and weighs 7.78 grams or .25 ounces AGW with a fineness of .999. The Liberian type 1 coin has a mintage of 410, and the type 2 has a mintage of 380. Needless to say, I am quite pleased with both these alternatives.
The 1879 and 1880, Type 1 and Type 2 $4 Stellas have an interesting and somewhat scandalous story. In 1879, Congressman John Kasson introduced to Congress a new goloid composition $4 coin as an international coin that would trade equally with the French 20 franc coin, the Spanish 20 pesetas, the Dutch and Austrian 8 florins, and the Italian 20 lire. Several hundred of these pattern coins or Stellas circulated among the members of Congress. However, the Stella was a solution in search of a problem and never became a regular issue coin as Congress was content to allow the Double-Eagle to serve as a medium of exchange in Europe.
During the early 1880s, madams operating from Washingtons most popular brothels were seen wearing Stellas as jewelry. Just how the madams acquired those Stellas I will leave that up to you to figure out. On the surface though, it would seem that some things never change and that there is nothing new under the sun just as the writer of Ecclesiastes states.
In summary, neither of these coins currently appears in any of my registry sets, but nonetheless, are integral pieces in my collection. I know these coins are a far cry from the real thing, but you must admit they are as close as you can get without owning the real thing. My favorite coin of the two is the type 2.
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| Type 2 Stella |
LIBERIA
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$40 2002 COILED HAIR STELLA
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PCGS PF 69 Ultra Cameo
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| Astronomy |
FRANCE - PART 5
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S10E 2009 ASTRONOMY ANNIVERSARY
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NGC PF 69 ULTRA CAMEO
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Junes Coin of the Month (Volume 1 Number 10) is a NGC PFUC-69 French 2009 10 Euro coin that commemorates the International Year of Astronomy and the 40th anniversary of mans first steps on the moon.
Greetings everyone, ever since I was a boy, I have had two enduring interests. The one is obvious, and it has to do with collecting coins. The other is not quite as apparent and has to do with science fiction and space exploration. This month, my Coin of the Month post brings both of these unrelated interests together into one coin.
The United Nations declared 2009 the International Year of Astronomy. This event was to coincide with the 400th anniversary of the first recorded astronomical observations through a telescope by Galileo Galilei. Some of the worldwide objectives of the International Year of Astronomy were to increase scientific awareness, improve science education, and promote widespread access to knowledge and observation. Coincidently, 2009 is also the 40th anniversary of Neil Armstrongs and Buzz Aldrins historic walk on the moon. To commemorate both these events, France has released a special 2009 silver 10 Euro coin.
Struck at the Paris Mint, this proof coin is 37mm in diameter and weighs 22.2 grams. The fineness of the coin is 900/1000 fine silver, and the mintage is 10,000. There are also colorized gold and five-ounce silver versions of this coin with identical designs. I bought this coin in 2009 directly from the Paris Mint.
The obverse of this coin has a relief similar to that of a shallow birdbath and pictures a mirrored Saturn and stars in a field of frosted space. Around the edge of the coin is a mirrored rim with engravings and astronomical symbols. The English translation of the engravings is 2009 International Year of Astronomy. The symbols around the bottom circumference represent the sun and the moon and each of the planets in our solar system. Noticeably missing from the symbols is the symbol for our home planet, Earth.
The symbols from left to right represent the moon, the sun, and the planets in order according to their distance from the sun. The first planetary symbol is the winged caduceus of Mercury, the god of commerce and communication. Next is the hand mirror of Venus, the goddess of love. The shield and spear of Mars, the god of war follows Venus. A thunderbolt, an eagle, and the letter zeta or Z represents Jupiter, the Roman equivalent of Zeus. A sickle represents Saturn the god of time. A globe surmounted by the letter H represents Uranus the god of the sky, the H is for William Herschel, the discoverer of Uranus. The trident represents Neptune the god of the sea. The symbol for Pluto, the god of the underworld, is reminiscent of Neptunes trident except that a globe replaces the center prong.
The reverse relief is similar to that of a convex camera lens and pictures a frosted image of a crescent moon. Emblazoned on the moon is a mirrored footprint to represent the historic walk on the moon of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. In the dark portion of the moons crescent with a mirrored backdrop is the coins face value of 10 Euros, the date, the letters RF representing the Republic of France, and two privy marks of which the cornucopia represents the Paris Mint. The inscription around the rim of the dark crescent translates to 40 years of the first steps on the moon.
Finally, I hope that you have enjoyed reading my post and learned a little more about the solar system we live in, just as I have.
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| Concorde |
FRANCE - PART 5
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S10E 2009 CONCORDE ANNIVERSARY
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NGC PF 69 ULTRA CAMEO
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