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B VOLUME 7 / MARCH 2020 World Money Fair Technical Forum: Industry Displays Its Achievements Xianyao Li presented a number of examples that were particularly successful with customers and for which elaborate technical test series were necessary, including a commemorative coin in the form of a helmet from World War I: in order to produce the convex/concave shape with an apex height of 18.5 mm, completely new dies had to be developed and the material flow had to be carefully controlled. Other challenges, which were at least as difficult to master, were raised by the series of multifaceted animal head designs, three issues of which are to be produced in 2020. For these , a 6 mm high relief had to be The Technical Forum at the World Money Fair in Berlin (© Schuler Pressen). created on a silver coin weighing one ounce; in other words, the relief is 300% higher than On 30 January 2020, the latest edition Marius Haldimann spoke of the world record the thickness of the coin. In order to control of the Technical Forum took place under set by Swissmint in 2020 in producing the the material flow in the best possible way, the the direction of Dieter Merkle of Schuler smallest coin known to date, weighing minting process was simulated digitally. Pressen and Thomas Hogenkamp of 1/500 ounce – that is 0.063 g - and with Spaleck as part of the World Money a diameter of just 2.96 mm. The coin sold High relief with PowderBLANKS Fair in Berlin. 14 companies presented out immediately – the mintage was limited Dr Gerd Wagner of Reischauer is an expert their latest developments in front of a to just 999 pieces and the purchasing right in metallurgy. It was his idea to produce crowded hall. of a few remaining pieces was raffled at the blanks that are not punched out of a coil Swissmint’s booth at the World Money Fair – as usually happens – but that are made Low mintage, latest technology, of powder. high demand with huge participation by the public. In the first block, the representatives of Above all, the production of the dies and the He presented his latest developments: two mints spoke: Marius Haldimann of preparation of the tiny blank challenged the thanks to his process, convex blanks can be Swissmint and Xianyao Li of the Royal Swissmint team with completely new tasks. produced in addition to the usual flat ones, Canadian Mint. Neither dealt with circulation Thanks to a pre-pressed blank, a washing these convex blanks providing additional coins but rather commemorative coins, a process that was especially developed material for the minting process, making good indicator of the crucial role that mints for this blank and precise monitoring of it possible to create a much higher relief. assign to this line of business today. the considerably reduced press force, the It is also impressive that way less minting ‘breath of nothing’ became reality. force is needed in order to deform the Rarity, latest technology, high demand in blanks. Their different structure gives them combination with a low mintage, but also significantly better flow qualities. beauty and interesting topics – this is what makes a coin successful according to a PowderBLANKS are available in silver, survey of the Royal Canadian Mint among gold, copper and many alloys of these its customers. Most mints will probably have metals with a diameter of up to 100 mm a similar opinion. For this reason, worldwide and a thickness of up to 25 mm. They are production is currently focusing on available in BU and antique finish, restricted technically demanding products. Both mints A world record: the world’s smallest gold coin with a also in proof quality. diameter of 2.96 mm. This is only a test. For the final Continued on page 2 illustrated this fact with some of their pieces. product a much better quality was achieved. > www.-news.com World Money Fair Technical Forum (Continued) Dies for sophisticated commemorative coins In addition to high relief coins, there is a trend towards commemorative coins that are special because micro details are engraved in the die by means of special software and laser technology. But how do you manage to produce a profitable quantity of coins with these highly sensitive dies? This is where the development of iNORCOAT comes into play. Roman Waidelich, together with Alexander Aminidis of ACSYS, presented his version of PVD coating: thanks to the new system, iNORCOAT ensures that the coating applied to the die will be adapted to the surface structure in such a way that even the rainbow effect is retained after PVD coating. This means that even in cases of highly complex designs, way more coins can be minted with a single die. The Röders company also dealt with die production. They presented their new milling machine, which – thanks to considerably improved drive and spindle technology with a true running accuracy High relief coins struck from a regular blank and a powderBLANK applying a minting force of 80 tons. of the milling spindle that is more than 10 times better than before – makes it possible in a closed circuit and by lowering the Ralf Rüben of Giesecke + Devrient to create far more sophisticated details on temperature during drying. A pleasant side projected the cash centre of the future, the die in the process of mechanical milling. effect is that the blanks don’t get so hot which meets the cash needs of the Efficiency and sustainability during the drying process, which means population in a highly efficient and optimally The technical aspects of the production of that there will be less discoloration. connected way. Thanks to a high level circulation coins seem to have taken a back Using bacteria for washing coins? of automation and high-performance IT, a future-oriented cash centre will be seat. At the Technical Forum, only Wolfgang The private mint Bulmint participated in the capable of anticipating and delivering cash Schumann of Schuler presented an World Money Fair for the first time in 2020. requirements before a shortage occurs. He impressive new development which makes Bulmint is a Bulgarian manufacturer of high- explained that less cash will have to be kept it possible to mass-produce polymer coins tech products made of precious metals that in stock and the circulation of cash won’t for circulation. But that isn’t everything. produces medals and bars. depend as much on human errors. The new Schuler coining press is an all- Petar and Hristo Dimitrov fascinated the rounder that punches, joins, strikes and audience with their presentation reporting Trends and tendencies controls bi-metal, tri-metal and tri-material that they do not use traditional methods To sum up, it can be said that – judging coins – all in a single system with a higher for degreasing blanks, but bacteria. They by the topics of the presentations at the coining speed and a new tool system that said that bacteria did this task much more event – many mints have almost given makes changing tools easier and faster. effectively, environmentally friendly and up the battle for cash. The subject of The optimal, and fully automatic, feeding better. In this way, the feared milk spot counterfeit protection, a perennial issue line of blanks – this was this year’s effect can be sustainably reduced. at the Technical Forum for many years, subject frm Velec, the French machine has disappeared completely. Schuler manufacturer that has made a name for Inspection systems was the only one who presented with its itself in the area of fully automatic counting Three companies presented their newly new coining press a system that will gain and packaging machines. developed inspection systems: Mühlbauer, importance once the ECB moves the coin/ InduVis and Spookfish. While the systems Andrea Gionda of TAV Vacuum Furnaces boundary upwards and starts of Mühlbauer and Spookfish for the presented his company’s vacuum furnaces, producing coins with higher security. inspection of circulation coins rely on a which allow the heat treatment of dies to Otherwise, although there are a few combination of pre-programming and deep be carried out in a much cleaner way and developments towards (even) higher learning, the new system from InduVis’ without oxidation. efficiency, research – especially at the mints ‘zoo’, called Tiger, focuses on the quality – is focusing on new and sophisticated Rüdiger Böhm of Rösler looked into the control of coins directly after embossing. minting techniques for commemorative possibilities of saving energy in the drying The new feature is the fact that the Tiger coins. One may well ask whether the process of blanks for circulation coins after is movable and communicates with the extensive test series carried out in order the washing process. Thanks to the newly coining press, which means that production to create new products can still pay off developed system, Rösler saves 50-70% can be stopped immediately in case of a considering the low mintage numbers of kilowatts per charge. This is achieved by minting error. re-using the air used to dry the blanks these new products.

MINT NEWS QUARTERLY VOLUME 7 | MARCH 2020 2 Coin of And here are the winners: the Year Coin of the Year Most Artistic Coin Award 2019 Even though the main prize in Bank of Latvia: €5 gold-plated silver the 37th Coin of the Year (COTY) Bank of Latvia: €5 gold-plated silver Award was given to the Bank of Honey Coin Latvia, the Lithuanian Mint was Honey Coin the big winner, with coins of Most Historically 2018 in ten different categories Best Silver Coin honoured. The award ceremony Significant Coin took place in the context of the World Money Fair in Berlin. The mint was not only responsible for producing the winning coin of 2018, which ranked first in the Lithuanian Mint: €5 silver with colour category ‘Most Artistic Coin’. Two Monnaie de Paris: €10 silver with colour Joninės: Rasos Šventė other coins from Lithuania were Great War: People’s Jubilation among the ten best coins of 2018: the ‘Best Silver Coin’ and the Best Circulating Coin Most Innovative Coin ‘Most Innovative Coin’. The Lithuanian Mint is a joint stock company whose shares are exclusively held by the state. All rights and obligations of a main Lithuanian Mint: €5, 10, shareholder are fulfilled by the Austrian Mint: €2 bi-metallic and 20 silver, and €50 gold Bank of Lithuania. 100th Anniversary of the Founding of the 100th Anniversary of the Restoration of Thus, the organisational form of Austrian Republic Lithuania Independence the Lithuanian Mint is more or less the same as that of the Austrian Mint, which is also owned by the Best Contemporary Best Crown Coin national central bank. And since Event Coin the Oesterreichische Nationalbank has bought the minting privileges as well as the Hauptmünzamt, it has been a regular awardee of the COTY. In 2020, it managed Royal Australian Mint: once again to be among the Italian Mint: €5 silver with colour A$5 silver with colour, curved most frequently awarded mints. The Earth and Beyond It received a COTY for ‘Best 70th Anniversary of the Italian Constitution Circulating Coin’, ‘Best Bi-Metallic Coin’ and ‘Best Gold Coin’. Best Bi-Metallic Coin Most Inspirational Coin The Monnaie de Paris, the Italian Mint, the Royal Australian Mint and the Perth Mint received an award each. It is striking that not a single award winner came from America or Asia. Austrian Mint: €25 bi-metallic The Coin of the Year awards Anthropocene program, now in its 37th year, Perth Mint: A$1 silver with colour is an internationally conducted 100th Anniversary of the competition presented by Best Gold Coin End of World War I World Coin News to recognise outstanding coin design and innovation worldwide. The 2020 program, sponsored by The Journal of East Asian Numismatics and the World Money Fair, honoured coins dated 2018 in Austrian Mint: €50 gold 10 categories of competition as Vienna Schools of Psychotherapy: decided by an international panel Alfred Adler of judges.

MINT NEWS QUARTERLY VOLUME 7 | MARCH 2020 3 Cosmos of Collectibles Since 12 March ‘Cosmos of Collectibles’ Finding coins – Cosmos of Collectibles is Always up to date – all new issues has been online. On 17 March the first the solution to this problem. It’s a platform are systematically added to Cosmos of newsletter featuring newly issued coins that helps collectors to identify and to Collectibles and a newsletter informs the was sent out. Cosmos of Collectibles is find objects of their collecting area. It’s a international community of coin collectors a reference platform assigning a unique reference platform that assigns a unique about these products. The newsletter will and permanent CoCo number to each and permanent number to each coin type. become an important medium by means coin type – from antiquity up to today. Just like the ISBN for books, the CoCo of which collectors get information on number helps a collector to find exactly the new issues. coin he is looking for regardless of the vast A working crystal ball – Cosmos of numismatic offer on the internet. Collectibles will deliver a wealth of data Opening up new fields – but Cosmos of that can help us all to create products just Collectibles can do even more. Thanks to the way our customers want them to be. its versatile search engine it helps collectors Cosmos of Collectibles will share these of certain motifs and techniques to put insights with its supporters. together a list of all objects in their field of Cosmos of Collectibles is online – The collection. It awakens the need to purchase processes have been verified by first pilot missed coins on the secondary market and, projects and, as above, the first newsletter therefore, gives a boost to the secondary containing new issues was mailed to Today, three out of four people use Google market for modern coins, which does not collectors on 17 March 2020. to start their search for information. And exist these days. Cosmos of Collectibles asks all what Google doesn’t provide as free and Content, content, content – Cosmos of shareholders to support a project that will easily accessible information doesn’t exist. Collectibles delivers what search engines be decisive for the future of the coin trade Anyone who has ever used Google to love: constantly growing content prepared and, thus, the mints. There are different search for a certain coin that is no longer according to encyclopaedic standards. forms of cooperation: sold by the mint knows how difficult it is Within the upcoming years, hundreds of Inform CoCo about your new issues to find reliable information about it. Thus, thousands, even millions of data records it’s no surprise that there is no working will be added. Cosmos of Collectibles will Collaborate with CoCo in order to secondary market for modern coins: become a giant and nobody will be able to catalogue all your coins collectors only discover by accident which afford not being part of it. Support CoCo through sponsoring coins they are interested in. The reason is that those coins which are Advertise on the CoCo website So how does Cosmos of Collectibles work, not listed in Cosmos of Collectibles will www.cosmosofcollectibles.com and what are the benefits? be much harder to find via Google than their competitors.

Why We Support Cosmos When I first heard about the Cosmos competent. In any case, I don’t know As a tool for this purpose, we sponsor of Collectibles project, I was thrilled. anybody who knows more about coins Mint News Quarterly™ with Dr Ursula An international, neutral, professional, than she does. She is enthusiastic and Kampmann as its editor together with free platform for modern coins – that’s persistent. There is a reason why she led four other innovative German companies exactly what the market needs. CoinsWeekly from nothing to a worldwide – H2O, Lang, Sack & Kiesselbach success. So when Ursula asked me if we and Spaleck. at MOne would like to participate in this Cosmos of Collectibles is a decisive project, I was immediately ready to do it. tool to promote the secondary market Whether Monea or MOne, we pursue a of modern coins. We firmly believe that holistic and sustainable approach: only if the primary market of modern coins the entire coin market is doing well, we will collapse without such a secondary can make a living of it. So, conversely, market if the current overproduction of anything that is good for the entire coin commemorative coins increases. The market is good for us, too. Therefore, well-being of our clients, the mints, we have repeatedly launched projects directly depends on this secondary and chosen topics we consider to be market. Therefore, it’s a priority to create important for the future of mints. We such a secondary market for us, too. were already talking about environmental Our support for Cosmos of Collectibles protection when most mints still believed is an investment in the future of mints. that their companies didn’t have to adapt We won’t be able to tackle this task And Dr Ursula Kampmann, who to this trend. Monea operates the plant in alone. Therefore, I encourage all of you to presented this project to me, is exactly Kremnica with a completely closed water support Cosmos of Collectibles. the kind of person that can handle such circulation system. And this is just one of a monumental task. She has an excellent numerous topics we put on our agenda Daniel Sheffer, founder of MOne international network and is extremely quite early.

MINT NEWS QUARTERLY VOLUME 7 | MARCH 2020 4 13th International Contest – Coin Constellation 2019 What the COTY is to the Western Best Artistic Solution The other was the ‘Antonio Vivaldi’ coin, world, Coin Constellation is to introduced by ART MINT of France. The first place went to the ‘Fanny Blankers- – the most important international Koen Vijfje’ coin, presented by the Royal coin competition honouring the Dutch Mint. Silver Coin of the Year most beautiful coins. The Coin The best silver coin of the year was the Constellation judges the coins of 2018, Original Technology ‘The Bicentenary of the Foundation of too. It is organised by Water Mark the Forwarding Agency of the State The coin ‘Rape of Proserpina’, submitted to Publishing House. Paperstock’, presented by the St the competition by Power Coin (Italy) and Petersburg Mint, a branch of Goznak. Unique Concept minted by the German manufacturer BH Mayer, took the first place in this category. The winner was the ‘Honey Coin’, Gold Coin of the Year presented by the Bank of Latvia and made Best Circulating Coin The first place was won by the coin ‘Gold at the Lithuanian Mint. Forint of King Albert’ (who ruled Hungary The first place was won by the ‘Nelson from 1437-1439). It was introduced by R Mandela Centenary (1918-2018)’ coin, the Central Bank of Hungary and the presented by the South African Mint. Hungarian Mint. Coin Classic Coin of the Year In first place was the ‘Curonian Kings’ coin, In this nomination the international jury presented by the Bank of Latvia and minted awarded the first place to the ‘Excellence at the Lithuanian Mint. Boucheron’ gold coin from Monnaie Souvenir Coin de Paris. The majority of members of the international People’s Choice Award jury agreed that the first place in this Publisher: Currency Publications Ltd The people’s prize went to ‘The World category should be given to the two coins. in association with Monea. Through Children’s Eyes: 2018’ coin, One was the ‘Year of the Pig’ coin, Editor: which was submitted to the contest by the presented by the National Bank of Dr Ursula National Bank of Belarus. The 20 ruble coin Belarus. It was made at the Mint of Kampmann (left) was made at the Kazakhstan Mint from Poland and enriched the popular Chinese silver of the 925th test. Contributors: Calendar series. Daniel Sheffer

Mint News Quarterly™ is produced Mint Industry Website Goes Live every three months and only The MDC Website went live in January appreciation of coins, with informative ™ distributed with Currency News . 2020, providing the industry with a sections on the history of our industry, the 10 Windmill Business Village, contemporary communication platform art and science of coin-making, and the joy Brooklands Close, Sunbury, from which to raise awareness and of coin collecting. TW16 7DY, UK challenge misinformation about the The MDC members-only section holds industry and its products. www.currency-news.com committee meeting papers and records for Featuring information about the MDC, the convenience of MDC members. its members and the global industry, A newsletter service is available. the website also promotes enhanced PUBLISHED IN ASSOCIATION WITH MONEA www.mintindustry.com

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