Ross MacDiarmid to Be First MDC Executive Officer
The Mint Directors Conference has created the new position of MDC Executive Officer to fill the vacancy of the Secretary-General. In a virtual election MDC members voted for Ross MacDiarmid to be the first MDC Executive Officer.
IACA Sustainability Award Goes to Louisenthal
The paper mill Louisenthal has received a sustainability award by the International Association of Currency Affairs for their longlasting research on the production of ecofriendly banknotes.
The Royal Mint Sends David Bowie Coin Into Space
The Royal Mint has launched a new commemorative coin range in their “Music Legends” series in honour of rock star David Bowie. One of these new coins has been launched into space at 35,656m orbiting the Earth’s atmosphere.
UNESCO Marks Convention’s 50th Anniversary with Doctored Photos and Disinformation
How to press your point by an implied lie: the UNESCO campaign shows objects from the Metropolitan Museum as part of the decoration of a private interieur pretending the objects were stolen. Kate Fitz Gibbon discusses this story.
Barter in West Africa
The Monnaie de Paris dedicates a special exhibition to barter in West Africa. One focus is on the Ashanti people, who used gold dust to carry out transactions until the 20th century.
“Una and the Lion” Sets Another Record
In May 2020 a 1839 “Una and the Lion” five pound coin set a record price realising 855,000 euros. In October this was surpassed by a result of 984,000 euros for another coin of the same type.
A Golden Age
Graham Barker has published a book at Spink that chronicles the images used by emperors of the 3rd century AD to convince their people that they were living in the best of all times. Ursula Kampmann took a look at it.
Bullion Trade in Medieval and Early Modern Europe
In October, a conference on the bullion trade in medieval and early modern Europe took place in Prague. Don’t worry if you’ve missed this opportunity: the organisers provide you with recordings of all sessions!
Videos of Denver Coin Expo During COVID
The Denver Coin Expo took place even during the COVID pandemic. To get an impression of how this was possible you can watch a video made by David Lisot from CoinTelevision with interviews featuring many dealers and collectors.
Royal Mint Museum Hosts Medal Design Competition
The Royal Mint Museum is hosting a medal design competition open to all undergraduate university students. This is part of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Decimal Day in February 2021. Closing date for entries is 8 January 2021.