Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Moneta 2010 03 PV
Moneta 2010 03 PV
Moneta 2010 03 PV
√ Glossary | Lexique
√ Tools of the trade | Les outils du métier
√ Vancouver 2010 athlete medals
√ A chop-marked Spanish dollar |
Une piastre espagnole contremarquée
√ Prince Salim’s rebellion rupee
√ and more...
[March 2010] – 41
is the official publication of the
Ottawa Coin Club.
T
promote the hobby of coin collecting
and the science of numismatics his month, we have an amazing issue! We had so many articles (with
throughout the National Capital Region. interrelated material) that we had no choice but to put together a larger
issue. In addition to suggestions on how to build a winter sport-related
Submissions are welcomed. Please collection, we have Steve Woodland’s fantastic article on the production of the
submit text in Rich Text Format (.rtf) Vancouver 2010 athlete medals, François Rufiange’s adventure with his Spanish
separately from images. The images dollar, and Ron Cheek’s tale of the sad story (yet not entirely unusual) of a son’s
must be of high resolution (minimum rebellion against his father. We hope you will enjoy this expanded issue.
300 dpi) and should be in colour. The Congratulations are due to Ron Cheek for winning the first “Frank Fresco
preferred file format for images is Literary Award” for his article entitled “A Ukrainian Credit Note: Short-Lived
jpeg (.jpg). Please consult the
Paper Money.” Peter Lithgow should also be congratulated for being the runner-
publication style guide at
<www.ottawacoinclub.com/style> up (or silver medal) for his article “My Twelve Caesars: A Collector’s Passion
before submitting an article. for Ancient Coins,” as well as François Rufiange, the second runner-up (or bronze
medal) with his article entitled “Bank Notes of Afghanistan.” All articles were
Les textes en français sont les published in our 2009 journal. It is thanks to contributors like them that we have
bienvenus. Ils seront traduits et publiés such a superb journal. We’re looking for new contributors as well so, don’t be
dans les deux langues. shy, if you have an idea for a story and are not quite sure how to approach it, just
contact us and the editorial team will be happy to help you.
Editor: The club executive moved ahead last month and decided that, for financial
Serge Pelletier reasons, the journal will henceforth only be distributed electronically. Given
<editor@ottawacoinclub.com>
this, you may be interested to know that we plan to make available, at the
Assistant-Editors: beginning of next year, a CD-ROM with high-resolution (greater than that
Ron Cheek available on the website) PDF copies of , and possibly a hardcover
<distribution@ottawacoinclub.com> book in colour, both at a price to be determined. And now that the membership
dues have gone down to only $12 a year, who cannot afford to be a member? So,
Steve Woodland please, go ahead and pass the word around to all your collector friends around
<vp@ottawacoinclub.com>
the world, have them visit our website and take a peek at our journal. We think
they might like what they see!
ISSN 1184-6798 We’re lining up another great issue for next month with John D’s analysis of
a Canadian hoard, information on the French 2010 numismatic program, and
more.
2010 Program See you at the meeting!
April 26: To be determined
May 31 – 5th Monday: Travel with a Numismatic Flair À NOS MEMBRES FRANCOPHONES
June (Saturday): Numismatic Rally Serge
Bien que la langue principale du club (et donc de cette publication) soit l’anglais, nous ferons des efforts
July 26: To be determined concertés pour publier au moins un article en français dans chaque numéro. N’hésitez surtout pas à
August 23: To be determined poser des questions si vous ne comprenez pas un article publié qu’en anglais. Pour vous aider à
September 27: To be determined comprendre, nous inclurons un lexique bilingue lorsque ce sera jugé approprié.
October 25: Auction
November 22: Elections, Exhibits & Trivia
I
25-dollar coin dedicated to curling. were hockey, tobogganing, and skating,
French gold coin issued they would fit nicely into a “winter
for the Albertville Games.
sports”-themed collection! [hint] François
Back of the 5-dollar note of the
Canadian Journey series.
42 – [March 2010]
OTTAWA COIN CLUB
P.O. Box 42004, R.P.O. St. Laurent,
Ottawa, ON K1K 4l8
Email: info@ottawacoinclub.com
Website: www.ottawacoinclub.com
T
he club is embracing fast, reliable, and very affordable communication
tools and truly reaping the benefits. So it has taken a bold step by
reducing club annual dues from $20 to $12. I believe that many of us The club meets every month, usually
have set up a comfy place in our homes (using a wireless laptop or not) where on the fourth Monday. The meetings
we go at least once a day to read emails and all kinds of information delivered begin at 7:30 p.m. in the St. Peter
electronically. Our fabulous is no longer available in hard copy meeting room (on the 3rd floor) of the
because it is just too expensive to print. Our journal has grown from eight black Heron Road Multi-Service Centre,
and white pages to over 20 pages with lots of beautiful colour photos that make 1480 Heron Road, Ottawa.
it so much more enjoyable. So, happy reading in your comfy den!
Our February meeting was simply incredible: four new members joined and Le club se réunit habituellement le
we had lots of excellent discussions and great participation by all. Steve’s quatrième lundi de chaque mois.
presentation on nuclear numismatics was excellent. I particularly enjoyed how La réunion ouvre à 19h30 dans la salle
he explained the Manhattan project and how he linked it to numismatics. Thank St. Peter (au 3e étage) du
you Steve for putting together, again, a great show and sharing with us your Heron Road Multi-Service Centre,
passion. You are on for Part III next year! 1480 chemin Heron, Ottawa.
A reminder that two significant shows will be held close to Ottawa in the
coming months: Nuphilex in Montréal (March 26-29) and the Ontario
Numismatic Association Convention in Kingston (April 16-18). Speaking of
shows, Rod was instrumental in getting a table for the OCC at the RA Centre Annual Dues:
monthly coin and stamp show. We will need a few volunteers to man that table Now only
for a few hours on the third Sunday of every month. This is a great opportunity $12.00
for the club to recruit new members. Please let me know if you are interested.
In closing, I would like to apologize to Mr. Kuldeep Manhas from India who
attended our last meeting. I simply forgot to introduce him. He is in Ottawa to
visit his daughter and is an avid collector of Indian coins. I noticed at the end of Your Club Executive:
the meeting that Ron and John were having a side meeting with Mr. Manhas and President:
were also exchanging coins. That made me feel very good (and relieved) because François Rufiange
that is probably the warmest welcome Mr. Manhas could have received. Oh, by <president@ottawacoinclub.com>
the way, Mr. Manhas found out about our club through our website and just
decided to show up! Proof that our website is working well. Vice-President:
I hope we will continue to see you in great numbers. We are preparing one Steve Woodland
awesome workshop for the March meeting! Bring a friend! <vp@ottawacoinclub.com>
Secretary:
François
Kim Zbitnew
<secretary@ottawacoinclub.com>
OCC
MAR Through several workshops François will Treasurer:
Meeting familiarize club members with various “tools Barry McIntyre
[March 2010] – 43
A U
glossary will be included in whenever it n lexique sera inclus dans lorsque ce sera
is judged appropriate. Its aim is to two-fold: 1) to assist jugé approprié. Son but est d’aider les lecteurs à mieux
readers in understanding key numismatic terms related to comprendre pourquoi un terme a été favorisé plutôt qu’un autre
the articles in this issue, and 2) to foster bilingualism within the et il aide à promouvouir le bilinguisme. Il aide aussi les lecteurs
numismatic community. A cross [†] following a term in the main texts francophones puisqu’il donne les traductions, entre crochets [ ], des
means that a definition is found below. The definitions are taken from différents termes. Une croix [†] après un terme dans le texte indique
Serge Pelletier’s The Canadian Dictionary of Numismatics or from the qu’une définition vous est offerte ici. Les définitions sont issues du
upcoming The Canadian Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Numismatics. The Dictionnaire canadien de numismatique de Serge Pelletier ou du
expression in brackets [ ] is the translation in the other official language. Dictionnaire encyclopédique canadien de numismatique (en développement).
abrasion – [frai] The normal wear resulting from circulation. cachet – [chop mark] Contremarque apposée sur une pièce
annealing – [recuit] Process by which planchets and dies à l’aide d’un poinçon par un marchand ou un banquier après qu’il
are heated then slowly cooled, resulting in the softening of the eut vérifier l’autenticité, le titre et le poids de cette pièce.
metal. cob – [cob] Pièce frustre et irrégulière d’argent ou d’or
assay – [titrer] An analytical trial by which the fineness and produite par les ateliers monétaires hispano-américains au XVIe
composition of a metal sample is determined. siècle.
assayer – [essayeur] An employee responsible for the assay coloriée – [coloured] Se dit d’une pièce sur laquelle on a
of metals in each of the mints. appliqué des couleurs par l’un de plusieurs processus. Le terme
cash – [sapèque] A bronze or brass coin with a square hole colorée est souvenet utilisé à sa place, incorrectement. SYN.
in the centre from China, Vietnam, Korea, or Japan. It was used in polychromé.
commerce for almost 2000 years. They were known in China as contremarque – Marque faite au moyen d’un poiçon sur
ch’ien or li. Produced using the casting method, the pieces are une monnaie déjà frappée. Une marque officielle [countermark]
linked together when first removed from the mold, looking like a est soit à caractère politique (nouveau souverain, changement de
tree, thus the expression cash tree. They were often strung together gouvernement), soit à caractère économique (restriction de
in groups of 1000, which were equivalent to a silver tael. SYN. circulation, remise en circulation de monnayage décrié,
banliang. assimilation d’un monnayage étranger, modification de la valeur).
chop mark – [cachet] A counterstamp usually consisting of Une marque non officielle [counterstamp] a des usages divers
a single character, applied by Chinese merchants and bankers to dont celui de confirmer qu’une pièce est selon les paramètres
precious metal coins and ingots as a guarantee of their weight and légaux.
fineness. Similiar marks in India are called shroff marks. essayeur – [assayer] Personne chargée, dans chaque atelier
cob – [cob] Crude and irregularly shaped silver and gold monétaire, de l’essai (titrage) des métaux et de la vérification de
pieces produced in the Spanish- American mints during the 16th la conformité des monnaies aux prescriptions légales.
century. frai – [abrasion] L’usure naturelle causée par la circulation.
coloured – [coloriée] Said of a coin, medal or token to which frappe non contrainte – [splash strike] Frappe effectuée
colour has been added through one of several processes. sans virole.
countermark – [contremarque] An official punch mark marque d’atelier – [mint mark] Marque sur une pièce
applied to an already struck piece. It can be political in nature permettant d’identifier l’atelier monétaire qui l’a réalisée. La
(new sovereign, change in government), or be economical in nature pratique remonte au temps des Romains. Dans la nomenclature
(restriction of circulation, reissue of a decried coinage, assimilation numismatique, la marque d’atelier suit le millésime, e.g. « cent au
of a foreign coinage, modification of value). The terms grand module 1876H » indique que cette pièce a été frappée (et
countermark and counterstamp have been used interchangeably porte la marque d’atelier « H ») par l’atelier d’Heaton.
in North America for centuries. piastre espagnole – [Spanish dollar] Nom donné à la pièce
counterstamp – [contremarque] A non-official punch mark de 8 réaux frappée en Espagne. On appelle plutôt une pièce frappée
appliad to an already struck piece. The terms counterstamp and en Amérique une piastre hispano-américaine.
countermark have been used interchangeably in North America pièce à hologramme – [hologram coin] Pièce sur laquelle
for centuries. on a reproduit une image à trois dimensions par holographie.
engrailed edge – [tranche engrélée] Edge showing a chain recuit– [annealing] Processus selon lequel les flans et les
or twisted rope design impressed in it. coins sont chauffés puis refroidis lentement, résultant en un
fineness – [titre] The percentage of precious metal in an alloy. amollissement du métal.
It is usaly written in decimal form (e.g., .999 or even .99999). sapèque – [cash] Nom générique donné aux pièces rondes à
Sterling silver , for instance, has a fineness of .925, which indicates trou carré émises au fil des siècles par la Chine, le Viet Nâm, la
that is it composed of 92.5% silver. Corée et le Japon. En Chine, où on l’appelait ch’ien ou li, elle fut
hologram coin – [pièce à hologramme] Coin on which a utilisée dans le commerce pendant près de 2000 ans.Coulée plutôt
three-dimensional image has been reproduced through holography. que frappée, lorsqu’on retire les pièces du moule elle sont reliées
medalet – [petite médaille] A small medal, generally entre elles et ont l’apparence d’un arbre. On en enfilait 1000
continued on page 74 suite à la page 76
44 – [March 2010]
Tools of the “trade” Les outils du « métier »
by François Rufiange par François Rufiange
A L
money collector requires a few basic tools for es collectionneurs de monnaie ont besoin d’outils
all kinds of reasons. For example, someone that pour toutes sortes de raisons. Par exemple, quelqu’un
has an interest in varieties will require a good intéressé par les variétés aura besoin d’une bonne
loupe.1 This article will present you the tools of the “trade” loupe. Cet article vise à vous présenter les outils du
broken down into three categories: must-haves, nice-to- « métier » organisés en trois catégories : les essentiels, les
haves, and fun-to-haves. My recommendations for these désirables et les « pour le plaisir ». Mes recommandations
tools are based on years of experience and on the sheer sont fondées sur mes nombreuses années d’expérience et
pleasure they have brought me. sur le plaisir que m’a procuré chaque outil.
46 – [March 2010]
the corners. Loupes made by either Bausch & Lomb, Les désirables
Eschenbach, Zeiss or Nikon are all of great quality. These Loupe. Une loupe de qualité supérieure et de plus grande
are available on-line and can cost up to US$100. There are puissance, comme 10X, est idéale pour examiner vos pièces
also loupes that have two or more lenses. This offers the de plus près. Celles-ci ont habituellement une qualité
versatility of using each lens individually or in combination accrue : transparente, acuité sur le champ visuel entier, et
to yield several different magnification ratios. One of my aucune aberration chromatique dans les coins. Les
favourite loupes is a 10X from BelOMO (Belarus Optiko manufacturiers recommandés sont Bausch & Lomb,
Mechanichesckoye Obyedinenie - the Belarus Optical & Eschenbach, Zeiss et Nikon. On peut se procurer une loupe
Mechanical Enterprise). The construction is excellent, since de qualité de l’un de ces manufacturiers sur Internet pour
it is made of glass, metal, and screws. This loupe is available environ 100 $US. Il y a aussi des loupes qui ont deux lentilles
on-line for less than US$30. This factory was originally set et plus. Ceci est avantageux puisque vous pouvez utiliser
up to make high-quality optics for military use. chaque lentille individuellement ou avec d’autres ce qui offre
Calipers. This tool is used to measure the diameter and plus de rapports d’agrandissement. Une de mes loupes
thickness of coins accurately. Available in both analog and préférées, manufacturée par BELOMO (Belarus Optiko
digital (electronic) formats, they are very easy to use and Mechanichesckoye Obyedinenie – Entreprise optique et
calibrate. Armed with the information it provides, one can mécanique bélarusse), est de construction solide puisqu’elle
easily verify the authenticity of a coin. Lee Valley offers est faite de verre et de métal. Cette loupe est disponible sur
various types, but for the additional cost, I suggest an Internet pour environ 30 $US. Ce manufacturier ce
electronic caliper. Prices vary from $30 to $50. Most are spécialisait, à l’origine, dans le matériel optique militaire
accurate to 0.03 mm. de haute qualité.
Precision scale. This tool allows a collector to verify the Pied à coulisse. Cet outil est utilisé pour mesurer le
mass of a coin with great accuracy. Counterfeit coins can diamètre et l’épaisseur d’une pièce. Disponible tant manuel
easily be spotted using this technique. Digital Scales Canada qu’électronique, un pied de coulisse est facile à calibrer.
(www.canadianweigh.com/scales/list/my-weigh) offers a L’information qu’il vous permet de recueillir peut servir à
wide range of scales. I recommend a mini-scale with a 100 la vérification de l’authenticité d’une pièce. Lee Valley en
or 200 g capacity. These scales will typically give you a offre plusieurs à des prix variant de 30 $ à 50 $. Je vous
0.01 g accuracy and can be purchased for less than $30. suggère l’achat d’un électronique qui est précis à 0,03 mm.
Krause catalogues in DVD format. The paper versions Balance. Cet outil vous permet de peser une pièce avec
of these world coin catalogues are voluminous and précision, ce qui aide aussi à la détection des faux. Digital
expensive. I recently bought, for US$99, a set of five DVDs. Scales Canada (www.canadianweigh.com/scales/list/my-
This set includes comprehensive and current prices, photos, weigh) offre une grande variété. Je recommande une petite
and listings for world coins from 1600 to the present, more balance électronique de capacité de 100 à 200 g. Elles sont
than four centuries! There are DVDs available for the habituellement précise à 0,01 g et se vendent pour moins de
banknote and token catalogues too. You can buy these online 30 $.
Les catalogues Krause en DVD. Les catalogues Krause
sur les monnaies du monde sont volumineux et dispendieux.
[March 2010] – 47
A UV lamp reveals the secrets of a Canadian 5-dollar note and of a coloured Armistice 25-cent coin.
La lampe UV révèle les secrets d’un billet canadien de 5 dollars et d’une pièce coloriée de 25 cents type Armistice.
directly from Krause at www.krausebooks.com. For faster J’ai récemment acheté un ensemble de cinq DVD, pour
search results, I suggest that you copy these DVDs to your 99 $US, qui comprend les valeurs, photos et données
hard disk. Now I have room in my bookshelf for more technique des pièces émise depuis 1600, soit plus de quatre
numismatic reference books! By the way, if you already siècles! Des DVD sur le papier-monnaie et sur les jetons
own the paper version of any of these catalogues and think américains sont également disponibles. Pour vous les
about buying the digital version, do not throw them away, procurer, visitez le site Web de Krause au
offer them to your local library, or give them to another www.krausebooks.com. Je vous suggère de copier les
collector. disques sur votre disque dur, ceci réduira considérable le
Magnet. Magnets are inexpensive. They are used to temps de recherche. Maintenant j’ai plus de place dans ma
determine whether a coin contains ferrous material. An bibliothèque numismatique! En passant, si vous avez déjà
example of the use of this tool is the identification of a ces catalogues en papier et que vous vous procurez ces
Canadian 1-cent coin dated 2009 struck on a planchet with disques, ne jeter pas les livres, offrez-les plutôt à votre
a zinc core (and therefore non-magnetic). I recommend that bibliothèque locale ou, mieux encore, à un autre
you do not use a powerful rare earth magnet because you collectionneur.
could easily scratch your coin when trying to remove it from Aimant. Très abordable, les aimants sont utilisés pour
the magnet. A simple fridge magnet works well. The Dollar déterminer la signature magnétique des pièces. Un exemple
Store also sells a pen-like telescopic device that has a de son utilité est la recherche d’une pièce canadienne de
magnetic tip to retrieve metal objects in difficult places to 1 cent millésimée 2009 frappée sur un flan à âme de zinc
reach. Just make sure you cover the retrieving surface with (et donc non magnétique). Attention! N’achetez pas un
duct tape to make sure you do not damage your coin. aimant si puissant que vous aurez de la difficulté à décoller
la pièce car vous pourriez l’endommager. Un « aimant de
For fun! frigo » fait souvent l’affaire. Le Dollar Store offre un aimant
UV light. An ultraviolet light allows you to verify quickly sur manche télescopique (normalement utilisé pour
the authenticity of bank notes, as most modern bank notes récupérer un objet dans un endroit difficile à rejoindre).
contain security features only visible under UV light. Even Assurez-vous de couvrir la surface de tout aimant de ruban
our new Canadian coloured 25-cent coins have a UV adhésif entoilé pour éviter d’endommager vos pièces.
48 – [March 2010]
protective stamp! Check it out.
Look at your passport under UV Pour le plaisir!
light for a surprise too. Lampe UV. Une lampe ultraviolette vous permet
Microscope. I recently bought d’authentifier un billet de banque moderne rapidement,
a stereo microscope. Why would a puisque la plupart utilise de l’encre invisible comme
collector buy a microscope? As I said élément de sécurité. Elle peut également être utilisée
in my opening remarks, it is just for fun. It is pour voir le timbre ultraviolet sur les pièces
no longer an issue to determine if a coin has canadiennes de 25 cents coloriées. Pour
traces of wear or not or if the fibres on the d’autres surprises, regardez votre passeport
crease of a bank note have been broken or not. à l’aide d’une telle lampe.
After much research and consultation with many Microscope. Je me suis récemment
numismatists, I recommend that you offert un microscope binoculaire.
purchase a 20-40X dissection type of Comment un microscope peut-il être
microscope. The lower magnification utile à un collectionneur? Comme je l’ai
(20X) produces a larger field of view dit plus tôt, pour le plaisir! Ce n’est plus
and is also ideal for viewing coins and pour aider à déterminer si une pièce a des
bank notes. Higher magnification (40X) traces d’usure ou voir si les fibres sur le pli
is better for close-ups and more detailed d’un billet ont été brisées ou non. Après
examination. These types of microscope de nombreuses consultations, je
are available for as little as $140 to recommande l’achat d’un microscope
$250. The more expensive de dissection de puissance 20 à 40X.
model includes an easy-to- La basse résolution (20X) vous
install digital camera. The permet de voir un plus grand
larger working distance champ et est donc pratique pour
is particularly important to observer une pièce ou un billet.
allow the flexibility to La haute résolution (40X) aide à
adjust, as required, the l’examen des détails. Ce genre de
amount of light hitting the microscope est disponible pour aussi
item you are examining. Digital peu que 140 $ à 250 $. Le modèle le plus
versions that connect to your onéreux comprend une caméra numérique facile à
computer are readily available for as installer. Il est important d’avoir un bon espace de travail
low as $100. Just a word of caution about entre la lentille et l’objet observé, ceci permet un meilleur
the small digital microscope: at least for éclairage. Un microscope numérique, qui se branche
the one that I have seen, the LED lights cannot be turned directement à votre ordinateur, est disponible pour une
off and they often create an annoying glare. By far, the centaine de dollars. Mais attention, ce genre de microscope
best Canadian supplier of microscopes and accessories peut avoir des lumières DEL qui ne peuvent être fermées et
is www.microscopenet.com. qui peuvent occasionner des reflets ennuyeux. La meilleure
Helping Hand. This clamping device (looks like a source canadienne est www.microscopenet.com.
Transformer) allows you to position your coin for the perfect Troisième main. Ce dispositif de serrage (qui ressemble
picture. Using your fingers works well, but this device is à un Transformer) vous aide à bien placer une pièce pour la
the way to go. For less than $20, you can easily position photographie. Vous pouvez toujours le faire avec vos doigts,
your coin to photograph the edge or its surface at a specific mais une troisième main est souvent plus pratique! À moins
angle. Just make sure you cover the alligator clips with plain de 20 $, pourquoi sans passer? Assurez-vous, encore une
duct tape (silicone tubing would be best) to protect your fois, de bien couvrir les pinces afin qu’elles ne marquent
numismatic items. The Helping Hand is available on-line pas les pièces. La troisième main (« helping hand » en
and at any hobby store. anglais) est disponible en ligne et dans les boutiques de
In closing, I hope that this article provided you with the passe-temps.
necessary information to acquire some of these tools for Alors voilà! J’espère vous avoir donné assez
your own tool kit. I assure you, in the long run, they will d’information pour que vous puissiez assembler votre propre
increase your enjoyment of the hobby and save you money. « boîte à outils ». Soyez assuré que, à longue haleine, ces
If you have any difficulties finding any of these products, outils vous aideront à apprécier votre passe-temps
please feel free to contact me. davantage. N’hésitez pas à me contacter si vous avec des
questions.
[March 2010] – 49
Les sports d’hiver
par Serge Pelletier
C
e refrain de la célèbre chanson « Mon pays » du poète
québécois Gilles Vigneault, va droit au cœur de tout
Canadien et sans doute de tout habitant d’un pays
nordique. Comme l’indique une vieille expression
anglaise « if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em » (si
vous ne pouvez les vaincre, joignez-vous à
eux), les habitants des pays nordiques ont
appris à composer avec l’hiver, voire
même à l’apprivoiser, grâce à la
pratique des sports d’hiver.
Comme mars est au plus
profond de notre hiver, nous
avons pensé qu’il serait
approprié d’explorer cette
thématique de collection.
T
his verse from “Mon pays” a famous song by they make the best of the subproducts of winter: snow and
Quebec poet Gilles Vigneault, hits a sensitive chord ice. Let us briefly examine the history of each one.
in the heart of every Canadian or of any inhabitant
of a Nordic country. These folks have learned to live with Skiing
winter, after all, “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em,” and to Skiing can be traced back to prehistoric times. Indeed, a
make the most of it by practising winter sports. drawing found in a cave in Rødøy, Norway, shows a man
Since March is the depth of our winter, I thought it on skis (identified by their curved front) (fig. 3). The
appropriate to explore winter sports as a collecting topic. “Rødøy Man,” as the drawing is known, is over 5000 years
old! Additionally a set of old skis, dating to 2500 B.C., has
Winter sports also been found. This “mode of transportation” is actually
Well, what are the winter sports? There are the skiing cross-country skiing, which is essential to travel in a Nordic
events (alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, freestyle skiing, country and, therefore, is essential to defence. It is therefore
ski jumping, biathlon, and snowboarding), skating events not surprising that the Norwegian Army is the first to hold
(figure skating, speed skating, and synchronized skating), cross-country skiing competitions in 1670. That an army is
sleigh sports (bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton), ice hockey, able to move around is all well and good, but it must also be
and curling. Whether an individual sport or a team sport, able to fight, so the biathlon is born, with the first biathlon
they are all characterized by the fact that they are practised competition held some hundred years later, in 1767. It takes
outside (the way hockey and curling used to be) and that
continued on page 53
L’amour des Canadiens envers les sports d’hiver est nettement démontré au The Canadian love of winter sports is clearly demonstrated on the back of the
dos du billet de 5 dollars de la série l’Épopée canadienne. Figure 2 5-dollar note of the Canadian Journey series.
[March 2010] – 51
Ski de fond : Castlegar (Colombie-Britannique), jeton muinicpal, 1 dollar Cross-country skiing: Castlegar (British Columbia), municipal trade
1989, montrant le célèbre « homme de Rødøy » [3] token, 1 dollar 1989, featuring the famous “Rødøy man” [3].
Biathlon : Canada, 25 dollars 2007 [4]. Biathlon: Canada, 25 dollars 2007 [4].
Ski alpin : Italie, 2 euro 2006, Jeux de Turin [5]. Alpine skiing: Italy, 2 euro 2006, Torino Games [5].
Ski acrobatique : France, 500 francs 1990, Jeux d’Albertville (1992) [6]. Acrobatic skking: France, 500 francs 1990, Albertville Games (1992), [6].
Surf des neiges : Autriche, 5 euro 2010 [7]. Snowboarding: Austria, 5 euro 2010 [7].
Saut à ski : Japon, 10 000 yen 1998 [8]. Ski jumping: Japon, 10 000 yen 1998 [8].
suite de la page 50
courbés). L’« homme de Rødøy », comme on le nomme, y avait sauté à ski. Une vingtaine d’années plus tard, Sir
date d’il y a plus de 5000 ans (fig. 3)! On a également Arnold Lunn, organise officiellement une course de ski alpin
retrouvé de vieux skis qui ont été homologués à l’an 2500 pour les Championnats nationaux britanniques. Le sport
av. J.-C. s’organise tranquillement et la Fédération internationale de
Ce « mode de transport » est en fait le ski de fond, et il ski (FIS) est fondée à Chamonix (France) en 1924.
est essentiel aux déplacements dans les pays nordiques et Il est surprenant d’apprendre que le ski acrobatique voit
par conséquent à la défense. Il n’est donc pas surprenant le jour en Norvège au cours des années 1930, mais ce n’est
que ce soit l’Armée norvégienne qui tienne les premières qu’en 1979 qu’il est reconnu par la FIS. Il est un sport de
compétitions en 1670. démonstration aux Jeux de Calgary en 1988 et est ajouté
C’est bien beau que l’armée soit en mesure de se officiellement au tableau aux Jeux d’Albertville en 1992.
déplacée, mais elle doit aussi se battre, ainsi est né le Les Américains, maître du surf, développent, au fil des
biathlon. C’est en 1767 que l’Armée norvégienne tient la années 1960 et1970 le surf des neiges, qui devient une
première compétition de biathlon. Mais ce n’est qu’en 1960 discipline olympique aux Jeux de Nagano, en 1998.
que ce sport est accepté comme discipline olympique. Voilà pour le ski, passons maintenant à un autre sport
Tranquillement, ce que l’on appelle aujourd’hui le ski très ancien.
alpin prend forme. La première course sur pente a lieu à
Tromsø, toujours en Norvège, en 1843. Un an plus tôt, on
suite à la page 54
52 – [March 2010]
continued from page 51 Ice skating
It is believed the Vikings invent ice skating, as a mode
nearly 200 more years before the biathlon becomes an of transport, circa 50 B.C. The first “blades” are made of
Olympic discipline in 1960. oxen or reindeer bones, polished to flatten them, and then
Slowly, what we now call alpine skiing takes form. The tied to the feet with leather. Since these blades are not that
first race occurs in Tromsø, still in Norway, in 1843, effective, a long wooden pole is used to push oneself
followed there a year later by ski jumping. Some 20 years forward.
after this, Sir Arnold Lunn arranges an official alpine ski Figure skating comes along in the mid-19th century. The
race for the British National Championships. The sport International Skating Union (ISU) is founded in 1892 in
organizes itself slowly and the International Ski Federation Scheveningen, the Netherlands, and the first competitions
(ISF) is founded in Chamonix, France, in 1924. take place in 1896, for men only. While women are initially
Surprisingly, acrobatic skiing is born in Norway in the allowed to compete with the men, they are subsequently
1930s, but the ISF only recognizes it in 1979. It is a banished from the men’s competitions when a woman places
demonstration sport at the Calgary Olympics in 1988 and second in 1902. Competitions for women are finally
becomes an official Olympic sport at the Albertville Games established in 1906, and couples in 1908, the same year the
in 1992. sport is included in the Olympic Games. Speed Skating is
Snowboarding is the newborn in the ski family, first slightly older since the first competition is held in the
appearing in the 1960s and 1970s. Despite being a “baby Netherlands in 1893.
boomer,” it is only added as an official Olympic sport at the
Nagano Games in 1998.
There we have it for skiing. Let us now look at another continued on page 55
ancient sport.
Figure skating: China, 100 yuan 1991 [9], Canada, 25 dollars 2008 [10], Patinage artisitque : Chine, 100 yuan 1991 [9], Canada, 25 dollars 2008 [10],
Russia, 200 roubles 2009 [11]. Russie, 20 roubles 2009 [11].
Speed Skating: China, 50 yuan 1990 [12], France, 500 francs 1990 [13], Patinage de vitesse : China, 50 yuan 1990 [12], France, 500 francs 1990 [13],
Canada, coloured 25 cents 2009, Cindy Klassen [14]. Canada, 25 cents 2009 colorié, Cindy Klassen [14].
[March 2010] – 53
suite de la page 52 1800. Toutefois, un tableau néerlandais du XVI e siècle
semble montrer un groupe de gens sur un canal gelé
Le patin à glace s’adonnant à une activité qui ressemble
On croit que ce sont les Vikings qui ont étrangement au hockey. Certains prétendent
inventé le patin à glace, comme mode de également que le nom vient du vieux
transport dû aux rivières gelées, vers n é e r l a n d a i s « hokkie » qui
l’an 50 av. J.-C. Les premières signifiait « but » (fig. 18). Les
« lames » étaient constituées d’os de origines du curling sont également
bœuf ou de renne, polis pour leur contestées. Bien qu’attribuées à
donner une surface plate, que l’on l’Écosse du XVIe siècle, il existe
attachait aux pieds à l’aide de également un tableau néerlandais
lanières de cuir. Comme ils de cette période montrant des gens
n’étaient que peu efficaces, on en train de jouer à un sport
utilisait une longue perche de bois similaire. Mais ce n’est qu’en 1998
pour s’aider à avancer. que le curling devient un sport
Le patinage artistique voit le jour olympique.
au milieu du XIX e siècle. L’Union
internationale de patinage (UIP) est Les handisports d’hiver
fondée à Scheveningen (Pays-Bas) en Un handisport est un sport dont les règles
1892. Les premières compétitions ont lieu ont été aménagées pour qu’il puisse être pratiqué
en 1896 pour hommes seulement. En 1902, par des personnes ayant un handicap physique
une femme se classe au second rang. ou sensoriel. On nomme « sport adapté »
Les femmes sont alors bannies des les sports pratiqués par les personnes ayant
compétitions masculines. On introduit des un handicap mental. On compte cinq
compétitions strictement féminines en handisports d’hiver : le ski alpin, le ski de
1906 et des compétitions de couples en fond, le biathlon, le hockey sur luge, et le
1908, l’année même de l’entrée de cette curling.
discipline aux Jeux olympiques. Le
patinage de vitesse est légèrement plus Une collection thématique
vieux puisque les premières compétitions Vous avez déjà constitué, sans doute, une
sont tenues aux Pays-Bas en 1893. belle petite collection sur le thème des sports
d’hiver (les pièces de 25 cents des
Les sports à traîneau Olympiques 2010), il ne vous reste plus
C’est à Albany (New York) qu’est qu’à ajouter à ce noyau. Voyons
inventé le bobsleigh dans les années maintenant où vous pouvez trouver
1880. Introduit par la suite en du matériel numismatique sur les
Suisse, on y tient les premières sports d’hiver.
courses en 1884, à St-Moritz, sur Le Canada est sans contredit
des routes enneigées. C’est à la le pays le plus prolifique sur le
même époque que la luge et le sujet. Commençons par le reste
skeleton voient également le jour. des pièces de la collection
Notons que la différence entre ces Vancouver 2010. Toutes ne se
deux derniers sports est qu’en luge « qualifie » pas puisque certaines
on descend sur le dos, pieds premiers arborent des motifs aborigènes ou
alors qu’en skeleton on descend à plat autres sujets. Mais de nombreux sports
ventre, tête première. y sont représentés.
Prenons la collection de pièces
Le hockey sur glace et le Bobsleigh : Canada, 20 dollars 1987 [15]. holographiques † de 25 dollars par
curling Luge : Russie, 200 roubles 2009 [16]. exemple, 12 des 15 pièces arborent un
Les origines du hockey sont sans Skeleton : Canada, 25 dollars 2009 [17]. sport : biathlon, bobsleigh, curling,
l’ombre d’un doute les plus contestés Bobsleigh: Canada, 20 dollars 1987 [15].
hockey, patinage artistique, patinage de
du monde. Les Canadiens disent Luge: Russia, 200 roubles 2009 [16]. vitesse, saut à ski, skeleton, ski
l’avoir inventé à la fin des années Skeleton: Canada, 25 dollars 2009 [17].
suite à la page 56
54 – [March 2010]
Hockey: This watercolour entitled “A Scene on the Ice” by Dutch artist Hendrick Avercamp (1585-1634) shows
men engaged in something that looks a lot like hockey [18]. Kingston (Ontario), municipal trade token,
1 dollar 1980, commemorates the “first hockey game” held in 1886 between Queen’s University and Royal
Military College of Canada [19]. Canada, 200 dollars 1991 [20]. Switzerland, 20 francs 2008 [21].
Hockey : Cette aquarelle, intitulée « Une scène sur la glace », de l’artiste néerlandais Hendrick Avercamp
(1585-1634) montre des hommes qui jouent à ce qui peut ressembler au hockey [18] . Kingston (Ontario),
jeton municipal, 1 dollar 1980, souligne la « première partie de hockey » tenue en 1886 et opposant
Queen’s University au Royal Military College of Canada [19]. Canada, 200 dollars 1991 [20].
Suisse, 20 francs 2008 [21].
[March 2010] – 55
suite de la page 54 Ces deux pièces de 25 cents sont parmi les rares à montrer des handisports
d’hiver : le curling [22] et le hockey sur luge [23].
acrobatique, ski alpin, ski de fond et surf des neiges. Les
These two 25-cent are among the rare pieces to portray winter
pièces de cette collection sont frappées d’argent sterling handisports: curling [22] and sledge hockey [23].
(925‰), font 40 mm de diamètre, pèsent 27,78 g et ont
une tranche cannelée. Le tirage est limité à 45 000
émises par les pays
exemplaires de chaque type. Un hologramme en
hôtes le sont dans le
forme de croissant de lune est à la gauche de la
but d’amasser
pièce. Il montre le logo de Vancouver 2010 à 9
des fonds pour
heures, accompagné de flocons de neige de
le comité
p a r t e t d ’ a u t r e . Une treizième pièce,
organisateur
intitulée « ferveur olympique », montre
tout en
plusieurs sports, une chose assez rare. On
subvenant
retrouve également ce dessin sur une pièce
aux besoins
d’or de 75 dollars sur laquelle la flamme a
de souvenirs
été coloriée (fig. 1). Une autre pièce d’or,
uniques
celle-ci de 300 dollars, montre également
pour les
plusieurs sports (patinage de vitesse, ski
nombreux
acrobatique et ski alpin) autour d’une flamme
visiteurs et
olympique. Cette gigantesque pièce fait 50 mm
participants.
de diamètre et pèse 60,00 g.
Les pièces
Si le cœur vous en dit, vous
émises par l e s
pouvez même ajouter une
p a y s non-hôtes
pointe d’humour en
s e r v e n t
incorporant
habituellement à
certaines d e s
a m a s s e r d e s f o n d s mais pour le comité
pièces de
olympique du pays émetteur.
50 c e n t s
Quelques pays ont émis des pièces pour les
polychromées†
Olympiques de Vancouver, notons entre-
d e s
autre, l’Australie, la France et l’Autriche.
mascottes
Naturellement, vous pouvez choisir de
(fig. 24 à
former une collection sur un seul sport,
26). E n
comme le hockey par exemple. Le Canada
e f f e t ,
offre une source incroyable de pièces sur le
quelques
sujet, entre autres : les dollars en argent de
p i è c e s
1993 et de 1997, le 100 dollars en or 2006 et
montrent
le 200 dollars en or 1991. Ceci est sans
M i g a ,
compter les nombreuses pièces émises aux
Quatchi et
couleurs des équipes professionnelles.
S u m i q u i
Il est intéressant de noter qu’outre au Canada, il
pratiquent le
n’y a que peu de pièces de sports d’hiver qui ne soient
bobsleigh, l e
reliées à des Jeux olympiques. On remarque toutefois qu’il
h o c k e y, le hockey
est possible de déterminer les goûts des différents pays (à
sur luge, le patinage artistique, le patinage de vitesse, le ski
toute fin pratique) selon les sujets d’émission. Ainsi en fait
acrobatique, le ski alpin, le ski alpin paralympique, le slalom
foi les émissions de la Finlande, de la Norvège, de la
géant parallèle pour surf des neiges, le snowboard cross et
Pologne, de la Russie, de la Suède, de la Tchécoslovaquie
le skeleton (fig. 24 à 26).
(et maintenant de la République tchèque et de la Slovaquie),
À ce noyau élargis, vous pouvez ajouter des pièces de
pays très bien connus pour leur amour du hockey. Il n’est
la collection des Olympiques de 1988 qui est constituée de
également pas surprenant de voir que l’Andorre, l’Autriche,
pièces de 20 dollars en argent.
la Bulgarie, la France, la Norvège, Saint-Marin et la
Rappelons-nous qu’il y a deux types de pièces reliées
Yougoslavie ont émis des pièces sur le ski alpin.
aux Jeux olympiques d’hiver : celles émises par les pays
hôtes et celles émises par des pays non-hôtes. Les pièces
suite à la page 76
56 – [March 2010]
continued from page 55 entitled “Olympic Spirit,” shows several sports, which is
relatively rare on a coin. The same design was also used for
Winter handisports a gold 75-dollar piece on which the flame has been
A handisport is a sport whose rules have been adjusted coloured (fig. 1). Another gold piece, a 300-dollar one, also
so it can be played by people with physical and sensorial shows several sports (speed skating, acrobatic skiing, and
handicaps. T h e r e a r e alpine skiing) around an Olympic flame. This huge
five winter piece is 50 mm in diameter and weighs 60.00 g.
handisports: You can even add a touch of humour by including certain
alpine skiing, of the coloured† 50-cent mascot pieces. Indeed, these show
cross-country Miga, Quatchi, and Sumi doing acrobatic skiing, alpine
skiing, skiing, alpine paralympic skiing, bobsleigh, figure skating,
biathlon, hockey, sledge hockey, skeleton, snowboard cross,
s l e d g e snowboard parallel giant slalom, and speed skating
hockey, and (fig. 24 to 26).
curling. To this enlarged collection, you can then add the ten
silver 20-dollar pieces of the 1988 Calgary Olympics.
A topical One must also remember that
collection there are two types of
The recent Olympic pieces: those
series of 12 issued by host
Canadian 25-cent countries and those
p i e c e s issued by non-host
commemorating the countries. The
2010 Olympics features ten Olympic and two host-country pieces
Paralympic winter sports. As these are all circulation are issued as a
pieces, one can easily and inexpensively put fundraising activity
together a nice little theme collection on the topic for the Games and
of winter sports. With this as a nucleus, let us see the athletes, as well
where you could find some more pieces to expand as unique souvenirs
the collection. for visitors and
Canada is by far the most prolific country on the competitors. Non-host-
subject. Let us start with the other pieces of country pieces are issued
the Vancouver 2010 collection. Not all to raise funds for that
pieces “qualify” since many bear country’s Olympic
Native designs and other subjects, committee in support of their athletes.
but many sports are represented. Several countries have issued pieces to
Ta k e t h e h o l o g r a m † mark the Vancouver 2010 Games, among
25-dollar pieces for example, them Australia, Austria, and France.
12 of the 15 pieces feature a One can also choose a single sport as
sport: acrobatic skiing, alpine a theme, hockey for example. Canada has
skiing, biathlon, bobsleigh, quite a few hockey-themed pieces like:
cross-country skiing, curling, the 1993 and 1997 silver dollars, the gold
figure skating, hockey, 2006 100-dollar, and the 1991 gold 200-
skeleton, ski jumping, dollar coin (fig. 20). There are also
snowboarding, and speed numerous pieces that have been issued with
skating. The coins from this group continued on page 76
are struck on sterling silver (.925)
planchets, are 40 mm in diameter, These coloured 50-cent pieces, available in colllector cards, feature
weigh 27.78 g, and have a reeded edge. the mascots: Sumi playing sledge hochey [24], Quatchi palying hockey [25],
A crescent-shaped hologram has been added to the left side and Miga doing some aerial acrobatics [26].
of the coins. It bears the Vancouver 2010 logo at 9 o’clock,
Ces pièces de 50 cents polychromées, disponibles dans des cartes de
with snowflakes above and below it. A thirteenth piece,
collection, montre les mascottes des jeux : Sumi jouant au hockey sur luge
[24], Quatchi jouant au hockey [25] et Miga faisant un saut acrobatique [26].
[March 2010] – 57
Beauty – Quality – Pride
The Royal Canadian Mint strikes the Vancouver 2010
Olympic and Paralympic athlete medals
by Steve Woodland
W
hen the Vancouver Olympic examples for both the
Committee (VANOC) Olympic and the
published its news Paralympic medals,
release on October 15, 2009, the each hanging on
entire world learned that specially designed
Canada’s Royal Canadian Mint stands. Viewers were
(RCM) would strike the athlete able to take pictures of
medals for the XXI Winter the medals from close-
O l y m p i c s a n d X Winter up and to pose behind
Paralympics. VANOC then the table for a photo
added to the excitement with these unique and
surrounding the medals when, beautiful works of art.
in a special, never before held Despite the number
event, it granted permission to of people present,
the RCM to everyone was polite
host public and courteous,
viewings of allowing each viewer
the medals in the opportunity to look
advance of at the medals closely
the sporting and to take their
events. On pictures without
Saturday and feeling rushed.
Sunday, Several members of
January 23 the project team were
and 24, the available to talk about the
medals were design, development, and
on display for production processes. I was
all to see at the fortunate to be able to spend
Mint’s Ottawa and Winnipeg Figure 1 time with Stéphane Ouellette,
facilities (Saturday o n l y i n Reverse of the 2010 Winter Paralympics gold medal with "Vancouver who was intimately involved in
Winnipeg). As announced in 2010" in Braille - an historic first for games medals the development of the initial
various local media, on the prototypes, and with Vince
Mint’s website, and via email from the RCM, this once-in- Falsetto, who worked on the design specifications and the
a-lifetime opportunity enabled Canadians to see and take engraving of the Paralympic medals. Overall design
pictures of these unique and beautiful creations by a world coordinator, Renato Romozzi, participated in the Winnipeg
leader in numismatic strikes. event. Also on hand was the RCM’s Communications
I was fortunate to attend the Ottawa viewing on the Director, Christine Aquino, answering questions and
Saturday morning. Upon entering the Boutique, I was creating a welcoming atmosphere. Boutique staff members
greeted by a mass of people who had turned out to view the were busy exchanging Olympic and Paralympic 25-cent
medals and to partake in guided tours of the Mint’s Ottawa coins, selling RCM products, and providing tours.
production facility. One entire wall of the Boutique and a The 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic medals are
corner display unit were dedicated to the exhibit. The main nothing short of spectacular. Each features an innovative
display table included six medals: gold, silver, and bronze undulating design, reflective of the ocean waves, snowdrifts,
58 – [March 2010]
and mountains of Canada’s western coast. The Olympic
specimens are disc-shaped with a diameter of 100 mm, while
the Paralympic medals are square with rounded corners
95 mm on each side. The obverse of all the medals
features a unique laser-etched First Nation design
along with either the Olympic or Paralympic logo.
On the reverse of all medals are the name of the
sport and the event for which the medal was
awarded; in addition, Olympic medals have
the Vancouver 2010 Olympics logo and the
text XXI OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES / XXIES JEUX
OLYMPIQUES D ’ HIVER , while Paralympic
medals have the Vancouver 2010
Paralympics logo, the text VANCOUVER 2010
PARALYMPIC WINTER GAMES / JEUX
PARALYMPQIES D’HIVER DE 2010 À VANCOUVER
and “Vancouver 2010” in Braille. Each medal
is treated with a special clear, protective coating
to protect it from tarnishing and scratching. The
blue and green ribbon, or lanyard, contains the
words VANCOUVER 2010 and the games motto WITH
GLOWING HEARTS / DES PLUS BRILLANTS EXPLOITS in
white letters.
In addition to the medals, the exhibit included displays
of the artwork and the tools used in the 30-step production
process, examples of the medals from the various stages of Figure 2
production, and a video that also explained the overall Obverse of the 2010 Winter Olympics silver medal with
unique laser-etched portion of the orca master design
process. I was particularly intrigued with a display that
showed how each medal went from a roughly 125 mm- Other items, including an anvil and a table top, also fell
square, 9.5 mm-thick blank, to a “pancake” resulting from victim to the enormous 1900-ton pressure used to create
a splash strike*, to a finished medal with a specially designed the undulating shape of the medals.
clasp attaching it to a lanyard. During this transformation, Design of the medals started with VANOC’s selection
each medal was struck nine separate times, by three different of two large master artworks submitted by designer/artist
dies (forming, coining, and finishing). The medals required Corinne Hunt: an orca (killer whale) for the Olympic theme
annealing† after each three strikes to keep the metal soft. and a raven for the Paralympic theme. Based in Vancouver,
Not all steps were done by machine. After the splash strike, British Columbia, Hunt is of Komoyue and Tlingit heritage;
the “pancakes” were trimmed to size with a special lathe her design of the raven, in the form of a totem rising, was
and the extremely sharp edges of each medal were filed by done to honour her uncle who is a paraplegic.
hand. This was done to reduce the risk of scratching. Hunt teamed up with designer/architect Omer Arbel, who
In speaking with Stéphane Ouellette, he explained that brought his skills and knowledge of material fabrication to
the Mint used six obverse-reverse pairs of dies (fig. 4) to create the innovative undulating design of the medals, a
strike each series (Olympic and Paralympic), with one pair first in Olympic and Paralympic medal design. As he states
specially made and dedicated for the final (finishing) strike in an online video on the Vancouver 2010 website, “My
on each medal. He also took the time to talk about the close role [...] was to work on conceptualizing how the artwork
liaison between the Mint and VANOC during each step of would be applied to a metal surface and also the shape of
the prototyping and the designing phases, including approval the medal itself.”
of the shape of the clasp that holds the medal to its lanyard. During my discussions with Vince Falsetto, he
The project was not without its casualties either: one die highlighted the complexities and challenges associated with
cracked early on during prototype development, resulting getting all the artwork designs and text engraved on the
in a redesign of the base of the dies to correct the problem. medals to meet the desires of Hunt and Arbel, as well as the
* The first strike of the blank was a splash strike†, imposing the initial shape (i.e., undulated) of the medal upon the blank before trimming to final
form and further striking. This was required to ensure proper metal flow and to achieve the required medal thickness for the undulating shape
of the medal.
[March 2010] – 59
Facts & Figures strict rules, contained in a confidentiality agreement signed
Olympic Medals by each person working on the medals, not to reveal any
• Quantity struck – 615 (205 in each of gold, silver, details about their work. Restrictions were so severe that
bronze) employees could not even discuss their work on the medals
• Shape – undulating disc with their supervisor if the supervisor had not been “cleared”
to know. Ongoing work was kept covered continually to
• Size – 100 mm diameter
avoid accidental viewing, and anyone outside the Mint
• Thickness – 6 mm
(contractors, spouses, friends, media representatives, etc.)
• Mass – 500 to 576 g, among the heaviest in Olympic was strictly forbidden to know anything about the project
history
or even that the project existed. For both Ouellette and
Paralympic Medals
Falsetto, being unable to discuss what they were doing,
• Quantity struck – 399 (133 in each of gold, silver, bronze)
knowing they were producing a unique and beautiful
• Shape – undulating square with rounded corners product, was highly stressful. However, now that the news
• Size – 95 mm square is public, they feel the secrecy was worth it and both are
• Thickness – 6 mm very proud to have been a part of the medal project.
• Mass – 500 to 576 g, among the heaviest in Paralympic Designing and producing the medals for the 2010 Winter
history Olympics and Paralympics has been a 100% Canadian
Miscellaneous effort: VANOC supplied direction and guidance, Canadian
• Number of steps in fabrication process – 30 artists Corinne Hunt and Omer Arbel created the
• Amount of metal needed – magnificent design and artwork, Vancouver-based Teck
• Gold – 2.05 kg (gold medals are plated) Resources Ltd. provided Canadian-mined metal ore, and
• Silver – 1950 kg the Royal Canadian Mint combined innovation, quality, and
• Copper – 903 kg technology to strike these pieces of Canadian beauty and
• Previous year RCM struck Olympic medals – 1976 culture.
• Each medal has a unique design, which is a portion of one The result of everyone’s efforts is a series of absolutely
of Corinne Hunt’s master designs: the orca (Olympic stunning medals that will delight the athletes and awe
medals) or the raven (Paralympic medals) anyone who sees them. As Corinne Hunt states in the online
• Each medal’s design was laser etched onto the video, “we have succeeded in creating something that shows
undulating surface the beauty of First Nations artwork, but also the newness
• Over a year of planning and prototype development was and the freshness of the culture.” Everyone involved can
required to produce the innovative designs, prior to be justifiably proud of what they have accomplished—
beginning production. Olympic and Paralympic medals that the world will
• 34 Mint engineers, engravers, die technicians, machinists recognize for their cultural beauty, technical excellence,
and production experts combined their talents to produce and uniqueness. All Canadians can be proud and can cheer
the medals for our athletes as Canada hosts the 2010 Winter Olympics
and Paralympics.
exacting standards of VANOC. The task was accomplished
using a sophisticated 3-D software application called Catia Sources
V5 and a great deal of detail work from all involved. He Royal Canadian Mint Website: www.mint.ca (English),
went on to explain that each medal was unique, containing www.monnaie.ca (French)
a portion of Corinne Hunt’s two artworks. Hunt and Arbel, Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics Website:
along with VANOC, determined what portion of each design www.vancouver2010.com (English) www.vancouver2010.com/fr/
would be featured on the medals to be awarded for each (French)
VANOC news release “Vancouver 2010 medals each one-of-a-kind
Olympic and Paralympic event. In other words, the various
work of contemporary Aboriginal Art” October 15, 2009 (Vancouver,
individual designs on the Olympic medals form a mosaic, BC)
which is the orca, while those of the Paralympic medals Interviews/discussions with Christine Aquino, Stéphane Ouellette,
combine to create the raven. Each individual medal was and Vince Falsetto, January 23, 2010, Ottawa, ON
laser-engraved at the Mint’s Ottawa facility to etch its unique
design on its undulating surface.
Secrecy was a huge concern throughout the design,
development, and production periods. Understandably,
VANOC wanted to keep the medal designs and producer
under its hat. Royal Canadian Mint employees were under
60 – [March 2010]
Figure 3
Royal Canadian Mint employees Vince Falsetto (left) and Stéphane Ouellette (right) with 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics medals display at
the Mint's Ottawa facility. Both were tremendously proud and excited at having been a part of the team to produce the medals.
Figure 4
Coining dies for Olympic medals: obverse (left) and reverse (right).
The flat portions of the base keep the dies from rotating during striking.
[March 2010] – 61
We thought we would show you a few pieces that would be of interest to those that wish to “round out” their
Vancouver 2010 collection. Mind you, one may have enough with the Royal Canadian Mint Vancouver 2010
collection that is composed of 160 differents items.
[March 2010] – 63
A chop-marked Spanish dollar:
counterfeit or genuine?
by François Rufiange
I
love numismatics. I really do. The main
reason is that it often takes you down a
path that you never anticipated it would… like
when you are researching a coin. I hope you will
enjoy my most recent adventure!
This story began while at Universal Coins
on Saturday, November 14, 2009. I
mentioned to Frank Rossi that Serge would
be doing a presentation on the types of
marks on coins at the November
meeting. Frank remembered that he had
a coin with a lot of chop marks† and he
agreed to lend it to me as a show-and-
tell item. So, on November 16, at lunch
time, I drove to Universal Coins and
picked up the coin: a beautiful 1803
Spanish dollar† with many chop marks.
This coin is so worn that even some of the
chop marks show signs of wear.
I had a chance to show the coin during
our OCC Executive meeting on November
16 and both David and Kim thought it was a
fake. I must admit that the coin looked and felt
fine to me and Frank certainly had not cautioned
me about its authenticity.
At the OCC meeting on November 23, Serge made his
presentation and the Spanish dollar was passed around. At
Figure 1
the end of the meeting, John came to me saying he felt there
The obverse of this Spanish dollar bears 19 chop marks.
was nothing wrong with this coin, that it looked authentic L’avers de cette piastre espagnole a été contremarquée 19 fois.
to him. He further advised me to weigh the coin and compare
it with the description in the Krause catalogue. At home, as
3. One chop mark was struck so hard that it protrudes
suggested by John, I determined the weight of the coin was on the other side of the coin by the date
26.4 g. I checked the Krause catalogue under Spain, but
could not find a matching coin. I concluded that this was John’s conclusion was very clear to me, the coin was
indeed a fake because this coin design never existed and it real! John further offered to provide me with additional
weighed less than other Spanish dollars of the time. details about this coin. All I had to do was send him a few
At the OCC Christmas dinner on December 7, I spoke good pictures of it.
with John and told him of my findings. He looked again at At home, I did find the exact coin design in the Krause
the coin and said that I should look under Peru not Spain catalogue under Peru. I took a few pictures of the coin,
because the coin was struck at the Lima mint in Peru. John including the edge and forwarded them to John, who very
also said that he felt the coin was authentic for three reasons: promptly provided me with a mountain of information.
Thanks to this information, I was now able to understand
1. The edge is engrailed† while fakes are usually reeded
this fascinating piece in much more detail.
J
’adore la numismatique. J’adore la numismatique que même certains des cachets montrent des signes d’usure!
parce qu’elle vous amène constamment des Ce soir-là, je montre la pièce à David et à Kim lors de la
surprises… comme lorsque vous faites une recherche réunion du conseil d’administration du club. Tous deux
sur une pièce. J’espère que vous aimerez le récit de ma plus croient qu’elle est fausse. Je dois avouer qu’elle m’apparait
récente aventure! authentique en ce qui a trait à son apparence et à sa masse,
L’histoire commence lors d’une visite chez Universal et que Frank n’a aucunement soulevé de doute par rapport
Coins le 14 novembre 2009, alors que je mentionne à Frank à son authenticité.
Rossi que Serge allait parler des différentes marques Serge fait donc sa conférence le 23 novembre et la piastre
retrouvées sur les monnaies à la réunion du club de est montrée à tous. Après la réunion, John m’approche pour
novembre. Frank se rappelle alors qu’il a une pièce qui a m’aviser que, selon lui, la pièce est authentique. Il me
été contremarquée† plusieurs fois et il accepte de me la prêter suggère de la peser et de comparer mes résultats avec les
pour que je puisse la montrer à la réunion. Je rends donc données du catalogue Krause. Ce que je fais. La pièce pèse
visite à Frank à l’heure du dîner le 16 novembre. La pièce 26,4 g et lorsque je regarde dans le catalogue sous l’Espagne,
en question est une piastre espagnole† millésimée 1803 je ne trouve aucune pièce correspondante. Voilà! C’est bien
couverte de cachets† chinois. Cette pièce a été tant utilisée une fausse pièce, puisque sa masse ne corresponde pas et
que ce type n’apparait pas.
C’est lors du souper de Noël du club du 7 décembre que
je partage mes résultats avec John. Il regarde de nouveau
la pièce et dit que je devrais plutôt regarder dans le Krause
sous le Pérou, pas l’Espagne, parce qu’elle a été
frappée à Lima. John réitère qu’il juge cette pièce
authentique parce que :
1. sa tranche est engrêlée † alors que l’on
retrouve habituellement une tranche cannelée
sur les fausses
66 – [March 2010]
suite de la page 65
Données techniques
• Métal : argent titré† à 896‰,
masse d’argent réel – 0,7797 oz. Figure 4
• Masse réel de la pièce : 26,4 g. La marque de l’atelier de Lima est un monogramme
• Masse de convention selon le catalogue : 27,0 g. composé des lettres L - I - M - A - E.
The Lima mint mark is a monogram composed
• Légende, avers : • CAROLUS • IIII • DEI • GRATIA • 1803 of the letters L - I - M - A - E.
(Charles IV par la grâce de Dieu, 1803).
• Dessin, avers : profil droit de Charles IV en uniforme, de faux à l’époque. Il était donc monnaie courante de peser
couronné de laurier. et titrer une pièce avant de l’accepter. Comme chaque
• Légende, revers : • HISPAN • ET IND •REX • essayeur avait son propre cachet, il est possible de retracer
(marque de l’atelier† de Lima) •8R •J •P • (Roi le chemin parcouru par ces piastres.
d’Espagne et des Indes, , Lima [atelier], 8 reales, J P Les cachets sont sujets de controverse au sein de la
[voir essayeur†]). communauté des collectionneurs. La majorité des services
• Dessin, revers : écu couronné flanqué par les piliers indépendant d’évaluation d’état de conservation et de
d’Hercules. certification ne tiennent pas compte des cachets lorsqu’ils
• Millésime : 1803. déterminent l’état de conservation d’une pièce parce qu’ils
• Dénomination : 8 réaux. considèrent les cachets comme partie intégrante de l’histoire
• Atelier : Lima (Pérou). Notez que la marque d’atelier de la pièce. De nombreux collectionneurs, comme moi, sont
est un monogramme composé des lettres L-I-M-A- d’accord et ils trouvent que ces cachets donnent du
E. ‘caractère’ à la pièce. D’autres, considèrent ces cachets
• Essayeurs : J – Juan Martínez de Roxas et P – Pablo comme des défauts et les évitent.
Cano Melgarejo. Le site Web que je site maintenant est une source
• Tranche : engrêlée - chaîne de cercles et de rectangles. incroyable d’information sur les monnaies chinoises et sur
• Diamètre : environ 39 mm. les cachets. Il confirme que les cachets étaient non seulement
• Cachets : Il y a 19 cachets à l’avers et 8 au revers. utilisés pour déterminer l’authenticité de la pièce, ils
servaient aussi à vérifier si la pièce était plaquée.
La piastre espagnole Les Chinois contremarquaient l’argent [métal]
Comme de nombreux collectionneurs, j’ai beaucoup étranger pour :
entendu parler et lu au sujet de la piastre espagnole, mais je
n’avais jamais pris le temps de l’étudier ou de comprendre 1. Identifier le payeur qui l’avait utilisé. Ces payeurs, pour
pourquoi elle était devenue la première ‘monnaie mondiale’. la plupart des marchands ou banques locales, utilisaient
On retrouve beaucoup d’information à son sujet sur Internet. leurs cachets comme certification qu’ils avaient titré la
Commençons d’abord avec l’information trouvée sur pièce.
Wikipedia (version anglaise) :
2. Garantir le titre de la pièce.
La piastre espagnole (aussi connue sous le nom de ‘pièce
de huit’, de ‘real de a ocho’, et de ‘8 réaux’) est une pièce
d’argent de 8 reales frappée dans tout l’Empire espagnol 3. Titrer la pièce et l’authentifier en apposant le cachet
après la réforme monétaire de 1497. Son utilisation en avec force, en perforant la pièce, ou en utilisant toute autre
Europe, en Amérique et en Extrême-Orient était telle, méthode destructive afin de s’assurer de la cohérence de
qu’elle devint, à la fin du XVIIIe siècle, la première ‘monnaie sa qualité [confirmer qu’elle n’était pas plaquée] 2.
mondiale’. De nombreuses monnaies d’aujourd’hui, [traduction libre]
comme le dollar canadien, le dollar américain, le yuan
chinois, les monnaies d’Amérique latine et le peso des
Philippines, tire leur souche de la piastre espagnole et L’atelier de Lima
d’autres pièces de 8 réaux1. [traduction libre] Lima était la capitale de la Vice-royauté espagnole du
Pérou. Son atelier était l’un des plus actifs en Amérique
Les cachets chinois espagnole, avec Mexico et Potosi. Ces trois ateliers
Les contremarques† trouvées sur cette piastre sont des produisirent les piastres qui servirent comme monnaie
cachets apposés par des banquiers chinois qui confirment courante aux États-Unis, au Canada, en Australie et en
l’authenticité de la pièce. Il semble qu’il y avait beaucoup
suite à la page 69
[March 2010] – 67
continued from page 66 Final verification
On December 23, I had the opportunity to meet once more
China via Manila in the Philippines (then under Spanish with David, a curator at the Bank of Canada Currency Museum.
control). Manila was a trade market where Chinese David looked at the coin again, but this time, he had seven
merchants sold their luxury goods for Spanish dollars. well-tarnished Spanish dollars from the National Collection
with which to compare. At first, again, David thought that the
The Manila galleon trade was one of the most persistent, coin was a reproduction. He mentioned that these coins were
perilous, and profitable commercial enterprises in European typically well struck, with the strike properly centered, as was
colonial history. Between 1565 and 1815, it carried the
treasures of the Orient to the West via Mexico in exchange demonstrated by the seven examples he showed me. By
for New World silver and the manufactured goods of Europe. comparison, my coin was much worn, particularly the rim, and
One (1) galleon a year would embark on the trip.3 was struck off-centre. Ultimately, it was by comparing the edge
that we concluded with certainty that the coin was not a
In the early 19th century, Spanish dollars were the reproduction. The chain of circles and rectangles matched
mainstay of China’s financial system. Although the perfectly with the confirmed genuine examples in the National
copper cash† coin, in strings of 1000, was China’s basic Collection.
market currency, all major accounts were settled in silver While researching this, I knew that I would eventually have
– either Chinese silver taels (shoe-shaped bullion ingots) to return this fascinating Spanish pillar dollar to its owner, but
or Spanish dollars. I was also seriously thinking about buying it. On
Modern Chinese fakes of Spanish dollars exist and December 31, I visited Universal Coins and made Frank an
invariably have a reeded edge, whereas genuine Spanish offer he could not refuse. And he did not.
dollars have a distinctive raised or relief pattern that has I would like to offer my sincere thanks to John and David
not yet been copied. As well, the weight of modern copies for their expert advice and guidance, and to Frank for the loan
differs wildly from that of an original, while genuine and eventual sale of the coin.
coins will be at or slightly below the strike weight In conclusion: the coin is genuine... and I get to admire it
specified in reputable coin reference catalogues. whenever I want.
68 – [March 2010]
suite de la page 67 existent, mais ils ont toujours une tranche cannelée tandis
que les piastres authentiques ont une tranche ornée (en
Chine. relief) d’un motif qui n’a pas encore été copié. Le poids
L’argent frappé par l’atelier de Lima provenait des mines des faux varie considérablement de ceux des originaux.
de Potosi (aujourd’hui en Bolivie). Les pièces frappées par
les trois ateliers voyageaient vers la Chine en passant par Une dernière vérification
Manille dans les Philippines (alors sous le contrôle de Le 23 décembre, je rencontre de nouveau David qui,
l’Espagne). C’est à Manille que les marchands chinois comme vous le savez, est conservateur au Musée de la
vendaient leurs biens de luxe et étaient payés en piastres monnaie de la Banque du Canada. David jette un nouveau
espagnoles. coup d’œil à la pièce et la compare à sept exemplaires
de piastres espagnoles de la Collection nationale. Il croit,
Le commerce des galions à Manille était l’entreprise
commerciale la plus constante, périlleuse et payante de au début, que ‘ma’ piastre est une reproduction du fait
l’histoire coloniale européenne. De 1565 à 1815, il emmena que ces pièces sont habituellement bien frappées (comme
les trésors de l’Orient à l’Occident en passant par le Mexique toutes celles de la Collection) alors que la mienne est
où ils étaient échangés pour de l’argent [métal] du Nouveau- décentrée. Ma piastre est beaucoup plus usée en
Monde et des produits manufacturés d’Europe. Un (1) galion comparaison aux autres, particulièrement sur la tranche.
faisait ce voyage chaque année 3 . Ultimement, c’est en comparant les tranches que nous
[traduction libre] avons conclu avec certitude qu’il ne s’agissait pas d’une
reproduction. Les chaînes de cercles et rectangles sur
Au début du XIXe siècle, les piastres espagnoles constituaient
les tranches sont identiques.
la base du système financier chinois. Bien que les sapèques†
Tout au long de ces recherches, je sais que j’aurai à
de cuivre, en boudin de 1000, étaient la monnaie courante de
retourner cette pièce fascinante à son propriétaire, mais
Chine, tous les comptes étaient régler en argent [métal] – soit
je pense sérieusement à l’acheter. Le 31 décembre, je
avec des taëls chinois ou des piastres espagnoles.
visite Frank chez Universal et lui fait une offre qu’il ne
Des fausses piastres espagnoles de la Chine moderne
peut refuser! Et il ne la refuse pas!
PIASTRE CANADIENNE – suite de la page 71 Je tiens à remercier sincèrement John et David pour
leur expertise et précieux conseils.
• Une pièce faisant 4 livres (= 80 sous ou 33,40 g6) En conclusion : la pièce est authentique et elle est
vaudra 4 livre et sera contremarquée d’une fleur-de- mienne!
lys
• Une pièce pesant entre 4 livres et 3 livres 15 sous Notes
(= 75 sous ou 31,31 g) vaudra 3 livres 15 sous et sera 1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pieces_of_eight [2009-12-30]
contremarquée d’une fleur-de-lys et du chiffre 2
http://www.sycee-on-line.com/Foreign_silver_coins.htm [2009-
romain I 12-29]
• Ainsi de suite, tel qu’indiqué ci-dessous 3
http://ns.gov.gu/galleon/index.html [2009-12-13]
Received from a
peacekeeper in Africa!
Sources
Amandry, Michel et al. Dictionnaire de numismatique. Larousse, Paris,
2001.
Lecompte, Jean. Monnaies et jetons des colonies françaises. Éditions
Victor Gadoury, Monaco, 2007.
Migne, Abbé (ed). Dictionnaire de numismatique et de sigillographie
[March 2010] – 69
Were there Spanish dollars “chop-marked” in Canada?
by Serge Pelletier
W
e learned in François’ article1 that Spanish
dollars (or more correctly and more often
referred to as Spanish-American dollars)
were used in commerce throughout the world and that,
in China, they were often authenticated and weighed
by merchants and bankers to determine their value.
It is also well-known that several chop marks
(Chinese characters) often combined to indicate
the value of the piece, e.g. “Received as a silver
with a premium of 2.6 taels on each 50 taels.”2 We
know that this was also common practice in India
where the counterstamps are called “shroff marks.”
But was anything like this ever done in Canada?
Well, yes and no. Yes, Spanish dollars were weighed
and marked in what is today Canada, and no because
this was done by officials, not merchants or bankers.
To begin our discovery, we have to go back to 17th-
century New France, where the availability of coinage was
always an issue. Despite repeated requests, year after year,
from the Superior Council of Québec, the French king
The Spanish dollars countermarked in New France were likely cobs†
refused to send more coinage to the colony. The Council like this 8-real piece of Felipe III struck in Mexico between 1618-1621.
had no choice but to issue a decree on September 17, 1681, > stacks.com <
and again on December 15 of the same year to give forced
tender to Spanish dollars,3 which were more readily available lys for 4 livres, and the lighter weight ones, whether the full
because they were used extensively in the English and Dutch ones, halves, quarters and half-quarters, will be marked with a
colonies, and this despite the fact that fleur-de-lys with a Roman numeral I, II, III, and IIII, that will be
placed underneath the fleur-de-lys, …5 [unofficial translation]
… His Majesty has prohibited the circulation of said dollars
in all the provinces of his kingdom, even in the seaports The decree goes on to specify the value of the dollars
with foreign commerce …4 [unofficial translation] depending on their weight, and the countermarks to be put
on them, as follows:
A bit over a year later, on January 13, 1683, the Council
• A piece weighing 4 livres (= 80 sous or 33.40 g6)
issued a new decree:
will be worth 4 livres and be countermarked with a
The said council, […], has ordered and orders that the said dollars
fleur-de-lys
will be legal tender in this country to wit: the full ones, of correct • A piece weighing between 4 livres and 3 livres
weight, for 4 livres, and the halves, quarters and half-quarters, in 15 sous (= 75 sous or 31.31 g) will be worth 3 livres
proportion; and that to distinguish those of correct weight from 15 sous and be countermarked with a fleur-de-lys and
those that are not, and to know the value for which it is to be
accepted, those of correct weight will be marked with a fleur-de-
the Roman numeral I
continued on page 68
1
“A chop-marked Spanish dollar: counterfeit of genuine?” in Moneta, March 2010.
2
“Foreign Service Coins as ‘Quasi Sycee’ ” page of <www.sycee-on-line.com> website [2010-02-01].
3
December 15, 1681 Decree of the Superior Council of Québec, cited in Jean Lecompte, Monnaies et jetons des colonies françaises, p. 146.
4
January 13, 1683 Decree of the Superior Council of Québec, cited in Jean Lecompte, Monnaies et jetons des colonies françaises,
p. 147.
5
Idem, p.148.
6
According to Father Migne, the Spanish dollars weighed 506 grains of France, which is approximately 33.40 grams.
70 – [March 2010]
Est-ce que des piastres espagnoles ont été contremarquées
au Canada?
par Serge Pelletier
L
’article de François1 nous apprend que les piastres bien, oui et non. Oui, des piastres espagnoles ont été pesées
espagnoles (ou plus correctement les piastres et marquées dans ce qui est aujorud’hui le Canada. Non,
hispano-américaines) étaient utilisées dans le parce que ceci était fait par des représentants du
commerce partout dans le monde et qu’en Chine les gouvernement et non des marchands ou banquiers.
marchands et banquiers les expertisaient pour en déterminer Nos recherches nous emmènent en Nouvelle-France du
l’authenticité et la valeur. On sait également qu’on apposait XVIIe siècle, où la disponibilité de numéraire était toujours
des cachets sur les pièces et que certains de ceux-ci (surtout un problème. Bien que le Conseil supérieur de Québec eut
des caractères chinois) combinés ensembles indiquait la fait des demandes répétées (et ce d’année en année) auprès
valeur spécifique de la pièce, par exemple « Reçu à titre du roi de France, celui-ci se refusa à envoyer plus de
d’argent avec une prime de 2,6 taels sur chaque 50 taels. »2 monnaies à la colonie. Le Conseil n’eut d’autre choix que
Nous savons qu’une pratique semblable se faisait aux Indes. d’émettre, le 17 septembre 1681, puis de nouveau le
Mais est-ce qu’on a fait la même chose au Canada? Eh 15 décembre de la même année, des décrets donnant cours
forcé aux piastres espagnoles3, qui était disponibles parce
que les colonies anglaises et néerlandaises les utilisaient
couramment. Et ce, malgré le fait que
… quoique Sa Majesté en ait défendu le cours dans toutes
les provinces de son royaume, même dans les ports de mer
qui ont commerce avec les pays étrangers pour les dites
piastres…4
T
his elegant silver rupee, minted between
AD 1600 and 1605 at Allahabad,
India, was a few years premature.
Unnamed and undated, it is one of
Mughal Prince Salim’s coins struck
during his rebellion against his
father, the Emperor Akbar.
Salim’s attempt to seize supreme
power over the Mughal Empire
was a sad chapter at the end of
Akbar’s long, illustrious reign
(1556-1605). That Prince Salim
and his father reconciled before
Akbar died and Akbar, on his
deathbed, confirmed Salim as his
successor could not have
overcome Akbar’s disappointment
in his beloved son. But Prince
Salim, who became Emperor
Jahangir, carried on in the manner of
his father’s adroit rule and he expanded
the empire his father had built.
72 – [March 2010]
to the rank of an army officer, commanding 12,000 men.
Unfortunately, he was familiar with wine at an early age
and became addicted to the good life [other accounts
tell of his addiction to opium as well]. He was
also impatient. An estrangement developed
between father and son due to the prince’s
scheming ambition to succeed to his
father’s throne without the customary
death of his father. When Akbar was
persuaded by his favourite courtier,
Abul Fazl, to develop a
brotherhood of “seekers” who
viewed the emperor as divinely
inspired and hailed him with
the phrase “allahu akbar,” in
1602 the prince had Abul Fazl
murdered. Akbar was so
depressed by the death of his
friend that he did not appear in
public for three days. But there
was no other reliable successor.
Desperate to keep the dynasty
alive, in 1605, a dying Akbar […]
reluctantly had his imperial turban
placed on the head of his eldest son.
A week later, Salim succeeded to the
throne at Agra at the age of 36, assuming
the name Nur-ud-din Muhammad Jahangir.
The coin
The introductory pages of The Standard Guide to South
Asian Coins and Paper Money Since 1556 AD² tell us that
Jahangir’s “great sensitivity to art is reflected in the fine
calligraphy, visual appeal and superb execution of his
coinage.” One would have to agree that such is also the
case with Prince Salim’s coinage struck during his rebellion.
Let us look at the particular coin illustrated. The Standard
Guide lists it as KM # 97.1 and states that “the silver coins
of Allahabad of this period were issued anonymously
history, and geography, but he was most influenced by
Abdur Rahim Khan Khanan, a versatile genius, soldier,
without following the imperial style, but with a Persian
and successful diplomat. Under his guidance, Prince Salim couplet giving mint name and date.”
(Jahangir) also mastered the technique of composing verses. I was fortunate to turn up a detailed interpretation of a
[…] coin of my exact type on the “Coin People” website.³ Adding
to the Standard Guide description of KM # 97.1 we are
In compliance with the time, the prince was also given told that some of Salim’s rupees have both the Ilahi month
training in civil and military administration. During the and date. While coins bearing the Ilahi years 44 to 49 are
Kabul expedition of 1581, he was placed in charge of a known, there is also an undated variety. Mine is of the latter
regiment of troops and subsequently conducted type. The coin design has the Bagharb-wa-Sharq (In the
independent military expeditions. In 1585, he was elevated West and the East) couplet:
[March 2010] – 73
Hamesha Hamchu Z’re Mihir Wa Mah Raij Bad
Bagharb-wa-SharqJahan Sikka Allahabad
(Like the Gold of Sun and the Moon,
May Always be Current, In the West
and the East of the World, the Coin of Allahabad)
Elegant indeed.
The first line of the couplet is on the obverse of
the rupee. The second line is on the reverse. Sketches
showing the Persian wording and translation, taken
directly from the website,³ are reproduced here. The
date, when present, is located towards the centre of
the obverse, between the two horizontal field
dividers. It is strange that, although rebelling against
his father, Salim issued his anonymous rupees using
Akbar’s reign year as the date, when it did appear
on these coins. As such, he was, in a way,
acknowledging his father was still emperor.
Emperor Jahangir reigned from 1605 to 1627. He
began his reign with a grand display of justice. He
enacted twelve decrees that are remarkable for their
liberalism and foresight. He significantly increased
the size of the Mughal Empire, crushed many
rebellions and saw that the work of his father
continued to flourish. Jahangir was generally
considered to have a good disposition although he
was quickly driven to rage in his younger years.
While he was successful in expanding the empire
by conquest, he was nevertheless not the brilliant
military commander that Akbar was. An aesthete,
Extract of “Jahangir Preferring a Sufi Sheikh to Kings”
he preferred the comforts and pleasures of the
by Mughal artist Bichitr ca. 1620 imperial court to the battlefield. His main interests were
> wikipedia commons < appreciation and patronage of great works of art,
architecture, hunting, constructing gardens, and
painting. However, he apparently was equally interested in strong drink and opium. He died in his early fifties of his
addictions.
The beautiful rupees of the rebellion years when Jahangir was Prince Salim reflect the nature of the complex man
who created them.
GLOSSARY – continued from page 44
Endnotes.
25 mm or less in diameter.
¹ http://www.answers.com/topic/jahangir, [2010-01-25] mint mark – [marque d’atelier] A device appearing
² Bruce, Colin R. and John S. Deyell, et al. The Standard Guide to South Asian on a coin, medal, or token to denote the place of minting.
Coins and Paper Money Since 1556 AD. Krause Publications, Inc., Iola WI, The practice goes back to the Roman times. In
1981, page 18. numismatic nomenclature, the mintmark follows the date,
³ http://www.coinpeople.com/index.php?showtopic=24321, [2010-01-24] e.g. “large cent 1876H”, meaning that the piece bears
the H mintmark of the Heaton mint. ABBREV. mm.
I am indebted to knowledgeable South-Asian numismatist and fellow O.C.C. Spanish dollar – [piastre espagnole] The name
member, John Deyell, for reviewing this article and suggesting a number of commonly given to an 8 reales struck in Spain. A piece
improvements. Additionally, John provided the following list of authoritative struck in America is usually called a Spanish-
sources on Salim’s rebellion: American dollar.
Majumdar, R.C. “Revolt of Salim”, The Mughal Empire. Bombay, 1974. pp. 166- splash strike – [frappe non contrainte] Strike
168. done without a collar.
Ricahrds, John F. “Rebellion of Salim”, The Mughal Empire. Cambridge, 1993. uniface – [uniface] Piece with a device on one side
pp.55-56. only.
Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri or Memoirs of Jahangir, A. Rogers (tr.), reprinted Delhi 2003.
74 – [March 2010]
Pastrone, Francesco. Monnaies françaises 1789- Pastrone, Francesco. Monnaies françaises 1789-
2009, 19e éd. Éditions Victor Gadoury, Monaco, 2009, 19th ed. Éditions Victor Gadoury, Monaco,
2009. 2009.
Français, illustré (noir et blanc), 15 x 21 cm, 448 pages, French language, fully illustrated (black and white), 15 x 21 cm,
couverture rigide (ISBN 2-906602-34-5), 29 euro. 448 pages, hardbound (ISBN 2-906602-34-5), 29 euro.
[March 2010] – 75
SPORTS D’HIVER – suite dela page 56 WINTER SPORTS – continued from page 57
Nous vous offrons ici en images des petits noyaux de the colours of the professional teams.
collection sur les différents sports. Interestingly, other than Canada, few winter-sport-
En terminant, notez, qu’outre les pièces, on peut themed pieces not related to the Olympic Games have been
retrouver des médailles, des jetons municipaux (fig. 3) et issued. One can easily tell the issuing country’s favourite
du papier-monnaie (fig. 2) qui portent sur les sports d’hiver. winter sport by considering their coins: Czechoslovakia (and
La recherche des pièces appropriées ne fera qu’ajouter à now as the Czech Republic and Slovakia), Finland, Norway,
votre plaisir. Bonne chasse! Poland, Russia, and Sweden, all prove their love of hockey;
while Andorra, Austria, Bulgaria, France, Norway, San
Sources Marino, and Yugoslavia demonstrate their fondness for
Site Web de la Monnaie royale canadienne < www.monnaie.ca> alpine skiing.
[2009-01-29] We offer you here, in photos, small nuclei of collections
CUHAJ, George (ed). 2010 Standard Catalog of World Coins 1901- on different sports.
2000, 37th ed. Krause Publications, Iola (USA), 2009. Finally, you can look further among medals, municipal
CUHAJ, George (ed). 2010 Standard Catalog of World Coins 2001- trade tokens (fig. 3), and paper money (fig. 2) for potential
date, 4th ed. Krause Publications, Iola (USA), 2009. additions to your collection on winter sports, making it even
LEXIQUE – suite de la page 44 more interesting. Happy hunting!
ensembles pour faire un tael d’argent. SYN. banliang.
titre – [fineness] Proportion de métal précieux contenu dans Sources
un alliage. Elle est habituellement exprime en « pour mille » (‰) Royal Canadian Mint’s website <www.mint.ca> [2009-01-29]
ou en fraction décimale (e.g., .999). L’argent sterling, par exemple, CUHAJ, George (ed). 2010 Standard Catalog of World Coins 1901-
a un tire de 925 ‰, ce qui signifie qu’il est composé de 92,5 % 2000, 37th ed. Krause Publications, Iola (USA), 2009.
d’argent. CUHAJ, George (ed). 2010 Standard Catalog of World Coins 2001-
titrer – [assay] Déterminer le titre d’un alliage. En faire l’essai. date, 4th ed. Krause Publications, Iola (USA), 2009
tranche engrêlée – [engrailed edge] Tranche sur laquelle
on retrouve une chaîne ou corde tordue.
uniface – [uniface] Se dit d’une pièce ornée d’un motif sur
un seul côté.
76 – [March 2010]