Coins and Currency Weekly
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Coins and Currency Weekly(c) is Published by Alan Cohen 
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February 7, 1999
Issue #11

The Euro is Coming!

The conversion to the Euro for the January 1, 1999 launch seemed to 
go off pretty well. Of course, the Euro right now is a currency on 
paper only. Tourists might be disappointed to still need to get 
Francs and Marks in Europe. It won’t be until 2002 that coins and 
currency are issued. Still, according to one Euro web site, that 
is only 1058 days away. For those of you wondering what the Euro 
is, it is a unified European currency. As of now, eleven countries 
(Belgium, Germany, Spain, Ireland, France, Italy, Luxembourg, The 
Netherlands, Austria, Portugal and Finland) have joined this 
currency union. Coins will feature a common side for all of the 
countries, and a national side for the country that issues. Bank 
Notes will all look the same. There will be eight coins issues, 
(1,2,5,10,20,50 cents, plus 1 and 2 Euros) and seven bank notes.

For coin collectors, this really can be an exciting time. There are 
few opportunities to collect a new currency, and this will be an 
amazing chase for collectors. Coins will not be released until 2002, 
but coins produced in 1999, 2000 and 2001 will all bear those dates. 
Multiply this by eight different coins, and eleven different countries 
(With more likely to join this union, possibly before 2002) and you 
have 352 coins being released about the same time, with a total face 
value of about $200 US - Not bad! It will also be an interesting 
chase to try and locate all of these coins in circulation. If you 
think having ten different quarters a year (5 design, 2 mints) try to 
find at least 88 different coins a year that will be circulating. 
While it will be a bigger challenge for those outside of Europe, it 
should be a lot of fun for those who try.

Canadian Centsation

The first (and probably second) of the Canadian commemorative quarters 
are now out in circulation. I ordered a mint set of these for myself, 
although I am still waiting for delivery. If the complete set is ordered, 
you will get all of the coins before they are released into circulation. 
The Canadian coins are being released one per month. For those who want 
information on ordering, you can visit the Royal Canadian Mint web site 
and order it for $24.95 Canadian - The site is at: 
http://www.rcmint.ca/en/gift.club/626109.html 

If you are interested in what the designs look like, visit 
http://www.centsation.com/en/nouvpiece.html for a complete look at the 
1999 designs. This program will run through 2000, with 24 different coins 
being produced.

US Quarter Program Update

There is a bit of controversy on rec.collecting.coins about the new
Delaware quarters. Seems some (including major dealers) are selling 
these coins for a healthy premium over face value. When I was at the 
Orlando FUN show, I did purchase a roll of coins at a premium, but 
this was just a couple of days after the coins were released. As of 
today, I have yet to receive one in change, but that will happen. 
Consider this: There will be about 1.5 billion (That is 1,500,000,000) 
of each coin issued. There are not going to be any shortages of these 
coins, and if people hoard them right when they get them, that means 
that fewer will be in circulated condition. This will result for the 
long term in a larger than usual number in great condition, further 
reducing any possible chance of long term value above face value.

For those who want their own coin, I will give (5) away to readers of 
this newsletter. Simply e-mail me at delaware@coinmall.com, along with 
your name. I will select (5) people randomly on February 13, 1999, and 
announce them in this newsletter. The winners will each receive an 
uncirculated Delaware Commemorative quarter. Good Luck!  


Until Next Time,

Alan Cohen

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Coins and Currency Weekly(c) (CCW) is published by Alan Cohen. 
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