Royal Canadian Mint

This write up of the Canadian Mint explains exactly who the Canadian Mint really are and what they deal in. It is well worth reading about the Canadian Mint before you decide to buy any gold or silver coins from them.

As always, it is a wise and prudent move to do one’s own due diligence before buying gold from any gold dealer or mint.

Who are the Royal Canadian Mint
The British Royal Mint produced all the coins for Canada until 1908 when the Royal Canadian Mint was established. Then, on January 2, 1908 Governor General Earl Grey activated the press to strike a fifty-cent piece, the Dominion's first domestically produced coin. A few moments later, the Governor General’s wife, the Countess Grey, closed the ceremony by striking Canada's first bronze cent.

The Canadian Mint is a for profit corporation wholly owned directly or indirectly by government in lieu of the Crown. Their address is currently in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada with branches and shops in Canada as well.

Per Wikipedia, Ian E. Bennett was appointed President and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint on June 12, 2006. Mr. Bennett has also held several previous positions within the Department of Finance including Deputy Minister from November 2004 to June 2006 and previously, he served as Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund representing Canada, Ireland and the Caribbean countries from September 2001 to October 2004.

As President of the Royal Canadian Mint, Two of Mr. Bennett's two most notable accomplishments, since his appointment, have been the introduction of the new Mint Mark on all Canadian Circulation Coins and the partnership with the Vancouver Olympic Committee to produce coins for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games to be held in Vancouver.

More about the Royal Canadian Mint
The Canadian Mint Website, which has been online since May 2001, is in both English and French and uses almost exclusively adobe flash which makes it a tad slower to load up than other mint sites. Those people that do not have or cannot use Adobe Flash will not be able to view the site which is quite elegantly done.

With the creation of the Royal Mint it was soon realized that a Refinery was also needed, to perform the complex work of bringing rough gold up to coinage standards, so the Canadian Mints Refinery was built and completed in 1911. By the end of that year, it had processed 90,000 troy ounces of gold, enough to strike 256,000 gold sovereigns.

Throughout War II, the Refinery produced vast quantities of gold bars with which great Britain paid its debts to other countries.

A new Refinery facility was built in 1936, designed to meet all possible future demand for many years to come.

The Royal Canadian Mint continues to refine gold for mines and central banks throughout the world. Today it stands as one of the industry's largest refiners with a current production capacity of 4.2 million troy ounces per year,

Royal Canadian Mint Products
Canadian gold coins, such as the Maple, are among the most beautiful and popular worldwide. Each gold coin is produced

With the recent gold and silver coins however, Although they bear denominations or face values of $20, $50, $100 or $200, for example, these coins are not really meant for circulation and not really suitable for investment either. They are designed as collectors coins. The gold or silver component of the coins is far in excess of the face value, although tending to be less than 24 karat these days, and, with the high premium or mark up, the coins are more for a hobby collectors market than an investor or even serious numismatist.

Never the less the Royal Canadian Mint's collector gold coins produced, especially the proof issues, are fine and beautiful specimens of gold coins. Each is individually handled and a single coin may be struck up to three times to produce that crisp flawless impression that marks a quality gold coin.

In 1979, Gold Maple Leaf coins we first introduced and were the first ever crafted coins to attain the 9999 level of purity. This is noted in the hallmark the "9999" found on every one of these 24-karat gold coins.

The Silver Maple Leaf bullion coin, was first produced in 1988. And has been a popular with collectors ever since. The Platinum Maple Leaf, minted from 1988 to 1999, is no longer in production. So there is a limit4ed supply of these and they are much in demand on the open market also.

The Mint also refines and produces gold kilo bars, trade bars and one-, five- and ten-ounce gold wafers to the same quality standard. All are struck with their weight, gold purity level and the Royal Canadian Mint hallmark.

All of these plus many other products can be found on their website www.mint.ca.

Royal Canadian Mint Storage Services
The Royal Canadian Mint provides a storage services for Royal Canadian Mint branded precious metals in our vaults. This service is not offered directly to individuals, but through business to business accounts with the Royal Canadian Mint.

The Royal Canadian Mint is a Crown Corporation of the Government of Canada. They are ISO-9001:2000 certified, and are regularly audited to ensure the transparency of the mints business. The Canadian Mint vaults provide a secure facility to store precious metals and this service provided through their selected dealers.

However you cannot buy or sell precious metals directly with the Royal Canadian Mint. You have to go through a retailer or dealer. The Mint does not sell direct to the Public. The same applies to storage. You will have to go through a dealer in order to store metals with the Canadian Mint.

Also you are unable to view stored precious metals at the Canadian Mint’s storage facilities due to security reasons.

Royal Canadian Mint Payment Options
Coins can be bought online at the Canadian Mints website and for this standard credit cards may be used. At the Mint shops of course cash may be used. If you go through the dealers they may have their own payment options and you would have to consult with that dealer to find out what they are.

All prices are in Canadian dollars

The Royal Canadian Mint state that: "want to ensure that you always benefit from the most competitive exchange rates. That is why all items in our catalogues are listed in Canadian dollars only. If you are from the US and paying by credit card, your company will automatically convert the payment to US funds at the time of shipment."

Should you wish to pay by money order or certified check you will need to call the mint and organize payment arrangements.

The United States Customs and Border Protection (USCBP) requires that the U.S.-Based Ultimate Consignee or Foreign-Based Ultimate Consignee, or receiver of the goods, provides a U.S. Social Security Number (SSN) or Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employer identification number for any order equal to or exceeding $2,000 U.S.

In addition, in order to comply with the U.S.A. Customs regulations, the Royal Canadian Mint will now require your SSN or IRS number when you place an order that equals or exceeds $2,000 U.S. in value. This information will be recorded in the U.S.A. Customs Service computer system for customs purposes only.

Royal Canadian Mint Shipping Details
Shipping from the Canadian Mint is better than many other mints,. Whereas with the UK and US mints you will have to wait for weeks, the Canadian mint offers a 10 days from the time t your credit card transaction is approved. This is provided the item is in stock of course.

When it comes to silver products it might be wise to check with the mint first as there has been some short supply of silver with many mints recently.

With Canadian orders, once your order is processed and shipped, delivery usually takes around 1-2 business days if you choose Federal Express, or 3-7 business days if you choose Canada Post.

With US Orders, delivery is expected to take about 1-2 business days if you choose Federal Express, or 7-10 business days if you choose ground mail service.

Royal Canadian Mint Returns & Refunds
If you are not completely satisfied with your purchase, you can return it to the Canadian Mint provided it is in its original packaging and within 30 days and the mint will replace it. If the product is sold out, they will give you a full refund.

To return an item it is well to follow the following steps:

1. Ensure the product is in its original packaging (single coins and coin sets must be returned in their original display cases and outer protective boxes, along with their respective Certificates of Authenticity).
2. Include your packing slip or a short note indicating your name, customer number, complete mailing address and the order number.
3. Indicate if you would prefer a refund or an exchange.
4. Send back by regular mail to: Royal Canadian Mint, PO Box 457, Stn A, Ottawa, ON. K1N 8V5 Canada

Also if you are returning a defective product, you should include a copy of the postage receipt and they will then refund your return parcel post costs at the regular mail rate, up to a maximum of $12.99 CDN.

If you want to cancel your order you should call the mint as soon as possible. If you are quick enough it can be cancelled prior to leaving the warehouse. Once it has progressed past a certain point in the order/dispatch process it is not possible to cancel the order so one does need to be quick in this regard.

Last Word on the Royal Canadian Mint
Naturally such coins are more for collectors than for investment. Investment in gold and silver is best done using gold or silver rounds and bullion bars. in addition one can invest in gold and silver by owning it and not having the hassle of storage and transport issues, by going to goldmoney.com and opening an account there.

If you have bought any gold coins, silver coins, gold bullion or silver bullion from the www.mint.ca, please feel free to leave feedback on the quality of service and products you found, including any www.mint.ca online complaints and special attention or service given by www.mint.ca

Pobjoy Mint

It is a good idea to read this write up about the Pobjoy Mint and find out who Pobjoy Mint are and what they are like before you deal with them.

In all transactions with gold or any other precious metal with any gold dealer, it is wise to do your own due diligence and find out as much about them as possible.

Who are Pobjoy Mint
The Pobjoy Mint was founded by Derek Pobjoy in 1965 after leaving his father, Ernest Pobjoy's, jewelry business and purchased his very first coin press.

Based in Surrey, England, the Pobjoy Mint is Europe's leading private Mint and manufactures legal tender commemorative and circulating coins, medals and tokens for various Governments, Central Banks and major companies throughout the world.

The Pobjoy family have been associated with fine metalwork since the Middle Ages. Recently, the company was granted permission to use the family Coat of Arms in which the Medieval Popinjay is the central motif.

The Popinjay was a painted wooden parrot used in archery contests in the 14th century and the name Pobjoy is derived from this. The Latin motto "OCULO CERTO" means "with an unerring eye" and applies to the Pobjoy's ancestral prowess as a marksman. Over the past three centuries, the Pobjoy company has been involved in many diverse fields, but always involved in metal, both base and precious. During World War II Pobjoy Aero Engineering was involved in the manufacturing of the famous Spitfire wings. They are now the largest private mint in Europe.

The current Managing Director is Taya Pobjoy and the Pobjoy family can trace its origins back to medieval times. Their address is: Pobjoy Mint Ltd, Kingswood, Surrey UK

The website for the Pobjoy Mint is www.pobjoy.com and has been online since around 1998

More Information about Pobjoy Mint
Over the past 100 years the Company has been involved in the development and manufacture of coins, medals and tokens including the production of fraud-proof tokens for the vending machine industry, calling for a higher degree of precision than the ordinary coinage. The Pobjoy Mint now has over 90 per cent of this market in the United Kingdom.

The Mint has also developed coining equipment. Apart from the circulating coinage produced on high speed presses, it has made a specialality of the deluxe pieces sought after by numismatic connoisseurs. The proof coins are individually struck by hand, at least four times each, on specially polished discs of precious metal.

A successful achievement was the introduction of the Noble, a bullion coin containing one ounce of pure platinum, and the Gold Angel. The Gold Angel Won the 'Best Gold Coin of the World' Award in the USA and is quoted daily in the Financial Times and on the screens of Reuters.

The Pobjoy Mint has strikes commemorative, circulating and pattern coins for the Isle of Man, Ascension Islands, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bolivia, Burundi, Cook Islands, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands, Gambia, Gibraltar, Kyrghyzstan, Liberia, Macau, Niue, Peru, Philippines, St Helena, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somaliland, South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands, Spain, Tanzania, Tokelau, Tonga, Tristan da Cunha, Uzbekistan, Western Samoa, Pitcairn Islands and Tajikistan.

In addition, many medallion issues have also been produced, most notably for Hong Kong, Malaysia and the Arab States. The mint has manufactured well over 50,000 medallions for worldwide use.

In 1996 Pobjoy Mint issued the world’s first hologram coin and in 1999, the World’s first Titanium coin.

The Mint has been successful in supplying the official Regalia, both military and civil, for the Sultan of Oman. It has worked closely with the Ruler of Dubai and produced many official pieces. It is currently under contract to the Ruler of Bahrain and is producing objet d’art in precious metals and natural stones. It has also been privileged to manufacture sumptuous presentation pieces on behalf of several Governments, for presentation to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the British Royal Family.

Since 1984 when the Pobjoy Mint was awarded its first Coin of the Year Award, it has won the following awards for its coins:

1984 COTY, Best Gold Coin, Angel, Isle of Man
1987 COTY, Best Crown, Olympic Runner, Cook Islands $50
1990 Winner of Queen’s Award for Export Achievement
1990 COTY, Coin of the Year, Penny Black Crown, Isle of Man
1990 COTY, Most Innovative Coinage, Penny Black Crown, Isle of Man
1990 COTY, Most Popular Coin, Alley Cat Crown, Isle of Man
1990 COTY, Best Crown, Penny Black Crown, Isle of Man
1992 Medal of Merit - awarded to Derek Pobjoy by the Board of Governors of the American Numismatic Association for dedication and distinguished service to the ANA.
1993 COTY, Most Popular Coin, Stegosaurus Crown, Gibraltar
1993 Vreneli-Preis awarded to Derek Pobjoy by Münzen-Revue for outstanding contribution to numismatics.
1993 ANA Appreciation Award awarded to Derek Pobjoy by the American Numismatic Association for an outstanding contribution to numismatics.
1994 Children Society Award awarded to Pobjoy Mint for support and participation in the Daily Mail Le Walk Appeal.
1996 COTY, Best Contemporary Event, Peace Rose, Bosnia & Herzegovina
1997 COTY, Most Inspirational Coin, Princess Diana with Mother Teresa, Sierra Leone
1998 COTY, Most Inspirational Coin, Peace Dove, Bosnia & Herzegovina

Of course, all coins which are to bear the Queens effigy on the obverse has to be submitted to Her Majesty's Government and ultimately to Buckingham Palace for the Queens consent. A great deal of time may elapse between the preliminary sketch and the final design, as a result of modifications.

Some of the countries which the Pobjoy Mint strike legal tender and precious metal coins such as gold and silver are:

The British Virgin Islands
The Seychelles
Isle of Man
Sierra Leone
Falkland Islands
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Liberia
Pitcairn Islands

Pobjoy Mint Products
Here is a selection of the coins available from the Pobjoy Mint:

Isle of Man Exotic Shorthair Cat 2006 Coin
Isle of Man & The British Virgin Islands Bicentenary of the Battle of Trafalgar 2005 Two Coin Set
British Virgin Islands 500th Quincentenary of the Death of Christopher Columbus 2006 3 Coin Set
British Virgin Islands Commemorate The 10th Anniversary of The Death of Princess Diana 2007 Coin
Republic of Sierra Leone Commemorate The 10th Anniversary of The Death of Princess Diana 2007 Coin
Falkland Islands Commemorate The 10th Anniversary of the Death of Princess Diana 2007 Coin
Isle of Man Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Queen's Beasts 2006 Coin
British Virgin Islands 250th Anniversary of the Birth of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 2006 Coin
Sierra Leone Da Vinci 'Last Supper' 2006 Coins
Falkland Islands Commemorate the Bicentenary of the Birth of Isambard Kingdom Brunel 2006 Coins
British Virgin Islands The 80th Birthday of an English Rose 2006 Coins
Isle of Man Christmas 50p 'Two Turtle Doves' 2006 Coins
Isle of Man Christmas Angel 2006 Coin
Isle of Man Peter Rabbit 2007 Coin
British Virgin Islands Quadricentennial of The Founding of Jamestown 2007 Coin
Isle of Man Ragdoll Cat 2007 Coin
Isle of Man Celebrate The Centenary of The Scouts 2007 Coin
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Native Wildlife of the Sub-Antarctic 2006 Coins
Falkland Islands Celebrate The 25th Anniversary of Their Liberation 2007 Coins
Falkland Islands Liberation 50 Pence 2007 Coin
Falkland Islands 20th Anniversary of the Fishery 2007 Coin
Isle of Man Swans 2007 Coin
Falkland Islands Celebrates The Royal Diamond Wedding Anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness Prince Philip 2007 Coins
Isle of Man Celebrate The Royal Diamond Wedding Anniversary with This Beautiful Tri-Gold 2007 Coin
British Virgin Islands Commemorate The 10th Anniversary of The Death of Princess Diana 2007 Coin
Isle of Man Christmas 50p 2007 Coin
Isle of Man Christmas Angel 2007 Coin
British Virgin Islands Commemorate the Union of Scotland and England 2007 Coin
Isle of Man Celebrates The Return of Tutankhamen 2008 Coins
Isle of Man New 2008 Gold Angel Coin
Isle of Man Celebrate The 50th Anniversary of Paddington Bear 2008 Coin
Isle of Man London Olympic Collection Centenary 2008
British Virgin Islands 450th Anniversary of the Accession of Queen Elizabeth I 2008 Ryal Coin
British Virgin Islands 450th Anniversary of the Accession of Queen Elizabeth I 2008 2 Coin G999.9 Gold Set
British Virgin Islands 450th Anniversary of the Accession of Queen Elizabeth I 2008 Coronation Coin with Ruby
Falkland Islands 70th Anniversary of the Spitfire Proof Fine 999.9 Gold
Isle of Man Proof Fine 999.9 Gold Burmilla Cat 5 Coin Set 2008
Isle of Man BU 1oz Fine 999.9 Gold Burmilla Cat Coin 2008
Isle of Man BU 1/2oz Fine 999.9 Gold Burmilla Cat Coin 2008
Isle of Man BU 1/5oz Fine 999.9 Gold Burmilla Cat Coin 2008
Isle of Man BU 1/10oz Fine 999.9 Gold Burmilla Cat Coin 2008
Isle of Man BU 1/25oz Fine 999.9 Gold Burmilla Cat Coin 2008
Isle of Man Proof Fine 999.9 Gold Colour Burmilla Cat Coin 2008
Isle of Man 20 Years of the Cat 1/20oz Fine Gold 20 Coin Set 2008
Isle of Man Wonders of the World 2008 Coin 1oz Proof Fine 999.9 Gold With Sand

Pobjoy Mint Payment Options and Shipping
Pobjoy accept the major credit cards on line and one will need to give them details and open an account to use their services as is usual with online dealers and mints. Also Cheques and Postal Orders are accepted and should be made payable to Pobjoy Mint Ltd.

All prices shown are in Pounds Sterling and are exclusive of VAT (Value Added Tax). Some goods are VAT free and those are marked with an Asterisk (*). All deliveries to the EU are charged VAT (17.5 percent).

Price of gold and silver and other precious metals will be dependent on the spot price of those metals of course.

Pobjoy Mint advises there is a 28 day delivery time from the acceptance of an order.

The Pobjoy Mint also certifies that it will buy back from the original purchaser any coins or set of coins within 30 days of receipt for the full original price.

To return goods you will need to notify them by email or phone first. Check the website for details.

Pobjoy will charge £3.00 for orders dispatched within the UK and £7.50 for order within the ECC. Order outside of the ECC are charged £10.50.

For orders to the USA will depend on the value of the order. Up to 100 dollars is a 5 dollar charge. From 100 to 500 dollars it is $7.50 and so on

Last Word on the Pobjoy Mint
Here is an example of how Pobjoy sees an opportunity and is able to take advantage of it using gold and silver coins.

The Managing Director Taya Pobjoy stated, “When I heard the movie was coming out, I thought what a wonderful idea it would be to make wizard money”. And so when the first Harry Potter Movie came out, 25,000 specially minted coins were produced by the Pobjoy mint. It was billed as the world's first official legal tender coin based on the JK Rowling books, which have sold more than 100 million copies worldwide. At the time Managing Director Tanya Pobjoy said: "It has gone manic here. People are going crazy buying them. We sold more than 25,000 in five hours on Wednesday."

Such coins are more for collectors of course than for investment. Investment in gold and silver is best done using gold or silver rounds and bullion bars. Also one can invest in gold and silver by owning it and not having the hassle of storage and transport issues, by going to goldmoney.com and opening an account there.

If you have bought any gold or silver coins or bullion from www.pobjoy.com, please feel free to leave your feedback on the quality of service and products including any www.pobjoy.com online complaints and special attention or service given by www.pobjoy.com online.

China Mint Beijing 2008 Olympic Coin Sets

This is a special article not just about the Chinese Mint but also about the special gold and silver coins produced by the mint in celebration of the 2008 Olympics.

As always, ensure you do full due diligence from any gold dealer or mint before you buy gold and silver from them online.

Who are the Chinese Mint
The Chinese Mint was established in 1987 with the approval of the State Council. It is the only professional company under the direct leadership of the People's Bank of China dealing in gold and silver commemorative coins.

There are a number of websites concerned with Chinese currency and the Mint, most of which are understandably in Chinese, but the one that concerns us most is the one that provides information in English about the mint and the gold and silver coins available for collectors, and that is the www.chinagoldcoin.net/english/index.htm. This site contains most of the information about Chinese coins such as the Panda and, currently, the 2008 Olympic Chinese gold and silver coins.

Since the Mints establishment, it has sold over 2 million ounces of gold coins and 15 million ounces of silver coins to the domestic and international market. Over the years, 10 major coin categories with more than 1,400 items have been issued.

Also established is the Shenzhen Guobao Mint, a modern enterprise specialized in the production of gold and silver coins. As China merges into the international economy with the deregulation of its domestic gold market,

The China Great Wall Coins Investments Ltd. ( Hong Kong ) was founded as China Gold Coin Inc.'s sole sponsored subsidiary in May 1988. They are concerned with the distribution of Chinese Modern Commemorative Coins, Chinese ancient gold and silver medallions, circulation bank notes and coins as well as other circulation commemorative coins and foreign commemorative coins.

The Bank of China decided to establish China Gold Coin Inc., the functions of which including the project, design, mintage and distribution of CMGSCC. As the sole body dealing in gold and silver commemorative coins. CGCI is considered an important institution to fulfill the obligation of the issuance of precious metal coins, and for the appreciation of national reserve of precious metals for the Central Bank. Since its establishment, the CGCI has released over 2 million ounces of gold coin and more than 15 million ounces of silver coin.

Located in the heart of Hong Kong the China Great Wall Coins Investments Ltd. ( Hong Kong ) has extensive links with coin distribution institutions and dealers in many countries and areas including Asia, America, Europe and Oceania.

China Great Wall Coins Investments Ltd. ( Hong Kong ) is also affiliated to China Gold Coin Inc. And is the only company distributing Chinese Modern Commemorative Coins outside of China.

What are the Chinese Mint Products

Chinese Panda Gold Coin
The Chinese Panda Gold Coin is perhaps one of the most well known of the major gold and silver coins produced in China by the Mint. These are distributed through Three overseas branch companies in Hong Kong, the U.S. and Germany, as well as established extensive co operations with major coin companies and banks in Asia, America and Europe. Within China, CGCI has subsidiary companies in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, and over 50 sale agents in big and medium-sized cities of the various countries.

Most of the Chinese gold and silver coins are available from many gold dealers you can find as listed on this site and many others.

Chinese Mint 2008 Olympic Coins
Reminiscent of the Canadian Mints 100-kg (220lbs), The Special Commemorative Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Gold Coin certainly commands attention as one of the most notable coins of the decade.

Weighing in at a massive 22 pounds or 10 kilos and with a diameter of 7.09 inches or 18 centimetres, and made from .9999 fine gold, the 100,000 legal tender Chinese Yuan coin will cost one cool million dollars to own.

A heavy price perhaps sure, but how much is the coin really worth? At the current price of gold ranging from $900 to $980 per ounce at the time of writing and keeping in mind that there are 12 troy ounces per troy pound, that puts the coin’s bullion value at round $250,800 if the gold price was $950 USD per ounce. So this is one expensive coin costing around $3,787 USD per ounce.

But it is certainly a sight to see and the coin is certainly unique, sharply detailed, with only 29 minted worldwide.

In a TwinCities.com article, Douglas Mudd, a curator at the American Numismatic Association Money Museum, stated that it was also the biggest issued Olympic coin to date, and Olympic coins go back to the early fifth century B.C.

The coin’s obverse or heads side depicts the colored emblem of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games with a design derived from Chinese ancient bronze ware. The reverse shows a group of athletes in front of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.

Other, more obtainable, 2008 Olympic Commemorative gold include:

Beijing 2008 Olympic Series I 6PC Gold & Silver Set
Beijing 2008 Olympic Series I 4PC Silver Proof Set
Beijing 2008 Olympic Series II Silver Proof Kilo
Beijing 2008 Olympic Series II 6PC Gold & Silver Set
Beijing 2008 Olympic Series II 4PC Silver Set
Beijing 2008 Olympic Series III Gold & Silver Set
Beijing 2008 Olympic Series III 4PC Silver Set
Beijing 2008 Olympic Series III 5 Oz Gold Proof
Beijing 2008 Olympic Series III Silver Proof Kilo

There are three series to the coins, Series I, II, and III in which there are a total of 18 coins in the complete Beijing 2008 Olympics Coin Program, six in gold and twelve in silver.

The common obverse design on all coins features the traditional paired "Chinese dragon" image, the emblem of the Games of XXIX Olympiad, the name of the country and the year 2008.

The reverse designs for the gold coins features various athletic sports. The main figures in the designs derive from ancient Chinese traditional sports. Series II features swimming and weightlifting for example.

All the elements are embedded in the design presented in the form of traditional Chinese "Wa Dang" style. The edge of the coin and the edge of the "Wa Dang" design are perfectly overlapped, displaying a vivid combination of images. The reverse designs depict the true Chinese style, which represents the long sports history in Chinese culture, and conveys the unique Chinese culture.

The swimming design for the 1/3 oz. gold coin derives from the Dunhuang mural of "swimming" found in Cave No. 420 in the Dunhuang Grottoes in northwest China's Gansu Province. The figures in the mural are swimming freely and at ease while the image of fish represents and indicates the features of water.

The weightlifting design for the 1/3 oz. gold coin derives from the painting of Ming Dynasty about 600 years ago, depicting an ancient Chinese man lifting a stone weight. The figure in the design has a large body and strong muscles, implying heroic spirit.

The image on the reverse of the silver coins is distinctively different for each series of the collection. The silver coins, partially highlighted in color, express a swift and livelier tone throughout the collection, and all 12 silver coins are 1 ounce of pure silver.

Series II features famous Chinese landmarks located around the host city, Beijing. The four design images include: The Great Wall of China, the Summer Palace, the Tibetan Tower of Beihai Park, and finally an image of a traditional courtyard dwelling in Beijing. These images are all closely associated with China and will undoubtedly be images seen and represented during the Beijing 2008 Olympics. The left side of the coin, about 1/3 of the area, is divided by the "Chinese traditional Ruyi" decoration, with colored designs on Chinese traditional pottery, glaze, lacquer ware, and blue/white porcelain.

The designs for the Precious Metal Commemorative Coins for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games aims to connote the theme of the Olympic Games; meanwhile, the designs take the form of images derived from Chinese history, folklore, culture and national heritage, reflecting the jubilant feelings of retrospect, joy, enthusiasm and expectation cherished by the Chinese people after the successful bid for the Olympic Games.

The Official Commemorative 5 Ounce Gold Coin for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad.

Considering the size and price, not many collectors will have the opportunity to own one of these coins. The maximum mintage is only 2008 coins and fewer than 100 will be made available to U.S. collectors. The principle design on the obverse side of the coin features an artful blend of Chinese martial arts and the five Olympic rings. This may well be the ultimate collector coin of The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. This 5-ounce pure gold coin is housed in a spectacular display with a traditional jade lion guarding the gold coin within. The reverse incorporates the official emblem of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and the traditional paired twin dragons.

The Official Commemorative 1 Kilo Silver Coin for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad.

The China Mint has now added a new Silver Kilo coin to its prestigious list: The Official Beijing 2008 Olympic 1 Kilo Silver coin. More easily obtainable price wise and if your quick, the Chinese Silver Kilo coins are minted to the highest quality and look absolutely splendid.

The obverse side features two very distinct ancient Chinese sporting images on the coin: At the bottom the coin features ancient Chinese dragon boat racing, with four muscular racers paddling their way to victory aboard the boat. At the top of the coin there is a pack of horses racing against each other. The obverse side of this coin is a striking blend of Chinese culture and competitive sporting, a perfect representation of the upcoming Beijing 2008 Olympics.

The reverse side of the coin features in Chinese script, "Peoples Republic of China". Featured prominently in the center of the coin is the official Beijing 2008 Olympic logo, surrounded by two ancient Chinese dragons intertwining and facing the logo.

The 1 Kilo Silver coin comes protected in a lacquered wooden display box emblazoned with the official Beijing 2008 Olympic logo and packaged in a sturdy red cardboard protector, also featuring the official Olympic logo. Denomination is 300 Yuan and the coin is accompanied with a certificate of authenticity. The year featured on the coin is 2008, and the coin itself is a full 1 kilogram of pure 99.9% silver with an extremely low mintage of 20,008.

Information on the actual Olympic gold medals won by contestents at the Olympic games can be found at Gold Medals at the Olympics.

How to get Chinese Mint Gold and Silver Coins
The China Gold Coin Incorporation (CGCI) is the only professional company under the direct leadership of the People's Bank of China dealing in gold and silver commemorative coins within China.

Marketing of Chinese Gold and Silver Commemorative Coins (CMGSCC)outside of China is mainly done through the usual overseas banks and coin dealers. Mostly they are in short supply so one has to be quick to get any from the dealers.

Obtaining Modern Gold and Silver Commemorative Coins (CMGSCC) abroad is mainly done through acting overseas banks and coin dealers.

Last word on the Chinese Mint
The Chinese 2008 Olympic gold and silver coins are very impressive and outstanding in quality. They are really for collectors and, although the word ‘investment’ is used liberally on the website these are not really an investment coin. Once an event such as this is finished the desire for such coins diminishes (look at the price ranges for past Olympic event coins) and, although they hold the value of their precious metal content, the premium paid for such coins at the height of desire is not often recaptured, unless such factors as rarity, specific individual desire are present.

For investment one would be better looking at gold bullion in the form of bars or even buying gold and silver from such places as goldmoney.com for example, for investment purposes. Having said that, the coins are beautiful and very well presented.

If you have bought any Chinese gold or silver bullion coins from any dealers please feel free to leave your feedback on the quality of service and products including any online complaints and special attention or service given by any dealers of Chinese gold and silver coins.

Austrian Mint

This write up of the Austrian Mint explains exactly who the Austrian Mint are and what they deal in. It is well worth reading about the Austrian Mint before you decide to buy any gold or silver coins from them.

As always, it is a wise and prudent move to do one’s own due diligence before buying gold from any gold dealer or gold mint.

Who are the Austrian Mint
The Austrian mint continues a tradition seeped in history from the twelfth century. The first mint in goes back to more than 800 years ago and was established at the Court of the Babenberg Dukes in Vienna in 1194 in order to coin silver for the ransom of the English King, Richard the Lionheart.

Many years before, Richard the Lionheart, and Duke Leopold V of Austria participated in a crusade where they broke into an argument. While Richard was on his way back home from the Holy Land, disguised as a pilgrim, he was recognized and captured in the Vienna district of Erdberg – not very far from the present–day Austrian Mint. The Babenberg Duke kept Richard the Lionhearted prisoner in the castle of Dürnstein at the Danube until the beginning of 1193 when he then handed over his hostage to Emperor Henry VI in exchange for the payment of a ransom of 100,000 Cologne marks silver, from which Leopold was supposed to receive half. The value of these 100,000 Cologne marks is estimated today to equal the value of over 2 billion Euro, which would make this the biggest ransom demand and payment in history. A part of this enormous treasure had to go under the striking hammer – and for this purpose the first Vienna mint was began.

The Austrian Mint was made a subsidiary of the Austrian National Bank in 1989 as the Austrian Mint AG.

The Mints website has been online since Dec 1998. However you cannot buy online the Vienna Philharmonic, gold bars or trade gold coins (Ducats, Crowns, Gulden).

Investment gold which is sold on the basis of the daily gold price can be bought at all Austrian banks as well as at coin dealers and the Austrian Mint shops.

Kurt Meyer is the President and Master of the Austrian Mint. Born 1948 in Bavaria, Germany, Meyer graduated from university with a degree in engineering. He first came to the Austrian Mint in 1988 as an advisor participating in its privatisation and restructuring. In 1992 he was appointed a Member of the Executive Board and held the position of Deputy CEO since 2003.

The Austrian Mint Shops
You can buy coins, medals and other Austrian Mint products through the online shop and also in the Austrian Mint shops in Vienna and Innsbruck. The current address is Am Heumarkt 1 A 1030 Wien Österreich

The Austrian Mint Shop in Vienna is open Monday to Friday 9:00-16:00, Wednesday 9:00 -18:00 where you can also visit some interesting exhibitions also. The entrance is free and the exhibitions are a good opportunity to get some background and historical information on the subjects of current coin issues.

Austrian Mint Products
There are a great variety of gold and silver bullion coins produced by the Austrian Mint with the Vienna Philharmonic coin being one of the most well known of the world gold coins.

The Vienna Philharmonic is struck in pure gold, 999.9 fine (24 carats). It is issued every year, in four different face values, sizes and weights. It is often used as an investment product (gold bullion coin), although it usually ends up in the hands of collectors. According to the World Gold Council, the Vienna Philharmonic was the best selling gold coin in 1992, 1995 and 1996 worldwide.

The great organ in the Golden Hall in Vienna's concert hall (Musikverein) is the subject of the obverse of this popular coin. This is the hall of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. The face value in euros, the weight, fineness and year of issue are also inscribed on this side of the coin.

Since February 1, 2008, the coin has also been minted in silver. The design of the silver coin being identical to that of the gold on both sides, except for its face value of 1.50 euro.

Euro gold and silver commemorative coins are special euro coins minted and issued by the various member states of the Eurozone, usually in gold and silver, although other precious metals are sometimes used in rare occasions. According to the Austrian Mint, Austria was one of the first twelve countries in the Eurozone that introduced the euro (€) in 1 January 2002. Since then, the Austrian Mint have been minting both normal issues of Austrian euro coins, which are intended for circulation, and commemorative euro coins in gold and silver.

These particular coins, however, are legal tender in Austria only, unlike the normal issues of the Austrian euro coins, which are legal tender in every country of the Eurozone.

The coins usually commemorate the anniversaries of historical events or draw attention to current events of special importance. Austria mints more than ten of these coins on average per year, in gold, silver and niobium, with face value ranging from 1.25 to 100 euros.

A beautiful design of musical instruments representing the world famous Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra can be seen on the reverse side of the coin.

Austrian Mint Payment Options
In order to buy coins online you will need to register and get a customer number. You can use Diners/MasterCard/Euro Card/Visa or be invoiced for your purchase and prepay.

Orders from the Austrian Mint are shipped in exchange for prepayment by the customer. All payments to Münze Österreich AG must be in Euros. Any contrary
agreements must be in writing beforehand.

Payments within Austria should be submitted to the account of Münze Österreich AG at the Österreichische Postsparkasse while foreign payments submitted to the account of Münze Österreich AG at the Oesterreichische Nationalbank and payments from customers in the Federal Republic of Germany, to the account of Münze Österreich AG.

Payments by credit card such as, VISA, MasterCard, or Diners Club, may be made only in euros and specifying the exact credit card number (16 digits or 14 digits) and the expiry date (month/year), and a signature provided.

Credit cards are not accepted for gold investments such as Vienna Philharmonic, gold trading coins, and gold bars. The Austrian Mint do not accept payments by Visa Electron cards, in addition, the Austrian Mint reserves the right to refuse credit card payments in general for orders of € 150.- and up.

Austrian Mint Shipping
Shipments from the Austrian Mint are sent to the customer within 3 weeks of the respective initial date of issue or 3 weeks from the date the order is received.

If the customer refuses delivery of a paid shipment or the shipment is returned to Austrian Mint as 'undeliverable', the customer will be notified in writing. Costs incurred due to the refusal of an order or an incorrect shipping address are borne by the customer. Austrian Mint has the right to retain such costs or to deduct them from the amount to be refunded.

If a shipment is not received, the customer is obligated to contact Austrian Mint in a timely manner in order to provide information for insurance purposes.

Requests for amendments, changes, or cancellations of an existing subscription or deletion from the address list must be submitted in writing and come into force within 2 months from the date they are received.

Austrian Mint Returns & Refunds
For contracts subject to the Distance Selling Act (BGBl 185/1999), the customer can withdraw from the contract in writing within seven working days (Saturday is not considered a working day) without specifying reasons. The term begins when the customer receives the goods.

However, if the customer has not received all of the information according to § 5d paragraph 1 and 2 KSchG (Käuferschutzgesetz, buyer protection act), the withdrawal term is three months from the date the goods are received; if the information is subsequently received within this three-month term, then the term is limited to seven days from the date the information is received. In general, the right of withdrawal does not apply to products made according to customer specifications (e.g. engraved medals).

Timely dispatch of the declaration of withdrawal is sufficient to comply with the withdrawal term. The declaration of withdrawal must be addressed to:

MÜNZE ÖSTERREICH AG
Sales Department
Am Heumarkt 1
A 1030 Vienna Fax: +43/1/715 86 10.

The goods must be returned to the Austrian Mint along with the declaration of withdrawal. All goods are returned at the sole expense and risk of the customer. Reimbursement of payments already made to the Austrian Mint for returned goods is issued after the goods are returned.

If the customer cannot return all or part of the goods to the Austrian Mint or if they are returned in an impaired condition, the customer will be obligated to provide compensation. In this case, the Austrian Mint has the right to deduct the amount of compensation from the amount being reimbursed to the customer.

Last Word on the Austrian Mint
The Australian Mint produces some of the most beautiful coins in the world. Much sought after by collectors. They have also won awards for the quality and technical innovations used in the manufacture of their products.

Of course, such coins are more for collectors than for investment. Investment in gold and silver is best done using gold or silver rounds and bullion bars. In addition one can invest in gold and silver by owning it and not having the hassle of storage and transport issues, by going to goldmoney.com and opening an account there.

If you have bought any gold coins, silver coins, gold bullion or silver bullion from the www.austrian-mint.at, please feel free to leave feedback on the quality of service and products you found, including any www.austrian-mint.at online complaints and special attention or service given by www.austrian-mint.at.

Royal Australian Mint

This write up of the Royal Australian Mint explains exactly who the Australian Mint are and what they deal in and is well worth reading before you decide to buy any gold or silver coins from the Australian Mint.

As always, it is prudent to always do one's own due diligence before buying gold from any gold dealer or mint.

Who are the Royal Australian Mint
As mints go the Australian Mint is quite young. His Royal Highness, The Duke of Edinburgh, officially opened the Royal Australian Mint, Canberra, on Monday 22nd February 1965 and the mint was commissioned to produce Australia’s decimal coinage, which was to be introduced into circulation on 14th February 1966.

The Royal Australian Mint is a Division of the Commonwealth Department of the Treasury with the responsibility of producing circulating and numismatic coins for Australia.

Although the Australian Mint replaced the British Royal Mint in the manufacture of coins for Australia, it holds a place in history as the first mint in Australia not to be a branch of the Royal Mint, London.

Since it opened 1965 the Mint has struck well over eleven billion circulating coins and has the capacity to produce over two million coins per day, or over six hundred million coins a year.

The Royal Australian Mint strikes coins for a number of South Pacific nations such as Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Western Samoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, Malaysia, Thailand, Nepal, Bangladesh, Israel and Tokelau as well as for New Zealand.

Along with the Perth mint, run and administered by the Western Australian State Government, as a subsidiary through their Gold Corporation, the mint also manufactures medals, medallions, seals and tokens for private and public sectors and sporting and tourism groups, both nationally and internationally. Some examples of these include:

The Order of Australia
Third Pacific Conference Games Medallions
Sydney Monorail token and
Conrad Jupiter’s Casino tokens.

The Mint also produces a range of collector coins (numismatic coins) which are sold through an extensive mail order operation, e-commerce, a network of domestic and international coin dealers, selected Australia Post outlets and the Mint Shop at the mint. These coins are really for collectors and not for investment, the premium on such coins being very high in relation to the precious metal value contained within the coins.

The Mint is closed on Christmas Day and Good Friday but open every other day of the year to the public. Visiting hours are Monday to Friday - 9am to 4pm and Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays - 10am to 4pm and admission is free.

The CEO of the Mint is Janine Murphy and the Deputy CEO Graham Smith.

The Mint is located at Deakin ACT 2600 AUSTRALIA.

Royal Australian Mint Limited Mintage Sales Policy
The Royal Australian Mint has a limited mintage sales policy that applies to any numismatic product sold with a set mintage of or less than 2000.

The policy states basically that the distribution of numismatic products is determined on the release date of the numismatic product, based on when orders are received by the Royal Australian Mint.

Each of the Royal Australian Mint’s sales channels (fax, mail, online, phone, mint shop) will have an allocation commensurate with the percentage of total sales for that channel.

Sales are restricted to one numismatic product per customer. That could be one coin or one set of coins or other products. This prevents any one person buying up all the issue struck for that coin or coin set and reselling them at a vast profit. The policy is applied to all Royal Australian Mint customers and dealers.

The Royal Australian Mint reserves the right to cancel any order in breach of this policy.

Royal Australian Mint Policy on Coin Themes: Uncirculating Coins
Uncirculating coins (also referred to as numismatic or collector coins) are coins intended for coin collectors and the souvenir/gift market rather than for the payment of goods or services.

By law, Uncirculating coins are legal tender in Australia and are redeemable at their face value at the Reserve Bank of Australia (other Australian banks and deposit taking institutions may redeem the coins but are not under a legal obligation to do this) although due to the price and value of the precious metal it is extremely unlikely that anyone would do so.

Uncirculating coins are sold at a premium to their face value to cover the cost of materials, production, distribution and sale of the coins and to provide the Mints with a profit on their activities. This premium can sometimes be many times the face value of the coin and at least twice the value of the precious metal contained therein.

As legal tender, uncirculating coins must bear on the obverse the approved effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

There are two bodies that have the authority to produce uncirculating coins in Australia:

Perth Mint: The Perth Mint is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gold Corporation which is a statutory corporation established by the Gold Corporation Act 1987 (WA). Gold Corporation is owned by the Western Australian Government. The Perth Mint produces uncirculating coins under an agreement with the Australian Government.

Royal Australian Mint: The Royal Australian Mint is an Australian Government agency prescribed under the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997 (Cth). The Royal Australian Mint produces both circulating and uncirculating coins. It is the only Mint that has the authority to produce uncirculated varieties of Australia’s circulating coins in base or precious metals.

Royal Australian Mint Products
The Australian Mint produces a number of gold and silver coins and coin sets as well as a number of other products related to and even not related to coin collecting. The Royal Australian Mint Shop has a complete list of these gold and silver products, including medallions, pendants, to many to be listed here.

An example coin is the 2007 $10 Gold Proof Coin - Lunar Series Year of the Pig. One tenth of one ounce and priced at 175 AUD or 159.09 overseas price. Other coins are similarly priced compared to the quantity of gold or silver contained therein.

Royal Australian Mint Payment Options
The Australian Mint accepts online credit card payments for their advertised and promoted products. At the Mint shop of course cash is accepted as well as credit, debit and access cards.

Their shopping cart is secure and you would be advised to ensure that the shipping address matches the address on t your credit card account.

For orders in Australia there is a Goods & Services Tax (GST) of 10 percent. For orders overseas there is no Tax.

Royal Australian Mint Returns and Refunds
The mint does not have a buyback program so does not buy back gold or silver coins. You would need to seek out a gold or silver dealer for that. The Australian mint simply sells the coins it manufactures.

If you receive a faulty coin then, under the statutory regulations you may return it for a refund or replacement. If you ever need to do this, although it would be most unlikely and there may even be some possible faint value in having an incorrectly struck coin gold coin, then you can return the article complete with all paper work for a refund or replacement.

Royal Australian Mint Shipping
Shipping is a lot slower than from gold dealers. Usually within 4-6 weeks from the time they receive your order and funds. If, after 6 weeks, you have not received your gold or silver then you should notify the mint giving the following information so they can chase your order down and either expedite it or replace it.

Your name
Address (including post code)
Daytime phone number
Customer number
Date you placed the order (approximate date if exact is not available)
Date your credit card/cheque account was deducted
A short statement confirming that you have not received the parcel
Your signature

The Mint suggests you use the 'Registered Delivery' option to ensure that Australia Post does not deliver the parcel without obtaining a signature from someone in your household, and if the parcel is lost in transit to your house it can then most likely be traced.

The Last Word on the Royal Australian Mint
Buying gold and silver coins from the Australian Mint has the security that you are buying genuine and real gold and silver coins. Of course you will pay top dollar so this is really for collectors only and not for gold or silver investors who’s time and money would be better spend seeking out gold and silver bullion, preferably in large quantities to reduce the premium. In addition one can invest in gold and silver by owning it and not having the hassle of storage and transport issues, by going to goldmoney.com and opening an account there.

If you have bought any gold coins, silver coins, gold bullion or silver bullion from the www.ramint.gov.au, please feel free to leave feedback on the quality of service and products you found, including any www.ramint.gov.au online complaints and special attention or service given by www.ramint.gov.au.