More Plague in Denver

Seems that the Black Death, which was killing squirrels in Denver has now spread to a primate in the Denver Zoo. A capuchin monkey has died of plague, possibly contracted from the carcass of a dead Black Death squirrel.

Probably an oddity, but the step from rodents to primates is not a good sign. Remember however, that we 21st Century primates have the destinct advantage of an antibiotic regime that can defeat the Black Death. If fact, the other capuchin monkeys at the Denver Zoo are being given prevetative antibiotics right now as a precaution.

From a collecting point of view, Black Death brings thoughts of Medieval Coinage, and for those interested in Medieval coins, I highly suggest stopping by the Medieval Coinage gallery. This gallery has lots of sharp illustrations, and in other parts of the Medieval Coinage website you will find addition images and offers of coins for sale. This is also the place to get Robert Levinson's new book on early dated coins from 1234-1500, a great reference for the earliest dated coins from European issuers.

 Another good source for Medieval coinage is professional numismatist and author Allen G. Berman. Berman has authored two broad general references on world coins under the Warman's imprint. Warman's Companion - World Coins & Currency primarily covers modern coins and banknotes, while Warman's Coins and Paper Money covers a much broader spectrum including Ancient and Medieval coins. At Berman's website you will find inexpensive examples of many Medieval coins for sale.

A Belgian Date to Keep

Coming up for sale in the June 13th Bruun Rasmussen auction No. 774 is a difficult modern Belgian coin, never released to circulation. It's the 1946 zinc 10 centimes, KM 125. This example is graded EF to Unc and has a spot on the denominated side. BR is estimating this rare piece at Euro 670-1050, or an approximate range of US$900-$1400. It will be interesting to see what this coin brings at auction, as I don't recall ever having seen one for sale before.

News You Can Use

This week a major signal of the opening of China to the U.S. was announced in the form of a major government investment in the private equity firm, Blackstone Group. This is the first time China has invested in a U.S. private equity fund with any portion of its mammoth $1 trillion in foreign exchange reserves. There are several terms in the agreement which will be sure to keep the investment steady for the next four years with minimal disturbance, so one can expect this to be a good forerunner to other Chinese diversification. That's the big picture.

For the smaller numismatic picture we have noticed a significant surge in new issue sales originating from China and Hong Kong on the eBay auction site over the past few months. Seems there are several distributors trying to tap into the broader U.S. market for all world new issue coins. Some of these sellers are offering small sets at substantially lower prices than can be had from U.S. based dealers, but with the shipping costs added on, the total price is often higher. Even so, it is worth taking a look, as sometimes you can find issues, which are not yet being offered for sale in the U.S.