NOTE: A previous version was posted by mistake and then deleted. Sorry!
As I watch the numismatic-related news that is published around the world in the regular media are the number of stories that come out of the United Kingdom and India.Aside from the change over from the “round pound” to the new 12-sided pound coin most of the stories are about what to look for in pocket change. People in the UK are now scrutinizing their pocket change more with the issuance of the new pound coin and it has caused a lot of people to look for the circulating commemoratives issued by the Royal Mint.
Unlike the United States, the primary unit of currency in the UK, the pound, circulates as a coin since the lowest denomination of paper currency is the £5 banknote.
The Royal Mint also produces a £2 coin.
Additionally, the 50 pence coin does circulate and has also been used for commemorative purposes.
Now that the focus is on the new 12-sided pound coin, the other coins have been getting notice. The nation’s tabloids have been writing about these coins generating more interest than the America the Beautiful quarters are receiving here in the United States.
India is a different story. I have not seen any other society that has a general love of coins. There are stories about collectors who look for coins in various places, hoard coins, and use coins for teaching and trading.The stories that appear in the press the collectors that are highlighted for the volume and longevity of their collections.
Volume seems to be a similar story between the collections. Many of these collections would be classified as hoards based on our societal norms. But rather than lumping the coins together, Indian collectors do sort and separate coins by types, sometimes in a way that makes sense.
I have not had the chance to learn more about the appeal of coins to the Indian society but I find the overall passion for their collecting pursuits quite appealing.
And now the news…
THE Benjamin Bunny 50p coin has now arrived and is the latest commemorative coin to be released by the Royal Mint as part of the Beatrix Potter series. But when exactly did the coin enter circulati… → Read more at thesun.co.uk
‘Find a penny, pick it up. All day long, you’ll have good luck’ – that’s how the saying goes but what if it was worth enough to keep you going for months? A dad has told of his surprise after being handed a rare 1p coin that could be worth thousands of pounds – because it’s in silver. → Read more at mirror.co.uk
A hoard of more than 280 gold and silver coins from the time of the Roman invasion of 
Britain has been unearthed by two metal detectorists. → Read more at granthamjournal.co.uk
The first building block of Australia’s new icebreaker was welded into place at a keel laying ceremony at Damen Shipyard Galati in Romania late last month. The concept design was done by Knud E. Hansen, and Managing Director, Finn Wollesen attended the ceremony, along with Rasmus Nygaard from Friends of Nella Dan. → Read more at maritime-executive.com