PILONCITOS: The treasure of Philippine numismatic

Piloncitos is the earliest form of precious metal based currency of the Philippines. It is likely made of pure gold with a weight ranging between .5 grams to more or less than 3 grams.Piloncitos is not exclusively found in the Philippines as most collectors and local historians have agrees. Similar type of gold can be found in some regions of Indonesia which they call massa.The earliest written account of Piloncitos was made by our national hero, Jose Rizal himself. According to Rizal, he found the gold nugget while tilling the soil of Dapitan. He himself coined the word piloncitos, which basically describe the coin's unusual shape....

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PCGS Million Dollar Coin Club Now Includes 235 Coins Valued at $500+ Million

The second annual PCGS Million Dollar Coin Club reference guide has been unveiled by Professional Coin Grading Service (www.PCGS.com). At an estimated $20 million, the historic 1849 Double Eagle is the highest valued coin in the 2011 list of the PCGS Million Dollar Coin Club. (Photo credit: Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.) Originally launched in January 2010 with 210 "charter member" United States rare coins valued by experts at $1 million or more each, the "club" now has grown to include 235 coins with a combined value of over a half billion dollars. Some individual coins have jumped in estimated value as much...

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Philippine Bullion Report: Precious Metals alongside Energy & other Commodities Gain

Precious Metals: Gold, Silver, & PlatinumPrecious metals and grains gain alongside energy prices last Friday trading, after a nine-day plunge in oil that shifted investors position to buy back into the ailing commodities market.But so far, there is doubt that crude oil or other battered commodities are in for a consistent rebound. The labor market remains bleak, international trade is plummeting, and holiday retail sales were lower than forcasted. All these signs point to lower demand around the globe.Gold has been performing better than other commodities. On Friday, gold for February delivery $23.00 to settle at $871.20 an ounce on the New...

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Ancient Celtic coin cache found in Netherlands

Celtic Stater Gold coin (late 1st century BC – early 1st century AD)A hobbyist with a metal detector has found a cache of ancient Celtic and Germanic coins in a cornfield in the southern Dutch city of Maastricht.The city says the trove of 39 gold and 70 silver coins are dated to the middle of the first century B.C. — around the time Julius Caesar was leading military campaigns in the region.The hobbyist, Paul Curfs, found several coins this spring and called attention to the find, which eventually led to an archaeological investigation by Amsterdam's Free University.Archaelogists believe the gold coins were minted by a local tribe called the...

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Oil & Gas In A Special Coin

The Malampaya Commemorative CoinThe Malampaya Gas production rig located near Palawan is the of the country’s pride in energy independence. Brought by the surging cost in oil importation, refining, and distribution, several exploration attempts in the early 80’s and late 70’s confirmed that the nation has a potential source of natural gas and oil.A study undertaken by University of the Philippines Professor Dante B. Canlas, the former chief of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). Using natural gas royalties would cut power costs which may stimulate economic growth since it will make local industries more competitive.The Electric...

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Gold, Platinum Drop on Concern Recession May Lessen Demand on Metal

Gold futures fell on speculation a global recession will damp demand for precious metals and other raw materials. Platinum and silver also declined. Equities in Asia, Europe and the U.S. fell today. More than $28 trillion in value has been erased from global equity markets this year as banks have posted more than $920 billion in credit losses and writedowns. The Reuters/Jefferies CRB Index of 19 raw materials is down by almost a third this year. ``We're back to focusing on the recession,'' said Leonard Kaplan, the president of Prospector Asset Management in Evanston, Illinois. ``You're seeing a bear market in everything....

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High-grade gold, silver found in S. Cotabato

A Canadian mining exploration company has found high-grade gold and silver deposits at a mining site in T’boli, South Cotabato.Cadan Resources Corp., which operates the Tboli gold-silver project through Philippine affiliate Tribal Mining Corp., said the mine site might contain 584,000 tons of mineral deposits with 10.2 grams of gold and 50 grams of silver per ton.In September, the company estimated mineral resources at the site at 420,000 ounces of gold and 1.6 million ounces of silver. It pegged the grade at 5.5 grams of gold and 21 grams of silver per ton."The latest higher grade results continue to indicate that the Tboli gold-silver resource...

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BSP Issued Advisory Against Illegal Used Of Coins

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) requests the support of the public in reporting persons who are involved in defacing/mutilating or smuggling Philippine coins. Both are criminal acts punishable by law under Presidential Decree 247 and BSP Circular 98, Series of 1995 in relation to Section 2530 (f) of the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines, as amended. The BSP also warns the public against persons claiming that the central bank “buys” certain coin denominations higher than their face value. There is no truth to this information. The BSP is the sole issuer of currency in the Philippines. It mints and circulates coins in accordance...

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Bullion Report: Gold Parties Instead Of Tupperware Parties

On a quiet, tree-lined street in this upscale Chicago suburb, a gaggle of women noshed and drank wine as they waited their turn to have their once-fashionable gold rope chains and unmatched earrings scrutinized under a magnification loupe, poked at by a gold tester and even put through an acid test. Say good-bye to Tupperware and hello to gold.This was a gold party, and some of the women walked away with wads of cash in exchange for what they considered junk, unlike other neighborhood parties where they write out checks for plastic salad spinners or skincare and cosmetics. Debbie Johnson was handed $1,600 after she turned in broken gold chains, earrings without pairs and the wedding bands from a marriage gone sour more than two decades ago. ...

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Austria witnesses New Gold Rush

Austrian Philharmonic Gold CoinsThe financial crisis is prompting people to look for safer forms of investment than stocks and shares.The interest in gold coins is so great that many of the world's major mints are struggling to keep up with demand, including the Austrian Mint, which produces the Vienna Philharmonic - one of the best-selling bullion coins worldwide. Sales of Vienna Philharmonic gold coins have gone up by more than 230% since last year. Kerry Tattersall, the director of marketing at the mint, says production has gone into overdrive. "We are running at present something like three shifts on all of the machines, on the presses, producing...

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