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GIBRALTAR’S 1994 THREE GARRIDEBS CROWNS
An article posted on April 13, 2015 by Greg Ruby to the Fourth Garrideb blog discusses the 1994 Three Garridebs crowns of Gibraltar,
created by the Pobjoy mint. The blog is dedicated to the numismatics of Sherlock Holmes. -Editor
 
Gibraltar released 8 different designs for its 1994 series of coins commemorating the 100th anniversary of the return of Sherlock Holmes. In this post, we will discuss the three coins that have the theme of The Three Garridebs. Edward C. Rochette, the 5th Garrideb, suggested the idea of a series of coins commemorating Sherlock Holmes while having discussions with Derek Pobjoy, the head of the Pobjoy Mint in the early 1990’s. Pobjoy Mint then struck 8 different designs in 3 metals – cupro-nickel, sterling silver and .999 fine gold. OBVERSE: ELIZABETH II / (right facing bust of Queen Elizabeth II) / GIBRALTAR • 1994 REVERSE: • 100th ANNIVERSARY OF THE RETURN OF SHERLOCK HOLMES • / (Sherlock Holmes, seated left, holding magnifying glass in right hand and coin in left hand) conversing with a seated Dr. Watson on the right, in front of a bookshelf; coal scuttle to the left of the bookshelf) / THE / THREE / GARRIDEBS / 1 / CROWN KM290 – Round, 36.60 mm, Cupro-Nickel, 28.28 grams, Reeded Edge, unknown mintage KM290a – Round, 36.60 mm, .925 Sterling Silver, 28.28 grams, Reeded Edge, 30,000 minted KM283 – Round, 22 mm, 1/5 ounce .999 Gold, 6.22 grams, Reeded Edge, 5,000 minted The press release, issued by the Pobjoy Mint, announcing these coins is somewhat vague and implies that all three coins are Crowns. The Standard Catalog of World Coins 1900-1999 (whose KM catalog numbers we are referencing above) lists the gold coins as being a 1/5 Crown. If this is the case, a slight modification is needed to the reverse description above. Issue prices were $6 for cupro-nickel, $35 for the sterling silver and $165 for the gold coins.
Ed Rochette was the Executive Director of the American Numismatic Association for many years. -Editor
In a subsequent post, Greg adds: You know what coins we don’t have pictures of? That’s right – the gold ones. Krause Publications doesn’t have them. Neither does the Pobjoy Mint. Mintages of 5,000 struck for each design in gold has been confirmed with the Pobjoy Mint. Each coin carried 1/5 of an ounce of .999 fine gold, and were slightly smaller (22 millimeters) and weighed 6.22 grams. So, does anybody out there have a picture of these 8 elusive gold coins? Better yet, do any of you own any of the 8 gold coins? To read the complete articles, see: 
Wayne Homren, Editor The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org. To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum All Rights Reserved. NBS Home Page Contact the NBS webmaster 
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