LOOSE CHANGE: AUGUST 2, 2026

Janvier reducing machine at the Royal Mint circa 1934

While the 19th century brought steam-powered presses, which established a mechanized method of coin production, the century that followed brought automation, electronics, and computer controls, allowing mints to strike billions of coins with speed and precision.

In the 1890s, Victor Janvier developed and released the Janvier Reducing Machine, which allowed engravers to create a large plaster model of a coin design and mechanically reduce it to the size needed for a die. Before this, coin dies were often engraved by hand, making consistency between dies difficult to achieve. Additionally, the more complex the design, the more specialized engravers were needed.

The Reducing Machine made it so artists could work on larger plaster models and multiple working dies could be made from a single plaster model. Artistic detail and realism also improved significantly.

To read the complete article, see:
The Evolution of Minting Technology–Part 5 (https://www.numismaticnews.net/the-evolution-of-mintingtechnology-part-5)

 

Ober Ost, was a German-occupied territory comprising Poland, Belarus, Russia, and the Baltic States during World War I (1914–1918). The Ober Ost was established in November 1914 by Kaiser Wilhelm II and was subsequently ruled by field marshals Paul von Hindenburg and Prince Leopold of Bavaria. Various attempts at Germanization were carried out in these territories, including the implementation of mandatory German-language classes in schools. A military order issued on June 7, 1916, gave the Ober Ost autonomy over economic matters, jurisdiction, customs duties, and its own currency.

Until September 1918, not only military but also civilian matters affecting the Ober Ost were decided upon by the German military authority. A civilian administration led by German politicians was then introduced, with responsibility for non-military affairs. This was short-lived, since the Ober Ost was gradually abandoned by the Germans at the end of 1918 and into 1919 following the end of World War I and the subsequent collapse of the German Empire.

This article explores the currency that was specifically created by the German authorities for circulation in these occupied territories. In April 1916, the Poznan-based Ostbank für Handel und Gewerbe (Eastern Bank for Trade and Industry), one of the largest banks in Eastern Germany, was instructed by the Germans to set up a temporary issuing institution, the Darlehnskasse Ost (Eastern Lending Bank), that would be in charge of producing the money for circulation in the occupied territories.

To read the complete article, see:
The Currency of the Ober Ost (https://www.numismaticnews.net/the-currency-of-the-ober-ost)

 

Spain's Royal Mint will issue a 5-euro silver coin in honour of the men's football team winning the 2026 FIFA World Cup in New Jersey earlier this month. Ten days after Ferran Torres sealed Spain's second star with an extra-time goal in the World Cup football final against Argentina, the Spanish Royal Mint has decided that the feat should also be struck on a coin. The obverse, or main side, contrary to what early distributor information suggested, does not feature the trophy: it carries a left-profile portrait of Spain's King Felipe VI, with the circular legend "Felipe VI rey de España" at the top and the year 2026 between two dots at the bottom, all surrounded by a beaded border. It is the reverse that concentrates the World Cup iconography: at the top, the FIFA World Cup 26 logo; at the bottom, in capitals, "World Champions"; in the centre, in colour, the tournament's official trophy. On the right, a five-pointed star appears over the colours of the Spanish flag and, underneath, the face value on two lines: 5 Euro. On the left, the mint mark and another identical star. The composition sits on a background that cuts out part of the silhouette of the World Cup's official branding.

To read the complete article, see:
By royal command: Spain mints new euro coin to mark World Cup football success (https://www.euronews.com/culture/2026/07/29/spain-mints-coin-for-second-star-the-piece-that-crowns-2026-world-cup-champions)

Each card had a fixed value, usually £20, which the machine would provide once the card had been entered, and the user had entered their PIN. However, unlike modern machines, the machine kept the card. Each night, a Bank worker then had to manually update the user's account in a ledger, and then return the card to them in the post. Hence why several cards were provided to each account holder!

These cards use a ‘punch card' system which is where the computer reads the holes and interprets the data. It's based on the works of Joseph Marie Jacquard (who developed a fully automatic loom using these punch cards in the 1800s) and Charles Babbage (who built on Jacquard's theories and used a similar approach for his calculating engine in the 1830s)

The cards became more secure once ATMs started using commercial microprocessors as part of the design. This change enabled the cards to have magnetic strips rather than punch holes and meant that the new magnetic strip cards could be returned to the customer once they had been used.

To read the complete article, see:
Object in focus: the Williams and Glyn card (https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/museum/online-collections/blog/the-williams-and-glyn-card)

Occasionally, you might even discover an actual treasure... whether you realize it or not.

In the late 80s, this is exactly what happened to one woman browsing through a car boot sale in Isleworth, West London. Spotting some interesting bangles in a box of costume jewels, she paid no attention to a cocktail ring made up of a single clear stone. It might have been a gobstopper of a gem but it didn't sparkle like one: sitting in a rusty, old setting, it looked dull and filthy – certainly nothing special. The seller was offloading the lot for £12—our heroine haggled her down to £10. The bangles— and the ring—went home with her.

It was only in 2017, thirty years after that unremarkable car boot sale, that the owner thought to have the ring appraised. Over the years, she had worn it as one might wear a cocktail ring—regularly—thinking that it couldn't possibly be worth anything.

The Sotheby's team sent the piece to the Gemological Institute of America for evaluation. It came back with quite the report: the cushion-cut diamond is enormous, weighing in at 26.27 carats, bears a color grade of I and an impressive clarity grade of VVS2. Once Sotheby's had the diamond confirmed as genuine, the story of the car boot sale find—suitably nicknamed the "Tenner" diamond—went viral, making international headlines. When it entered the Fine Jewels Sale in June 2017, the high estimate was listed as £350,000.

After some frenzied bidding, the stone ultimately sold for £656,750, a life-changing sum for the owner.

To read the complete article, see:
The "Tenner" Diamond: How a Flea Market Find Became a Six-Figure Sensation (https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/editorial-a-rare-diamond-discovered-at-a-car-boot-sale)

You don't have to sit through three hours of The Odyssey in Imax 70mm to understand the power of a Grecian gold coin necklace.

Dating back to ancient Rome and the Byzantine Empire, coin jewelry crops up in a variety of cultures across the globe as a symbol of wealth and protection, often depicting Indian or Greek gods and goddesses, Christian idols, and other symbolic imagery. In modern history, coin necklaces have become intrinsic with the '70s boho aesthetic, wading in and out of style with the natural course of cyclical jewelry trends, but rarely washing away completely.

In fact, the gold coin necklace trend was already experiencing a resurgence this past fall, as boho trends and heirloom-inspired jewelry seeped their way into celebrity street style and new jewelry collections. Then came the press run for The Odyssey to fully cement the coin necklace trend for summer.

To read the complete article, see:
The Gold Coin Necklace Trend Channels The Odyssey Without Going Full Greek Goddess (https://www.glamour.com/story/gold-coin-necklace-trend-2026)

	NBS (coinbooks.org) Web