What’s New in NumisMaster – October 2023

Since last month’s installment, about 650 image pairs have been added to eight countries. I mention image “pairs” because every coin we add to the NumisMaster database will have both obverse and reverse images. This might seem repetitious in a monarchy, or even many democracies, however, since eventually most searchers drill down to just one coin or master record, each record should be able to offer a collector as complete a description of the coin as possible, including images of both sides of the coin.

Master records were entered for over 1,000 coins from 15 countries around the globe. Alphabetically most of these came from the letters “S” and “T,” as we are currently marching through in an orderly fashion to extend our initial massive entry push in the first half of 2023. Tanzania and Tokelau gained a combined 100 master records, while Turkey had almost 180 coins added. This brought each of these countries current up to August 2023.

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Tuvalu alone gained over 100 coin listings in August, and images were added immediately after the master records were established. Romania received about 40 new detail lines providing new dates for circulating type coins.

These days, when new circulation dates are being added, we are adjusting and expanding values to encompass the worldwide practice of coin trading. In the past, we were primarily reflecting the market relationship between dealers and collectors. Considering coin trading brings a new dimension and allows for smaller values in the lower grades that dealers might not be concerned with while also often providing higher values for those grades above a basic AU-50 or MS-60.

Continuing our briefing on updates, we note that South Africa and Spain gained over 300 coins combined, with images added for almost every coin. For these two countries and many others, Mints provide sharp, detailed images of their output to keep our database up-to-date and accurate. Somalia, South Georgia, and the South Sandwich Islands combined for another 300 new coins. While image gathering is about complete for Somalia, SG and the SSI are waiting for Mint-supplied materials to arrive and be processed.

Updating a database, or producing a guidebook, is not always a smooth and simple process. Each country requires a slightly different approach because every country has unique processes of its own where coin production or acquisition is concerned. The same is true of different facets of the market and how coins are marketed, exchanged, and consumed by collectors. I like to remind folks that none of this is as uniform as it appears at first glance because, over time, countries have created coinage in many ways for differing purposes, just as collectors have pursued their hobby in a myriad of different ways. Perhaps that’s a discussion for another column since we have run out of time and space on this one.