Wow, GREAT comments, guys. I guess it is rather hard to explain but my Music "coin" collecting is a marriage of my 2 passions, Piano/copmosition and coin collecting. Note I didn't call it "Numisatics" because I fully realize that the music coin hobby has very little to do with numismatics. My U.S.A. type set from 1793-1963 is very much the opposite. I devoted much study to that and have a decent library of references that I pour through from time to time to learn more. Unfortunately, THAT collection is at a standstill as what I need now is priced in high 4 figures or more...too pricy for me. I guess when I had to retire at 56 and was collecting on my disability insurance policies (Kidney transplant prohibited me from continuing to teach in a public school setting...too much risk of infection) I needed to find a more affordable way to continue collecting. Since I had already years ago started the music coin hobby, my interest exploded and it has since carried me through in an area I can afford. Need to keep the brain busy!! True, some of the coins (MANY in fact) have questionable "value" as legitimate coins, but if they meet my guidlines for inclusion (some don't) then I very much enjoy the hunt and hopefully the eventuall acquisition of the coin(s). Perhaps the most outlandish piece I hunted down for years was the 25 Francs of Mozart from the Congo. It is acrillyc and about the size of a dinner plate. Weighs a ton but I LOVE that damn stupid coin. problem is that I can't figure out a way to include it in an album!!!!
I have a secret fantasy that someday I will be permitted to display the collection somewhere...perhaps at a big international convention...or maybe just the large coin shows in Boston. It is a source of pride and to some degree, beauty.
For the many good poeple out there that have helped me locate coins in the past, first off, THANK YOU! I HAVE located the $2 Niue Chopin coin that I mentioned I couldn't find in my last post. I also found the 2 "Nuie Russian Musician" coins of 2010 and though they are performers, a sub category in my collection, they are low on the priority list.
One change to the collection, I have elected to terminate the sub category on "authors whose works were set to music by prominant composers" and I am thinking that the "Musically Affiliated People" may also "bite the dust" as we say here in the States:
Music Coins, Musically Affiliated Famous People
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
1 Switzerland 5 Francs 1979 KM-58 BU 902,000
Desiderius Erasmus (1436-1566)
2. Netherlands 10 ECU 1991 X# 44a BU 25,000
3. Netherlands 2 Euro 2011 KM-__ BU __ Unlisted
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)
4. People’s Republic of China 10 Yuan 1991 KM-442 Proof 30,000
5. Germany, Federal Republic 5 Marks 1982 KM-156 Proof 350,000
6. Germany, Federal Republic 10 Marks 1999G KM-197 Proof __
Franz Grillparzer (1791-1872)
7. Austria 20 Schillings 1991 KM 2995.1 Unc. 463,000
* Austria 25 Schilling 1964 KM-2895.1 Proof 35,000 LAST PAGE OF SECTION
Johann Gottfried Herder (1744-1803)
8. Germany, Federal Republic 10 Marks 1994G KM-184 Proof 450,000
Josef Hlavka (1831-1908)
9. Czech republic 200 Korun 2008 KM-98 Proof __
Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft (1581-1647)
10. Netherlands 5 EURO 1997 X #-132 BU 100,000
Jan Amos Komensky (1592-1670)
11. Czechoslovakia 10 Korun 1957 KM-48 Proof 5,000
Philipp Melanchthon (1497-1660)
12. Germany, Federal Republic 10 Marks 1997F KM-189.1 Proof 150,000
Zdenek Nejedly (1878-1972)
13. Czechoslovakia 50 Korun 1978 KM-90 Proof 5,000
Arthur SchopenHauer (1788-1860)
14. Germany, Federal Republic 10 Marks 1988D KM-168 Proof 350,000
Next Page in Album
Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965)
1. German Democratic Republic 10 Marks 1975 KM-56 BU 99,000
2. Germany, Federal Republic 5 Marks 1975 KM-143 Proof 250,000
3. Togo 100 Francs 2000 KM__ Proof __ Unlisted
Stendhal (AKA Marie-Henri Beyle 1783-1842)
4. France 10 Francs 1983 KM-953 AU 2,951,000
Maria Theresa (1770-1780)
5. Austria Thaler !780 (Restrike) KM-T1 Proof
6. Austria 25 Schillings 1967 KM-2901 Proof 27,800
7. Austria 500 Schillings 1980 KM-2949 Proof? 171,600
Sorry for the longwinded and probably very uninteresting post. I have to wait 2 hours after taking my meds before breakfast...and I was late this morning!
Have a terrific day/evening everyone. Alan Massachsetts