The Coronation and "Gushy Americans"

Above, 2023 silver Britannia coins. No endorsement of King Charles III is implied. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It boggles the mind to see some Americans get all excited and gushy over the upcoming coronation of King Charles III. 

Sure, it is an historical event for the United Kingdom. I can understand people wanting to see the pomp and ceremony take place, only as casual spectators on "this side of the pond." But to get all excited and, in some cases, "gushy" over it, is ridiculous to me. One friend set up British flags in his yard to celebrate the coronation. Huh?

The matter over "the Colonies" and the English monarchy was settled nearly 250 years ago in 1776. So what's the big deal (as far as Americans are concerned)? 

Frankly, I find the King to be someone of questionable character, considering he cheated on his wife, Princess Diana. The Royal Family has been dysfunctional for years with the current saga of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle making practically daily headlines. We also have Prince Andrew's involvement with Jeffrey Epstein. The only Royal who seems to be a decent sort is heir-apparent Prince William. 

A Canadian friend was perplexed over why I would buy silver Britannia coins featuring the image of King Charles III as he also finds him to be unsavory, referring to him a "globalist ass" as well as an adulterer (some folks do have standards). I couldn't care less about the King, but bought the coins as an investment since they are the first coins with his image and the first year of his reign. This would likely affect their future value. (I also bought some featuring the late Queen Elizabeth II.) Besides, the price was right. Buying them is not an endorsement of the King.

This wasn't the first time Americans gushed over the Royals in my lifetime. I remember many Americans gushing over the wedding of Charles and Diana, as if it were the second coming of Christ. My supervisor at the time asked me to videotape the wedding, which I did. Since the wedding took place while we were asleep, all I had to do was set the timer and pop in a blank tape. I didn't have to watch it.

I guess the coronation will please some dullards here. Considering what a moron we have in the White House, this may be somewhat understandable. 

To each their own.

Silver At $24.17/toz Spot Price

Above, 2023 Britannia coins from the Royal Mint. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Not since early February has silver's spot price closed over $24/toz.

Last Friday, silver closed at $24.17/toz (according to Monex). Will the spot price go higher or lower? That, of course, is anyone's guess. But the turmoil with the banking industry has aided silver.

People who bought silver while the spot price was down stand to make some money if they sell. As for me, I am sitting tight. I did make another purchase on Friday. 

Gold, on the other hand, has flirted going over $2,000/toz, but each time it was about to cross that threshold, it falls back. It is almost as if it is resisting going over $2,000. It closed at $1,976/toz on Friday, according to Monex. For the average person, gold is too expensive to buy. Silver is much more affordable.

What happens with gold and silver this coming week will be interesting to watch. 

Two Versions of the 2023 Britannia Silver Coins

Above, both versions of the 2023 Britannia Silver Coins. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

People are probably wondering why there are two different 2023 Silver Britannia Coins, one with Queen Elizabeth II and one with King Charles III.

The Patriotic Mint explains why:

2023 will be the final year for 1-ounce Britannia Silver Coins featuring the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II before the Royal Mint transitions to King Charles III. Due to the timing of the Queen’s death, the 2023 series will have a limited mintage, making these coins extremely collectable. The Britannia is a stunning British bullion coin issued by The Royal Mint since 1997. Starting in the year 2013 and onward, the Silver Britannia has been produced with .999 fine silver (prior-to-2013 Britannia’s are .958 fine). The image of Britannia, the female personification of the Island of Great Britain, has appeared on UK coinage for almost 2,000 years.

Above, the image of Britannia of both coins. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

My shipment of the 2023 Britannia Silver coins with King Charles III arrived the other day. I bought the version with Queen Elizabeth II previously.

2023 King Charles Britannias

The 2023 Silver and Gold Britannias have been released. At least, their images.

They feature the image of King Charles III.

Coin dealers such as LM Bullion are taking orders for when the Royal Mint releases them.

The 2023 Silver and Gold Britannias featuring Queen Elizabeth II have already been released. 

For ordering the Silver Britannia, go here.

God Save The Queen...

...with the rest of the coin collection.

Today, the new 2023 Silver Britannia coin I ordered arrived in today's mail.

According to Wikipedia:

Britannia coins are British bullion coins issued by the Royal Mint in gold since 1987, in silver since 1997, and in platinum since 2018. The coin patterns feature various depictions of Britannia, a feminine personification of the United Kingdom.

Since 2013 the silver coins have been produced with a millesimal fineness of 0.999 (99.9% silver).

This will be the final year that Queen Elizabeth II will be featured on the Britannia coins. Later this year, King Charles III will have his effigy on the coin.

About The Silver Canadian Maple Leaf

For those of you who are interested in investing in silver bullion coins, here is what Bullion Exchanges says about the Canadian five dollar maple leaf silver coin:

SILVER CANADIAN MAPLE LEAF

The Canadian Silver Maple Leaf Coin is the most famous Canadian Silver coin minted by Royal Canadian Mint. The silver maple leaf design has been used since the first coin was produced in 1988. This design hasn’t changed much over time, even though there have been several distinct designs released for its commemorative editions. The Canadian Silver Maple Leaf is the second most popular silver coin after the American Silver Eagles. Moreover, since their silver content is much higher, being made of 99.99% pure silver, the Canadian silver maple leaf is considered to be one of the most desired coins on the precious metal market. The 2022 Silver Canadian Maple Leafs offer good liquidity and value. It is widely one of the most preferred choices for Precious Metals IRA savings. Mostly due to its innovative bullion security features: the radial lines light-diffracting background pattern, Bullion DNA, and the micro-engraved leaf privy mark with the last two digits of the mintage year.

To see more, go here. 

Two More Canadian Maple Leaf Silver Coins Arrived

The other two 2022 Canadian Maple Leaf five dollar silver coins I ordered arrived today.

As I mentioned before, on one side is the maple leaf and on the other side is a profile of Queen Elizabeth II. As they were minted in the year of her passing, it should increase their value in future years. 

Here's the coins and where I bought them from:

Since inflation is eating away paper currency's value, buying precious metals such as gold and silver is a great investment.

From The Mailbox

For the first time since last Thursday, I was able to pick up my mail down at the post office.

There were a number of goodies in the mailbox, most notably G-FAN #136 and one of my recent 2022 Canadian maple leaf five dollar silver coins featuring Elizabeth R's image on one side. (I have two more of these coins on order from a different coin company.) It came with a copper "Don't Tread On Me" coin as a bonus.

G-FAN #136 should be considered a special tribute issue to the late actor Akira Takarada as there are several articles on this definite fan favorite. The issue closes with an article from yours truly.

Buying Silver

After reading Gary Julian's blog post* on coins this morning, I went over to my favorite coin dealer website to see what they have available of my favorite coin, the Morgan silver dollar.

They didn't have much, but one coin advertised did catch my attention: a Canadian 1 oz. Silver Maple Leaf five dollar coin.

Here's what it looks like:

 

As Mr. Julian wrote, "Having a portion of your wealth in "hard assets" is important. The mix of assets can include real estate, land for farming, silver and gold."

Silver is much more affordable than gold, so that's why I buy silver coins. The price was right and I bought one (they limited purchases of this coin to one per customer). 

*The Federalist blog.

Real People In Adventures of Superman

It is not too often that real-life people get a mention or "appear" in a fictional television show.

The Adventures of Superman of the 1950s is a case in point.

In 1951, in the "Stolen Costume" episode, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover was mentioned by Clark Kent's detective friend Candy.

Then, in 1953, an image of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II appeared on the cover of a magazine at a "London" newsstand in the "A Ghost For Scotland Yard" episode.

Here's a capture of the newsstand featuring Jimmy Olsen (Jack Larson):

Here's the magazine (can you spot it in the photo above?): 

Elizabeth II, R.I.P.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has passed away at 96, it was announced within the past half hour.

According to ABC News:

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II "died peacefully" on Thursday, according to the royal family. She was 96.

The news of her death came just hours after Buckingham Palace announced that the queen's doctors were "concerned" about her health and were keeping her under "medical supervision" at Balmoral Castle, the British royal family's estate in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, where she has been vacationing this summer.

She was the longest reigning monarch in British history. She had reigned so long that her image appeared on a magazine cover in a 1953 episode of the Adventures of Superman, "A Ghost For Scotland Yard".

Prince Charles automatically became King upon his mother's death. The date of his coronation is yet to be determined.

To read more, go here.

The Queen Is About To Set A Record

Above, a screen capture of a scene from "A Ghost For Scotland Yard."

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is about to set a record for a British monarch. 

According to People.com:

She is about to break the record for the longest-reigning British monarch in history, and for Queen Elizabeth, it's all about consistency.  

The woman who came to the throne as a mother of two at age 25 in 1952 keeps her life just so in a routine that has remained amazingly unchanged through the 63 years that she has served as sovereign. 

The following year after she came to the throne, she was featured in an Adventures of Superman episode.

Sharp eyes will spot her image on a newspaper at a newsstand in the episode, "A Ghost For Scotland Yard."

To read more, go here.

Dracula Knighted By The Queen

He was a Count in Transylvania. He was also known as the "King of the Vampires." Now Count Dracula has been knighted by the Queen of England.

The Associated Press reports:

LONDON — The Lord of the Undead is now a knight of the British Empire.

Christopher Lee, whose sonorous voice and burning black eyes made him a memorable arch-villain in films from "Dracula" to "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith," was given one of Britain's highest honors Saturday by Queen Elizabeth II.

Lee, 87, who made his name in Britain's low-budget Hammer Studios horror films, is one of cinema's consummate bad-guys, appearing as everything from Bond villain Scaramanga in "The Man With the Golden Gun" to the disreputable Russian mystic in "Rasputin, the Mad Monk."

Obama Bows To Abdullah (What's he going to do next? Kiss his ass?)

Obama Bows To King Abdullah (What's he going to do next? Kiss his ass?)

President Barack Obama raised a lot of eyebrows today when he met King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia at the G20 summit in London. It wasn't the meeting with the Saudi monarch that raised eyebrows, it was his waist deep bow to the king (photo below).



Generally, a bow to a monarch is done by their subjects in acknowledging the monarch's authority over them. Generally, a slight nod or a handshake is given by a U.S. president to a foreign monarch. Many have expressed embarrassment over Obama's bow.

Some Obama apologists would say, "But, but George Bush held the Saudi King's hand!" We're not talking about Bush, are we? Besides, he was assisting an elderly man, as I recall.

Speaking of monarchs, it has been reported that Obama gave Queen Elizabeth II an iPod containing his speeches, including his acceptance speech at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. More eyebrows are being raised over this odd gift.

Hubris seems to be making a comeback with Obama.



UPDATE (4/8/09): It is being reported that the White House is denying that President Obama was bowing to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.

Politico is reporting:

The White House is denying that the president bowed to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia at a G-20 meeting in London, a scene that drew criticism on the right and praise from some Arab outlets.

"It wasn't a bow. He grasped his hand with two hands, and he's taller than King Abdullah," said an Obama aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

This reminds me of an old saying, "Are you going to believe me or your lyin' eyes?"

Not a bow. Uh-huh.