Road Town, Tortola - Coordinator of the Procurement Unit of the Ministry of Finance, Mrs. Ishma Hodge-Rhymer is encouraging members of the public to learn more about numismatics, which is the study and collection of coins.
“As the agency responsible for facilitating the request for commemorative coins on behalf of the Virgin Islands Government, the Procurement Unit wants to see more persons get involved in the study and collection of coins,” Mrs. Hodge-Rhymer said during an interview with the Department of Information and Public Relations.
“The coins that we have in stock are beautiful and they would be a great addition to someone’s home collection or even the starter coins for a new collector,” said Mrs. Hodge-Rhymer. “If anyone is interested, they are free to come by and look at our coins, or even make a purchase,” encouraged the coordinator.
She explained, “Some individuals may just collect coins that are made in a specific year, or those that are within a certain theme or category,” she said. The coordinator added, “It doesn’t matter if a potential collector is particular, because the Procurement Unit has a coin to match anyone’s interests.”
“Local collectors should form clubs so that they can facilitate in-house trading and researching. In doing so, they are encouraging the advancement of the art of numismatics,” expressed Mrs. Hodge-Rhymer.
The coins at the Procurement Unit are designed, manufactured and marketed by Pobjoy Mint Ltd. in the United Kingdom.
Mrs. Hodge-Rhymer said Pobjoy has reported high sales of Virgin Islands coins. The most popular are the Queen Elizabeth Accession Gold coin, the King Edward VIII Silver coin and the World Cup Soccer coin which have sold totals of 3806, 2505 and 2445 respectively.
Presently, the British Virgin Islands’ 2010 175th Anniversary of the First Book of Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen Titanium coin is on the Pobjoy Mint’s best sellers’ list.
With regards to accolades, the coordinator explained that the Virgin Islands won the ‘Most Innovative Coin of the Year 2007’ with the coin commemorating the Centenary of the First Colour Photograph. The award is run annually by Krause Publications, a major publisher of hobby magazines and catalogues based in the United States of America (USA).
In 2009, the Nelson Mandela coin was nominated for ‘Most Historically Significant’ coin of 2008 but did not win the Coin of the Year Award.
“All major states in the USA and other mints from around the world enter this competition, so we are very pleased with the nomination,” said Mrs. Hodge-Rhymer.
Executive Officer in the Procurement Unit, Ms. Beneida Blyden, said two special coins will be minted this year. They are the 75th Anniversary of the Birth of Elvis Presley coin and the 60th Anniversary of the Creation of the Peanuts Cartoon Strip coin which depicts the main character Snoopy laying on his doghouse.
For more information on numismatics, please contact Mrs. Ishma Hodge-Rhymer or Ms. Beneida Blyden at the Procurement Unit, at 468-3701 ext. 4243 or 4244.
The Procurement Unit, within the Ministry of Finance, is responsible for the management, coordination, monitoring and evaluation of procurement, the acquisition of goods, works and services, on behalf of the Government of the Virgin Islands.
British Virgin Islands News