XIAM007

Making Unique Observations in a Very Cluttered World

Saturday 26 June 2010

World's Largest Gold coin - Canadian $1,000,000 Maple Leaf sold - only 5 ever made - for $4.02 million -

World's Largest Gold coin - Canadian $1,000,000 Maple Leaf sold - only 5 ever made - for $4.02 million -  


Main Image



The 100 kg (220.5 lb) piece, one of only five Canadian $1,000,000 Maple Leaf coins the Royal Canadian Mint has ever produced, was snapped up immediately in a written bid from ORO direct, a gold trading company based in Madrid.
There were no counter offers in an auction room packed with more journalists than potential buyers. It sold for the catalog sum, the coin's pure gold value based on Friday's market price. This was four times its face value.
The auction was ordered by the administrator of Austrian investment group AvW Invest, which filed for insolvency in May after its owner and chief executive was arrested on suspicion of fraud, breach of trust and other charges.
AvW had acquired the coin in 2007, joining an exclusive club of owners including Queen Elizabeth, who is also displayed on one side of the coin, two unidentified investors in Dubai and one who is so reclusive even his or her residence is unknown.
AvW had lent its coin, 53 cm (21 inches) in diameter and 3 cm thick, to Vienna's Kunsthistorisches Museum where it had been on display as part of its coin collection.
Its purity is 99.999 percent, the purest type in the market.
The Royal Canadian Mint launched the coin in 2007 to showcase its production facilities and steal the entry in the Guinness Book of Records for the world's biggest gold coin.
That title had previously been held by the Austrian mint, who in 2004 produced fifteen 100,000-euro coins weighing 1,000 troy ounces (31.1 kg) to celebrate the 15th anniversary of its best-selling Philharmonics coin.

Newly Rescued Chihuahua Takes World's 'Ugliest Dog' Title - Princess Abby (Abigail) Francis -

Newly Rescued Chihuahua Takes World's 'Ugliest Dog' Title - Princess Abby (Abigail) Francis - 


Princess Abby the Chihuahua



A rescue dog believed to be a Chihuahua mix has won the World's Ugliest Dog contest.
Princess Abby (Abigail) Francis, a dog with a gray, brown and black coat was shivering in the cool breeze Friday night as her owner, Kathleen Francis, accepted a $1,000 check and applause from the crowd at the 22nd annual contest held at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma.
The four-year-old dog beat a rough-looking slate of candidates for the prize, including Pabst, the teeth-bearing boxer mix who won last year.
Francis says she rescued Princess Abby from her veterinarian about five months ago.
Celebrity vet Karen "Doc" Halligan, one of the contest's three judges, says the dog's oddly curved back and legs and closed up left eye may be due to being inbred.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
PETALUMA, Calif. (AP) — You can call him the underdog with the underbite.
Pabst, the teeth-bearing boxer mix that won the World's Ugliest Dog contest in 2009, faces a rough-looking slate of competitors Friday night. They include several of the Chinese crested breed that has historically performed well in ugly-dog competitions.
In early Internet polling, Pabst trailed several dogs, including the hang-tounged 2002 champion Rascal as well as the hairless pair Icky and Handsome Hector.
But only the judges have the final verdict. They are celebrity vet Karen "Doc" Halligan, Vertical Horizon lead singer Matt Scannell, "That 70's Show" actress Christina Moore and Sonoma-Marin fair board member Brian Sobel.
The 22nd annual contest takes place at the Sonoma-Marin fair in Petaluma.