Today I thought I would give everyone a break from Peace and Morgan dollar VAMS. Don't be sad. They will be back! So, the Bushman's Alarm Clock, in this case, is a 2018 Australian Kookaburra. It is nick-named that for it's habit of sounding off, loudly, at dusk and dawn. This Australian silver coin is the Aussie answer to our Silver American Eagle. It has been minted, in Perth, since 1990. Each year features a different vision of the bird. This is one of the things I find attractive about the series. This year the one troy ounce .9999 silver coin features, on the reverse, the kookaburra in flight with it's wings spread wide. It was designed by gifted artist Neil Hollis. The obverse, by Ian Rank-Broadley depicts, as always, a portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. My Gem BU coin is 40.60 mm in diameter and a thickness of 3.21 mm. It has a denomination of one dollar Australian. I find this a fun coin to collect. This coin is relatively inexpensive and, as I stated, every year has a different depiction of the kookaburra. You can find it a many domestic coin dealers. It also comes in different weights and finishes. Thanks for your time. I hope you enjoyed this blog and photos. I look forward to your comments!

Here is a nice Example of toning of a silver coin.  This is a 1995 Mexican One Onza, more commonly called a Libertad. It is Mexico's answer to our Silver American Eagle. One ounce of .999 pure silver. These are very popular coins that I collect. The 1995 is the last year they were minted in this diameter, 36 mm.. After that they were and are made to 40 mm.. The obverse features the national coat of arms. The reverse shows the Winged Victory Statue and the mountains Ixtaccihuatl and Popocatepetl. These mountains have a very interesting story associated with them and I encourage everyone interested in Mexico and their coinage to research it. Now to the toning. Look at the progression of colors and their shape and you will see a perfect example of how they should appear on a coin. There is a natural pattern and order of colors.  Often, on counterfeit coins, they get the colors and their progression wrong. Very often they are falsely toned to hide imperfections in the fake coin it self. The ANA Summer Seminar has a class on this very topic.. If you enjoy toned coins of any type, you might consider taking it or something like it. Counterfeits are everywhere, even inside slabs! Thanks for looking. As always I look forward to your comments.