The second postcard also had an advertisement. This time it features a nice broom from the Gamma, but rest assured. There is no deeper meaning to the card as our home is always nice and clean.
Postcard 2 (send on the 3rd of October):
This month is a special month and to celebrate I have send a couple of postcards to Spain. Each card has a commercial on it, and together the cards form a riddle. I wonder if Ana will figure it out.
Postcard 1 (send on the 1th of October) :
Progress can’t be stopped and it looks like we’re moving ever faster to a new digitally oriented society. Payments are done using plastic and the future promises even more advanced possibilities using your phone to pay for things. Everything turns digital which makes things easier and faster. Except where there is a power outage. In that case we still need to rely on old bank notes and coins.
To keep the market for coins alive the Dutch mint is researching different approaches targeted at the various market segments. One of the markets identified is the collectors. Coins collectors have by definition access to financial means, and most are happy to spend a little bit to keep their collection complete.
Since a few years coins are packaged in a credit card format. A little piece of added carton which raises the price about 400%. The same way old coins are release in a new package, and for a much higher price. These carton versions are very popular. More recent the Dutch mint also started experimenting with colored coins. These have existed for a longer time, but now they have reached a more official character; specifically because they are being sold by the Royal Dutch Mint (KNM).
Since a few years the KNM started creating colored coins. Last week there was another one, and this time it was a colored two euro coin minted in honor of 200 years of Dutch kingdom. The 1500 sets of colored coins were sold out within the hour.
It still remains unclear what is the status of the colored coins. According to the KNM the coins are “Official 2 euro 200 years Monarchy 2013 in Proof-quality with color“. The coin might be official, but legally it is a modified (painted) coin, which means it cannot be used as legal tender. Based on the low amount of coins being minted it seems clear this colored set is solely aimed at collectors.
The (official) colored coins minted so far by the KNM:
| Year | Coin | Quantity | Introduction price |
KNM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 200 year kingdom combinationset | 1500 sets 3 two euro coins per set 1 colored two euro coin Nominal value 2 euro per coin |
€ 75,00 | info |
| 2013 | Vrede van Utrecht color set | 1000 sets 6 silver coins per set Nominal value 5 euro per coin |
€ 275,00 | info |
| 2012 | Lucky 10 cents | 15.000 coins Nominal value 10 cent |
€ 4,95 | info |
| 2012 | Tulpen vijfje color set | 750 sets 4 silver coins per set Nominal value 5 euro per coin |
€ 200,00 | info |
Party, dancing, music, fun. For Alex there is a handy name to address all of these fun things. Takka! Could that be influenced by the following piece of music?
Tacabro – Tacata
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Geocaching is a hobby that really has two sides to it. One is hiding something and publishing the location and some hints on where to find it on the geocaching website. The other part is going out to find hidden caches. There are really a lot of caches out there and almost certain in Holland you’ll find one close near your location. To find a cache you can use your phone or a gps receiver and search for the published coordinates.
Last week I went to search for my first caches and it was quite fun! Some caches are hard to find because they are very small or well hidden but others are much easier. It is nice to go somewhere you normally would not venture. At some caches you can leave your name, or make a trade of some small item inside.
There is another 5 euro coin available and this time they minted another small batch of colored coins. The number of colored coins is 1000 and this is a little bit more then the previous set with the colored tulips, which counted 750 sets. Again the entire batch sold out within a day.
The colored set of the Utrecht five euro coin exists out of 6 silver coins where each has a little colored detail. For each country/area that signed the treaty of the Peace in Utrecht there is a colored coins present in the set. For each country the coloring that is used is based on the countries flag or arms from 1713. The countries that participated were France, Great Britain, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands and Savoy.
Even though these coins are not legal tender this remains a mystery when you review the website of the royal Dutch mint. Clearly they want to sell the colored coins quickly without any hassle. They announced (*) the coins on their website with the specifications stating “Nominal value: 6 x 5 euro”. In the news item announcing the new coins the colored set is mentioned right alongside the rest of the coins. A bit strange because the colored coins are legally viewed worthless and should not be considered legal currency.
The (official) colored coins sold by the royal Dutch mint until now:
| Year | Coin | Quantity | Introduction price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Vrede van Utrecht color set | 1000 sets 6 silver coins per set Nominal value 5 euros per coin |
€ 275,00 |
| 2012 | Lucky 10 cents | 15.000 coins Nominal value 10 cents |
€ 4,95 |
| 2012 | Tulpen vijfje color set | 750 sets 4 silver coins per set Nominal value 5 euros per coin |
€ 200,00 |
(*) Sadly the royal Dutch mint does not preserve the content of their website. As soon as a product is no longer available in their shop all the details related to the product disappear.
The departure of queen Beatrix and the arrival of our new king Willem Alexander is of course very big news and just like a lot of other commercial parties the royal Dutch mint is trying to get a nice slice of the cake. They are producing aankondigingspenningen (announcement coins), abdication sets, special 2 euro coins and a lot more merchandise. Right now all products feature the portrait of our queen, but after the 30th of April there will surely be a big number of new coins which are minted with the portrait of the new king Willem Alexander.
The new 2 euro with both portraits of Beatrix and Willem-Alexander will be mixed with the normal 2 euros and there will be 20 million of such coins, so for sure you will encounter a few of them. For collectors the KNM has a different approach. Once again the created an extra nice coin but in a very limited edition. So limited that they were sold out in days. It seems like a standard approach to quickly sell a few coins which then become very rare and expensive.
The last few emissions by the KNM in 2013:
2 euro dubbelportret – sold out in 3 days
2 euro verdrag van rome in coincard – sold out in 15 days
muntrol 2 euro dubbelportret – sold out in 1 day
BU set Nederland 2013 – sold out in 11 days
Once sold out the price of the coins usually quickly doubles. It almost obligates collectors to review the KNM facebook page and website to keep up to date with new releases. I am not sure what exactly is the advantage for the KNM, but coin dealers must be very happy.
The wait is finally over. Cats and Dogs, Boys and Girls, a never ending battle between men’s best friends, combined with the most epic battle of all, the battle of the sexes. Action-packed in just half a minute of gaming frenzy.
An easy and exiting game, now playable on your Android phone. Practice your reflexes as you try to keep up with all the action on your mobile. This hot new game is available as an Android App on Google Play now and best of all, totally free!
The object of the game is as easy as it is challenging. Select either cats or dogs and boys or girls and start the action. Avoid touching the wrong animal or gender. Are you able to get the high score of the day, while only playing one minute? Don’t wait any longer! Get this game now!
View the all time high scores and today’s best scores.
Who would not like a piece of original art on the wall. I already have my ‘Dre‘, but now it has become a lot easier to get some really unique art.
Using the website ‘Werk aan de muur’ you can browse through thousands of pieces of art and you can even upload your own creations. Once you have found a piece you like you can set a lot of options to get the art exactly as you want, specifying material, size, etc. It is so easy that I already have my own little Adrie Berg art shop.
Finally, a game that plays how it is supposed to. A while ago I tried Diablo 3. It was a nice game, but it had a few shortcomings. The earlier versions were a lot better. Diablo 3 was just to easy, impossible to play without internet and quite expensive.
When Diablo left mi a bit disappointed I went and searched for alternatives, and quickly I ended up with Torchlight. Today the second version becomes available. Torchlight 1 (and surely also Torchlight 2) is very similar to Diablo. Killing monsters and searching for the best equipment. At the same time you are saving the world from all the evil. A concept that agrees with me.
Torchlight has a nice few characteristics. Much more color and the style of the game is sometimes more like a cartoon. Very nice. The hero has the talk to kill monsters and he does this accompanied by his faithful pet. Compared to Diablo it becomes clear that Torchlight is better in almost every possible way.
Version two of Torchlight becomes available today but I think it will only have a digital version. You won’t find the box in the shop. The most amazing thing is the price. The game will be sold for a mere 20 dollars, which translates to a little over 15 euros. A very nice deal! You don’t need internet to play… can create your own multiplayer games… and if you want you can extend the game yourself.
Where Diablo left me with doubts and in the end made me decide not to buy the game (a good choice because I quit playing the game a long time ago) I will buy Torchlight 2 for sure. Selling such a nice game for little is something that must be rewarded.