Recently medals collection trend is gradually built, you can easily find some of the hardcore fans of commemorative coin start the new topic about the medals collection. In Malaysia, medal collection is a fairly new trend. In this issue I will take everyone know what is medallion.
Medals and commemorative coins are often very confusing especially for the newbie collectors, either from the mint processes or physical appearances, they are virtually no difference. You can easily find a lot of medals issuer or sellers often prefer to use "coins" to promote their "medal." Is it really no difference between the both?
Under normal circumstances, the medals issuers are not required the audit or approval from National Bank of Malaysia, therefore such "coins" belonging to the unofficial issuance, it does not have the currency denomination and liquidity, so although it sometimes called as "coin", essentially it is medals. At present, most of the medals in Malaysia are made by bronze and silver, and gold medals still belong to a minority except decorative gold coin from the local goldsmiths. In Malaysia and yet the medals marked with currency denomination. However, the case in China is a bit different, some medals or even with a "face value", this may due to the country's legislative loopholes, the issuers insisted that the face value is not a "currency denomination," but "trade denomination".
In general, a legitimate coins requires two basic conditions: 1. issued by the approved currency issuer in the country 2, must show the currency denomination. In Malaysia, the designated issuers, must qualified and approved by Bank Negara Malaysia and the currency denomination of the currency that is marked RM1, RM10, RM100 and other standard amount, The denomination value entitled legitimate currency value and liquidity..
And often, the medals issued by the mint companies should not named as "coin" although some of the issuers under "special circumstances" that can equal exchange according to the "trading denomination" , such practices is yet common in Malaysia. The "trading denomination" doesn't represent the currency denomination and it is not a currency at all. Thus, simple to say, anyone can customize a set of gold and silver medals.
Briefly, the medals have the following four characteristics:
- Gold and silver medals unmarked ---- denomination national currency
- Gold and silver medals arbitrariness in the approval process, the casting process and coupler is relatively large, the quality may inferior to gold and silver commemorative coins
- Gold and silver medals in the circulation may be more or less according to market needs
- Gold and silver medals may come with allotment certificates, some are not. Even if the allotment certificate, its content compared with gold and silver commemorative coins are exactly different in identity.
Numis Galleries House
19/08/2015
