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Relive the adventures of the Famous Five…
I can still remember crawling under my bed sheets as a child at night armed with a torch, and reading, fascinated, about the adventures of Julian, Dick, Anne, George and Timmy – the Famous Five – as they set off in their rowing boat to explore Kirrin Island and uncover shipwrecked gold, stumbling into all sorts of hijinks and thwarting crime in the process.
I still have that copy of the Famous Five’s first adventure, Five on a Treasure Island – now passed on to my children and, I hope, one day to my grandchildren.
But for me – and I’m sure for the many Famous Five lovers across the world – the joy of the “Five” novels is more than just the story.
Part of it is, of course, the beauty of the illustrations bringing the words to life. But it’s also the classic design of the books’ front covers, instantly recognisable and perfectly sized for a child’s hands. Books that are cherished as collectable in their own right.
And that’s why I have been so excited over the last few months to be able to work personally on an exclusive and highly collectable representation of Five on a Treasure Island. Something I’m confident will be passed from children to grandchildren in years to come, just like my battered family copy of the Famous Five.
Authenticity, heritage and limited edition
That’s because, for the very first time, the actual book fronts of the Famous Five novels are being faithfully reproduced on a series of Limited Edition Silver-Plated Ingots.
As you can see from the enclosed photos above and below, the first Ingot is a perfect limited edition recreation of the Five on a Treasure Island book cover, including the original coloured illustration that you, I, and many generations of children have grown up to love.
Throughout the process, authenticity and heritage have been paramount. And that’s still the case when you turn your Five on a Treasure Island Ingot over. As you do so, you reveal the words: “There was something else out on the sea by the rocks – something dark that seemed to lurch out of the waves… What could it be?” – the very text from one of the book’s most dramatic scenes.
Importantly, each Ingot has been struck to the very highest standards. The ingots themselves have been specially created to match the exact proportions of the original book and are finished with fine silver-plate.
Your invitation to SAVE £10.00 when you order today
Today, I would like to personally invite you to own the Five on a Treasure Island Silver-Plated Ingot for JUST £9.99 – an exclusive SAVING for you of £10.00.
Since it was first published in 1942, over 100 million copies of the Famous Five series have been sold. Today, two million copies of the books are still sold each year! And that’s when you realise where the collectible significance of this newly released Silver-Plated Ingot lies.
Only 9,995 ingots have been authorised.
Almost certainly,that’s far from enough for all the Famous Five lovers in Britain, let alone the rest of the world.
The Easter coins that trace their history back to the time of Jesus…
It’s a tradition that dates back to the time of the Bible. During the Last Supper, Jesus famously washed the feet of his disciples as a sign of his humility, and it was this religious event that inspired an Easter tradition which takes place to this day.
Since the thirteenth century, members of the Royal Family have followed Jesus’ example, giving gifts to the poor and washing their feet on Maundy Thursday, the day before Good Friday. By the eighteenth century, the act of washing feet was discontinued and the accompanying gifts were replaced by a money allowance, known as Maundy money.
And it was this change that created one of the most interesting of all the historic Royal Mint releases.
The first Maundy money ceremony took place in the reign of Charles II, when the King gave people undated hammered coins in 1662. The tradition has continued for over 350 years and today’s recipients of Royal Maundy are elderly men and women, chosen because of the Christian service they have given to the Church and the community.
At the ceremony, the monarch hands each recipient two small leather string purses. A red purse contains ordinary coins, while a white one contains the extremely special silver Maundy coins, amounting to the same number of pence as the years of the sovereign’s age.
Its deeply historical roots are what makes Maundy Money a rare highlight in any classic coin collection. But because of their extremely limited mintage and the fact they have never been issued into general circulation, they now stand as a one of the most highly sought after Easter gifts in the world!
The video we just can’t stop watching!
Videos going viral is nothing new; most will remember ‘Charlie bit my finger’, ‘Fenton’ or ‘Star Wars kid’.
However, perhaps the one video most did not expect to be a hit around the world was ‘The Classic Tetris World Championship Final’ (yes, there’s a Tetris World Championship).
I’ll set the scene.
Joseph Saelee, just 16 years old and a huge underdog, was facing 7 times World Champion Jonas Neubauer. Nobody gave him a chance.
After 26 minutes of playing, Neubauer, as expected, takes the lead. However, after a rare mistake, he crashes out.
Saelee needs another 108,120 points to win…just 3 Tetris’ will do it. He holds his nerve and with lightning fast reactions, upsets the odds and takes the title.
The skill of the players is remarkable, I mean truly remarkable.
See the video for yourself, nearly 7 million others have watched it, you won’t be disappointed:
What’s so interesting is that when I showed this to some of my colleagues in the office they were initially not at all interested…30 seconds in they were hooked!
They loved the fact that such an old game, invented by a Russian back in 1984, was still so popular today and they couldn’t believe that the players were using an actual Nintendo Entertainment System from 1983.
One said, “I love how retro it is!” and I couldn’t agree more.
Retro has made a comeback and in a big way. In particular retro arcade games.
Our Space Invaders coin, that we launched last month, SOLD OUT in record time. Had we been able to source more, it would have sold double!
It proved how incredibly collectable retro themed coins are, especially when their box is a replica of the original gaming machines.
The Official Tetris Silver Coin has just been released worldwide. If retro is your thing, I’d suggest snapping one up quickly.
If you’re interested
Issued in 1oz .999 Silver, to celebrate the 35th Anniversary of Tetris, the coin features the Tetris games icon Tetriminos on a chequered, Proof background, and appears as if the blocks are falling, much like in the game itself. Click here to secure yours>>