Hi all, I wanted to formally introduce you to Martin Gray who has joined CoinTalk at my invitation. I've already been in touch with Peter, our man behind the curtain, as well as Doug and Steve (De Orc) about this and I am doing this with Peter's blessing. Martin is a National Geographic photographer who is currently working on a book titled "Sacred Life: Coins of the Natural World." This book will have black and white photographs of several hundred coins with the animals and plants (living species) shown on the coins. The theme of Martin's book is both simple and profound: "We have living beings on our money; let’s use that money to protect them." Martin has been looking for circulated examples of a number of specific coins that he would like to borrow and photograph for this book. Thalia Elizabeth and I have lent Martin several dozen coins, all of which were returned safely. In all Martin has borrowed, photographed and returned over 300 individual coins thus far from a number of individuals. He's looking for circulated coins, the idea being that they've been in the pocket of someone around the world. (I really like this idea-- it fits with my concept of coins relating to our collective history.) Martin is still in search of a select list of world coins, that while relatively inexpensive, are just not all that common as far as I know. I suggested to him that he post here CT with a request to borrow the remaining items he would like to photograph to complete the book. But I didn't think it wise for Martin to simply register and immediately make such a solicitation as it might appear to be suspect as an initial post (and some members would not hesitate to call this out). So as a more veteran member of CT who has already worked with Martin, I'm introducing him and his work to the gang. Martin should be along shortly with a list of the coins he's looking for. Hopefully you good folks here at CT will then be able to work directly with him via PM. I would not hesitate to endorse his effort and I'm really looking forward to seeing this book-- at last I get into print! (Well, sort of... ) Here are some photographs from his effort so far-- and yes, some of the coins were borrowed from me and Thalia Elizabeth (mostly Thalia!) Animals: http://sacredsites.com/coins/animals/ Plants: http://sacredsites.com/coins/plants/ Birds: http://sacredsites.com/coins/birds/ Fish: http://sacredsites.com/coins/fish/ His website is www.sacredsites.com (and besides the links above, there is some amazing nature photography on it)! Martin lives in Arizona and I've had the pleasure of speaking with him personally about this work. Thanks in advance for any help you can provide to this effort!
Sounds like an interesting project. I've got a couple bags of circulated world coins around here somewhere when I get time I'll go through them & see if I have anything he needs. It appears limited to modern coinage?
SACRED LIFE: Coins of the Natural World; by Martin Gray Hello everyone and thanks to George Irwin for inviting me to join Coin Talk. George did a good job of introducing my project but I will state it briefly here again. I am a National Geographic photographer (who has visited more than 100 countries) preparing a photography book called SACRED LIFE, Coins of the Natural World. The book will feature black and white photographs of several hundred coins with very specific images on the coins: Animals, Plants, Birds, Undersea creatures, Plants, Reptiles and Insects. I am not actually a coin collector, nor am I collecting coins - I am a collector of PHOTOGRAPHS of coins. The theme of the book is very simple and clear: We have living beings all over our money, let's use that money to protect them. You could think of the book as a Zoo, a Botanical Garden, an Aquarium and an Aviary. By putting this book together I am trying to inspire people to recognize that we humans are surrounded by living things, which are every bit as valuable to the grand scheme of global life as we are. Through the mediums of money, art (coins have some of the greatest sculpture ever produced), history, biology and numerous others, the book will appeal to a wide variety of people, in countries all over the world. There will be chapters for each of the categories of living beings represented. Each page will show four coins, on a white background, and the coins will be shown at approximately three inches in diameter. Beneath each coin will be listed the Country, Denomination, Living Species, Year of Issue. The beginning of the book will have a 5-10 page introduction, which will explain its theme, and it will also briefly tell the history of coin use, their method of manufacture and some other interesting facts. The book is being prepared in black and white so that it will be less expensive than color to produce, and thereby less expensive for people to purchase. I conceived of this book idea nearly twenty years ago when I was in Istanbul, Turkey doing some photography for another book I was working on. I found a few contemporary coins with living beings on them, was inspired by the beauty of the coins, and wanted to share that beauty with more people. As I thought more about the book, I realized it would be a good way to get people to value and respect other forms of life instead of only human beings. So far, as of April 1, more than a dozen different coin collectors and dealers have lent me more than 300 coins, and altogether I have photographed more than 400. All of the coins that people lend me to photograph are perfectly taken care of, the surfaces are not shinned, and everything is promptly returned to the owners as soon as I photograph the coins. I can provide the names and contact information of each of the people who lent me coins, in case any of you reading this want to check on me even more. The coins I am photographing for the book are really of no value other than their face value. I am not seeking old coins or valuable coins - I want to photograph every-day coins that every-day people carry in their pockets and purses. I would be grateful if anyone receiving this letter will lend me - again, for no more than one week - any of the coins on the list below. If you would like to see a list of the coins I have already photographed, send me an email at martin@sacredsites.com and I will email that list back to you. If you want to see many of the coins I have already photographed, there are photographs of them on these four pages of my web site: Animals http://sacredsites.com/coins/animals/ Plants http://sacredsites.com/coins/plants/ Birds http://sacredsites.com/coins/birds/ Fish http://sacredsites.com/coins/fish/ If you wish to call and speak with me by phone, my number in Arizona is 928-274-5699. The coins may be sent to my post box address (Martin Gray, PO 4111, Sedona, Arizona 86340) or to my street address (Martin Gray, c/o Sedona Moving and Storage, 2060 Contractor's Road, Sedona, Arizona 86336). Here is the list of coins that I still need to photograph. If you have other coins that you think I might like to photograph, send me an email and I will tell you if I have already photographed them. Thank you very much. B Botswana, 5 Pula, 1978, Gemsbok, KM#11 Botswana, 5 Pula, 1986, Red Lechwes, KM#19 British Virgin Islands, 25 Cents, 1985, Blue marlin, KM#45 C China, 5 Yuan, 1995, Golden monkey, KM#714 Costa Rica, 100 Colones, 1974, Manatee, KM#201 Cuba, 1 Peso, 1983, Spiny lobster, KM#107 G Gibraltar, 1 Crown, 1997, Peacocks, KM#514 I Isle of Man, 1/5 Crown, 1994, Japanese bobtail cat, KM#475 Isle of Man, 1 Crown, 2000, Kitten with world globe, KM#1056 Israel, 1 New Sheqel, 1993, Buck and young Hart deer, KM#243 Israel, 1 New Sheqel, 1994, Leopard, KM#259 Israel, 1 New Sheqel, 1995, Fox, KM#274 Italy, 200 Lire, 1991, Wolf, KM#142 L Latvia, 10 Latu, 1996, Grieze bird, KM#10 M Malawi, 5 Kwacha, 1978, Zebras running, KM#15 Malawi, 10 Kwacha, 1978, Sable antelope, KM#16 Maldive Islands, 5 Rufiyaa, 1978, Spiny lobster, KM#57 Mongolia, 50 Tugrik, 1976, Camel running, KM#37 N New Zealand, 2 Dollars, 1993, Sacred Kingfisher, KM#87 O Oman, 75 Rials, 1976, 1996, Arabian Tahr, KM#63 P Papua New Guinea, 5 Kina, 1997-98, Snake in tree, KM#44 R Russia, 3 Roubles, 1997, Polar bear watching walrus, Y#593 S San Marino, 5 Lire, 1974, Porcupine, KM#32 South Africa, 2-1/2 Cents, 1997, Knysna seahorse, KM#174 South Africa, 2-1/2 Cents, 1998, Jackass Penguin, KM#176 Spitzbergen, 10,25,50,100 Roubles, Polar bear, KM#Tn5-8 Sudan, 5 Pounds, 1976, Hippopotamus with calf, KM#71 V Venezuela, 25 Bolivares, 1975, Jaguar, Y#46 Venezuela, 50 Bolivares, 1975, Giant Armadillo, Y#47 Vietnam, 10 Dong, 1986, Water buffalo, KM#15 Y Yemen, 10 Riyals, 1969, Three gazelles leaping, KM#7 Yemen, 20 Riyals, 1969, Camel with rider, KM#9
Thanks for responding to my request. The year of issue of the coins I have in the book is not really that important. Most of the coins I have photographed so far are from 1960 forward, though I do have an 1802 coin from Ceylon and an 1870 from Madagascar. Given the time period I am photographing, I don't actually want to include coins from before 1800. If you would like to speak with me by phone, please call me at 928-274-5699. Thanks, Martin Gray martin@sacredsites.com PO 4111, Sedona, Arizona 86340
Thank you for your reply. I would be very grateful if you could help me with this project. My contact information is given in my longer note above......Martin Gray
A very interesting concept. However, not to nitpick, but in the interest of scientific accuracy befitting your National Geographic connection, you might want to consider moving the 20¢ Australian coin depicting a platypus from the "Fish" section to the "Animal" section, and renaming "Fish" to something like "Aquatics", as shrimp, squid, etc., are not really "fish".
Those are very good suggestions and I will make both of the changes later today. I had been meaning to rename the Fish chapter as Aquatics, which is the more accurate term for what I am showing on that page. Thank you for the reminder.
Hello Martin, Tomorrow I will scan my collection for the needed pieces. If you begin to fill your list by tomorrow, then please post a revised shorter list. Very best regards, collect89
I am normally a very organized individual. But photographing these coins has not been very organized at times. First of all there are several steps for 'photographing these coins'. They are gathering the coins from collectors and dealers who appreciate what I am doing with the book; doing the actual photography of the coins; after having it developed, label the back of the 4x6 prints with the County, Denomination, Living species, Year, Metal, Diameter; do all the photoshopping for all of the photographs, I average 3 coins per hour. Hundreds of coins to photoshop takes hundreds of hours to do. Lastly, I have to store all the photoshopped coin files in specific folders dedicated to each of the six species groups. I've been at this for five months so far and there is a lot more to the story than just that. So, the upshot of all this is that I need to update the list that shows the coins I still need to photograph. The list is pretty darn accurate as it is. Sometimes I keep a particular coin on the 'Need to photograph' list, while it will also show up on the list of coins that I have already photographed. The reason the coin appears on both lists is because the coin that I have already photographed is not a clear enough example of what I am looking for. I need to get another example of that coin so I can photograph it again. If you have any of the coins on my list, or other coins of a similar nature, please tell me. Then I will tell you right where I am with the 'Need to photograph' list. Thanks for helping with this project - which really seems to inspire people who look at the coins. martin
Martin here again. Several of the coin collectors who have communicated with me have suggested that I also include some ancient coins, as opposed to the 19th and 20th century coins I have been photographing for the book. I like this idea and have decided to show at least 16 coins - four pages of four coins each. Since I am not at all knowledgeable about ancient coins I am asking people to give me suggestions about different ancient coins that - clearly - show examples of any of the species groups I am photographing: Animals, Birds, Aquatics, Plants, Reptiles, Insects. I don't have to be the person photographing these coins, perhaps the owners have already photographed them at the resolution I need, or have a friend who could. Again, I am not collecting coins, instead I am only collecting photographs of coins. Thanks for everyone who is helping with this quite nice project. SACRED LIFE, Coins of the Natural World
Among the ancients you definitely need an Athenian owl. I know that several forum members have nice examples.
I imagined that several of the forum members have these coins. Now the trick is to get them to know about my book project and then to get the coin photographs that I need. Can you help with either of these?
Peacock 1-Rupee Hello Martin, I just added this peacock 1-Rupee coin to my collection. It is an 1852 Rupee from Burma (Myanmar). Let me know if it could replace the Gibraltar, 1 Crown, 1997, Peacock in your want list. Very best regards, collect89
Martin Gray/Burma Peacock coin The Peacock coin I have photographed is from Burma, 1852, .917 Silver, 30mm. It is more worn than the one you have, but I rather like the look of mine and so will not ask to photograph yours. Thanks for offering though. Martin
As of Sunday, April 7, the number of coins I have photographed for each of the seven sections of the book are: (146) Animals (68) Aquatics (88) Birds (18) Insects (79) Plants (21) Reptiles (9) Turtles (429) Total If you would like to know what coins these are, I can easily tell you. Send an email requesting this information to: martin@sacredsites.com I have updated my list of 'COINS - NEED TO PHOTOGRAPH' as of April 7. That list is shown here: B Botswana, 5 Pula, 1978, Gemsbok, KM#11 Botswana, 5 Pula, 1986, Red Lechwes, KM#19 British Virgin Islands, 25 Cents, 1985, Blue marlin, KM#45 C China, 5 Yuan, 1995, Golden monkey, KM#714 Costa Rica, 100 Colones, 1974, Manatee, KM#201 Cuba, 1 Peso, 1983, Spiny lobster, KM#107 G Gibraltar, 1 Crown, 1997, Peacocks, KM#514 I Isle of Man, 1/5 Crown, 1994, Japanese bobtail cat, KM#475 Isle of Man, 1 Crown, 2000, Kitten with world globe, KM#1056 Israel, 1 New Sheqel, 1993, Buck and young Hart deer, KM#243 Israel, 1 New Sheqel, 1994, Leopard, KM#259 Israel, 1 New Sheqel, 1995, Fox, KM#274 Italy, 200 Lire, 1991, Wolf, KM#142 L Latvia, 10 Latu, 1996, Grieze bird, KM#10 M Malawi, 5 Kwacha, 1978, Zebras running, KM#15 Malawi, 10 Kwacha, 1978, Sable antelope, KM#16 Maldive Islands, 5 Rufiyaa, 1978, Spiny lobster, KM#57 Mongolia, 50 Tugrik, 1976, Camel running, KM#37 N New Zealand, 2 Dollars, 1993, Sacred Kingfisher, KM#87 O Oman, 75 Rials, 1976, 1996, Arabian Tahr, KM#63 P Papua New Guinea, 5 Kina, 1997-98, Snake in tree, KM#44 R Russia, 3 Roubles, 1997, Polar bear watching walrus, Y#593 S San Marino, 5 Lire, 1974, Porcupine, KM#32 South Africa, 2-1/2 Cents, 1997, Knysna seahorse, KM#174 South Africa, 2-1/2 Cents, 1998, Jackass Penguin, KM#176 Spitzbergen, 10,25,50,100 Roubles, Polar bear, KM#Tn5-8 Sudan, 5 Pounds, 1976, Hippopotamus with calf, KM#71 V Venezuela, 25 Bolivares, 1975, Jaguar, Y#46 Venezuela, 50 Bolivares, 1975, Giant Armadillo, Y#47 Vietnam, 10 Dong, 1986, Water buffalo, KM#15 Y Yemen, 10 Riyals, 1969, Three gazelles leaping, KM#7 Yemen, 20 Riyals, 1969, Camel with rider, KM#9
