Poland. AR 3 Polker

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was issued during the 17th century between 1614 – 1627AD. These late medieval three poker coins were issued during the reign of Sigismund III Vasa, who ruled as the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1587 to 1632. They were struck to address the financial crisis and rising inflation due to the 30 Years War. Three polker coins were minted with a relatively high silver content and purity in the early years of about 80%. The higher silver content resulted in these coins being hoarded in neighboring countries.

By the 1620s, the coins were widely distributed throughout Transylvania. They were very popular and existed alongside the depreciated local currency that was common due to the inflation that unfolded again thanks to the 30 Years War. The high silver purity of the coins also began to decline as inflation continued. This was reflected in exchange rates established by the Transylvanian Diet, a judicial and legislative body of the Transylvanian Principality under Prince Gabriel Bethlen.

This coinage was also sharply debased. This group is from a hoard of the early period with higher silver content. By 1626, Prince Gabriel Bethlen implemented a monetary reform, as we see so often throughout the monetary history following any war. He collected these coins, melted them down, and then forged three polker coins with the lower silver content. We see that the Roman Emperor Trajan did the same, melting down the old coinage and issuing debased denarii. Thus, history repeats because human nature never changes.

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Three polker ………………….      $35.00 each

We Will Put These in the STORE on Wednesday, December 11th at 12 noon

The Black Sea Region began with copper arrowheads that were used as money. This lot of Æ Arrowhead Proto-Money is triangular cast ‘arrowheads’ of varying length. In the 7th century BC, the Greeks also entered Ukraine and established the Milesian colonies of Olbia, Borysthenes, Istros, Odessos, and Apollonia on the western Black Sea coast. These ports were once the central points of exchange and trade between the Greeks and local Scythian and Thracian populations.

This exchange prompted the introduction of pre-monetary items which were shaped into the ubiquitous more common ‘dolphins’ coins and the scarcer ‘arrowheads’ and ‘wheel-coins’ which were all cast in copper. These pieces remained in circulation in the west Pontic area for about two centuries, until being finally replaced by struck coinage.

Recent publications of findings from South Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, and Romania limited the circulation area of these proto-monies to the narrow coastal strip along the western/north-western shores of the Black Sea. Some scholars suggested the ‘arrowheads’ were produced there since Apollo, with his bow and arrows, was the main deity who supervised the colonies of Miletus. As a god of archery, Apollo was well known with epithets such as Aphetoros (“god of the bow”) and Argurotoxos (“with the silver bow”).

The cast bronzes of Olbia not only served as a medium of exchange but also reflected the unique economic and cultural interactions in the region. Olbia’s prosperity was intricately tied to its role as a trading hub, facilitating exchanges between the Scythian nomads and Greek settlers.

Olbia eventually began to adopt cast large bronze coinage of 70mm in diameter and 33mm, which reflected prosperity in trade, for they were like $1,000 bills. The artistic elements on the coins, such as the gorgon’s head and sea eagle, conveyed a fusion of Greek mythological symbolism with local Scythian influences. These Olbian coins were distinctive for their sheer size and weight, indicating a reliance on intrinsic metal value for trade. The economic system of Olbia, reminiscent of early Roman practices, emphasized the tangible value of the metal itself. This stands in contrast to later coinage systems, where coins’ face value became more symbolic than their actual metal content.

The dolphin-shaped smaller denominations and the elaborate imagery on the larger coins suggest a sophisticated approach to coin design. The Olbians engaged in practical trade and expressed cultural and artistic elements through their coinage, showcasing a dynamic blend of Greek and Scythian influences in this remote region of the Black Sea. These and the arrowheads reflected the day-to-day transactions in commerce.

The intermediate Leaf-shaped, trefoil, and triangular cast ‘arrowheads’ are the next size up from the small arrowheads. These tend to be harder to find.

Three-pointed or two-pointed arrowheads are available.

$25.00 each

We Will Put These in the STORE on Wednesday, December 11th at 12 noon

The Gallic Empire (Latin: Imperium Galliarum) was a breakaway realm of the Roman Empire led by Postumus (260-268AD) that existed from 260 to 274AD in the aftermath of the Persian capture of the Roman Emperor Valerian I (253-260AD) in 260AD. That set off a Financial Crisis in 260AD, where some even questioned if Roman coins were still valid. This Monetary Crisis of the Third Century AD saw the separation of the Roman Empire into three empires.

The Gallic Empire split from Rome and incorporated Britain, France, and parts of Spain. Postumus founded it in 260 AD. Valerian I was captured for once, and Germanic barbarians also began to invade, assuming that Rome was then vulnerable. The crisis led to people hoarding their money, and a great recession unfolded. The coinage began to be debased as silver was in short supply. This was the start of the collapse of Rome’s monetary system.

At its height, the Gallic Empire included the territories of even parts of Germania (Germany) along with Gaul (France), Britannia (England), and (briefly) Hispania (Spain). Postumus was assassinated in 268 AD, resulting in the Gallic Empire losing much of its territory. Roman Emperor Aurelian retook it after the Battle of Châlons in 274 AD.

Third Century Debasement

Set of two – One in Silver & One in Bronze

Most Postumus coins are later debased issues in bronze with even a reduced planchet.

Here, we have an early issue in silver, which is much rarer than the later bronze-debased issues.

Pair of Postumus Antoniniani = $375

We Will Put These in the STORE on Wednesday, December 11th at 12 noon

Marcus Victorinus (268-270AD), Emperor of the Gallic (French) Empire

A lot of people have asked if I still have any Commodus denarii left. I have a few.  They are generally VF, as you can see. This is the Emperor pictured in the movie, The Gladiator. He was the son of Marcus Aurelius and it is with him that they draw the line for the beginning of the decline and fall of Rome. Not shown in the movie was his wife, Crispina, whom he banished to the Isle of Capri and then had her executed.

His sister, Lucilla, also shown in the movie, was terrified of her brother. She did plot to kill her brother. That is true. She was also banished to Capri and then executed. The full version of the 1964 film The Decline and Fall is free on YouTube.

When Commodus was assassinated, the full corruption of the Roman Deep State, the Praetorian Guard, sprung forward. They actually auctioned off the throne to the highest bidder. That was  Didius Julianus (193AD) who offered them 25,000 Sestertii per man.  He lasted just 66 days on the throne. The Praetorians then abandoned him and he was beheaded.

Edward Gibbon wrote of Commodus in his monumental Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire:

“Suspicious princes often promote the last of mankind, from a vain persuasion, that those who have no dependence, except on their favor, will have no attachment, except to the person of their benefactor.”

Edward Gibbon wrote of Commodus: Each

“distinction of every kind soon became criminal. The possession of wealth stimulated the diligence of the informers; rigid virtue implied a tacit censure of the irregularities of Commodus; important services implied a dangerous superiority of merit; and the friendship of the father always insured the aversion of the son. Suspicion was equivalent to proof; trial to condemnation. The execution of a considerable senator was attended with the death of all who might lament or revenge his fate; and when Commodus had once tasted human blood, he became incapable of pity or remorse”

(Book 1, Chapter 4).

We only have less than 40 left

Price … $275

We Will Put These in the STORE on Wednesday, December 11th at 12 noon

There is new turmoil during the final month of the Political Year from Hell emerging in Romania after the constitutional court annulled the presidential election. Calin Georgescu, who the media declared as a far-right extremist, won the election. The establishment cried “RUSSIAN INTERFERENCE!” and has refused to acknowledge the results.

Georgescu is a critic of NATO and the neocons. He does not support the ongoing war nor does he adhere to the Build Back Better agenda of the New World Order. President Klaus Iohannis released declassified documents ahead of the election that claim Russia interfered in the election by promoting the candidate on social media, TikTok in particular. The establishment also claimed Russia launched 85,000 cyber attacks that primarily targeted social media platforms.

How many nations have blamed Russia for interfering in their elections in recent years? More so, why do we allow them to continue perpetuating this lie when no concrete evidence has been found?

The press release called into question Article 146(f) of the Constitution states that elections must be legal. The courts had already demanded a recount of first votes, and now, the secondary election against Elena Lasconi of the Save Romania Union Party has been permanently canceled. The election cycle must now restart and the people’s wishes must be silenced.

Georgescu ran on a platform of ending Romania’s involvement in the Russia-Ukraine war and vowed to end all funding to Ukraine. He does not believe in climate change and does not want to decimate Romania’s energy industry to accommodate net zero emission goals. Georgescu also questioned the COVID narrative. All of his leading speaking points were anti-establishment, thus, the establishment ensured he could not take office.

DEI application practices have failed. We are equal in rights but not talent. Who would have thought that excluding the majority of the population from the workforce and universities could backfire? The University of Michigan is one of the latest schools to question this discriminatory policy.

“The University of Michigan will no longer solicit diversity statements as part of faculty hiring, promotion and tenure,” the school announced. The school claims it conducted a 2,000-person faculty survey that found staff felt pressured to express specific (i.e., WOKE) political and social views that they did not necessarily agree with, thereby eliminating diversity in thought. “Critics of diversity statements perceive them as expressions of personal identity traits, support of specific ideology or opinions on socially-relevant issues, and serve as a ‘litmus test’ of whether a faculty member’s views are politically acceptable,” the working group wrote in its report. “Thus, as currently enacted, diversity statements have the potential to limit viewpoints and reduce diversity of thought among faculty members.”

However, the university has not fully committed to removing its DEI program. Members declined to vote on whether or not they would continue funding these initiatives that have cost upward of $250 million since 2016. “There are no plans to make any cuts to these programs,” board member Michael Behm said. Basically, they are aware that these programs stifle innovation and thought among faculty and students, but they’re not willing to let go of the control.

The real purpose of this Diversity Equality Inclusion global marketing plan has NOTHING to do with human rights. I think the racist label has greatly died down, for in our own company, we have every religion and race working together. Even this LGBQT movement disrespects others and demands we change our pronouns and abandon any core religious beliefs that do not permit same-sex relations.

Communism failed in part because it prevented independent thought and punished those who thought outside the box. Innovation was no longer possible. Some of the greatest minds like Kondratieff were killed by their government for proposing new ideas that went against the status-quo put forth by the establishment. The Biden Administration has put forth this WOKE ideology under the guidelines of globalist entities like the World Economic Forum and Open Foundation Societies who have championed CEI woke credit scores for the private sector.

Again, my company has always been composed of the most qualified employees. We have staff across the world from all walks of life. They were hired due to their TALENT. I could not imagine finding an excellent applicant who is qualified for the job and saying, “Oh, sorry, we have too many straight white men here already.” But again, we obviously would never need to report a CEI score and bend a knee to any globalist entity attempting to stifle the private sector.

What made the United States the great melting pot and the largest economy in the world was DISCRIMINATION. It was fair, for whoever was the last off the boat was discriminated against until they learned English to get a job. In other words, ASSIMILATION was necessary for immigrants who then also identified as AMERICAN.

DEI operates on exclusivity and not inclusivity, as it champions the notion of entitlement for a select few and is simply unethical. It has become a political weapon that the left will not allow to be questioned. If we want society to advance, we must accept that those who work hard and are born with natural talent and intelligence will excel. Identity politics use tools like DEI initiatives to divide the people when our neighbor is not the enemy.

QUESTION: Mr. Armstrong, I first want to thank you for your forecast on South Korea, which you delivered here in Asia. I understand this is the computer. Others would call you a seer. I wonder if you have time to update that forecast since we are as divided here in South Korea as you write about the United States.

Thank you for your courage and consideration.

YM

ANSWER: The Economic Confidence Model for South Korea shows that we are headed toward the next turning point on March 3rd, 2025. South Korea may still head into a major turning point in 2029. We are ABOVE the Yearly Bullish Reversals I gave back at the Thailand conference, and this will be the first time we will be in a position to elect it for the year-end. We can see that this currency has broken out above the downtrend line for the last three years.

For those who do not understand the Korean constitution, most parliamentary systems and even the US Constitution allow the head of state to disband Parliament/Congress and recall them. In Korea, the constitution omitted that authority. Thus, the deeply divided political system was in gridlock, and Yoon declared martial law around 10:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday in an unannounced late-night TV address. He accused the country’s main opposition party of sympathizing with North Korea and of “anti-state” activities.

He also cited a motion by the opposition Democratic Party, which has a majority in parliament, to impeach top prosecutors and reject a government budget proposal. Yoon chose martial law, which lacked any other legal way to break the deadlock. He probably assumed that he had more support than he actually did. Yoon’s move to impose martial law earlier this week for the first time since 1980 was rejected by angry opposition lawmakers, who are planning an impeachment vote against Yoon on Saturday.

1923Array

When we look at the Monthly Array from 2023, we can see that the major turning point would be April 2024, which the computer was projecting from November 2023. The April 10th, 2024 election when all 300 members of the National Assembly were elected, 254 from first-past-the-post constituencies and 46 from proportional party lists. The two largest parties, the Liberal Democratic Party and the conservative People Power Party, once again set up satellite parties to take advantage of the electoral system.

The election served as a “mid-term evaluation” for President Yoon Suk-yeol’s administration, nearing its third year. The question became could the ruling party surpass the constraints of the ruling coalition, which did not secure a majority in the previous general election? The election saw opposition parties, primarily the Democratic Party, retain their majority in the National Assembly. We can see the numerous Directional Changes thereafter ensured a divided political state.

1924 Array

This brought us to December, with a Directional Change followed by January. Then, we have a Panic Cycle in March. This gets even more complicated for as one reader points out, according to data from the Defense Manpower Data Center, South Korea has the third highest number of active U.S. troops deployed of any country outside of the contiguous U.S., at over 23,000 personnel compared to Japan (52,852) and Germany (34,894). In total, as of June 2024, the US DOD has 165,830 active personnel overseas.

When we look at North Korea, this current 8.6-year wave turned up in January 2023. We must be mindful that the next key target for confrontation will be March 25th, 2024.  The turning points within this 8.6-year wave are as follows:

2023.08, 2025.23, 2026.305, 2027.38, 2028.455, 2029.53, 2030.159, 2030.525, 2031.68

We will include Korea in the 2024 Year-End Report. This is included in those who attended to the WEC or the Virtual Plus Stream with the reports.