Joel Anderson   Joel Anderson started collecting coins while in third grade. In 1970, while still in High School he started to sell world coins by mail on a part-time basis. Joel graduated from the University of Santa Clara then got a Masters of Business Administration from the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth College. After working in cost accounting and as a controller in Silicon Valley, he found himself on the wrong side of a "corporate reorganization". Deciding it was more fun to sell coins than to do real work he converted his part-time coin business into a full time business in 1989. The firm consists of Joel, his wife Lila, and their two cats, Pat and Tuck. Business is done by mail, internet and at selected coin shows throughout California. The firm has been selling coins on Internet since 1996. Sorry, we do not have a shop and are not set up to receive visitors. After over 15 years in Merced, California, the firm moved to Grover Beach, California in 2003. Grover Beach is located next to Pismo Beach on the Central California coast. Joel and Lila have each served as President of the Gateway Coin Club of Merced County and of the California State Numismatic Association (CSNA). Joel has received the CSNA Medal of Merit .     The above two coins: 50 cents in bronze and 250 cents in brass display the logo of the firm. According to Joel: "Our logo is of a Chinese coin called the K'ai Yuan. The K'ai Yuan was introduced by Emperor Kao Tsu, who founded the Tang Dyansty in 618AD. The coins replaced the previously used Wu-Chu and other coins. The high quality of the coins and excellent calligraphy set a standard for Chinese coins for the next 1000 years! The legend on the coin, K'ai Yuan Tung Pao translates as "precious currency of the K'ai Yuan era". The Tang Dynasty was a brilliant period in Chinese history. It was an era of great prosperity and artistry. The K'ai Yuan coin continued to be issued for the next 300 years, until the collapse of the Dynasty in 907AD. During much of the dynasty the coin was the only denomination struck. Because of the relatively low value of the coin and the high level of commerce a LOT of the coins were issued during that period. (Think of doing all your transactions with only pennies!) As a result the coin, though over 1000 years old, is still plentiful and inexpensive. The Chinese used the basic design of a round copper coin with a square hole for over 2100 years. The roundness of the coin represented heaven, while the square hole represented the earth, thus their coins were the perfect mix of heaven and earth. A more practical reason for the design is that the coins were cast. In order to remove the casting spurs on the coins, a square stick was run through the center hole of a group of coins in order to hold them. The spurs could then be quickly and easily sanded off the whole group of coins. The origin of our use of the K'ai Yuan coin as a logo is deeply shrouded in the hidden mysteries of the past. Either that, or after selling coins for over thirty years my memory is slipping. I think it had something to do with the coin being old and inexpensive." The address written on these coins are no longer valid as they have shifted to Gover Beach.       The above two token are the celebration of Joel and Lila Cresci Anderson in 2004. One token is in pure copper while the other is silver plated copper token.   Joel Anderon's Three Dollars bi-metall with their current post and web addresses. It is 9.30 grams. Medal alignment and having edge of five patches each of reeded and plain.   To purchase various world coins visit their website at: http://joelscoins.com/ [PO Box 365 Grover Beach, CA 93483-0365 USA, phone/fax 1 805 489 8045, email: orders@joelscoins.com]. Around 10% of my collection of world coins were purchased through him. He gave me the above coins and token of his firm with my ordered coins. Along with the images of the coins displayed at his website, he also briefly describes the importance of the coin in terms of its back ground history. It is indeed a valuable information for collectors to know.    2010 marks their 40th anniversary of selling coins by mail (Internet did not exist way back then). To celebrate the event they created two elongated (rolled) coins utilizing some of the tokens they had struck for our 25th anniversary in the coin business. One rolled token is good for $4.00 in trade and was created from our good for $2.50 in trade token. The other is a Good for $1.40 in trade, rolled from our good for 50c in trade token. Both tokens feature their cash coin logo, and their address and "40TH ANNIVERSARY 1970-2010". The tokens were created by OP (Oded Paz), utilizing a special process that kept much of the relief of the underlying design on the reverse, so their cash coin logo and old Merced mailing address is plainly visible on the reverse. Approximately 200 of each type were minted.     Micro-Nations   Chiefa Coins