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1835-1910 Bhutan 1/2 Rupee
An interesting piece from the top of the world Bhutan (Map showing the location of Bhutan in between China (above) and India (below). From Wikipedia). Bhutan is a small Buddhist kingdom in the Himalayas. It is the highest country in the world averaging 3,279 meters (10,760 feet) above sea level. Tibet / China is to…
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1922 East Africa Half Shilling
A lion against mountains on an East African coin Obverse We have looked at East Africa previously, so I won’t cover too much of the history this time. This coin is slightly earlier than the last one I covered, and was issued under King George V. Prior to 1920, East Africa used the “Rupee”. This…
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1973 Nigeria 1 Kobo
Nigeria The name of the country coined in the late 19th century by British journalist Flora Shaw. The name was taken from the Niger river which runs through the country, although the origin of Niger is uncertain. The word is likely an alteration of the Tuareg name egerew n-igerewen used by inhabitants along the middle…
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1973 Australia 40th Eucharistic Congress Medallion
A quote from John for an International Catholic event Eucharist Catholics hold “mass”, a gathering, often weekly on Sunday, for prayer, thanksgiving, scripture, song and a memorial of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. The word, Eucharist, is Greek for “thanksgiving”. While people use the words Eucharist and Mass interchangeably, the Eucharist specifically, is where members…
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1988 Ecuador 50 Centavos
A coin from a country with a picturesque coat of arms Ecuador (Map of the world showing Ecuador, from Wikipedia) Ecuador is a country which straddles the equator on the north-west coast of South America (the name means “Equator” in Spanish). It is bordered by Colombia, Peru and the Pacific Ocean. Ecuador also encompases the…
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Sweden 45 Öre Stockholms Ångslups Aktiebolag
A ferry token from Sweden’s water-framed archipelago capital Stockholm (Stockholm in winter, from https://www.visitstockholm.com/) People talk about Venice and Amsterdam as being defined by their canals, but the DNA of Stockholm is every bit as watery. A patchwork of islands set on the edge of 75-mile-long freshwater Lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea, its landscape…
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1975 Iceland 1 Króna
A coin referring to some old legends, from one of the younger landmasses. Iceland is an island nation 280km (170 mi) off the coast of Greenland towards Scotland. The country lies where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates meet, which is what causes a lot of its geologic activity. Despite this, the country is…
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324-329 AD Constantine camp gates
Roman architecture on a coin Camp Gates In the early fourth century, camp gates were a common design on Roman copper coins. Doug Smith wrote a page on camp gate coins on ForumAncientCoins. He described them as: “To the man on the 4th century Roman street, one of the most important services of government was…
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2024 Koalas in Danger PMC (Impressions)
An Impressions version of the Koalas in Danger set of PMCs Impressions In August 2024, Australia Post released a set of stamps, maxicards, first day cover and three Postal Medallion Covers on the theme “Koalas in Danger”. As well as featuring the beautiful creatures, the pieces also raised money for Australia Post’s support of WWF-Australia…
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1955 Mexico 20 Centavos
A beautiful landscape on a coin Mexico Mexico has been inhabited for tens of thousands of years. Initially by local tribes, who became quite powerful and left long-lasting monuments such as “Teotihuacán”, which includes the Temple of Quetzalcoatl, the Pyramid of the Moon and the Pyramid of the Sun. This pyramid is one of the…
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Copenhagen Tramways token
A picturesque token from a beautiful public transit system The first trams to operate in Denmark were in the capital, Copenhagen, under the “Copenhagen Railway Company Ltd.” which was founded in 1863. These early trams were initially horse-drawn. (1863 drawing of one of the first horse-drawn trams, from https://www.vognstyrer.dk/) Some early tokens can be seen…
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1982 Switzerland 10 Rappen
One of the longest issued coins Switzerland (Map highlighting Switzerland, from Wikipedia) Switzerland is in the centre of Europe. Landlocked by Italy, France, Germany, Austria and Liechtenstein. Geographically it is comprised of the Alps, sub-alpine Jura and the Swiss plateau, with a population of 9 million people. Over the centuries, Switzerland developed from a network…
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1876 Norway 5 Øre
An elegant coin from Scandinavia Norway (Map of Northern Europe showing Norway. From Wikipedia). Norway is a long, thin country, the northernmost in Scandinavia. It has a long southern land border with Sweden, then Finland and a short border with Russia, near Murmansk. The last ice age ended in the country around 14,000 years ago,…
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1981 Kuwait 10 Fils
A Dhow on a well used coin Kuwait Like many other middle eastern countries, Kuwait is an Emirate, ruled by an Emir. From e.gov.kw: “Al Otob tribe fled to State of Kuwait away from the terrible drought which perished the Arab Peninsula. They chose Sabah bin Jaber as their governor in 1756. As time passed,…
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2024 Australian Ground Parrots Medallions
Some fascinating birds I’d never heard of In February 2024, Australia Post released a series of three stamps on the theme “Ground Parrots”, introducing them as: “Australia is renowned for its diverse avifauna, being home to around 800 bird species. This includes around 55 extant species of parrots (Order Psittaciformes, Family Psittaculidae). These colourful, cacophonous…
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1944 Ethiopia 25 Santeem
The most interesting edge I have found on a coin. Ethiopia The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia is located in the north-eastern part of Africa commonly known as the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by the Sudan in the west, Somalia and Djibouti in the east, Eritrea in the north and Kenya in the…
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Change is the Essence of Life medallion
A short piece dedicated to my sister My sister passed away a few years ago. Since she loved butterflies, I thought of her in choosing this piece, which also has an important message. Obverse “Change is the essence of life” is part of a quote by Reinhold Niebuhr. Neibuhr was a theologian, son of a…
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2003 DRC 5 Francs (Concorde)
A wonder of aviation, from a troubled country Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was born with independence from Belgium in 1960. The country has only issued ten circulating coins in that time: Since 1998, the DRC has used the Franc (1 Franc = 100 Centimes), although only banknotes…
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2014 United Arab Emirates 1 Dirham
A traditional Arabic coffee pot on a coin United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE) covers 83,600 square kilometres (32,400 square miles) and include 200 islands. It borders Oman in the east and Saudi Arabia in the south. On the coast of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula, the UAE shares maritime borders…
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The Falls Impressions medallion cover
A post office initiative and celebration of local nature The Falls, Orange The town of Orange is in the Central Tablelands region of inland New South Wales, Australia. Orange is just over 250km (160 miles) west of the state capital Sydney. The town (and local parish area) was named by Surveyor General Thomas Mitchell, after…
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1953 Japan 10 Yen
A coin of rebuilding. Shōwa Era The reign of Emperor Hirohito lasted from 1926 – 1989. The era name, “Shōwa”, means “Enlightened Peace” from the Chinese Book of Documents. In World War 2, Japan joined the Axis powers of Germany and Italy. The end of the Pacific war came when Japan accepted the terms of the…
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1910 Greece 1 Drachme
History of Greece The last time we visited Greece itself (rather than another country in the Ancient Greek Empire) was with of the first coins on the site, this beautiful Owl of Athene, around 133 B.C. Following the Hellenistic period, the Greek empire fell to the Romans, who in turn gave way to the Byzantine…
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1868 Hungary 1 Kreuzer
On Hungary and the crown with the bent cross. Hungary (Location of Hungary (dark green) – in Europe (green & dark grey) – in the European Union (green) – from Wikipedia) Hungary is a landlocked country in central Europe with a population of 9.5 million. Hungary is surrounded by Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia…
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Happy Halloween medallion
A memento of All Hallows Eve Halloween What is now Halloween has its origins in the Celtic Samhein (pronounced a few different ways, including “Sow-wen” “Sau-ihn”, and “Sow-unn”, but NOT “Sam-hane”). Samhain was a pastoral/harvest festival celebrated across the Celtic world on the evening of October 31st and into November 1st with ceremonial fires and…
Hi, welcome to “Coin of Note”. Information & images of coins (including non-circulating), postal numismatic covers, banknotes & exonumia (tokens, medallions). Learn more on the About page, browse by Country or Topic (& Challenges), or find recently added pieces below (246 coins in all so far).