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1996 Sri Lanka 1 Rupee
A coin to mark the 50th anniversary of UNICEF Sri Lanka Under the British Empire, Sri Lanka was known as “Ceylon” (more on the history of Ceylon in this previous coin). On February 4, 1948, Ceylon was granted independence as the Dominion of Ceylon. Dominion status within the British Commonwealth was retained for the next
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Elijah’s chariot of fire medallion
God’s miraculous power, reflected in an Old-Testament verse full of imagery Ahab In Exodus 14, God saved the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. This has been dated to between 1440 BC and 1225 BC. A few hundred years later, Ahab was the seventh king of the northern kingdom of Israel. His reign has been verified
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Plague Doctor Medallion
An interesting doctor Obverse The obverse depicts someone in a plague doctor mask, a modern doctor’s coat and stethoscope and holding a bottle of medicine. The figure appears to be in front of cracked stained-glass windows, all with a blue tinge. Plague Doctor The Plague, or the Black Death, first struck Western Europe in 1348
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1909 Ceylon 5 Cents
A square coin from an island off India, with a short-reigning British king Ceylon (Ceylon in green on a globe of the world. The country just to the left (grey) is India, and the large ocean (white) is the Indian ocean. Map: Wikipedia). Ceylon, today known as Sri Lanka, is a small island country. Ranking
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1970 Nepal 5 Paisa
A cow with an error from the Himalayas Nepal Nepal’s history is a vivid tapestry of cultural evolution, political struggles, and resilience. (The mountains in Nepal. From vin.org.np) Nepal is a landlocked country in South Asia, bordered by India to the south, east, and west, and China (Tibet) to the north. This unique geographical setting
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1985 Guinea 1 Franc Guinéen
A palm leaf from Africa Guinea (A globe with Guinea highlighted on the west coast of Africa. Source: Wikipedia). Guinea is a country located in West Africa, bordered by the Atlantic sea to the West and Conakry is its capital. Guinea is one of the largest countries on the African continent in terms of area,
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1975 Vatican 5 Lire
Redemption of the Woman of Bethany Vatican Coins From the formation of the Vatican State (which we covered in an earlier piece), coins had featured either the pope or his coat of arms on one side, and generally holy figures (Jesus, Mary, saints, angels, etc). The Vatican issued a consistent set of coins of from
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1932 Germany 4 Reichspfennig
A short lived German coin aimed at deflation Post WWI Germany After World War One, Germany was severely punished by the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. The newly formed Weimar Republic faced much opposition from both right- and left-wing groups. From 1918 to 1933, reparations payments, hyperinflation and the Great Depression caused much economic hardship for the
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1974 Cook Islands 1 Cent
A large taro leaf on a small coin Cook Islands We covered some of the history of the Cook Islands previously with the iconic triangular $2 coin. Briefly, they are a series of remote Pacific islands, populated by explorers from other island countries over 1,500 years ago. First European contact was with the Spanish in
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1993 Georgia 5 Tetri
A beautiful ancient lion from a country in the crossroads of continents Georgia (Georgia in dark green with Russian occupied territory light green. From Wikipedia). Georgia is a small country at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. Archaeological excavations confirm Georgia is one of the oldest settled regions outside Africa. Recent excavations of
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104 – 76 BC Judaea Prutah
One of the most well-known biblical coins Jerusalem (Jerusalem – View of the Old City and the Mount of Olives. From Wikipedia). Jerusalem is an ancient city. Archaeological work in the area suggests that the city was inhabited as far back as 4,000 BC. Its earliest known name may be Jebusite, the translation of a
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58-59 AD Rome – Judaea Prutah
A small coin from the heart of Christianity Twelve Tribes of Israel The book of Genesis notes that Jacob, son of Abraham, wrestled God and was renamed Israel. He went on to have 12 sons: In Joshua Chapter 13, the first verse reads: “When Joshua had grown old, the Lord said to him, ‘You are
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1995 South Africa 1 Cent
A very symbolic pair of Cape Sparrows South Africa (South Africa, at the bottom of Africa, from Wikipedia). Archaeological evidence indicates that the San are among the oldest indigenous groups in Southern Africa, with their remains dating back approximately 20,000 years. Khoisan refers to the original indigenous peoples of Southern Africa, consisting primarily of the
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1942 Ireland 1/2 Pingin
A sow and piglets from Ireland Irish Free State In 1919, a war began against the British forces in Ireland. This war was called the War of Independence. The Irish Republican Army (IRA) wanted to force the British out of Ireland. In 1921, a truce was called and treaty talks took place in London to
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1998 Portugal 50 Escudos
An interesting, stylized ship Portugal (Portugal in dark green, next to Spain with all of Europe in light green. From Wikipedia) Last time we looked at Portugal, was for a coin from 1949. There are similarities and differences in the country and the currency nearly 50 years later. During the second half of the 20th
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1754 Dutch East Indies (Utrecht) 1/2 Duit
A coin from when companies colonised. Dutch East Indies Map of the East Indies. From Britannica). Archeological findings trace the history of modern-day Jakarta, Indonesia, back to the fifth century. By the 16th century, it was a thriving port city known as Sunda Kelapa. At that time, the Hindu kingdom of Pajajaran ruled the area
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1967 Ghana Half Pesewa
Rhythmic drums from West Africa Ghana (Map of Africa, showing Ghana, from Wikipedia). The Republic of Ghana is located in West Africa. It borders Cote d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east and the Gulf of Guinea to the south. Ghana was inhabited in pre-colonial times by a number
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1943 Papua New Guinea 6 Pence
A tribal war club PNG Tribes A couple of months ago we covered the 1 Kina coin from Papua New Guinea (PNG). In sharing that piece on social media, Ian gave some extra information. He lived in PNG in the 1970s and I didn’t want to lose it, so thought I’d take the opportunity to
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1990 Denmark 50 Øre
A cute coin with an historic heart Denmark Map showing Denmark (dark green) in the EU (light green) in Europe (dark grey). From Wikipedia Last time I looked at Denmark (for an 1830s coin), the country wasn’t doing so well financially. The early-mid 1800s in the country were marked by conflict with Germany, particularly over
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2022 Australia 1 Dollar Sheepdog trials Kelpie PNC
A dog who featured in the Great Aussie Coin Hunt 3 series The Australian Kelpie The Australian Kelpie is one of the breeds descended from dogs known as Scotch Collies (like Lassie, who was actually a related breed, a Rough Collie). (Black and tan kelpies, from ABC Australia) Kelpies are world famous for their intelligence,
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1935 Syria 5 Qirsh / Piastres
A worn, but decorative coin from the Eastern Mediterranean. Syria (Map highlighting Syria. From Wikipedia). Syria is in Western Asia on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. Moving clockwise, the country is bordered by Türkiye, Iraq, Jordan, Israel and Lebanon. The country is 185,000 km2 (nearly 115,000 mi2), with a population of 17 million.
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1999 Papua New Guinea 1 Kina
A large pair of reptiles Papua New Guinea (Papua New Guinea, just above Australia. Image: Wikipedia). Ancient inhabitants are believed to have arrived in Papua New Guinea about 50-60,000 years ago from Southeast Asia during an Ice Age period when the sea was lower and distances between islands was shorter. New Guinea (as it used
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2013 Moldova 1 Ban
A coin with a statue modelled on it Moldova (Map of Europe showing Moldova in green, from Wikipedia). Moldova is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordering Romania to the west, and Ukraine to the north, east and south. The territory which is now Moldova has been populated since ancient times. Approximately 7,550 to 4,750
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2012 Turkey 25 Kuruş
A decorative Turkish coin Turkey (Turkey, shown on a globe, from Wikipedia). Last time we looked at a Turkish coin, a 1960 5 Kuruş, we covered the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire after WW1, the renaming of the capital Constantinople to Istanbul in 1930, and the importance of the star and crescent to the country.
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 (282 coins in all so far).