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1994 Slovakia 10 Korún
A beautiful 11th Century cross depicting figures still up for debate. History (Slovakia (dark green) in the EU (light green). From Wikipedia). The oldest surviving archaeological artifacts from Slovakia, found near Nové Mesto nad Váhom, are dated to around 270,000 BC, in the Early Palaeolithic era. These ancient tools, made by the Clactonian technique, bear…
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1924 Czechoslovakia 20 Haléřů
An agricultural snapshot Czechoslovakia (Map of 1918-1938 and 1945-1992 Czechoslovakia. From Wikipedia). Czechoslovakia as a country existed from the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918, until the “Velvet revolution” of 1989 which led to the overthrow of the communist regime. Ultimately, the peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia into the Czech Republic and Slovakia on January…
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1960 Philippines 1 Centavo
A coin from the country with the most depictions of volcanos on their currency. The Philippines (Map of the Philippines, in Asia, from Wikipedia). The Philippines’ history spans thousands of years, beginning with the migration of Austronesian peoples. These early settlers developed sophisticated societies, trading with various Asian civilizations and developing unique cultural traditions. The…
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1982 Macau 5 Patacas
A little country on the edge of China Macau (Macau, on, and just off the coast of China. From: Wikipedia). In as early as the neolithic age, there were already inhabitants in Macau. And centuries ago, somewhere during the Song and Yuan Dynasties of China, there were already people residing in Macau. Situated at the…
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1992 Ukraine 10 Kopiyok
A coin which sat in storage for years Ukraine (Ukraine in green, Russian occupied territory in light green and rest of Europe / Africa / Asia in grey. From Wikipedia). Note: Throughout this post – as most posts, where I have quoted other sites, I have left the spelling as it was originally. This has…
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1978 Argentina 10 Pesos
A smiling sun Sol de Mayo (The various “Suns of May” or “Inca Suns” used across Latin America and further abroad. Image: Civixplorer.com) The Europeans were the first to visit Argentina. In 1516, a time when Spanish sailors were searching for precious metals, they sailed into a beautiful wide estuary which they named “Rio de…
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1978 France 10 Francs
Fench Industry, from tradition to modernity Rebuilding (Photographs of Paris in the 1950s, from TheVintageNews.com). The Blitz in the UK is well documented and covered in movies and TV. During WWII, roughly 75,000 tonnes of bombs were dropped on the UK. France, in WWII, although only twice the size of the UK, took seven times…
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Bevercotes Colliery Lamp Check, UK
A unique piece which could easily be lost to time Bevercotes Colliery (BR Class 58 with loaded train at Bevercotes colliery. From Wikipedia). This is the second coal mining check from the UK I’ve posted about, but this one is interesting in its own ways. Classed as Retford’s colliery, Bevercotes was the world’s first fully…
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1989 Iran 50 Rials
A coin commemorating oil and agriculture Iran Last time we covered Iran, with a 1946 2 Rials, we covered a lot of the early history. This time let’s recap some of the second half of the 20th Century. In that earlier piece, we noted the country’s reliance on the oil industry and the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company,…
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1991 Djibouti 100 Francs
A pair of African camels. Djibouti (Location of Djibouti, just on top of the Horn of Africa, and across the Bab al-Mandab Straight from Yemen. Source: Wikipedia). Djibouti is very diverse, thanks to its strategic geographic location, which has been (and still is) a crossroad of trade and commerce. The country’s culture is highly influenced…
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2008 Germany 2 Euro
A modern German Eagle Modern Germany Having visited Frankfurt, Germany recently, what I encountered in that city at least, was a modern, efficient metropolis, coexisting with ancient cobblestones and history. The public transport network was very efficient, and I must admit, I was grateful the majority of people I met spoke better English than I…
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1970 Muscat and Oman 10 Baisa
One of the last coins from Muscat and Oman History Located in the far southeast of the Arabian Peninsula, Muscat and Oman (Today: The Sultanate of Oman) overlooks a 3,165-kilometre coastline. This stretches from the Arabian Sea and the gateway to the Indian Ocean in the southeast, to the Sea of Oman and ultimately Musandam…
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Come Holy Spirit medallion
A dove and prayer for Pentecost Pentecost Most of us know Pentecost for the Holy Spirit descending on the Apostles after the Ascension of Jesus. It is that, but it also actually has much older roots, back to the book of Exodus. The word Pentecost means “fifty” in Greek, and it was celebrated 50 days…
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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…
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 (295 coins in all so far).