Category: Coin
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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2010 Netherlands Antilles 10 Cents
A beautiful coin from the Caribbean Dutch Caribbean The Dutch islands in the Caribbean region became part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the 17th century. All of them switched hands between Dutch, English and Spanish governments many times, and shared a lot of the history of the slave trade with other Caribbean countries.…
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1968 Kenya 10 Cents
An anepigraphic bust of the president of a young nation Kenya Kenya is named after Mount Kenya, the second tallest mountain in Africa. The Kikuyu people referred to it as Kirinyaga or Kerenyaga, meaning “mountain of whiteness” because of its snow-capped peak. When the British colonised the country, they could not pronounce the name, and…
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1994 Cambodia 500 Riels
A coin from the heir to the mighty empire of Angkor (Image of Buddhist monks walking towards the famous Angkor Wat temples, Cambodia, from Unesco.com) Archaeological data has revealed that the area we now call “Cambodia” was inhabited by human beings at least 40,000 years ago. Cities developed along the coast in the centuries before…
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1972 Malta 2 Cents
Featuring the Queen of the Amazons Amazon Warriors Depiction of Amazon Warriors from Live Science) According to Greek mythology, Amazon warriors were the most powerful women ever. They were said to be a tribe of independent, mighty women who had rebelled against the men-dominated society. They used to live in isolate places, exclude men from…
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1919 Luxembourg 25 Centimes
A forked-tail rampart lion on a decorative shield, from a landlocked Grand Duchy Luxembourg The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is a small country landlocked by Belgium, France and Germany. With an area of just 2,586 sq km (994 sq mi) Luxembourg is quite small. For context, that is only 2/3 the area of Rhode Island,…
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1995 Japan 5 Yen
An elegant, modern Japanese coin Heisei Era Last time we visited Japan, we looked at the 1915 Japan 5 Rin. That coin was issued during the Taishō era which lasted until 1926. Each emperor of Japan names the era of their reign. Here is a list of these since the “Meiji Restoration“: Today’s coin is…
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1978 Uruguay 5 Centésimos
A South American Steer (Cattle in Uruguay, from BeefCentral.com) Last time we looked at Uruguay, we explored up to the rule of President Jose Batlle y Ordonez. His successors continued his reforms, paving the way for Uruguay to be seen as one of the most progressive in the world. Although neutral during WWII, the worldwide…
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1930 Uruguay 10 Centésimos
A coin commemorating the 100th. Anniversary from Constitution Pledge Uruguay Uruguay means “river of the painted birds” in the native Guaraní language. With just 176.215 km2 / 68,037mi2, Uruguay is the second smallest country in South America (Suriname is the smallest, not counting French Guiana and the Falkland Islands). Uruguay is on the east coast…