Tag: Birds
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1995 UK Peace 2 Pounds
A simple, elegant design without words in 1995, the UK issued a commemorative £2 coin to mark the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II. The whole reverse design is taken up with a dove, flying left and holding an olive branch. The coin was designed by John Mills, who created some memorable…
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Constans Phoenix (Trier) 348-350 AD
A tiny happy bird Constantine the Great had four sons and two daughters. All four sons were “Caesar“, that is, prince, or heir apparent, and three became “Augustus” (Emperor) on his death (Crispus didn’t fare so well, being executed by his father in 326). Both terms Caesar and August are much more nuanced and complex.…
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Austria 10 Groschen 1952
The first coin in my collection Here is the 1952 Austria 10 Groschen, a coin which was produced by Austria from 1951 – 2001, a pretty good run! The (second) Austrian Schilling was produced after WWII, from 1945 – 2001. 1 Schilling is divided up into 100 Groschen. The coin has a simple but attractive…
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Aachen 12 Heller 1794
Aachen today, is a city in western Germany, on the border with both Belgium and the Netherlands. Aachen is famous for its spas, it’s cathedral and as the burial place of Charlemagne. In 1794, Aachen issued this 12 Heller coin: The coin is somewhat worn, and the top line is almost completely missing. It should…
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Russia 1 Denga 1749
The Russian Ruble, used since the 14th century is the second oldest currency still in circulation (the oldest being the UK Pound Sterling. The Ruble is commonly cited as the first currency in Europe to be decimalised in 1704. In fact in 1535, the Denga was worth 1/100 Ruble. But, there is an argument that…
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Superb Fruit Dove PNC
Postal Numismatic Covers, or PNCs, are a popular issue in Australia particularly. Other countries have issued them, but none to the extent Australia does. The covers are similar to a First Day Cover the post office issues with stamps, PNCs also feature a coin, or medallion. The 2021 Doves and Pigeons PNC features a pretty…
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Owl of Athena Æ20
Here is a little coin which really got me interested in Ancient coins: It’s worn, but look at that gorgeous owl! Even more impressive considering this coin was struck up to 133 years before the time of Christ. The closest CoinProject reference I’ve found for this is listed as 133 – 27 BC. Struck in…