Tag: Coat of arms
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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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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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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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1980 Laos 50 Att
Laos is a landlocked country between Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar and China. The Lao people were a tribe originally from Yunnan, China, who were pushed south to the border of the Khmer empire in the 13th century. The first Lao kingdom, called Lan Xang or “land of the million elephants,” was founded by Fa Ngum…
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1916 Panama 2 1/2 Centésimos
A coin from the crossroad of the world Panama (Panama joins Central (Latin) and South America. Source: Wikipedia) Panama is the southern-most country in North America. Bordering Costa Rica on the west, and the Southern American country of Colombia to the east. Panama is a narrow land bridge or isthmus, with the Carribbean Sea to…
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1945 Venezuela 12 1/2 Centimos
A coin with an unusual denomination from the northernmost country of South America. Venezuela The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is a Latin American nation with a culturally and ethnically rich and diverse population and enormous natural resources. Venezuela is in the northern part of South America, on the Caribbean Sea. Bordered by Colombia, Brazil and…
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1989 Cuba 1 Peso – impact damage
Interesting damage to this coin from Communist Cuba Cuba 1920s-1980s When we covered the 1920 5 Centavos, we also covered the history of Cuba to that time. Let’s pick up in the 1920s. Gerardo Machado y Morales became president in 1925. His rule has been described as “Cruel Dictatorship”. On top of the economic hardships…
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1920 Cuba 5 Centavos
An elegant coin from a torn nation Cuba Cuba is home to the largest island in the Caribbean, although the nation is composed of over 4,000 islands. Like other islands in the Caribbean, such as the Cayman Islands, and Jamaica, Cuba was first charted by Christopher Columbus, this time on his first voyage in 1492,…
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Imitation Spade Guinea Sam Lyon
An interesting advertising ISG variant Obverse We’ve previously looked at another Imitation Spade Guinea (ISG) token. These are gambling tokens produced in the UK in the 1800s and early 1900s. They come in many varieties, although there are a handful of main types. The previous piece we covered was an “In Memory” type. Those are…
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2008 Kyrgyzstan 3 Som
An unusual modern value Kyrgyzstan The government of Kyrgyzstan (or the Kyrgyz Republic) describe their country as: “one the most scenic places in Central Asia. Two-thirds of its territory is occupied by the mountains, which is affected on variety of climate, landscapes, flora, and fauna. Being here, you will open to yourself the country of…
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Imitation Spade Guinea “Good Old Days” UK
One of many fascinating gaming tokens Gaming tokens George III became king of the United Kingdom in 1760, following the death of his grandfather, George II. The industrial revolution was just getting under way, and local manufacturers were in a position to produce commemorative medalets. These were made firstly to mark his ascension, and then…
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1955 Yugoslavia 50 Dinara
A socialist coin from a series which works well together. 1946-63 Emblem of Federal People’s Republic (FPR) of Yugoslavia. Image from Wikipedia. Writing about the 1931 Yugoslavia 10 Dinara, I covered some of the early history of Yugoslavia – at least up to the creation of Yugoslavia as a dictatorship under King Alexander. This particularly…
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1974 Jamaica Proof Cent
A very shiny cent from a newly independent country This is a bonus entry for Day 24 “X” of the Blogging from A-Z April Challenge!X = Xaymaca (Jamaica). Independence As noted yesterday, there are very few coin issuing entities which begin with X. Jamaica is known as Xaymaca in the native language, so we’ll go…
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1978 Vatican 500 Lire Sede Vacante September
A coin to mark a once in 400 year event This is my entry for Day 22 “V” of the Blogging from A-Z April Challenge!V = Vatican City. The Papacy The coat of arms of Vatican City, from Vatican.va Matthew 16:18, Jesus said to the Apostle Peter: “You are Peter, and on this rock I will…
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1818 Spain 8 Maravedis
A coin from The Desired, or the Felon King? This is my entry for Day 19 “S” of the Blogging from A-Z April Challenge!S = Spain. Spain Ferdinand VII swears on the 1812 Constitution before the Cortes in 1820, from Wikipedia. Spain followed a similar path to many other European nations: Founded as far back…
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1990 Qatar 50 Dirhams
A coin featuring one of the most relaxing looking state emblems This is my entry for Day 17, “Q” of the Blogging from A-Z April Challenge!Q = Qatar. Obverse The obverse of the coin features the year above, in Gregorian and Islamic years (1990 – 1410) and the country name in Arabic below (دولَة قطَر, which…
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1949 Portugal 20 Centavos
Just because I like Roman Numerals This is my entry for Day 16, “P” of the Blogging from A-Z April Challenge!P = Portugal. Reverse The reverse of the coin features the denomination above the branches of an olive tree. The 20 of the denomination is written in Roman Numerals – XX. Roman numerals have often been…
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2003 Kenya 40 Shillings
A commemorative value on a commemorative coin This is my entry for Day 11 “K” of the Blogging from A-Z April Challenge!K = Kenya. Reverse The reverse of the coin features President Mwai Kibaki facing forward. Around the edge is the text “Third president of the Republic of Kenya H.E. Mwai Kibaki, CGH, MP.” Unlike the…
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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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Peru 1/2 Sol 1944
I really like coins from Peru. Since the introduction of the “Sol” as the currency in 1863, Peruvian coins have featured the coat of arms on one side: The coat of arms, which was originally adopted in 1825, was proclaimed by Simón Bolívar as: “The arms of the Peruvian Nation shall consist of a shield…