Tag: Coat of arms
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1993 Namibia 5 Dollars
An African fish eagle from south-western Africa Namibia (Map of Africa highlighting Namibia, from Wikipedia). Painted stone plates discovered in the Ai-Ais Huns Mountains are amongst the oldest works of art globally, dating back to 25,000 B.C. By 6,000 years ago, the San (also known as the Bushmen) created some remarkable galleries of rock engravings…
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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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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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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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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…