tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90388860290173911412024-03-13T11:39:45.978-07:00World Coin CollectingThe fun of collecting world coins, from <a href="http://www.portlandcoins.com/">Portland Coins</a>.Portland Coinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09601064255320326558noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9038886029017391141.post-44410987001154081792014-05-12T22:34:00.002-07:002014-05-12T22:34:36.729-07:00United Kingdom Proposes New £1 Coin<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jWlZhu7bIdA/U22sl1xHCNI/AAAAAAAAAWA/JGTdaTCr8o0/s1600/New_1_pound_obverse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jWlZhu7bIdA/U22sl1xHCNI/AAAAAAAAAWA/JGTdaTCr8o0/s1600/New_1_pound_obverse.jpg" height="186" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prototype for new UK £1 coin.<br />
Image courtesy of the Royal Mint</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In March 2014, the <a href="http://www.royalmint.com/">Royal Mint</a> (UK) announced plans to release a <a href="http://www.royalmint.com/aboutus/news/the-new-1-pound-coin">redesigned 1 pound coin</a> in 2017. The Mint's prototype design is pictured here, and differs from the current UK 1 pound coin in 2 very visible ways:<br />
<ul>
<li>The coin would probably be bi-metallic, having a silver-colored center surrounded by a gold-colored edge (like the 2 pound coin)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>The current prototype coin is a 12-edged polygon (a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodecagon">dodecagon</a>), reminiscent of the 12-edged 3-pence coin minted between 1937 and 1970</li>
</ul>
The obverse (front) will of course feature a picture of the Queen. A competition (open to the public) will be held to pick a new design for the reverse (back). Presumably the new coin would have a diameter and thickness similar to the current coin (22mm and 3mm, respectively) in order to ease conversion of machinery (e.g. vending machines).<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vq-CItrK-FM/U22slmRzLuI/AAAAAAAAAWE/3cNP8joZaNE/s1600/Great_Britain_3_pence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vq-CItrK-FM/U22slmRzLuI/AAAAAAAAAWE/3cNP8joZaNE/s1600/Great_Britain_3_pence.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1967 UK 3 pence coin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The pound coin was introduced in 1983 in order to transition away from 1 pound banknotes (since coins have a much longer usable life than paper money). The reverse at first featured a rotation of symbolic emblems for the 4 members of the United Kingdom (Britain, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales), one per year. In 2008, with the UK's <a href="http://portlandcoins.blogspot.com/2011/10/great-britains-2008-coin-redesign.html">coin redesign</a>, the reverse was changed to the Royal Shield which has a quadrant for each member country.<br />
<br />
One of the main goals of the new coin is to reduce counterfeiting. The Royal Mint's <a href="http://www.royalmint.com/discover/uk-coins/counterfeit-one-pound-coins">counterfeit £1 coins</a> page reports that in 2013, an estimated 3% of circulating £1 coins were fake. With an annual mintage between 20 and 50 million new coins, a 3% counterfeit rate is significant. Changing to a bi-metallic coin is a common anti-counterfeiting tactic that has been used by many other currencies (and can already bee seen on the 2£ coin). The 12-sided shape may also help a little, though it isn't any more difficult to make a clay mold of a dodecagon than a circle.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CVV5pudXLm0/U22slikK2oI/AAAAAAAAAV8/KhEBAww6y4g/s1600/Great_Britain_1_pound.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CVV5pudXLm0/U22slikK2oI/AAAAAAAAAV8/KhEBAww6y4g/s1600/Great_Britain_1_pound.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Current UK £1 coin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
However, the Royal Mint's big gun is its <a href="http://www.royalmint.com/business/circulating-coin/isis">iSIS</a> technology, which they say adds banknote-level security to coins and allows automated coin authentication and counterfeit detection. The Royal Mint is understandably tight-lipped on what exactly iSIS is - the longer that they can keep it a secret, the longer it will take for forgers to copy it - but thinking about the types of security measures that you find in modern banknotes around the world should give you some ideas of what it might entail. While a system like iSIS may be able to quickly identify fakes once they reach, say, a bank that has the equipment to validate coins, it is the more visible security measures which will help individuals and merchants avoid taking counterfeits in the first place. To that end, I'm surprised that the new coin doesn't include any micro/laser engraving, like the new Canada $1 and $2 coins.<br />
<br />
One of the other advantages being mentioned about the new design is that it will make the pound coins more <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-26637515">easily identifiable for the blind</a>. The unique 12-sided shape (since 3 pence coins are no longer in circulation) does seem like it would be easier to pick out of a handful of change. It is great that the Royal Mint is considering the needs of those without sight when designing the new coin.<br />
<br />
The pound is one of my favorite coins of all time. It is a coin that <i>feels like</i> money when you hold it in your hand. Its weight and its thickness (nearly twice as thick as a US quarter) impart its value without even needing to look at it. Even its color, a light gold thanks to its nickel and brass composition, gives it a sense of understated importance that you don't find with many other coins. I only hope that the new £1 can fill the shoes of its predecessor.<br />
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<br />Portland Coinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09601064255320326558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9038886029017391141.post-50490410260400326152014-01-20T21:19:00.000-08:002014-01-20T21:19:16.308-08:00Coins with Web Addresses<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q1Yg3AjWm9A/Ut4B2HRGL_I/AAAAAAAAAVk/LL3mTGV1Afg/s1600/Russia+25+rouble+sochi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q1Yg3AjWm9A/Ut4B2HRGL_I/AAAAAAAAAVk/LL3mTGV1Afg/s1600/Russia+25+rouble+sochi.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Russia 2011 25 rouble coin with Sochi<br />reverse. Image courtesy of the Central<br />Bank of Russia.</td></tr>
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In February 2014, Russia will host the Winter Olympic Games for the first time. To honor the Winter Olympics and the host city <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sochi">Sochi</a>, <a href="http://www.cbr.ru/eng/bank-notes_coins/?Prtid=soci2014">Russia began issuing commemorative coins</a> in 2011 with Olympic themes on the reverse. Canada, the previous Winter Olympics host country, started the trend by <a href="http://www.mint.ca/store/mint/learn/circulation-coins-2700008#.UtzGONLTmHs">issuing Winter Olympic Sport-themed circulating quarters</a> (as well as a commemorative dollar coin) in the years leading up to the Games. (A trend which Great Britain continued in 2012 by minting a series of <a href="http://portlandcoins.blogspot.com/2012/06/great-britains-2012-olympics-50p-coin.html">50 pence coins</a> depicting the sporting events in the Summer Olympic Games.)<br />
<br />
What makes Russia's Olympic coins interesting is that they are, I believe, the first coins to have a Web address on them - <a href="http://sochi.ru/">Sochi.ru</a>.<br />
<br />
It should come as no surprise for a Web address to show up on a coin. There isn't much left that doesn't show a Web link to allow you to find out more information about what you're looking at. Here in the United States, I was most recently surprised to see them popping up on license plates (MyFlorida.com, www.IN.gov). Perhaps it's just a matter of time before we start seeing "www.usa.gov" or "brazil.gov.br" on coins and currency.<br />
<br />
However, I can't help but consider the contrast between a Web site (which, like an address or a phone number, can be impermanent or even short-lived), and a coin (which are specifically made for their durability and longevity). What happens in 4 years, or 10, or 50, when someone finds one of these Russian coins featuring the "sochi.ru" address? Will the address still work? What will it display, so many years after the 2014 Winter Olympic Games? Will someone else get ownership of the address and use it to serve ads, or worse, to unlucky visitors?<br />
<br />
It also makes me think about what our Internet trends are now, compared to 10 years ago. If a mint had gotten the idea to put a Web address on their coins in 2004, would we now be laughing (or scratching our heads) at coins that read "myspace.com/germany" or "india.geocities.com"? Today, would it be better to put a Web address, a Facebook address, or a Twitter identity on a coin (or perhaps all 3)?<br />
<br />
While putting the Sochi.ru address on these Russian coins is primarily a marketing tool, I think it is inevitable that we'll see more of this in the future. If you've seen Web addresses on other coins (circulating or collectible), let us know in a comment below - The Sochi coins are the first <u>I've</u> seen, but that doesn't mean that they were the first.<br />
<br />
In the meantime, I'll be waiting to see who will be the first to stick a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_code">QR code</a> on their coins.Portland Coinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09601064255320326558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9038886029017391141.post-44503078016073280092013-11-30T11:27:00.001-08:002013-11-30T11:27:32.183-08:00What are KM Numbers?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8K0qNG0xiWg/Upo7PvYMX_I/AAAAAAAAAVU/PFhioNR8DtM/s1600/mauritius.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8K0qNG0xiWg/Upo7PvYMX_I/AAAAAAAAAVU/PFhioNR8DtM/s200/mauritius.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mauritius 1992 5 rupees, KM# 56</td></tr>
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Once you start to explore the world of foreign coin collecting, you'll inevitably run across <b>KM numbers</b> (frequently abbreviated "KM#"). Collecting sites like <a href="http://en.numista.com/">Numista</a> and <a href="http://worldcoingallery.com/">World Coin Gallery</a> list them prominently in their search results. <a href="http://www.ebay.com/">eBay</a> auctions for individual foreign coins frequently contain them. NGC's <a href="http://www.ngccoin.com/poplookup/World-Coin-Price-Guide.aspx">World Coin Price Guide</a> includes them in its results. And if you ever tried to trade coins with someone with more collecting experience, they probably asked for, or gave, a KM number when describing a coin.<br />
<br />
<b>KM numbers</b> are a numbering system for world coins created by the authors of the <i>Standard Catalog of World Coins</i> - Chester Krause ("K") and Clifford Mishler ("M") - which was first printed in 1972. The authors very astutely realized that it would make it easier for collectors to use their reference guide, and to be able to discuss specific coins, if there was a shorthand way of identifying a specific coin (instead of saying "The second type of the India 25 paise coin from 1967").<br />
<br />
In the <i>Standard Catalog</i>, each country's coins are given a number (starting at 1 and counting up). KM numbers are generally assigned from oldest to newest, then from smallest to largest denomination. For example, in Mauritania the KM numbers look like this (ordered by KM number):<br />
<ul>
<li>1/5 Ouguiya (1973): KM# 1</li>
<li>1 Ouguiya (1973): KM# 2</li>
<li>5 Ouguiya (1973-): KM# 3</li>
<li>10 Ouguiya (1973-): KM# 4</li>
<li>20 Ouguiya (1973-): KM# 5</li>
<li>1 Ouguiya (1974-): KM# 6</li>
</ul>
Notice that for the coins starting in 1973, the KM numbers follow the denominations - 1/5, 1, 5, 10, 20. Then in 1974, the 1 Ouguiya changed its design slightly and was given a new number (#6).<br />
<br />
When a coin gets a new <u>design</u> (even a slight change), it usually is given a new number. In Great Britain, the pound coin cycles through different reverse designs to signify the 4 members of the United Kingdom (Great Britain, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales). Each of these reverse designs is given its own KM number. Sometimes, a small design change receives a decimal-point number ("214.2") instead of an entirely new number.<br />
<br />
When a coin's <u>composition</u> (the metal that it is made of) changes, however, it usually does <u>not</u> get a whole new KM number (as long as the design stays the same). Instead, a letter is added to the KM number to signify the change in materials. For example, Singapore's KM#1 is the 1 cent coin made of bronze; the copper-clad steel version is KM#1a.<br />
<br />
It is imporant to note that KM numbers are only unique within a country - most countries have their own "KM# 1". They also usually aren't specific to a year - Switzerland's KM# 29 (20 rappen) starts in 1881 and continues to this day. In order to properly refer to a coin you should include:<br />
<ul>
<li>KM number </li>
<li>Country</li>
<li>Year</li>
<li>Denomination</li>
</ul>
For example: <b>Netherlands 1 Gulden 1973 KM# 184</b><br />
<br />
As you can see from this example, in many cases the KM number is actually unnecessary to identify a specific coin. The country, denomination, and year are sufficient to pinpoint the coin being discussed. The most crucial use of KM numbers occurs when there are multiple designs for a single year. For example, the India 10 paise coins between 1988 and 1993 were issued in 2 different styles - a <a href="http://portlandcoins.blogspot.com/2012/05/wavy-edged-coins.html">scalloped coin</a> (KM# 39) and a plain round coin (KM#40). In this case, using the KM number would help communicate which coin you are referring to.<br />
<br />
Because of the way the numbers have to be assigned, KM numbers are not very useful for organizing coins in a collection. Numbers that are close to each other could represent different designs of the same coin, or completely different coins. If you stored your collection in KM# order, it would probably look a little funny. And it is very difficult to <u>find</u> a coin in one of the <i>Standard Catalog of World Coin</i> books by KM number and country alone, because the catalog is organized by denomination and year. However, it is common to write KM numbers on the coins in your collection (usually on the back of your <a href="http://portlandcoins.blogspot.com/2011/06/using-paper-coin-flips.html">protective coin flips</a>) so that, should you need to know them, you don't have to repeatedly look up the coins in a catalog.<br />
<br />
<b>Other Catalog Numbers</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
The <i>Standard Catalog of World Coins</i> was not the first to assign numbers to coins. Even within the <i>Catalo</i>g there are references to coin numbering systems that were introduced by other catalogs and are in common use. While KM numbers are probably the most familiar for world coin collectors, you may also run across:<br />
<ul>
<li>Y#: <i>Modern World Coins </i>and <i>Current Coins of the World</i> - Richard S. Yeoman</li>
<li>C#: <i>Coins of the World, 1750-1850</i> - William D. Craig</li>
<li>K#: <i>Illustrated Catalog of Chinese Coins</i> - Eduard Kann</li>
</ul>
<ul>
</ul>
Portland Coinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09601064255320326558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9038886029017391141.post-22287298069750821262013-10-26T21:39:00.000-07:002013-10-26T21:39:46.290-07:00Reading Thai Numbers and Dates<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cBmXGYX7ndY/UmNrmQdUloI/AAAAAAAAAUA/vmZOZlCRyag/s1600/thai_1962_1_baht.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cBmXGYX7ndY/UmNrmQdUloI/AAAAAAAAAUA/vmZOZlCRyag/s200/thai_1962_1_baht.jpg" width="198" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thailand 1962 1 baht</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thailand">Thailand</a>, located in southeast Asia a little south of China, is another country that does not use Western Arabic (European) numerals (0, 1, 2, 3...) to represent numbers. In order for coin collectors in the United States, Europe, and similar locations to properly identify both the denomination and year of a Thai coin, it is useful to know how to translate Thai numbers and dates to their European equivalents.<br />
<br />
<b>The Thai Numerals</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
The symbols that the Thai language uses to represent the numbers 0 through 9 are known as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_numerals">Thai numerals</a> and are based on older symbols known as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khmer_numerals">Khmer numerals</a>. Below is a chart showing the Thai numerals that represent the Western Arabic numerals 0 through 9:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WdT6SaPVC7Q/UmNtdTuMrOI/AAAAAAAAAUc/n6ZYnhzl2J0/s1600/thai_numbers.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="70" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WdT6SaPVC7Q/UmNtdTuMrOI/AAAAAAAAAUc/n6ZYnhzl2J0/s400/thai_numbers.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
The Thai numeral system is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positional_notation">positional number system</a>, so numbers larger than 9 are constructed as they would be using Western Arabic numbers:<br />
<ul>
<li>10 = <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.190340042114258px; text-align: center;">๑</span><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.190340042114258px; text-align: center;">๐</span></span></li>
<li>23 = <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.190340042114258px; text-align: center;">๒</span><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.190340042114258px; text-align: center;">๓</span></span></li>
<li>496 = <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.190340042114258px; text-align: center;">๔</span><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.190340042114258px; text-align: center;">๙</span><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.190340042114258px; text-align: center;">๖</span></span></li>
</ul>
On coins, the denomination (value) of a coin is usually followed by the Thai word <b><span style="font-size: large;">บาท</span></b> ("baht", the name of the Thai currency).<br />
<br />
Here are some examples from actual Thai coins:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MBGNNzPndbY/UmLWmUtUkLI/AAAAAAAAATs/BXiNHXa4gyA/s1600/thai_coins_numbers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MBGNNzPndbY/UmLWmUtUkLI/AAAAAAAAATs/BXiNHXa4gyA/s400/thai_coins_numbers.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left to right: 1, 25, and 10</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
To translate Thai numbers, you just replace the Thai symbols with their Western Arabic equivalents (there is no calculation involved, unlike <a href="http://portlandcoins.blogspot.com/2012/11/reading-japanese-numbers-and-dates.html">Japanese numbers</a>). Some more recent Thai coins include the denomination in Arabic numerals (note the "10" on the right-most coin).<br />
<br />
<b>Thai Dates</b><br />
<br />
Once you can translate the Thai numbers, converting the date on Thai coins to the Common Era (e.g. 2013) is done by <b>subtracting 543</b> from the Thai year. (Wikipedia has more information about the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_solar_calendar">Thai Solar Calendar</a> for those that are interested.) The coin's year usually follows the initials <b><span style="font-size: large;">พ.ศ.</span></b> ("B.E.", which stands for Buddhist Era).<br />
<br />
Here are date examples from actual Thai coins:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yu0b2cQkPyA/UmLWmM1WolI/AAAAAAAAATw/zfYrjN0EBzE/s1600/thai_coins_dates.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yu0b2cQkPyA/UmLWmM1WolI/AAAAAAAAATw/zfYrjN0EBzE/s400/thai_coins_dates.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left to right: 2551 (2008), 2543 (2000), and 2552 (2009)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />Portland Coinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09601064255320326558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9038886029017391141.post-9302763989746998052013-09-26T21:26:00.001-07:002013-09-26T21:26:45.563-07:00Collectible Coins Versus Circulating CoinsIf you browse the coins available for sale at a large world mint like the <a href="http://www.mint.ca/">Royal Canadian Mint</a>, alongside uncirculated and proof sets of the country's regular coins you'll probably see some fancy coins. <u>Very</u> fancy coins. Coins with color pictures on them, or crystals embedded in them, or coins made of silver and gold (or both at the same time), or coins in special shapes. And you may ask yourself, "Do people in that country walk around with such spectacular coins in their pockets all the time? That would be awesome!"<br />
<br />
It would be awesome to have such a variety of coins in use, but these coins are not meant to ever be spent. Mints have the technology and expertise to make coin-like objects, so many branch out and use this power to create <b>collectible coins</b> (also known as <b>collector coins</b>) - special, limited-run coins that usually both commemorate some important person, place, thing, or event, and which frequently make use of technology, design, or materials that would be too expensive in an every-day coin. In recent years, it's not uncommon to also find tie-ins to movies (The Hobbit, Transformers) or well-known characters (Scooby-Doo, Dr. Who).<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BcZzByIE1fc/UkUE2VK5v_I/AAAAAAAAATQ/tu8siXCBLnI/s1600/canada_dinosaur_glowing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="152" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BcZzByIE1fc/UkUE2VK5v_I/AAAAAAAAATQ/tu8siXCBLnI/s320/canada_dinosaur_glowing.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Canada's 2012 Prehistoric Animals dinosaur<br />collectible coin with glow-in-the-dark skeleton</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
One such coin is pictured here. This is the Royal Canadian Mint's first coin in their "prehistoric animals" series, issued in 2012. It has 2 special features that you wouldn't find on pocket change. First, the full-color picture of a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachyrhinosaurus">Pachyrhinosaurus Lakustai</a> on the back, which is common for collectible coins (it helps them really stand out compared to regular coins). Second, a glow-in-the-dark skeleton of the animal will appear if you shine a light on the picture and then take it into the dark. (This glowing feature is one of the major selling points of this series, and it generated quite an Internet buzz when it was first announced.)<br />
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Collectible coins have a denomination (value) on them so that they can be considered a coin instead of a medal or token. This technically makes them legal tender (able to be spent), but the cost of acquiring the coin makes it impractical to actually spend. For example, the Pachyrhinosaurus coin pictured above has a denomination of 25 cents (Canadian), but it will cost $30 to get one - 120 times the value printed on the coin itself.<br />
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In contrast, <b>circulating coins</b> are the coins that you use on a daily basis - you get them as change, you find them on the ground, or you spend them in vending machines. These coins are made of inexpensive metal, the design doesn't change very often, and the mints produce thousands if not millions of them each year. You usually don't buy these coins directly from the mint - banks trade in old, worn-out coins for new coins from the mint so that the number of coins in use stays around the same. To get a circulating coin, you either get it as change from a sales transaction, or you can go directly to a bank and "buy" one by trading in an equal amount of money (for example, trading 1 dollar for 4 25-cent coins). (One exception to this are mints, like the <a href="http://www.usmint.gov/">US Mint</a>, that sell bags or rolls of uncirculated coins.)<br />
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Because of their higher cost, you need to protect collectible coins differently than you would protect regular circulating coins. A folded paper flip isn't going to be enough. Many collectible coins sold today come in their own protective hard-plastic container. This protects them from dust, scratches, water, fingerprints, and other wear (and should never be opened). If you get a collectible coin that doesn't have such a container, visit your local coin shop and get something that will fit the coin securely and tightly - you don't want it to slide around in its protective case.<br />
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As a world coin collector, you can specialize in either collectible coins, circulating coins, or of course both. Because collectible coins are so much more expensive, it is more common to start out collecting circulating coins (especially for kids). However, collectible coins make great gifts, especially if you find one with a subject that the recipient will find interesting.Portland Coinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09601064255320326558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9038886029017391141.post-23004078993401211492013-08-30T06:20:00.000-07:002013-09-25T09:24:30.745-07:00Small World CoinsIn the United States, our smallest circulating coin is the dime (10 cents). Its diameter is 18mm (a little less than 3/4 of an inch), which is only 1mm smaller than the penny (1 cent). The size difference is not easily noticed, which is why the dime is a different color (silver) and has a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reeding#Numismatics">reeded edge</a> to make the 2 coins more distinguishable.<br />
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While the dime seems pretty small, there have been plenty of modern world coins which are even smaller. The main reason to mint a small coin is, of course, to use less metal (which makes the coins less expensive to make). But from a practical sense, a country probably can't make all of its coins small because it would be more difficult to tell them apart. And smaller coins are easier to lose, which is why typically only the lowest denomination (value) coins which are made small.<br />
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There is also a practical limit to how small a coin can be. It has to be big enough to be able to read the information on it (year, country, value) and heavy enough to not blow away in a light breeze.<br />
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The prize for smallest circulating coin issued since 1900 probably goes to Panama's 2 1/2 centismo, which was issued in 1904 and then again from 1975-1982. This coin was only 10mm wide (almost half the size of a US penny), and due to its tiny size received the nickname "<a href="http://typesets.wikidot.com/panama:2-5centismos1904">Panama Pill</a>". A 10mm coin seems like it would be difficult to use and easy to lose. In 1907 a new 2 1/2 centismo was minted which measured in at a whopping 21mm (in comparison).<br />
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Here is a list of many of the small coins which have been issued around the world since 1900. If you know of anything missing from the list, let us know in a comment.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AuWv6d6Q3mw/Uh7Xes5lPzI/AAAAAAAAATA/zw6JRT0QMkY/s1600/Small_World_Coins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AuWv6d6Q3mw/Uh7Xes5lPzI/AAAAAAAAATA/zw6JRT0QMkY/s400/Small_World_Coins.jpg" width="343" /></a></div>
<b>Algeria 1 centime</b><br />
<b>Argentina 1 centavo</b><br />
<b>Armemia 10 luma</b><br />
<b>Aruba 5 cents</b><br />
<b>Australia 1 cent, 3 pence</b><br />
<b>Azerbaijan 1 qepik</b><br />
<b>Bahamas 1 cent</b><br />
<b>Bahrain 25 fils</b><br />
<b>Bangladesh 1 poisha</b><br />
<b>Belgium 25 centimes</b><br />
<b>Bolivia 2 centavos</b><br />
<b>Brazil 5 centavos, 20 reis</b><br />
<b>Brunei 5 sen</b><br />
<b>Bulgaria 1 stotinki</b><br />
<b>Cambodia 50 riels</b><br />
<b>Costa Rica 5 centimos</b><br />
<b>Ceylon 1 cent</b><br />
<b>Chile 5 centavos, 1 peso</b><br />
<b>China 1 fen</b><br />
<b>Croatia 1 lipa</b><br />
<b>Cyprus 1 cent</b><br />
<b>Czech Republic 10 haleru</b><br />
<b>Finland 1, 10 penni</b><br />
<b>Denmark 1, 5 ore</b><br />
<b>Egypt 1/10 qirsh</b><br />
<b>Euro 1 cent</b><br />
<b>Guatemala 1/4 real</b><br />
<b>Iceland 10 aurar</b><br />
<b>India 10 paise</b><br />
<b>Japan 1 sen</b><br />
<b>Kazakhstan 1 tenge</b><br />
<b>Mexico 5, 10 centavos</b><br />
<b>The Netherlands 1/2, 10 cents</b><br />
<b>Netherlands Antilles 1 cent</b><br />
<b>Norway 10 ore</b><br />
<b>Pakistan 1 pie</b><br />
<b>Panama 2 1/2 centismo</b><br />
<b>Philippines 1 sentimo</b><br />
<b>Poland 1 grosz</b><br />
<b>Romania 5 bani</b><br />
<b>Russia 1 kopek</b><br />
<b>Singapore 1 cent</b><br />
<b>South Africa 1 cent</b><br />
<b>Spain 1 peseta</b><br />
<b>Thailand 25 satang</b><br />
<b>Turkey 1 kurus</b><br />
<b>United Arab Emirates 1 fil</b><br />
<br />Portland Coinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09601064255320326558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9038886029017391141.post-76838643490682280132013-07-29T22:00:00.000-07:002013-07-29T22:00:49.132-07:00Andorra's New Euro Coins In 2014<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ki3v1GZc2bo/UfPpGZifc8I/AAAAAAAAASw/sXQLZZuYUAI/s1600/Andorra_Euros.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="65" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ki3v1GZc2bo/UfPpGZifc8I/AAAAAAAAASw/sXQLZZuYUAI/s320/Andorra_Euros.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The winning designs for Andorra's new euro coins.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andorra">Andorra</a> is a small country (a microstate) with a population of around 85,000 located in Europe between France and Spain. Andorra is about half the size of Rhode Island, the smallest US state, to give you an idea of how small it is.<br />
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Being so small, Andorra does not have its own currency. Before the year 2000, both the Spanish (peseta) and French (franc) currencies were used for transactions within Andorra. In 2000 both Spain and France switched to the euro, and Andorra similarly changed its legal tender.<br />
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In 2011, Andorra requested, and eventually received, approval from the European Union to issue its own country-specific Euro coins. The resulting agreement between the EU and Andorra authorizes Andorra to mint and distribute coins with a face value of up to 2.5 million euros annually.<br />
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In early 2013, the Andorran government held a contest for the designs of the new coins (except for the 2-euro coin, which would display the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coat_of_arms_of_Andorra">Andorran coat-of-arms</a>), and the <a href="http://www.andorra-euro.com/en/news3.html">results were announced</a> in May. The 1, 2, and 5 euro cent coins will feature the image of a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrenean_chamois">Pyrenean chamois</a> (a goat-like animal native to the area); the 10, 20, and 50 euro cent coins depict the fresco of Christ in Majesty at Sant Marti de la Cortinada; and the 1 euro coin will display an image of the former Andorran Parliament building - the <a href="http://visitandorra.com/en/companies-and-services/casa-de-la-vall-parliament-building">Valley House</a>. The new coins are expected to be available starting in January of 2014.<br />
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For foreign coin collectors, what is exciting is that we get new euro coins without replacing an existing currency. Most European countries, when they switch to the euro, must leave their old money behind - so while the collecting world gets a new euro to collect, the country's former coins are taken out of circulation. Since Andorra doesn't have its own currency (though it did occasionally issue coins), we don't have to say good-bye to any existing coins.Portland Coinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09601064255320326558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9038886029017391141.post-44517576389688376302013-06-29T15:22:00.001-07:002013-07-04T15:14:20.115-07:00Soccer Coins<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_football">Football</a> (or soccer, as it is known in the US) is undoubtedly the most popular sport in the world, regularly played by hundreds of millions of children and adults in all corners of the globe. It should come as no surprise, then, to find out that such an important activity has found its way onto a variety of countries' circulating coins. I don't think that any other individual sport has been featured on as many coins as soccer has.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1ZV3d6c1c0Y/Uc9VXPdorAI/AAAAAAAAASI/KFrCQ_ErrIE/s800/Britain_1996_2_pounds_soccer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1ZV3d6c1c0Y/Uc9VXPdorAI/AAAAAAAAASI/KFrCQ_ErrIE/s200/Britain_1996_2_pounds_soccer.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great Britain 1996 2 pound coin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
My favorite soccer-themed coin of all is the Great Britan 2 pound coin from 1996. This coin commemorated the 10th European Football Championship (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Euro_1996">Euro 96</a>), which was held in England. The reverse of the coin is designed to look like a soccer ball, and the 16 small dots surrounding the year represent the 16 teams which participated. (Germany won.)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TkKk_DYUQ-A/UdXzNcd6GxI/AAAAAAAAASg/40EKThTAaDs/s900/Spain_1980_Soccer_Coins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TkKk_DYUQ-A/UdXzNcd6GxI/AAAAAAAAASg/40EKThTAaDs/s200/Spain_1980_Soccer_Coins.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spain 1980 1, 5, 25, and 50 peseta coins</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In 1982 Spain hosted the World Cup, and in 1980 Spain's coins celebrated the occasion with special soccer imagery on their reverses.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fF-_RD_2jDE/Uc9VWgcfQAI/AAAAAAAAASA/D7GvHGL5xNg/s509/Somalia_2001_25_Shillings_soccer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fF-_RD_2jDE/Uc9VWgcfQAI/AAAAAAAAASA/D7GvHGL5xNg/s200/Somalia_2001_25_Shillings_soccer.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Somalia 2001 25 shillings</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In 2001, Somalia's 25 shilling coin featured a uniformed soccer player on the back.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u9P-lxeQ87U/Uc9VW_ipDeI/AAAAAAAAASE/rh_NF58cspI/s800/Congo_2002_50_Centimes_soccer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u9P-lxeQ87U/Uc9VW_ipDeI/AAAAAAAAASE/rh_NF58cspI/s200/Congo_2002_50_Centimes_soccer.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Congo 2002 50 centimes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In 2002, the Democratic Republic of Congo's 50 centime coin had a similar idea, with a uniformed soccer player heading a ball.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Here are other circulating soccer-themed coins that I know of. If you are aware of any that are missing, mention them in the comments.<br />
<ul>
<li>Argentina 1977-1978 50 pesos</li>
<li>Belgium 2000 50 francs</li>
<li>China 1991 1 yuan</li>
<li>Ethiopia 1974 2 birr</li>
<li>Germany 2011 10 euro</li>
<li>Jamaica 1982 1 dollar</li>
<li>Mexico 1986 200 pesos</li>
<li>Netherlands 2000 5 gulden</li>
<li>Poland 2002, 2006 2 zlote</li>
<li>South Africa 2002 50 cents</li>
<li>United Arab Emirates 1991 1 dirham</li>
</ul>
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<b>Update 7/4/2013: Added Spain 1, 50 peseta coins to picture.</b><br />
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<br />Portland Coinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09601064255320326558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9038886029017391141.post-3270870016183962772013-05-26T14:43:00.001-07:002013-05-26T14:43:05.444-07:00New Singapore Coin Designs in 2013<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore">Singapore</a> is a small island city-state located in Southeast Asia, just off the southern tip of Malaysia (near Indonesia and Australia). It spent the first half of the 20th century as a British colony, but gained its independence and became the Republic of Singapore in 1965. Singapore's current population is around 5 million people.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zHePBYnD2Io/UZgWgrgstXI/AAAAAAAAARY/1vvbL34rxzc/s1600/Singapore-first-series.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="120" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zHePBYnD2Io/UZgWgrgstXI/AAAAAAAAARY/1vvbL34rxzc/s200/Singapore-first-series.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 20, 10, 5, and 1 cent coins from<br />
Singapore's first series (1967-1984)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Singapore issued its first independent coins in 1967. These coins, known as the "first" or "<a href="http://www.singaporemint.com/fact_coin_marine.php">marine series</a>", primarily featured images of marine life local to Singapore (including a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionfish">lionfish</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seahorse">seahorse</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swordfish">swordfish</a>). Neighboring Australia and New Zealand had both started using coins with similar designs featuring important or well-known local fauna only a year prior (1966). And the Cayman Islands' first coins, issued in 1972, are again quite similar.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kX9PVEGuYCk/UZgWgpqyrNI/AAAAAAAAARU/GRQjGRkDJ6M/s1600/Singapore-second-series.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="127" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kX9PVEGuYCk/UZgWgpqyrNI/AAAAAAAAARU/GRQjGRkDJ6M/s200/Singapore-second-series.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 20, 10, 5, and 1 cent coins from<br />
Singapore's second series (1985-2012)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In 1985, a new series of coins was released. This second, or "<a href="http://www.singaporemint.com/fact_coin_floral.php">floral</a>", series (in use through 2012) included a redesign of the reverse to include the Singapore coat-of-arms and "Singapore" in the country's 4 official languages - English, Malay, Mandarin (Chinese), and Tamil. The obverses contain images of local plant life, including the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanda_%27Miss_Joaquim%27">Vanda Miss Joaquim orchid</a> (Singapore's national flower), <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_jasmine">Star Jasmine</a>, and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_allamanda">Yellow Allamanda</a>.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wWoYQNWELVQ/UZgWgV0FnII/AAAAAAAAARM/ZAm7u5WGXlU/s1600/Singapore-third-series.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="123" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wWoYQNWELVQ/UZgWgV0FnII/AAAAAAAAARM/ZAm7u5WGXlU/s200/Singapore-third-series.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The coins of Singapore's third series<br />
starting in 2013 (Images from the <br />
Monetary Authority of Singapore)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In 2013, Singapore will release their <a href="http://www.mas.gov.sg/newcoins">third series</a> of circulating coins. The new coins feature images of important or iconic Singapore landmarks, such as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_of_singapore">Port of Singapore</a> (one of the 5 busiest ports in the world), the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Changi_Airport">Changi Airport</a>, and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esplanade_%E2%80%93_Theatres_on_the_Bay">Esplanade</a> at the Theatres on the Bay center for performing arts. Singapore stopped minting a 1-cent coin in 2002, so this new series will only contain 5 cent, 10 cent, 20 cent, 50 cent, and 1 dollar coins. The 1 dollar coin in the third series will be bi-metallic for the first time, and include laser-etching to make it more difficult to counterfeit. (It also features the image of a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merlion">merlion</a>, an important mythical figure for Singapore.)<br />
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For collectors, the new series is a welcome addition to the coins of Southeast Asia. We look forward both to adding this new set to our collections, and making sure to fill in any holes we might have from the first and second series coins.<br />
<br />Portland Coinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09601064255320326558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9038886029017391141.post-69170054162637281012013-04-30T21:08:00.001-07:002014-01-23T14:30:23.760-08:00Foreign Coin Exchange Values<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v4o4nD8tZ6I/UYCUlDpjaxI/AAAAAAAAAQw/anbGUt4DWAo/s1600/india_5_rupee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v4o4nD8tZ6I/UYCUlDpjaxI/AAAAAAAAAQw/anbGUt4DWAo/s200/india_5_rupee.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">India 5 rupees<br />
Exchange value: $0.09 US</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Recently we discussed ways that you can <a href="http://portlandcoins.blogspot.com/2013/01/finding-value-of-foreign-coin.html">research the value of a foreign coin</a>. We talked about the difference between book value, market value, and trade-in value for a coin. There's another important value that you may sometimes find useful, but it only applies to recent coins - the <b>exchange value</b>.<br />
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If a coin is still being used in its home country (it hasn't been devalued, or replaced with another currency such as when the French franc was replaced by the euro), then that coin has actual buying power in that country (in other words, you can spend it). These coins are called <b>circulating coins</b>, because in the issuing country they would be the coins that are currently in circulation - the coins that people use every day to buy things.<br />
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All active currencies have an <b>exchange rate</b>, which is how much that currency is worth in other nations' money. You may have run into this before if you have done any international travel and had to exchange your money for that of the location you were visiting. For example, today $1 in US money is worth the same as 2 Brazilian reals, 12 Mexican pesos, or 98 Japanese yen.<br />
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The <b>exchange value</b> of a foreign coin is how much that coin is worth in <u>your</u> currency, based on the current exchange rate between that country's money and your own. You can look up current exchange rates at places like <a href="http://money.cnn.com/data/currencies/">CNN</a>, <a href="http://coinmill.com/">CoinMill</a>, and <a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/currency-converter/">Yahoo</a> (along with many others). The exchange value doesn't care about condition, age, rarity, or anything else that affects the value of a coin as a collectible.<br />
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However, it only applies to current, active currencies which can still be spent in their home country. For example, much of Europe has changed over to the euro. The old Spanish pesetas, French francs, German marks, Italian liras, and Greek drachmas (to name a few) aren't active currencies anymore - they can't be exchanged, and have no exchange value at all. (If you're unsure whether a coin that you have is a current circulating coin, you can use Web sites like <a href="http://en.numista.com/">Numista</a> to find the coin and see if it is listed as <b>demonetized</b> - this means that it is no longer an active currency, and has been replaced with something else.)<br />
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A good example is money from the United Kingdom (Great Britain), which is consistently one of the highest-valued currencies in the world. A recent exchange rate for the Great Britain pound to the US dollar was $1.54 (1 pound = $1.54 USD). So if someone asked about the value of a 2010 1 pound coin in US dollars, you would have these "values" to choose from:<br />
<ul>
<li>Book value: $3 (for a coin in uncirculated condition)</li>
<li>Market value: $1-$1.50 (approximately)</li>
<li>Trade-in value: $0.25 - 0.50</li>
<li>Exchange value: $1.54 (dependent on the current exchange rate)</li>
</ul>
In this case, the exchange value gives you the highest estimated value of the coin (unless you happen to have a coin in really great condition). This means that to get the most money for your coin, you'd need to exchange it for US dollars somewhere.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e3Sr94pQZ5A/UYCUk0MotpI/AAAAAAAAAQs/rTOUzqUUhiI/s1600/australia_1_dollar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e3Sr94pQZ5A/UYCUk0MotpI/AAAAAAAAAQs/rTOUzqUUhiI/s200/australia_1_dollar.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Australia 1 dollar<br />
Exchange value: $1.02</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And that is the problem with the exchange value - it is one of the hardest to capitalize on because it is not easy to exchange foreign coins for US dollars. Most large banks will exchange foreign bills (paper money) at a rate close to the daily exchange rate, but they usually don't accept coins.<br />
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Instead, you'll have to look for a <b>currency exchange</b> in your town. Currency exchanges are businesses which buy and sell foreign money. They are frequently used by people who have either returned from foreign travel (and have unused foreign money they want to get rid of), or people who will be traveling soon (and want to get some foreign money for their trip). Exchanges are sometimes found at bus stations (especially near Canada or Mexico) or airports (especially airports which have international flights). Cities which have a lot of international travelers (New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Victoria B.C.) may have exchanges located all around town to serve the many travelers who visit. Individual exchanges may or may not accept coins, so you may want to call first to ask.<br />
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At either a currency exchange or a bank, don't expect to get an exchange rate exactly like the rate that you find online. These businesses need to be able to make some profit for the service that they provide, so they will typically buy foreign money at less than the current exchange rate, and sell it for more than the current rate.<br />
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Besides using a currency exchange, you can also try to sell your foreign currency to someone (a family member or business acquaintance) who is traveling to the country that the money is from. That way the money can be returned to its original country and spent. Or you can try selling your extra coins online through a service like <a href="http://www.ebay.com/">eBay</a> - people who are traveling to that country might buy your coins so that they can spend them on their trip (but you may or may not get values close to the current exchange rate).<br />
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Exchange value is one of several ways to measure the value of a coin, and it is a good value to be aware of when trading or selling coins (you wouldn't want to sell 25 British pounds for $1.50 when the exchange value is closer to $37). But don't let it restrict your trading, either - trading an Australian dollar ($1) for a Chinese yuan ($0.16) is a good trade if it adds something new to your collection. As with all measures of value, let it guide your trading, buying, or selling activity and help you make informed decisions.Portland Coinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09601064255320326558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9038886029017391141.post-67266728101456065482013-03-27T17:23:00.000-07:002013-03-27T17:23:02.436-07:00Latvia Introducing Euro Coins in 2014<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JWsZ9vutqQQ/UVOKFrCnTbI/AAAAAAAAAQE/dRluH6LCBqk/s1600/latvia_lats_coins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="181" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JWsZ9vutqQQ/UVOKFrCnTbI/AAAAAAAAAQE/dRluH6LCBqk/s200/latvia_lats_coins.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Latvia 1-santims and 1-lats coins</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latvia">Latvia</a> is an eastern European country of about 2,000,000 located on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Its neighbors are Estonia to the north, Lithuania to the south, and Russia to the east. In 2004, Latvia was one of 10 European nations which were accepted into the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_union">European Union</a>. <br />
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The current currency of Latvia is the <b>lats</b>. 1 lats = 100 <b>santims</b>. But in January 2014, Latvia is expecting to become a full member of the Eurozone and replace their national currency with the euro. This would make Latvia the 18th European nation to join the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurozone">Eurozone</a> (the countries of the European Union which have switched to the euro).<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jxnYpiQKix0/UVOLknebYzI/AAAAAAAAAQM/VoJhyUj2T7A/s1600/latvia_euro_coins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="183" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jxnYpiQKix0/UVOLknebYzI/AAAAAAAAAQM/VoJhyUj2T7A/s200/latvia_euro_coins.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Latvia euro coin design models</td></tr>
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Latvia's lats and santims coin designs have been in use since 1992, when Latvia restored their independence from the Soviet Union. Annual commemorative/collectible <a href="http://en.numista.com/catalogue/lettonie-3.html">1-lats</a> coins since 2001 have featured animals, plants, a <a href="http://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces16291.html">Christmas tree</a>, and a <a href="http://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces4526.html">snowman</a> on their reverse.<br />
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According to the <a href="http://www.bank.lv/">Bank of Latvia</a> (Latvijas Banka), the country's euro coin designs were chosen by a <a href="http://www.bank.lv/en/eu-and-euro/the-design-models-of-the-latvian-euro-coins">country-wide competition</a> held in 2004. The original wining design for the obverse of the 2-euro coin, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Monument">Freedom Monument</a> located in Riga, was decided to be too difficult to depict on a coin and be easily recognizable, so the image from the 1-euro coin, the Latvian folk maiden originally from the <a href="http://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces6595.html">1929-1932 5-lats coin</a>, will be used instead. The euro cent coins will feature the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coat_of_arms_of_Latvia">Latvian coat-of-arms</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ChG9I5OleVo/UVOMgZZr-WI/AAAAAAAAAQU/uNnA6b3c3sg/s1600/latvia_previous_2_euro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ChG9I5OleVo/UVOMgZZr-WI/AAAAAAAAAQU/uNnA6b3c3sg/s1600/latvia_previous_2_euro.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Latvia 2-euro original design<br />featuring the Freedom Monument</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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As always, it is exciting to have a new type of coin for world coin collectors to search for. But it is bittersweet because in order to have the new coins, the old lats and santims must be retired. The usual practice for switching over to the euro is to offer a period of time when the old currency is traded in for the new currency, so within a short period of time a large percentage of the old Latvian circulating coins are going to disappear. If you don't have a full set of current Latvian coins, you may want to try to complete your collection in 2013.<br />
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Portland Coinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09601064255320326558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9038886029017391141.post-58453260339358929362013-02-24T12:21:00.000-08:002013-02-24T12:21:04.226-08:00Will Coins Change With New Netherlands King?<br />
On January 28, 2013, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands announced that she would be stepping down (or abdicating) as the ruler of the Netherlands on April 30, 2013 (the date of the annual Koninginnedag, or Queen's Day, celebration). Beatrix became Queen in 1980, when her mother Queen Juliana similarly abdicated (retired). On April 30, Beatrix' son Willem-Alexander will take over as King of the Netherlands - its first King since 1890.<br />
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Like many countries, the Netherlands has a long history of incorporating its current monarch on their coins. Beginning in the early 1800s with King Willem I, nearly all of the Netherlands' coins have used a profile of the ruling monarch on their obverse.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ipWbiLbd_aE/USpSApKLxtI/AAAAAAAAAPI/OwVhTzCEoxI/s1600/netherlands_1c_1948.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ipWbiLbd_aE/USpSApKLxtI/AAAAAAAAAPI/OwVhTzCEoxI/s200/netherlands_1c_1948.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Netherlands 1 cent 1948<br />
Queen Wilhelmina</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--AmnhpQOU2o/USpS5vru7mI/AAAAAAAAAPo/ZsGp3hqNpz0/s1600/netherlands_2g_1970.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--AmnhpQOU2o/USpS5vru7mI/AAAAAAAAAPo/ZsGp3hqNpz0/s200/netherlands_2g_1970.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Netherlands 2 1/2 gulden 1970<br />
Queen Juliana</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ACJah4oWqWY/USpS4138nrI/AAAAAAAAAPY/o2qgP6_7vQ4/s1600/netherlands_1g_1980.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ACJah4oWqWY/USpS4138nrI/AAAAAAAAAPY/o2qgP6_7vQ4/s200/netherlands_1g_1980.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Netherlands 1 gulden 1980<br />
Ascension of Queen Beatrix</td></tr>
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The last such change in the Netherlands' coins was in 1980, when Queen Juliana gave up her rule so that her daughter, Pricess Beatrix, could take over as queen.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hu0RVrZWEAg/USpS5t3R-hI/AAAAAAAAAPs/6eB1XthH6EA/s1600/netherlands_5g_1990.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="108" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hu0RVrZWEAg/USpS5t3R-hI/AAAAAAAAAPs/6eB1XthH6EA/s200/netherlands_5g_1990.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Netherlands 5 gulden 1990<br />
Queen Beatrix</td></tr>
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In 1982, the coins of the Netherlands not only changed portraits from Queen Juliana to Queen Beatrix, but underwent a complete redesign (both front and back) to give the coins a more modern look. (At the same time, the 1-cent coin was eliminated from circulation.)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-webRwzfrUSs/USpS5JrGrGI/AAAAAAAAAPg/ZnCxpjo_bu8/s1600/netherlands_50ec_1999.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-webRwzfrUSs/USpS5JrGrGI/AAAAAAAAAPg/ZnCxpjo_bu8/s200/netherlands_50ec_1999.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Netherlands 50 euro cents 1990<br />
Queen Beatrix</td></tr>
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In 2002 the Netherlands gave up their national currency, the guilder, and moved to the euro. The obverses were again redesigned for the Netherlands' euro coins (the reverses are the same for all euro-using countries) while maintaining their modernist flair.<br />
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With Willem-Alexander's ascension to the throne, we should expect to see new designs for the Netherlands' euro coins in 2014 or 2015. Will they stick with tradition and add a portrait of Willem-Alexander to the euro obverse? Or will they take the opportunity to switch their coin designs to incorporate national symbols instead? Only Monaco and Vatican City's euro designs have changed significantly since the euro began in 2002, so it will be exciting to watch what the Netherlands does with their coins.Portland Coinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09601064255320326558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9038886029017391141.post-88475101115137144592013-01-25T16:46:00.002-08:002013-08-03T22:12:38.972-07:00Finding the Value of a Foreign Coin<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tL-n4ih4KA8/UQMm-NlYFYI/AAAAAAAAANc/E-gWWH4i_wY/s1600/great_britain_half_crown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tL-n4ih4KA8/UQMm-NlYFYI/AAAAAAAAANc/E-gWWH4i_wY/s200/great_britain_half_crown.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great Britain 1/2 crown 1945</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When someone comes across a foreign coin, there are usually 2 questions that immediately run through their mind:<br />
<ul>
<li>Where is this coin from?</li>
<li>How much is this coin worth?</li>
</ul>
We want to know the value of things, whether coins or baseball cards or shoes or cars, so that we can determine a thing's importance (especially compared to other things). If I see a penny on the ground, I know its value is so low that I won't bother to pick it up. A quarter, however, is worth stopping for. If I'm shopping for a car, I want to know the value of the cars that I am looking at so that I can decide if a particular price is a good deal. When the thing is a foreign coin, which we naturally associate with money and value, it is hard not to wonder about how much it is worth.<br />
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For a world coin collector, even someone who isn't investing in expensive coins, it can be useful to know the value of a coin:<br />
<ul>
<li>It is important to know the approximate value of your coins in order to avoid over- or under-insuring your collection.</li>
<li>Comparing the values of multiple types of the same coin (different dates or mint-marks) helps you choose the more valuable coin for your collection.</li>
<li>Knowing the value of a coin can help you make sure you are making equitable trades with other people (though you shouldn't be nit-picky when making trades - trading a 25-cent coin for a 5-cent coin is a good deal if it's a coin that you don't have in your collection).</li>
<li>For those valuable coins that you do run across, you'll make sure to take better care of them so that they continue to stay valuable.</li>
</ul>
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<b>Book Value versus Market Value</b><br />
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When we talk about the value of something, especially something that is collectible, it is important to know that there are actually 2 different values that we can consider (and that are found in different ways) - its <b>book value</b>, and its <b>market value</b>.<br />
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Things (coins, cars, houses) usually don't have a single, fixed "value" or "price" that everyone agrees to. If you go to 3 different grocery stores, you'll probably find 3 different prices for the same items. For things that people commonly collect (like coins, comic books, or baseball cards), some person, group, or company has probably created a "price guide" - a book (or magazine, or Web site) which lists the different items and gives them an estimated value (usually based on a lot of research). A commonly-used price guide for cars is the <i>Kelley Blue Book</i>, for example. When you get the value for something from some kind of a price guide - whether from an actual book or a monthly magazine or a Web site - it is called the <b>book value</b>.<br />
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Book values are useful as estimates (for insurance, or for comparing the estimated values of several coins), but they are usually not what you could actually buy or sell a coin for.<br />
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The <b>market value</b> of a thing is what someone would actually pay for it, which can be more than or less than the thing's book value and can change frequently. I may have a coin that a book says is worth $100, but if nobody is willing to give me that much for it, is it really worth $100? Or I may have a coin that a book says is worth 25 cents, but it is very popular right now and I am able to sell it for $1. Finding the market value of a coin is more difficult, and requires you to do some research. It's also only really useful to know if you want to try to sell a coin (or are checking if a coin you want to buy is a good deal).<br />
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<b>Finding the Book Value of a Coin</b><br />
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For foreign and world coins, the main book source of coin values is the <i><b>Standard Catalog of World Coins</b></i>, published by <a href="http://www.shopnumismaster.com/">Krause Publications</a>. It is currently available in multiple editions (coins from 1601-1700, from 1701-1800, etc.), and is updated annually. These are big books, listing nearly every coin ever made with pictures and the number of coins minted, with estimated values based on the coin's date and condition. Every world coin collector should have one of these. You can find these books at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/">Amazon</a>, or you can check if your local library has a copy.<br />
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The nice thing about book values is that you don't need to have the most recent book (or to buy a new book every year) to get a good sense of the value of a coin (or to compare different coins). If coin X is worth more than coin Y in the 2002 edition, that's not likely to have changed in the 2012 edition.<br />
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Krause Publications has put their coin value database online at <a href="http://numismaster.com/">Numismaster.com</a>. For a monthly or yearly subscription fee, you can look up the coin values from their current books online without needing to buy a book. Depending on what you need, it may be a better deal to buy the book or to subscribe to Numismaster.com.<br />
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In June, 2011, the <a href="http://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_284571868"></span>Numismatic Guaranty Corporation<span id="goog_284571869"></span></a> (NGC) released a free <a href="http://www.ngccoin.com/poplookup/World-Coin-Price-Guide.aspx"><b>World Coin Price Guide</b></a> Web site based on Krause Publication's coin value data. I don't know if the information is any different than what is available at Numismaster, but I've noticed that it is not as complete as the information I can find in the printed <i>Standard Catalog</i> books (not all the coins are listed, and there are fewer pictures than in the book). If you haven't yet invested in a <i>Standard Catalog</i> of your own, start with the NGC's price guide and see if it is sufficient for what you need.<br />
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<b>Finding the Market Value of a Coin</b><br />
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To try to figure out the current market value of a coin, you need to find out what people are willing to pay for that coin. The best way to do that is to see what people have actually paid at auction sites like <a href="http://ebay.com/">eBay.com</a>. eBay allows you to search completed auctions, which lets you know how much people actually paid for things. It is unlikely that all the sales were for the same value, so using this method you end up with a market value range - if there were 3 similar coins that sold in the last 30 days, for $1.50, $0.99, and $1.10, you can take the average to arrive at a reasonable current market value for the coin. If you were going to sell the same kind of coin, that would give you a good idea of the price to use.<br />
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The difficulty with finding a market value is finding completed auctions. eBay only allows you to search for completed auctions within the last 3 months, so for less common coins you may not find any actual sales.<br />
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<b>Trade-In Value</b><br />
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While the market value of a coin gives you a good idea of what you can sell it for, it only applies to selling the coin to another collector (e.g. in person, through the mail, or in an auction).<br />
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If you're going to try to sell a coin to a coin dealer (someone who buys and sells coins professionally), then a third value comes into play - what I call the coin's <b>trade-in value</b>. Any coins that a dealer buys from you, they will have to then try to sell to someone else - that is their business. A dealer wants to resell the coin at its current market value, which means that they need to buy it from you at <u>lower</u> than market value (the "trade-in value"). This trade-in value may be anywhere from 25% to 50% less than the market value or book value of the coin. If you take a coin to a dealer and ask for the full market or book value, they are very unlikely to be interested.<br />
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The best choice for getting the most for a coin is selling to another collector, either in-person or online. But selling coins this way presents its own set of challenges (fees for selling your coin through an auction site; fees for accepting credit cards; risk of not getting paid; etc.) so it may be easier, though less profitable, to work with a local coin dealer instead.<br />
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<b>Exchange Value</b><br />
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See our other post about the <a href="http://portlandcoins.blogspot.com/2013/04/foreign-coin-exchange-values.html">exchange value of a foreign coin</a>.<br />
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Collecting foreign coins is about enjoying the beauty and variety of the world's money, about glimpsing another culture through an ordinary, every-day object which is very commonplace but is also very important. Foreign coins show us what that country thinks is important enough to honor by immortalizing it in a small sculpture that will be seen by millions of people. While there are collectors who search for only rare or valuable coins, they are missing out on the thousands of other interesting coins that make world coin collecting fun. For that reason, I don't recommend that you focus too much on how much coins are worth. Most modern world coins are minted in the millions, and are going to be neither rare nor valuable. The excitement comes from finding a coin that isn't already in your collection, that fills a hole or completes a set and gives you a sense of building something. If the coin happens to be worth something, then that's an added bonus, something that you can showcase as part of your ever-growing collection.<br />
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Portland Coinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09601064255320326558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9038886029017391141.post-3629301367808312372012-12-17T19:44:00.001-08:002014-06-30T20:12:31.854-07:00Insuring Your Coin Collection<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZgtF28ZWZJo/UM_KVy2xBNI/AAAAAAAAANE/O4mcha1T6gs/s1600/Mexico_Gold_2_Pesos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZgtF28ZWZJo/UM_KVy2xBNI/AAAAAAAAANE/O4mcha1T6gs/s200/Mexico_Gold_2_Pesos.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1945 Mexico 2-peso gold coin</td></tr>
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This month we have a special guest writer, Carrie Van Brunt-Wiley of <a href="http://www.insurancesolutionsplus.com/">InsuranceSolutionsPlus.com</a>.<br />
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<b><u>Options for Insuring Your Coin Collection</u></b><br />
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If a natural disaster struck in your community, would your
coin collection be covered against a loss? Or if a burglar were to target your
property, do you know that your collection is insured up to its full value?
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These are scenarios we don’t want to think about, however,
they are risks any collector should consider.
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<i>Recently an avid
collector in Virginia found out the answer to one of these questions the hard
way. The collector, whom we shall call James, was the victim of a home
burglary. Amongst some of his stolen property was his collection of foreign and
domestic coins. James had looked into insurance for his collection a few years
prior, and at the time was satisfied with the limited coverage provided under his
existing homeowners policy. However, over the years James’ collection had
increased in value and when it came time to file a homeowners insurance claim
for the theft, he found out the sad truth. His homeowners insurance policy
didn’t cover even a sixth of the value of his collection.</i>
<br />
<i><br /></i>
This type of situation isn't uncommon however it's also easy
to avoid.
<br />
<br />
<b>Get the right
coverage</b>
<br />
<b><br /></b>
As mentioned above, most homeowners
insurance policies will provide coverage for a collection such as a coin
collection, however, the coverage limit is often very low. For example, most
home insurance policies place a maximum coverage limit of $200 on items such as
coins, bank notes and gold bullion. This means that in the event of a loss,
your policy would only pay out $200 towards the replacement of any (or all) of
these items kept in your home.
<br />
<br />
A better option is to schedule an endorsement (also called a
'rider') on your homeowners insurance policy that extends the coverage limit
for your collection. You will need to discuss this with your home insurance
carrier and they will ask you to supply an appraisal from an official coin
appraiser. Always make sure your collection is insured up to it’s full value,
especially if you are regularly adding new coins.
<br />
<br />
Finally, one of the best ways to insure your coin collection
is to purchase a coin collection insurance policy from an insurer that
specializes in this type of coverage. This policy, oftentimes referred to as a
'personal articles floater' is completely separate from your homeowners policy
and will oftentimes offer extended protection not offered under a home
insurance policy. For example, a coin collection insurance policy will usually
cover theft of your collection while you are traveling to a coin show.
<br />
<br />
<b>Do Your Part</b>
<br />
<b><br /></b>
Aside from having the right insurance policy in place, take
steps to avoid theft and/or damage to your coins by keeping them locked up in
an inconspicuous place in your home. Don’t advertise your collection to people
you don’t know well. Keep a record of every coin in your collection so that you
have proof of inventory and ownership.
Portland Coinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09601064255320326558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9038886029017391141.post-65488473271712472692012-11-23T17:56:00.003-08:002012-11-23T17:56:34.970-08:00Reading Japanese Numbers and Dates<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-78hzyfSNMEw/UK5e6mUGiyI/AAAAAAAAAMo/9WEcgS3V8s4/s1600/japan-10-sen-1945.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-78hzyfSNMEw/UK5e6mUGiyI/AAAAAAAAAMo/9WEcgS3V8s4/s200/japan-10-sen-1945.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Japan 1945 10-sen</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As I've <a href="http://portlandcoins.blogspot.com/2012/03/reading-arabic-numbers-and-dates.html">previously discussed</a>, it is useful for a world coin collector to be able to read numbers and dates in different languages. This allows you to determine the proper date and denomination of a coin. That information, along with the coin's country, is the minimum you'd need to look up the coin in a guide, check if it's in your collection, or trade with another collector.<br />
<br />
<strong>The Chinese Numerals</strong><br />
<br />
Japanese is one such language which doesn't use Arabic numerals (0, 1, 2...). Japanese uses a number-writing system that is shared with the Chinese language, and is generally referred to as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_numerals">Chinese numerals</a>. The symbols used to represent 0 through 10 are pictured below, with their European/Arabic equivalent:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X8d2XjT_TqU/UKlNhkuNt2I/AAAAAAAAAMI/EFEGEgyH8Uc/s1600/japanese_numbers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X8d2XjT_TqU/UKlNhkuNt2I/AAAAAAAAAMI/EFEGEgyH8Uc/s1600/japanese_numbers.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Japanese numbers 0 through 10</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Numbers above (and including) 10 are not made by combining individual digits, like in the Arabic numeral system. Instead, Japanese uses combinations of numerals which add and/or multiply to the number being written. For example, 11 is not written 一一 (1 1) - it is 十一 (10 1, or 10 + 1). 15 is written as 十五 (10 + 5). 20 is 二十 (2 10, or 2 * 10), and 22 is 二十二 (2 10 2, or 2 * 10 + 2).<br />
<br />
There are additional Japanese symbols for larger multiples of 10:<br />
100: 百 <br />
1000: 千 <br />
<br />
The Japanese number-writing system is known as a <b>non-positional numeral system</b> because individual symbols don't identify their value strictly based on their position in the number. For example, 40 (四十, 4 10), 400 (四百, 4 100), and 4000 (四千, 4 1000) all use exactly 2 symbols in Japanese (while the Arabic numbers 40, 400, and 4000 use 2, 3, and 4 respectively). The position of a symbol doesn't define its value; its effect on or by its neighbors does.<br />
<br />
More examples of Japanese numbers:<br />
32: 三十二<br />
44: 四十四<br />
78: 七十八<br />
99: 九十九<br />
<br />
<b>Japanese Dates</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
In the late 1800s, Japan adopted the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendar">Gregorian calendar</a>, but with a starting date (a "year zero") that corresponded to the Gregorian calendar's year 660 BC, making Japan's year values larger than the year used by other countries (i.e. 1920 A.D. = 2580 Japan). This practice largely stopped after World War 2, and for most purposes Japan uses the same year as America would use.<br />
<br />
Modern Japanese coins, however, use the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_era_name">Japanese era calendar</a> to indicate when a coin was minted. An era starts counting years at 1 with each new Japanese emperor. The date is indicated by the emperor's era name (using its Kanji symbols) followed by the year of the emperor's reign. For example, 1989 was the first year for the current Heisei era (under Emperor Kinjo, or Akihito), so coins minted that year would contain the symbol for the Heisei era (平成) and the symbol for 1 (一).<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IXgyjBYloSM/UK5fQPnMboI/AAAAAAAAAMw/QcdXpbQPgTU/s1600/japan_era_names.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="166" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IXgyjBYloSM/UK5fQPnMboI/AAAAAAAAAMw/QcdXpbQPgTU/s200/japan_era_names.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Japan's era name examples</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Fortunately for those who don't read Japanese, there have only been 4 Japanese eras since 1900:<br />
<ul>
<li> 明治 (Meiji) 1867 - 1912</li>
<li> 大正 (Taisho) 1912 - 1926</li>
<li> 昭和 (Showa) 1926 - 1989</li>
<li> 平成 (Heisei) 1989 - present</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<br />
On Japanese coins, the date is <u>usually</u> read <b>clockwise </b>(right-to-left). It begins with the symbols for the era name (see the list above), followed by the era year, and ends with the symbol for year (年). While most coins are read right-to-left, some need to be read left-to-right (counter-clockwise). The symbol for year (年) is always at the end of the date, so if you see it at the left-hand end of a number, read it from right-to-left; if you see it at the right-hand end, read it left-to-right.<br />
<br />
Examples from actual Japanese coins:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HcbVRNQSejo/UKg5dkmzmzI/AAAAAAAAALg/dRkQ6i1hzqA/s1600/japanese_coins_dates.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HcbVRNQSejo/UKg5dkmzmzI/AAAAAAAAALg/dRkQ6i1hzqA/s640/japanese_coins_dates.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left to right: 1921 10-sen, 1942 10-sen, 1995 5-yen, 1974 10-yen</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
From left to right:<br />
<ul>
<li>Taisho year 10 - read clockwise</li>
<li>Showa year 17 (10 + 7) - read clockwise</li>
<li>Heisei year 7 - read counter-clockwise</li>
<li>Showa year 49 (4 * 10 + 9) - read left-to-right </li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rT98olv97HU/UKg9caySRLI/AAAAAAAAAL4/D6NPuMRmT5M/s1600/japanese_100_yen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rT98olv97HU/UKg9caySRLI/AAAAAAAAAL4/D6NPuMRmT5M/s200/japanese_100_yen.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Showa year 48 100-yen Japanese coin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On recent 50- and 100-yen coins (since 1967), the era year is shown in Arabic numerals instead of Japanese numerals, like the coin pictured here. The rest of the date is read the same way described above - counter-clockwise, starting with the era name and ending with the year symbol (年).<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Calculating the Gregorian Date</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Once you know the era name and year, you can calculate the Gregorian year using the era table above. Take the era's starting year, add the era year, and subtract 1. For example, Heisei year 3 would correspond to 1991 (year 1 is 1989, year 2 is 1990, and year 3 is 1991). Here are the dates for the coins pictured above:<br />
<ul>
<li>Taisho year 10 = 1912 + 10 -1 = 1921</li>
<li>Showa year 17 = 1926 + 17 - 1 = 1942</li>
<li>Heisei year 7 = 1989 + 7 - 1 = 1995</li>
<li>Showa year 49 = 1926 + 49 - 1 = 1974</li>
<li>Showa year 48 = 1926 + 48 - 1 = 1973</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fGEAbMmwtUg/UKlQkYhUxEI/AAAAAAAAAMY/khpFHWSPMNU/s1600/taiwan_coin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fGEAbMmwtUg/UKlQkYhUxEI/AAAAAAAAAMY/khpFHWSPMNU/s200/taiwan_coin.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taiwan 1972 1-yuan (year 61)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b></b><br />
<b></b>
<b>Comparison to Taiwan Coins</b><br />
<br />
Coins from Taiwan use the same number symbols as Japanese coins, so it is easy to mistake them for each other. In the coin pictured here, the year reads 6 10 1 (61, in yellow highlighting) reading counter-clockwise and ending with the year symbol (年). Taiwan coins will of course not have one of the 4 Japanese emperor era names listed above, and frequently have the flower symbol shown here.</div>
<br />
<ul>
</ul>
Portland Coinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09601064255320326558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9038886029017391141.post-25296908800887599382012-10-25T19:58:00.001-07:002012-11-12T17:00:28.535-08:00World Christmas CoinsAs the weather turns slowly colder here in the Pacific Northwest, many people's thoughts here and throughout the world start turning to the upcoming holiday season.<br />
<br />
A majority of the countries in the world celebrate Christmas. Whether as a religious holiday or a secular celebration of family and friends, Christmas time is an important time of year for millions of people worldwide.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GijC_5NeNmU/UIn6IisUnmI/AAAAAAAAAKU/2x5_VOa7dZU/s1600/Isle_Of_Man_Christmas_Coin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GijC_5NeNmU/UIn6IisUnmI/AAAAAAAAAKU/2x5_VOa7dZU/s200/Isle_Of_Man_Christmas_Coin.jpg" width="190" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Isle of Man 2009 50p Christmas Coin<br />
(Image from the Isle of Man Post Office.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
To celebrate the season, a few countries have issued Christmas-themed coins over the years.<br />
<br />
The Isle of Man has issued a Christmas 50-cent piece nearly every year since 1980. They are currently in the middle of a <a href="http://www.gov.im/post/stamps/Viewlargeimage.aspx?file=Isle_of_Man_Tre/ChristmasSixCoinSet_2010.jpg&border=0&alt=Christmas%20Six%20Coin%20Set%202010&align=">12 Days of Christmas coin series</a> (the "5 golden rings" coin is shown here), but other annual Christmas coins have had images of Santa Claus, Christmas trees, and various scenes of holiday festivities and decorations.<br />
<br />
Gibraltar has also issued <a href="http://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces14614.html">Christmas-themed 50-cent coins</a> most years since 1990. Many of their annual coins have an image of Santa Claus, but the three wise men, a Christmas tree, and other Christmas imagery make an appearance.<br />
<br />
The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonga">Kingdom of Tonga</a>, in the South Pacific, issued Christmas-themed 1-pa'anga coins in limited quantities in the 1980's. Numista has a picture of the <a href="http://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces11243.html">1982 1 pa'anga</a> coin.<br />
<br />
And Latvia's <a href="http://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces16291.html">2009 1 lats</a> coin has a Christmas tree with ornaments on its reverse.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F0ZSUvwP1YY/UIn6JA_Co3I/AAAAAAAAAKc/gi5b-dvgHPQ/s1600/Niue_Christmas_Coin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="189" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F0ZSUvwP1YY/UIn6JA_Co3I/AAAAAAAAAKc/gi5b-dvgHPQ/s200/Niue_Christmas_Coin.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Niue Island 2010 $1 Christmas coin.<br />
(Image from the Mint of Poland.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Collectible coins</b> are special, limited-mintage coins that are usually much more ornate (and frequently minted in precious metals or in unique shapes). They are usually sold directly from a mint (or an authorized reseller/distributor) - they are definitely not something you're going to find in pocket change.<br />
<br />
In 2010 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niue">Niue</a>, a small island country near New Zealand, released <a href="http://www.mennica.com.pl/en/products-and-services/mint-products/coins-of-other-issuers/product/zobacz/christmas-star-1-dollar.html">$1 silver</a> (yes, made of silver), <a href="http://www.mennica.com.pl/en/products-and-services/mint-products/coins-of-other-issuers/product/zobacz/christmas-star-2-dollars.html">$2 silver</a>, and <a href="http://www.mennica.com.pl/en/products-and-services/mint-products/coins-of-other-issuers/product/zobacz/christmas-star-5-dollars.html">$5 gold</a> star-shaped Christmas coins. The Christmas tree on the reverse of the $1 coin has 3 colored crystal ornaments on it, and the $2 coin has a colored crystal "star". These coins would look wonderful hanging on a Christmas tree as ornaments, but don't even <u>think</u> about drilling a hole through them to add a wire ornament hook.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vl4yZxAw4J4/UKGbD63S_GI/AAAAAAAAAKw/YDUBGjdsgcg/s1600/Australia_Christmas_Coin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vl4yZxAw4J4/UKGbD63S_GI/AAAAAAAAAKw/YDUBGjdsgcg/s200/Australia_Christmas_Coin.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Australia 2012 $1 Christmas Coin.<br />
(Image from the Perth Mint.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
The <a href="http://www.perthmint.com.au/">Perth Mint</a>, which makes collectible coins for Australia and other countries, traditionally issues a new Australian $1 Christmas-themed coin every year. These coins aren't made of sliver or gold, but they do feature colorized accents on the reverse.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4UhC8_dVb2c/UIn6IJHDv0I/AAAAAAAAAKM/G8Y7plfCsP0/s1600/Canada_Christmas_Coin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4UhC8_dVb2c/UIn6IJHDv0I/AAAAAAAAAKM/G8Y7plfCsP0/s200/Canada_Christmas_Coin.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Canada 2012 50-cent Christmas coin.<br />
(Image from the Royal Canadian Mint.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Finally, the <a href="http://www.mint.ca/">Royal Canadian Mint</a> usually issues a couple of <a href="http://www.mint.ca/store/buy/holiday_coins-cat210012">holiday-themed coins</a> every year. This year they have a <a href="http://www.mint.ca/store/coin/santa%19s-magical-visit-50cent-holiday-coin-2012-prod1550005#.UIn052_R5W8">colorized 50-cent coin</a> with a lenticular image (changes when you change the viewing angle) of Santa leaving presents under a Christmas tree, a <a href="http://www.mint.ca/store/coin/santa%19s-magical-visit-50cent-holiday-coin-2012-prod1550005#.UIn052_R5W8">$20 silver coin</a> depicting the three wise men with a crystal star on the back, and a <a href="http://www.mint.ca/store/coin/fine-silver-10-coin-winter-scene-mintage-8000-2013-prod1550012#.UIn1lW_R5W8">$10 silver coin with a color ice-skating scene</a>, among others. <br />
<br />
<br />
These coins can make nice gifts for coin collectors and non-collectors alike, and I bet kids would enjoy a coin with a picture of Santa Claus on it. Fortunately you can order Canada's coins directly from the Mint's Web site. Any of the others are going to be harder to find.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Christmas coins are few and far between, considering how many people worldwide celebrate Christmas. As usual, if you know of any coins or countries that I've missed, mention them in the comments so we can all benefit.<br />
<br />
<b>Update 11/12/2012: Added Perth Mint/Australia.</b><br />
<br />Portland Coinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09601064255320326558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9038886029017391141.post-7957738550563104242012-09-23T15:01:00.001-07:002012-09-24T20:37:08.114-07:0010th Anniversary of the Euro<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-drQ9YpPLZmI/UF5OPiHg-cI/AAAAAAAAAJc/Hvs81MJMl3k/s1600/italy-1-euro-obverse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-drQ9YpPLZmI/UF5OPiHg-cI/AAAAAAAAAJc/Hvs81MJMl3k/s200/italy-1-euro-obverse.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Italy's 1-euro coin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In 2002, 15 members of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union">European Union</a> changed their individual national currencies to a new currency that would be used by them all - the <b>euro</b>. This was probably one of the biggest currency changeovers in modern history, and the most well-known example of a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Currency_union">currency union</a> (where multiple countries use the same kind of money).<br />
<br />
2012 marks the <a href="http://www.ecb.int/euro/html/anniversary.en.html">10th anniversary of the coins and bills of the euro</a> (which was first used in 1999 for electronic transactions between nations). The euro (always lowercase, like dollar or penny) is currently used by 17 countries in Europe:<br />
<ul>
<li>Austria</li>
<li>Belgium</li>
<li>Cyprus</li>
<li>Estonia</li>
<li>Finland</li>
<li>France</li>
<li>Germany</li>
<li>Greece</li>
<li>Ireland</li>
<li>Italy</li>
<li>Luxembourg</li>
<li>Malta</li>
<li>The Netherlands</li>
<li>Portugal</li>
<li>Slovakia</li>
<li>Slovenia</li>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<li>Spain</li>
</ul>
<div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-00MlulaGngQ/UF995fuR-SI/AAAAAAAAAJw/DIyfzN7MG2A/s1600/france-2-euro-obverse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-00MlulaGngQ/UF995fuR-SI/AAAAAAAAAJw/DIyfzN7MG2A/s200/france-2-euro-obverse.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">France's 2-euro coin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And three independent city-states:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Monaco (in France)</li>
<li>San Marino (in Italy)</li>
<li>Vatican City (in Italy)</li>
</ul>
<div>
Back in 2002, the first 15 European Union members to convert to the euro were: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, The Netherlands, Portugal, San Marino, Spain, and Vatican City. Slovenia switched to the euro in 2007, Malta and Cyprus in 2008, Slovakia in 2009, and Estonia in 2011. The <a href="http://www.ecb.int/euro/html/index.en.html">European Central Bank</a> has an <a href="http://www.ecb.int/euro/intro/html/map.en.html">interactive map</a> showing the growth of the euro-using area.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The euro is worth the same amount in any of the above euro member countries (which are collectively referred to as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurozone">Eurozone</a>). That means that if you live in France and travel to Spain, you don't have to exchange your French money for Spanish money. (Within the United States, we're quite familiar with this - if you travel from California to Florida, you don't have to change your money for "Florida dollars". US dollars can frequently be used outside of the States, but that's not the same as a currency union like the Eurozone.)</div>
<div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gra72EaSx4c/UF5J8-CzLNI/AAAAAAAAAJA/qSlLSuPrgX4/s1600/euro-reverses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="161" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gra72EaSx4c/UF5J8-CzLNI/AAAAAAAAAJA/qSlLSuPrgX4/s320/euro-reverses.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The reverse sides of the 8 standard euro coins</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The standard euro coins come in denominations of:<br />
<ul>
<li>1 cent</li>
<li>2 cents</li>
<li>5 cents</li>
<li>10 cents</li>
<li>20 cents</li>
<li>50 cents</li>
<li>1 euro</li>
<li>2 euros</li>
</ul>
<div>
Individual countries may mint commemorative coins larger than 2 euros, such as Portugal's 2.5-euro coins, Slovenia's 3-euro coins, and Germany's 10-euro silver coins. But these are generally only for collecting.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-119g4lSp85U/UF5NUQ9x7YI/AAAAAAAAAJU/DWDiyqrr73U/s1600/euro-2-cent-obverses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="59" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-119g4lSp85U/UF5NUQ9x7YI/AAAAAAAAAJU/DWDiyqrr73U/s320/euro-2-cent-obverses.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Euro 2-cent obverses (left to right):<br />
Italy, Spain, Ireland, Belgium, and France</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Each country that issues euros has a <a href="http://www.ecb.int/euro/coins/2euro/html/index.en.html">unique design on the front</a> (obverse) of their coins. These designs allow you to figure out which country the coin came from. The <a href="http://www.ecb.int/euro/coins/html/index.en.html">European Central Bank</a> has pictures of every euro's obverse (also called the <b>national side</b>) to assist you in identifying coins. The obverse is also where you'll find the date of the coin. Even though euro coins weren't put into circulation until 2002, minting of the coins began in some countries in 1999 in order for there to be enough for the changeover. In France, Belgium, Finland, The Netherlands, and Spain, the coins had the year that they were minted (even though they were not going to be issued until 2002) - so it is possible to find coins dated 1999, 2000, and 2001 from these countries.<br />
<br />
The 2-euro coins are frequently minted with special commemorative designs to honor a person, place, or event. The European Central Bank has <a href="http://www.ecb.int/euro/coins/comm/html/index.en.html">pictures of the commemorative 2-euro coins</a> issued by each country since 2004. Sometimes a single special 2-euro design is minted in all euro countries, such as 2012's "10 years of the euro" coin.<br />
<br />
The backs (reverse) display the amount and are the <a href="http://www.ecb.int/euro/coins/common/html/index.en.html">same in all countries</a>. The coins are also the same size and shape in all countries, so the only difference you'll see between an Austrian 1-euro coin and a Slovakian 1-euro coin is the design that is on the front.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lupVyGlDNas/UF996eQy-pI/AAAAAAAAAJ4/2S1PLONmHWc/s1600/portugal-5-cent-obverse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lupVyGlDNas/UF996eQy-pI/AAAAAAAAAJ4/2S1PLONmHWc/s200/portugal-5-cent-obverse.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portugal's 5-cent coin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
For world coin collectors, the introduction of the euro meant that 15 countries were all getting new coins at the same time, and the former national coins were no longer going to be made. That means that over time, coins for the French franc, the Greek dinar, and the Slovenian tolar (among others) are going to be harder and harder to find. Each new country that relinquishes their national currency for the euro gives coin collectors a new opportunity to collect a new set of coins for that country. As a collector, it is exciting to have new types of coins to collect. But it is also sad to see the demise of the many and varied national coins from so many countries at once, and more to follow in the future.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
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</div>
<div>
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Portland Coinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09601064255320326558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9038886029017391141.post-54807887756828608242012-08-11T09:03:00.002-07:002012-08-11T09:03:37.351-07:00Judging A Coin's ConditionOne of the useful things to keep track of in your coin collection (whether you are using a written journal, Excel spreadsheet, or online site like <a href="http://numista.com/">Numista.com</a> to organize your coins) is the quality, or <b>condition</b>, of your coins. It's helpful to have a good idea about the approximate condition of each coin for a couple of reasons:<br />
<ul>
<li>When trading, you can more accurately describe your coins and have a better idea about the coins you are trading for</li>
<li>When you find a coin that you already have, you can decide if it is better than the one in your collection</li>
<li>Coin values differ by condition. Knowing your coins' conditions will help you get more accurate estimates of their value</li>
</ul>
<div>
Coin condition is usually measured on a 70-point scale known as the <a href="http://coins.about.com/od/coingrading/f/sheldon_scale.htm">Sheldon Scale</a>, where 1 represents a coin worn down to almost nothing but a flat circle of metal and 70 represents an absolutely perfect coin. Certain numbers on the scale are given names, such as 1 = Poor, 4 = Good, 8 = Very Good, 20 = Very Fine, 40 = Extremely Fine, and 50 = About Uncirculated. About.com's <a href="http://coins.about.com/od/coingrading/f/sheldon_scale.htm">Sheldon Scale page</a> gives excellent descriptions of the different grades that you can use to evaluate your own coins on this scale.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Another way to evaluate your coins is to estimate the amount of the original design that is left. The Wikipedia <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coin_grading">coin grading article</a> has a table called the European Grading System which lists the percentage of detail remaining on the coin for each grade (for example, if there is only 50% of the original detail left on the coin, then it would be considered to be in "Fine" condition).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Luckily, you don't need to be concerned with all 15 grades in Sheldon's scale nor the 8 grades in the European Grading System to accurately describe your own coins. For your own collection, just a few different grades should be sufficient:</div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><b>Good </b>(10% detail remains) - Very worn down but you can still see some of the primary features that were once on the coin</li>
<li><b>Fine </b>(50% detail remains) - Words and dates are readable but worn; the picture is recognizable but worn</li>
<li><b>Very Fine</b> (75% detail remains) - Words and dates are clear and show a little wear; the picture is missing some small details (like individual strands of hair on a person's head)</li>
<li><b>Extra Fine </b>(90% detail remains) - Words and dates are clear and have sharp edges; the picture has almost all details intact but shows signs of wear</li>
<li><b>Uncirculated</b> (98-100% detail remains) - Coin shows no sign of wear and has the shine/glow/luster of a new coin (think about how a shiny new penny stands out when you get it back as change)</li>
</ul>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CeX6kumRPvQ/UCaBYp5iIGI/AAAAAAAAAIk/sZN1JT-Aofc/s1600/condition-examples.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="127" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CeX6kumRPvQ/UCaBYp5iIGI/AAAAAAAAAIk/sZN1JT-Aofc/s400/condition-examples.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left to right: Good, Fine, and Extra Fine estimated condition</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
(You can shorten this down by combining Very Fine and Extra Fine, so that you have just 4 grades to choose from.)</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
These 4 or 5 condition grades are fairly easy to judge just by looking at most coins, without even knowing what a perfect coin (with 100% detail) might have. But if you need to compare your coin to another example of the same coin, you can use sites like <a href="http://numista.com/">Numista.com</a> and <a href="http://worldcoingallery.com/">WorldCoinGallery.com</a> to see pictures of most world coins (note, however, that the coin in the picture may be in better or worse condition than yours). It may be helpful to practice on a big handful of pocket change - sort your local currency by quality into one of the 4 or 5 grades and you'll get a better feel for what you might consider "Good" versus "Fine" versus "Extra Fine".</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Once you feel more comfortable judging coin quality, you can grade the coins in your own collection (write your condition on the back of the coin flip, and/or add it to your collection tracking information). And you'll be better able to grade new coins you find, so you can try to replace any "Good" coins in your collection with "Fine" or better.</div>Portland Coinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09601064255320326558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9038886029017391141.post-20294780641261775262012-06-30T20:43:00.000-07:002012-07-01T20:44:20.417-07:00Great Britain's 2012 Olympics 50p Coin SeriesIn 2010 and 2011, Great Britain released a <a href="http://www.royalmint.com/sportscollection/">series of 50-pence coins</a> in honor of London hosting the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. The 29 coins in the series have the Queen on the front (obverse), and on the back they feature images from the 29 different Summer Olympic and Paralympic sporting events that make up the Summer Olympic Games.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0gurt1_7eoU/T_EXDHtGokI/AAAAAAAAAH8/E23WSSnIwEU/s1600/London-2012-coins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="170" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0gurt1_7eoU/T_EXDHtGokI/AAAAAAAAAH8/E23WSSnIwEU/s200/London-2012-coins.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">London 2012 50-pence coins<br />Taekwondo (left) and Cycling (right)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Similar to the United States' "State Quarter" series, the 29 different designs in the Olympic Sports series were released in phases starting in 2010 and going through 2011. While the State Quarters series had 50 designs spread over 10 years (issuing 5 different state quarter designs per year), the Royal Mint had 29 designs to release over the course of only 2 years. Like the State Quarters series, the Olympic Sports series were released to circulation so that amateur collectors could start checking their pocket change for the new coins.<br />
<br />
The <a href="http://www.royalmint.com/">Royal Mint</a> held an open competition for the designs, allowing anyone in the United Kingdom to submit a design for one of the Summer Olympic and Paralympic events. Winning designs came from such people as a delivery truck driver, a toy designer, a radiologist, and a 9-year-old. You can read about the designers at the Royal Mint's <a href="http://www.royalmint.com/sportscollection/">London 2012 50 P Sports Collection</a> site.<br />
<br />
The designs don't attempt to fit into a mosaic like Great Britain's regular circulation (see our <a href="http://portlandcoins.blogspot.com/2011/10/great-britains-2008-coin-redesign.html">blog post about Great Britain's redesign</a>), which would be especially hard since each coin was designed by a different person.<br />
<br />
In 2009, the <a href="http://www.mint.ca/">Canadian Mint</a> issued a similar <a href="http://www.mint.ca/store/mint/learn/circulation-coins-2700008">series of 12 quarters</a> for the 2010 Winter Olympics held in Vancouver, BC. The quarters also depicted events from the Winter Olympic and Paralympic games.<br />
<br />
For Britons, collectors get to look forward to searching through loose change in order to collect all 29 sporting event coins. For those outside of the UK, however, it may be difficult to build a complete collection without ordering coins or an entire set directly from the Royal Mint.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">London 2012 50 P Sports Collection Events</span></b><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="color: #2f2f2f;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Aquatics</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #2f2f2f;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Archery</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #2f2f2f;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Athletics</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #2f2f2f;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Badminton</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #2f2f2f;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Basketball</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #2f2f2f;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Boccia</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #2f2f2f;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Boxing</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #2f2f2f;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Canoeing</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #2f2f2f;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Cycling</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #2f2f2f;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Equestrian</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #2f2f2f;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Fencing</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #2f2f2f;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Football (soccer)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #2f2f2f;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Goalball</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #2f2f2f;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Gymnastics</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #2f2f2f;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Handball</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #2f2f2f;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Hockey</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #2f2f2f;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Judo</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #2f2f2f;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Pentathlon</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #2f2f2f;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Rowing</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #2f2f2f;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Sailing</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #2f2f2f;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Shooting</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #2f2f2f;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Table Tennis</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #2f2f2f;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Taekwondo</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #2f2f2f;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Tennis</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #2f2f2f;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Triathlon</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #2f2f2f;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Volleyball</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #2f2f2f;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Weightlifting</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #2f2f2f;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Wheelchair Rugby</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #2f2f2f;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Wrestling</span></span></li>
</ol>Portland Coinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09601064255320326558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9038886029017391141.post-184533054566640162012-05-05T14:33:00.000-07:002012-05-05T14:33:00.116-07:00Wavy-Edged Coins<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E5HreQ67ACY/T6WaQnoN6TI/AAAAAAAAAHg/trBlgvGNGtI/s1600/bahamas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E5HreQ67ACY/T6WaQnoN6TI/AAAAAAAAAHg/trBlgvGNGtI/s200/bahamas.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A scallop-edged coin from the Bahamas</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Despite what we are used to here in the United States, coins do not have to be round to be minted and spent. <br />
<br />
I've previously discussed <a href="http://portlandcoins.blogspot.com/2011/08/square-coins.html">square coins</a>, but an even more common shape is the <b>scalloped coin</b>, which has a wavy edge that goes all the way around the coin. The name comes from the distinctive wavy shell of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scallop">scallop</a>, a sea mollusk similar to a clam. This coin shape may also be referred to as <b>wavy-edged</b>, <b>flower shaped</b>, or <b>sun shaped</b>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0e9_aOhXGVw/T6WaPlrob-I/AAAAAAAAAHY/FfQg2__H8vY/s1600/8_10_12_peaks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="116" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0e9_aOhXGVw/T6WaPlrob-I/AAAAAAAAAHY/FfQg2__H8vY/s320/8_10_12_peaks.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coins with 8 (left), 10 (center), and 12 (right) peaks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Scalloped coins usually have an even number of peaks or points, most commonly 8, 10, or 12. The peaks are the waves that point away from the coin, like the petals on a flower. The waves that point back into the coin are called troughs.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IIb3HhmHc1c/T6WaNHYmYSI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/-jiMWlb3QZo/s1600/peak_vs_trough.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="91" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IIb3HhmHc1c/T6WaNHYmYSI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/-jiMWlb3QZo/s200/peak_vs_trough.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trough aligned (left) vs<br />
peak aligned (right)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Scalloped coins can either be <b>peak-aligned</b> (so that holding the coin right-side up leaves a peak pointing straight down), or <b>trough-aligned</b> (a trough is in the direct center at the bottom edge of the coin).<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Because of their unique shape, scalloped coins (along with square coins) are easy to spot in a big mix of coins. They are more decorative than square coins due to the larger number of points on their edge.<br />
<br />
Like <a href="http://portlandcoins.blogspot.com/2011/12/coins-with-holes.html">coins that have holes in them</a>, the main reason behind using a scalloped edge on a coin is to make it more easily distinguishable from other coins. In a pocket, or in the dark, you can easily feel the wavy edge and (for people who use those coins regularly) tell which coin is which. This is also helpful for people who have trouble seeing, and is one of a great many ways that countries have tried to make their coins identifiable by touch alone.<br />
<br />
Many countries have used scalloped coins in the last 100 years - more than have used square coins. If you compare this list to the list of <a href="http://portlandcoins.blogspot.com/2011/08/square-coins.html">countries that have used square coins</a>, you'll see a lot of the same names. As usual, if you find any countries missing from this list, please post it in a comment.<br />
<br />
<b>Countries which have had scallop-edged coins since 1900:</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QQt-1w4JQgs/T6WaRPMl7hI/AAAAAAAAAHo/ooYODJ2Dk8E/s1600/wavy-edged.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QQt-1w4JQgs/T6WaRPMl7hI/AAAAAAAAAHo/ooYODJ2Dk8E/s640/wavy-edged.jpg" width="312" /></a></div>
<b>Bahamas</b><br />
<b>Bangladesh</b><br />
<b>Belize</b><br />
<b>Bhutan</b><br />
<b>Botswana</b><br />
<b>British Honduras</b><br />
<b>Ceylon (Sri Lanka)</b><br />
<b>Cook Islands</b><br />
<b>Cyprus</b><br />
<b>East Caribbean States</b><br />
<b>Egypt</b><br />
<b>Ghana</b><br />
<b>Guernsey</b><br />
<b>Hong Kong</b><br />
<b>India</b><br />
<b>Iraq</b><br />
<b>Israel</b><br />
<b>Jamaica</b><br />
<b>Libya</b><br />
<b>Maldives</b><br />
<b>Malta</b><br />
<b>Mauritius</b><br />
<b>Myanmar</b><br />
<b>Oman</b><br />
<b>Pakistan</b><br />
<b>Paraguay</b><br />
<b>Philippines</b><br />
<b>Rwanda</b><br />
<b>Seychelles</b><br />
<b>Singapore</b><br />
<b>Sri Lanka (Ceylon)</b><br />
<b>Sudan</b><br />
<b>Swaziland</b><br />
<b>Tanzania</b><br />
<b>Tibet</b><br />
<b>Turkey</b><br />
<b>Vietnam</b><br />
<b>Yemen</b><br />
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<br />Portland Coinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09601064255320326558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9038886029017391141.post-13345542464200290862012-04-02T10:00:00.000-07:002012-04-07T06:51:21.875-07:00Canada Penny Getting RetiredAccording to Canada's recently-released <a href="http://www.budget.gc.ca/2012/home-accueil-eng.html">2012 federal budget plan</a>, the <a href="http://www.mint.ca/">Royal Canadian Mint</a> will <a href="http://www.budget.gc.ca/2012/themes/theme2-eng.html">stop making new pennies</a> in 2012. The penny will remain legal tender (in other words you can still spend your pennies), but no more new pennies will be made. This means that pennies will slowly disappear as they are lost, tossed, returned to banks, or added to people's collections.<br />
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The Canadian Ministry of Finance's reasons for eliminating the penny include:<br />
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<ul>
<li>It costs the Canadian government 1.6 cents to make each penny, costing Canadian taxpayers around $11 million per year</li>
<li>The buying power of a penny continues to decline - they are useless on their own, and are only used to make change for cash purchases</li>
</ul>
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Canada will join countries like Australia, New Zealand, and Great Britain in removing their lowest-denomination coins. Australia stopped making 1- and 2-cent coins in 1992. New Zealand stopped making 1- and 2-cent coins in 1987, and the 5-cent coin in 2004. Great Britain stopped issuing its half-penny coin in 1984.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-THnRITAGZds/T3namuCLtTI/AAAAAAAAAGM/hoWLngE7TZI/s1600/canada-penny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-THnRITAGZds/T3namuCLtTI/AAAAAAAAAGM/hoWLngE7TZI/s320/canada-penny.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Canadian pennies from 1962 through 2005</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The Canadian penny, pictured to the right, features a picture of the Queen on the front and a pair of maple leaves on the back. The design remains largely unchanged since 1937, other than changes to who was pictured on the front (starting with King George VI in 1937, then switching to Queen Elizabeth II in 1953) and updated portraits of Queen Elizabeth over the years.<br />
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There are similar arguments for getting rid of the penny in the United States. Pennies are expensive to make, can't buy anything, and are largely unused by the American public. I know many people who simply throw pennies away if they receive them as change. Even so, Americans seem fairly nostalgic about their pennies, and government discussions about getting rid of them have so far gone nowhere. Dollar coins, on the other hand, have never taken off in the United States, despite repeated efforts to introduce them to American circulation.<br />
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The loss of any coin from circulation is a blow to world coin collectors everywhere. But that loss is part of what makes world coin collecting interesting - designs change, new coins come into existence, and some coins (and even countries) disappear. The Canadian penny isn't going to completely disappear any time soon - with more than 9,000,000,000 (yes, 9 <b>billion) </b>pennies minted in the last 10 years, there are still plenty out there to find. But this may be the last year to get a Canadian Proof Set that includes the iconic copper-colored penny.<br />
<br />Portland Coinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09601064255320326558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9038886029017391141.post-83536487482623692622012-03-10T12:45:00.000-08:002012-03-10T12:45:14.215-08:00Reading Arabic Numbers and DatesThere are several modern numeral systems used in the world today that use symbols other than 1, 2, 3, 4, 5... (known frequently as <b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic_numerals">Western Arabic</a></b> or <b>European numerals</b>) that many of us are familiar with. Japanese, Thai, and Arabic are just a few examples of languages that use different symbols to represent numbers.<br />
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For a world coin collector, it is helpful to be able to read numbers in these different languages. It lets you figure out the date on a coin, and its quantity or denomination (e.g. <u>25</u> cents) which are both important for proper cataloging of your collection.<br />
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<b>The Eastern Arabic Numerals</b><br />
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The symbols that Middle Eastern Arabic uses to represent the numbers from 0 to 9 are referred to as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Arabic_numerals">Eastern Arabic Numerals</a>. They are shown here with their European equivalent:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O2vZo5CMDZE/T1upyl-dvoI/AAAAAAAAAGA/-IjIFW3c-uo/s1600/arabic-numbers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="110" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O2vZo5CMDZE/T1upyl-dvoI/AAAAAAAAAGA/-IjIFW3c-uo/s320/arabic-numbers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Note the "false friends" - numerals that look similar to the European numerals but don't mean the same thing. <span style="font-size: large;">٥</span> looks like <u>0</u>, but means <u>5</u>. <span style="font-size: large;">٦</span> looks like <u>7</u> but means <u>6</u>.<br />
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Numbers that are larger than 9 use combinations of these symbols just like we do with the European numerals:
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<ul>
<li>10 = <span style="font-size: large;">١٠</span></li>
<li>25 = <span style="font-size: large;">٢٥</span></li>
<li>713 = <span style="font-size: large;">٧١٣</span></li>
</ul>
Here are some examples on actual foreign coins:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OJO9m0bH3ww/T1ujkQz3-vI/AAAAAAAAAFo/64oSTl9588Q/s1600/arabic-denominations.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="130" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OJO9m0bH3ww/T1ujkQz3-vI/AAAAAAAAAFo/64oSTl9588Q/s400/arabic-denominations.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left to right: 2, 25, 100</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>Arabic Dates</b><br />
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Most coins from Arabic or Islamic countries use the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_calendar">Islamic Calendar</a>, which began (Year 1) in 622 A.D. (by the Gregorian calendar we use in the United States). That is why the dates on modern Arabic coins are usually in the 1300s and 1400s - it's not because the coins are 600-700 years old.<br />
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Here are some date examples on actual coins:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xRpz5c71viA/T1uj8xz5roI/AAAAAAAAAF4/0XUvSSW8jVc/s1600/arabic-dates.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="130" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xRpz5c71viA/T1uj8xz5roI/AAAAAAAAAF4/0XUvSSW8jVc/s400/arabic-dates.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left to right: 1984 and 1404, 1965 and 1385, 1956 and 1375</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
More recent coins frequently have both the Islamic year <u>and</u> the Gregorian year on them, which makes our understanding of the year it was made a little easier. But the Gregorian year is usually written using Arabic numerals (like the examples above), so you still need to practice your transcription from Arabic to European numbers to be able to read them.<br />
<br />Portland Coinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09601064255320326558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9038886029017391141.post-84665065620019535332012-02-11T15:19:00.000-08:002012-02-12T17:01:57.234-08:00Smiley-Face Penny<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QYTDDRSTzqQ/TzbqCftrFyI/AAAAAAAAAEw/PelzJdX06Fs/s1600/smiley-penny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QYTDDRSTzqQ/TzbqCftrFyI/AAAAAAAAAEw/PelzJdX06Fs/s200/smiley-penny.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A smiley-face penny</td></tr>
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I recently found this in a bag of mixed foreign coins - a US penny with a smiley face (smile) cut into it. Actually it looks more like it is laughing, which I think is a bit unique. The coin is a 1992 D US penny, which means that it is made up mostly of zinc with a thin layer of copper on the outside to give the coin it's traditional brown color.<br />
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The face was probably cut out of the penny using a process called <b>die cutting</b> - a die (a shaped blade or punch) is pressed by a machine into some material (in this case, the zinc of a modern penny) to cut it into a shape (in this case, to cut out 2 eyes and a mouth). A plain round hole can be made in a coin using a drill, but shaped holes like these would be difficult to do, and to do consistently. </div>
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Coins like these are frequently sold in souvenir or gift shops as "Lucky Pennies" - to buy as a gift for someone so that they will have good luck while they are carrying the coin. This is a variation on the rhyme "see a penny, pick it up, all the day you'll have good luck" - the idea that finding a penny is considered good luck. The face certainly makes the penny look more interesting than one that you might find on the ground, but I'm not aware of any studies to determine which type of penny will bring you more luck.</div>
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In my previous post about <a href="http://portlandcoins.blogspot.com/2011/12/coins-with-holes.html">world coins with holes</a>, I mentioned that coins with holes drilled into them are worthless as collectibles. While a shaped hole like this makes the coin not valuable to a coin collector, there <u>are</u> people who specifically collect coins that have been die-cut in this manner (similar to how other collectors seek elongated or "smashed" pennies). Anyone with a drill can cut a round hole in a coin - they are not hard to make, so it would be very unusual to find someone interested in collecting coins with drilled holes. But die-cut coins require expensive tools; they are more rare and so some people do collect them.</div>
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Because pennies are considered mostly valueless in the United States (many simply get thrown away every year), you would probably find that most stores or banks would take an occasional penny like this as payment, and then simply throw it away (or keep it as a novelty item). But "Lucky Pennies" usually cost much more than $0.01 to buy at a gift shop, so there is not much value in buying them and then trying to use them as money.</div>
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Cutting holes in a United States coin like this may technically be illegal under US law <a href="http://uscode.house.gov/uscode-cgi/fastweb.exe?getdoc+uscview+t17t20+304+6++%28%29%20%20AND%20%28%2818%29%20ADJ%20USC%29%3ACITE%20%20AND%20%28CHAPTER%20ADJ%20%2817%29%29%3AEXPCITE%20%20%20%20%20%20%20">(US Code Title 18, Section 331)</a>. But in practice, the law is usually enforced only when coins are changed for fraudulent use - such as cutting a penny down to the size of a dime (to use in vending machines), or painting a quarter gold so that can be passed off as a US dollar coin.</div>
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Even though it's not really what I collect, I'm going to keep this little guy because it makes me smile.<br />
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</div>Portland Coinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09601064255320326558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9038886029017391141.post-89468336271455810312012-01-28T12:30:00.000-08:002012-01-28T12:31:58.554-08:00Croatia Joining the European Union<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Lre_Jji0fz0/TyRadz05EUI/AAAAAAAAAEk/t5DyjHHabvM/s1600/croatia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Lre_Jji0fz0/TyRadz05EUI/AAAAAAAAAEk/t5DyjHHabvM/s200/croatia.jpg" width="145" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Croatia 10, 20, and 50<br />lipa coins</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On January 22, 2012, citizens of Croatia voted to approve their country joining the European Union (Croatia first applied to the EU in 2003). If the membership is ratified by the other 27 EU members, then Croatia will become the 28th European nation to join the Union on July 1, 2012. The last countries to be admitted to the union were Bulgaria and Romania in 2007.<br />
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Croatia's currency today is called the <b>kuna</b>. 1 kuna = 100 <b>lipa</b>. Membership in the European Union usually leads to membership in the Eurozone (the subset of EU countries which also exclusively use the euro as their currency) a few years later, although there are some exceptions (Great Britain and Denmark have special exemptions, for example). <br />
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This means that by joining the European Union, Croatia will eventually switch their money (and, more importantly for readers of this blog, their coins) from the kuna to the euro. The last countries to convert to the euro were <a href="http://www.ecb.int/euro/coins/html/et.en.html">Estonia</a> in 2011, and <a href="http://www.ecb.int/euro/coins/html/sk.en.html">Slovakia</a> in 2009.<br />
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Of the current 27 European Union countries, only 17 exclusively use the euro. The other 10 are either exempt or are taking the steps necessary in order to eventually switch. With a stable currency, the switch to the euro can take as little as 2 years. But according to news articles, the current situation with Greece (which is a member of the Eurozone) may cause the Zone to be more cautious about allowing new members and may delay Croatia's switch to the euro until 2017.<br />
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So even though you may be hearing about Croatia joining the EU, don't expect to see any new Croatian euro coins for quite some time. The next most likely countries to adopt the euro, based on their progress through the conversion prerequisites, appear to be Lithuania and Latvia.Portland Coinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09601064255320326558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9038886029017391141.post-65610812444985782912011-12-17T17:50:00.000-08:002013-02-05T23:50:32.693-08:00Coins with Holes (Holed Coins)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xxU2Uw0sQDQ/Tu57t4sVtdI/AAAAAAAAAD8/5BaSglgdUPY/s1600/holes-china.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xxU2Uw0sQDQ/Tu57t4sVtdI/AAAAAAAAAD8/5BaSglgdUPY/s1600/holes-china.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ancient Chinese "cash" coin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Americans, when asked about coins with holes in them, probably picture the old Chinese "cash" coins which are featured so prominently in Chinese-style decor. These coins had a square-shaped hole in the center, with Chinese characters around it. The United States has never had a coin with a hole in it, so it's not something we're used to seeing. Plenty of other countries, however, have had one or more of this type of coin (known as "holed coins" or "holey coins") in their recent history.<br />
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As far as I know, the holes put into modern foreign coins don't serve any specific purpose. They are not there to make the coins work in a particular machine, or to be easier to carry (although they would be slightly lighter than a coin without a hole). The main reason that you would make a modern coin with a hole in it (or, for that matter, with an unusual shape), besides pure decoration, is to make it more easily distinguishable (by touch and sight) from other coins in circulation.<br />
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(Putting a hole in a coin would also use less metal, which may be important when metal is needed for other uses (such as during a long war). However, coins are usually made out of the most common and least expensive metals possible (you don't want to make a $1 coin that uses $2 in metal) so I'm not aware of any examples of a country putting a hole in their coins for this reason.)<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QY6RARyViQo/Tu57uFeD8rI/AAAAAAAAAEE/anctLpTCu2Q/s1600/holes-india.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QY6RARyViQo/Tu57uFeD8rI/AAAAAAAAAEE/anctLpTCu2Q/s1600/holes-india.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coin from India with a large hole</td></tr>
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Most coins that have holes in them have a relatively small hole - usually 1/4 of an inch (6.3 mm) or smaller. The hole is meant to be seen and felt, but not to be worn like a ring (wouldn't that be interesting?). The one exception I've seen is the 1 pice coin from India and Pakistan in the 1940s, which had a 3/8 inch (9.5 mm) hole in a coin that was less than 1 inch (2.5 cm) across. It gives the coin a unique look, like you could almost wear it as a ring.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ciQ304FkW78/Tu57s8jm8PI/AAAAAAAAADs/yTjXk__VWtA/s1600/holes-jewelry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="100" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ciQ304FkW78/Tu57s8jm8PI/AAAAAAAAADs/yTjXk__VWtA/s200/holes-jewelry.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coins with holes drilled in to them<br />
to make jewelry</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On coins that intentionally have holes in them, the hole is always in the direct center of the coin, and usually the design of the coin incorporates the hole (so you don't have a hole directly in the middle of a person's head, for example). If you see a coin that has a hole near the edge, or has multiple holes (see pictures), someone has drilled a hole in the coin in order to use it for decoration or jewelry. A single hole near the edge means that the coin may have been worn on a necklace or bracelet. Two holes toward the center of the coin, such as the one pictured, indicates that it may have been used as a button on a piece of clothing. This kind of destruction makes the coin worthless to collectors.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sDYa1FVTs18/Tu57uKtfLnI/AAAAAAAAAEM/WHbCidSM0-s/s1600/holes-japan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="95" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sDYa1FVTs18/Tu57uKtfLnI/AAAAAAAAAEM/WHbCidSM0-s/s200/holes-japan.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Japan 5-yen (left) and 50-yen (right) coins</td></tr>
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I believe that the only country currently using coins with holes is Japan, whose 5 yen and 50 yen coins both have holes in the center. They are also nearly the same size (the 5-yen is bigger), but the 50-yen coin has a reeded edge while the 5-yen has a smooth edge. The 100-yen coin is the same size as the 5-yen, but with a reeded edge; so the hole in the center helps to make the 50-yen more noticably different than the 100-yen.<br />
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Besides Japan, many countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East have used coins with holes in the recent past, and you might be surprised by who they are. Spain added a hole to their 25-peseta coin in 1990 and kept it until switching to the euro in 2002. Hungary had a hole in their 2-filler coin, used from 1950 until 1992. Greece had holes in their 5-, 10-, and 20-lepta coins from the 1950s until the 1970s. Fiji had holes in their half-penny and penny in the 1930s through the 1950s.<br />
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Here is a list of the countries that I've found that have circulated coins with holes since 1900. This is definitely not a complete list, so I will update it when I find out about other countries. And since I bet that you readers know of examples that I haven't listed, I'm going to turn on blog comments this month - so post any countries that are missing from this list (list specific denominations and years if you can).<br />
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<b>Countries which have had a coin with a hole since 1900:</b><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PwArcQuGBI8/Tu57tdTcKrI/AAAAAAAAAD0/tQIFDqRkcFs/s1600/coins-with-holes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PwArcQuGBI8/Tu57tdTcKrI/AAAAAAAAAD0/tQIFDqRkcFs/s320/coins-with-holes.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b>Australia</b><br />
<b>Belgium</b><br />
<b>Belgian Congo</b><br />
<b>British West Africa</b><br />
<b>Congo</b><br />
<b>Denmark</b><br />
<b>East Africa</b><br />
<b>Egypt</b><br />
<b>Fiji</b><br />
<b>Finland</b><br />
<b>France</b><br />
<b>French Indochina</b><br />
<b>Greece</b><br />
<b>Greenland</b><br />
<b>Hungary</b><br />
<b>India</b><br />
<b>Indonesia</b><br />
<b>Japan</b><br />
<b>Laos</b><br />
<b>Lebanon</b><br />
<b>Mongolia</b><br />
<b>Morocco</b><br />
<b>Nepal</b><br />
<b>Netherlands</b><br />
<b>New Guinea</b><br />
<b>Nigeria</b><br />
<b>Norway</b><br />
<b>Pakistan</b><br />
<b>Palestine</b><br />
<b>Papua New Guinea</b><br />
<b>Philippines</b><br />
<b>Poland</b><br />
<b>Romania</b><br />
<b>Spain</b><br />
<b>Syria</b><br />
<b>Thailand</b><br />
<b>Tunisia</b><br />
<b>Turkey</b><br />
<b>Vietnam</b><br />
<b>Yugoslavia</b><br />
<b>Zambia</b><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span>
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<span style="color: #073763;">Looking for coins with holes to add to your collection?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #073763;">Check out our</span><span style="color: #073763;"> </span><a href="http://www.portlandcoins.com/products/coinswithholes"><b>Coins With Holes Set</b></a><span style="color: #073763;">.</span></div>
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<b>Update 1/1/2012:</b> Added Lebanon<br />
<b>Update 1/22/2012:</b> Added East Africa, Nepal, and Philippines<br />
<b>Update 3/20/2012:</b> Added Papua New Guinea<br />
<b>Update 4/21/2012:</b> Added Turkey<br />
<b>Update 5/14/2012:</b> Added Nigeria<br />
<b>Update 7/22/2012:</b> Added Zambia, Belgian Congo, British West Africa, Congo, French Indochina, and Poland<br />
<b>Update 12/9/2012:</b> Added Greenland, Mongolia, Morocco, Netherlands, New Guinea, and Palestine</div>
<b>Update 12/25/2012:</b> Added Romania, Syria, Tunisia, Vietnam, and Yugoslavia<br />
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<br />Portland Coinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09601064255320326558noreply@blogger.com