
PENGUINS
ON WORLD'S FIRST CRYSTAL AND SILVER COIN

This
unusual silver and gold two-part coin from Nauru features Pope John
Paul II. The coin comes in two parts: a one ounce .999 fine
silver Proof base and a gold plated image of Pope John Paul II.
The coin is designed so the capsule may be opened and Pope can be
placed in a special slot so that the Pope is standing. Each piece
is numbered and dated. The reverse of the silver base bears the Nauru
arms. The coin is denominated as 10 Dollars and is dated 2007.
It has a mintage of only 5000 pieces and I expect it to be
popular. It features a popular Pope, it is from a nation that has
issued few coins, and its two-part design is quite unusual.
What will they think up
next! The latest "innovation" in coin technology is a speaking
coin from Mongolia. The 2007 dated 500 Tugrik coin bears the Mongolian
arms on one side, and a picture of President John F. Kennedy on the
other. When you press a button on Kennedy's chest he repeats a
line from his "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech. In the speech the
President claims to be a citizen of Berlin, or perhaps a jam-filled
pastry, depending how the line is translated. I doubt the good
citizens of Mongolia really care about Kennedy's speech in Berlin,
however I am sure the coin will be popular with promoters in Germany
and the United States. The coin icontains 10 grams of sterling silver
on the outside (and who knows what in the electronics inside), is
40mm in diameter and is quite thick in order to hold the electronics.
It has a mintage of only 5,000 pieces.
LOURDES HOLY WATER COIN
A
real pearl is embedded in this 2007 sterling silver Proof 5
Dollar coin from Palau. The design features an open oyster shell, with
a real pearl attached to the coin. The coin comes in a clear
plastic capsule to protect both the coin and the pearl. The
reverse of the coin portrays the Palau arms featuring Neptune, a
topless mermaid, and a treasure chest on a shield, surmounted by an
outrigger canoe. The coin was issued as part of Palau's continuing series on Marine Life
Protection. It is an attractive and unusual coin with a
mintage of just 2500 pieces. Previous issues of the pearl coins
have quickly sold out, and I expect this to be no exception.
This 2007 Proof Five Dollar
coin of the Cook Islands contains a piece
of the famous Brenham Pallasite Meteorite. The Meteorite was
found in
1882 in the Brenham field in Kiowa County, Kansas. A pallasite is
a
very rare type of meteorite that originated billions of years ago,
which consist of about 50 percent iron-nickel and 50 percent
olivine.
The surface of the sterling silver coin has been selectively treated
with palladium creating a speckled finish, giving the appearance of a
meteor streaking through the starry night. The obverse features Queen
Elizabeth. The 38.6mm diameter coin has a mintage of just 2500
pieces.
It is part of a continuing series of coins featuring pieces of famous
meteorites.




A native sailboat is featured
on this 1981 rectangular silver proof 1 Pa’anga coin of Tonga. The
obverse shows the portrait of King Taufa'ahau IV. The coin was
issued to commemorate World Food Day. The Proof coin weighs 24.5
grams and is struck in .999 fine silver. It has a mintage of only
2,200 pieces.
Click Here
for TONGA COIN SET
Macedonia
released this attractive commemorative 1 Denar coin in 2000. It
has a
reported mintage of just 2000 pieces. When it was first announced
the
coin was supposed to commemorate the National Bank of Macedonia.
The
legends on both sides of the coin refer to the National Bank of
Macedonia and one side of the coin pictures an ancient Byzantine coin,
which is the logo for the Bank. The other side of the coin shows a 16th
century ornamented cross. Apparently there was not much public
enthusiasm for a coin commemorating the National Bank, so it was then
announced that the coin really commemorates the 2000th anniversary of
Christianity. Either way, it is an attractive low mintage coin that
pictures a coin and a cross.
A "mule" coin is a coin struck with dies intended for two
different coins. Recently a small hoard of "mule" 1 Dinar coins
appeared on the market. The obverse of the coin is from the
commemorative 1 Denar issued in 2000 commemorating 2000 years of
Christianity (KM9). It features an ornamented cross.
The
reverse is from the regular issue 1 Dinar coin that has was last minted
in
2001 (KM2). Presently it is one of the most affordable "mule"
coins available. I am not sure how long that will last.
MACEDONIA
4 COIN SET FEATURES NATIVE ANIMALS
MACEDONIA
ANIMAL COIN SETS COMMEMORATE FAO
In expectation of Kurdistan gaining independence from Iraq after the
second Gulf War, Kurdish groups in exile authorized the first modern
coins of Kurdistan. When the initial 1 and 10 Dinar coins were
struck, Kurdish officials discovered that the name of the country was
misspelled using the Arabic alphabet. To the untrained eye, the
difference is that the correct version has two squiggly marks in the
bottom of the legend on the coin while the error version has only one
mark. Only 300 pieces of each of the error version were
struck. A new die was prepared and a corrected version was
issued. Unfortunately the United States did not allow Kurdish
independence, so this remains a government in exile issue. The 10 Dinar
coins are 39mm in diameter, are struck in copper-nickel and picture a
Persian Fallow Deer. It has a
catalog value of $45.00, however our price is MUCH less. The 1 Dinar
coins
are 27mm in diameter, are struck in bronze-plated zinc (similar to the
U.S.
cent) and picture Saladin on horseback carrying a modern Kurdish flag.
It
has a catalog value of $35.00, however our price is MUCH less.
Item L-KURD10ERR KURDISTAN 10 DINARS 2003 ERROR
VERSION, (Br.X2.1) UNC. $15.00
Item L-KURD1ERR KURDISTAN 1 DINAR 2003, ERROR
VERSION (Br.X1.1), UNC. $12.50
Also see:
NEW
KURDISTAN COINS
UNUSUAL PORCELAIN COINS FROM GERMANY
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