COINS & CURRENCY OF
EAST EUROPE
A selection of historic coins and banknotes from
pre-communist,
communist
and post-communist Eastern Europe.
COIN OF THE NAZI
PUPPET
STATE OF
BOHEMIA & MORAVIA
Nazi Germany invaded Czechoslovakia in 1938, splitting the
country in three. In one portion they created a puppet state
called the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. Coins were
minted only from 1941 to 1944. The coins all feature the Bohemian Lion
on the obverse. The 1 Korun has the denomination and linden
branches on the reverse. The coins were
minted
in the Lysa nad Labem Metal Furniture Factory. The coins are
zinc, so may have some white spots. It is an historic set
from a nation that existed briefly during World War II.
Item
BOH-1K BOHEMIA & MORAVIA 1 KORUN
COIN, 1941-44 KM4 VF $6.00
CHRIST FEATURED ON
SILVER GROSH
OF THE LAST MEDIEVAL KING OF BULGARIA

Ivan
Sratsimir was the last king of the medieval Bulgarian
Kingdom. He reigned from Vidin from 1356 until he was
captured and killed by the Ottoman Turks in 1396.
One side of this 16mm silver Grosch depicts the bust of Christ,
blessing with his right hand and holding the Gospel in his
left. To his right and left is the Christogram "
IC –
XC". The other side depicts the king seated on
his throne
holding a scepter in his right hand. The coin shows little if
any wear, but is rather crudely struck.
Item
BG-SRATSIMIR BULGARIA SILVER GROSH OF IVAN
SRATSIMIR 1356-96 VF-crude
$85.00
COINS OF THE
PRINCIPALITY OF
BULGARIA

After
the defeat of the
Ottomans
in the Russo-Turkish War, the Treaty of
Berlin established Bulgaria as a Principality under Ottoman
sovereignty. In 1887 Ferdinand, a Prince from the German state of
Saxe-Coburg Gotha, was selected as the second Prince of Bulgaria, after
the throne had been turned down by other European princes. In
1908 Bulgaria declared its full independence from the Ottoman Empire
and Ferdinand took the title of Czar. His desire to create a
"new Byzantium" and aggressive foreign policy brought about Bulgaria's
involvement in the two Balkan Wars in 1912 and 1913, then World War I
in 1914, resulting in Bulgaria's defeat and Ferdinand's abdication in
1918. These copper-nickel 10 and 20 Stotinki coins are dated
1906, while Bulgaria was still under Ottoman sovereignty. The
Bulgarian arms are on one side and the denomination and date within a
wreath are on the other.
Item
BG-SET06 BULGARIA 10 & 20 STOTINIKI
1906 KM25 & KM26 F-VF
$3.00
FIRST COINS OF
COMMUNIST BULGARIA

These
seven coins are the
first coins issued by
Bulgaria following the bloody communist takeover at the end of World
War II.
Included are the 1951 dated 1, 3, 5, 10 and 25 Stotinki, the 1954 20
Stotinki
and the 1959 50 Stotinki in Uncirculated condition. The coins show the
denomination alongside a sprig of grain on one side and the Bulgarian
arms on
the other. With the exception of the 20 Stotinki, each of the coins
were
produced for only a single year
Item
S-BG-SET51
BULGARIA 7
COIN SET 1 - 50 STOTINIKI, 1951-59, KM50-56 UNC. $6.00
SERBIAN
KRAJINA &
CROATIA AT WAR
With the collapse of Yugoslavia, the Serbian portions of
Croatia declared independence from Croatia, even before Croatia
declared itself independent from Yugoslavia. The Serbs
formed the Republic of Serbian Krajina and had their capital at
Knin. A brutal war broke out, and both Croatia (Republika
Hrvatska) and Serbian Krajina suffered from severe inflation as
they tried to finance themselves by printing money.
Krajina was defeated in 1995 and reincorporated into
Croatia. From Serbian Kranina we have the
5,000,000 Dinara note dated 1993. The note features
the Knin fortress on a hill on
one side, and the
Serbian arms on the other. The Croatian 50,000 Dinara and
100,000 Dinara are dated 1993. Both feature Croatian
astronomer, physicist, mathematician, and philosopher Roger
Joseph Boscovich. Boscovich is famous for his atomic
theory. In 1753 he discovered the absence of atmosphere
on the Moon. The reverse of the notes have the Statue
of
"Glagolica Mother Croatia", a marble statue created in 1932 by artist
Ivan Mestrovic. The sculpture is of a mother holding on her
lap a stone tablet with “History of Croatians” engraved in the old
Croatian script. The original sculpture has been in a
"temporary exhibition" in Belgrade, Serbia since 1934.
Serbia has refused to return the statue to Croatia.
A bronze copy is at Zagreb University in Croatia
Item
PM-KRAJ-5M SERBIAN
KRAJINA 5 MILLION DINARA NOTE 1993 PR24 UNC $3.00
Item PM-HR-SET2 CROATIA
50,000 & 100,000 DINARA NOTES 1993 P26 & 27 UNC.
$4.00
CROATIAN
ASSOCIATION OF TECHNICAL
CULTURE 75th ANNIVERSARY 

Croatia
commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Croatian Association of
Technical Culture (CATC) with this 2021 dated 12-sided
bimetallic
25 Kuna coin. The CATC is an association of technical,
technical-hobbyist and local associations throughout Croatia with over
60,00 members. Member associations cover a wide range of endeavors
including amateur radio, aeronautics, astronomy, canoeing, diving,
photography, rocketry, ship modeling, sailing and many more.
It
supports numerous science and technology related activities for
youth. One side of the coin depicts a cube from the CATC
emblem
superimposed on a printed circuit board and the dates 1946
2021.
The other side features the denomination with an image of a marten
superimposed in the "25". The denomination Kuna is
derived
from an old Croatian term for a marten pelt, which was used as money
during medieval times. The 32mm coin has a mintage of only
50,000
pieces.
Item
HR-25K21-TECH CROATIA 25 KUNA 2021 CROATIAN
ASSOCIATION OF TECHNICAL CULTURE UNC.
$12.00
CROATIA 2021
CHILDREN'S DAY
COIN

Croatia
celebrated International Children's Day, November 20, 2021 with this
32mm, 12-sided bi-metallic 25 Kuna coin. The design is done
in with child-like art and lettering. The obverse includes a
marten and the arms of Croatia. The denomination Kuna is
derived from the term for a marten pelt, which was used as money in
medieval times. The reverse features a circle of children connected
together around the outer rim, symbolizing their cooperation and
togetherness. The center includes the date, a house, an
apple, the sun, a butterfly and flowers, symbolizing some of the needs
of the child: a safe home, food and playing freely in the
nature. It is one of the few coins that is dated
the exact day of issue. It has a mintage of only
50,000 pieces.
Item
HR-25K21-CHILD CROATIA 25 KUNA 2021
CHILDREN'S DAY UNC. $12.00
CROATIA'S CONTROVERSIAL NEW
2023 EURO COINS.
Croatia switched their currency to the Euro on January 1,
2023. The designs of the new coins created
controversy. The bi-metallic 2 Euro features a map of
Croatia. The bi-metallic 1 Euro depicts a Marten.
Marten pelts, called a kuna, were used for money in medieval
Croatia. The original design for the 1 Euro coin used a
photograph of a marten without permission. Serbia objected to
Nikola Tesla appearing on the 10, 20 and 50 Eurocent coins, claiming
Tesla was Serbian. Tesla was born in what is now Croatia to
ethnic Serbian parents at a time when both were part of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire. The 5, 2 and 1 Eurocent have the
letters "HR" in Glagolitic scrip. HR is the abbreviation of
the country in Croatian (Republika Hrvatska). Glagolitic is
the oldest known Slavic alphabet, dating back to the 9th Century. All
the coins incorporate the checkboard Croatian arms into the
design. All eight coins have the standard map of Europe
designs on the reverses.
Item
HR-EUSET CROATIA 8 COIN EURO SET 1 CENT - 2
EUROS 2023 UNC.
$14.00
HUNGARIAN
BI-METALLIC 200 FORINT FEATURES CHAIN BRIDGE

Hungary introduced this new
bimetallic 200 Forint coin in 2009 in order to replace the 200 Forint
banknote in circulation. The banknote will cease to be legal
tender. The coin pictures the famed Széchenyi Chain Bridge
one one side and has the date and denomination on the other.
The chain suspension bridge, completed in 1849, was the first
permanent bridge across the Danube to join Buda with Pest. In
1873 the two cities were united to form the Hungarian capital of
Budapest. At the time the bridge was built, its center span
of 202 meters (663 feet) was one of the largest in the world and was
considered by some to be a "Wonder of the World".
Item HU-200FT-09
HUNGARY 200 FORINT 2009 BIMETALLIC COIN KM826
BU $4.50
HUNGARY
COMMEMORATES THEIR
CURRENCY

Hungary
issued this circulating commemorative 50 Forint coin dated 2016 to
commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Hungarian Forint. The
Forint was introduced August 1, 1946 to replace the massively inflated
Pengo at a rate of 1 forint = 4×10
29 Pengo (that
is 1 with 29
zeros behind it) Pengo, The name Forint
dates back to the gold Florin of Florence that was introduced in 1252AD
and circulated in Hungary in the 14th Century. The obverse of
the 27.4mm copper-nickel coin features the traditional arms of Hungary
depicting the Royal Crown of Hungary. The denomination is on
the reverse.
Item HU-50FT-16FORINT
HUNGARY 50 FORINT 2016, 70 YEARS OF THE FORINT UNC.
$3.00
HUNGARY
50 FORINT 2017 FINA AQUATICS COMPETITION

Hungary
commemorated the 17th FINA (Fédération internationale de natation or
International Swimming Federation) World Aquatics Championships held in
Budapest July 14-30, 2017 on their 2017 commemorative 50
Forint. The event brought 2000 swimmers and divers from
throughout the world together for over two weeks of competitions in 75
events. The 27.4mm copper-nickel coin depicts the
FINA-Budapest logo on one side and the denomination on the other.
Item HU-50FT-17FINA
HUNGARY 50 FORINT 2017, FINA AQUATICS
COMPETITION UNC.
$3.00
HUNGARY 50
FORINT 2018 ICE
HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIPS

Hungary
honored the 2018 International Ice Hockey Federation Division I
Group A World Championship games held in Budapest April 22 to 28 on
this 2018 circulating commemorative 50 Forint. The reverse of
the 27.4mm copper-nickel coin features a player taking a shot on the
goal and the emblem of the Hungarian Ice Hockey Association.
The obverse features the denomination and the Budapest mintnmark.
Item HU-50FT-18HOCKEY
HUNGARY 50 FORINT 2018, ICE HOCKEY UNC.
$3.00
HUNGARY
2018 YEAR OF THE FAMILY 50 FORINT

In
January 2018 Hungarian Prime Minister declared 2018 to be Hungary's
Year of the Family in order to encourage more and larger families
because the nations birthrate is too low. (Wasn't it just a few years
ago the world was facing a "population bomb" and everyone was supposed
to have fewer children?) The reverse of the 27.4mm
copper-nickel coin includes the Year of the Family logo which features
a stylized family and the "Year of the Family" in Hungarian. The
obverse features the denomination and the Budapest mintnmark.
Item HU-50FT-18FAMILY
HUNGARY 50 FORINT 2018, YEAR OF THE FAMILY UNC.
$3.00
HUNGARY 2018 WORLD
WRESTLING
CHAMPIONSHIPS

Hungary
commemorated the 2018 World Wrestling Championships held in Budapest
from October 20 to 28, 2018. The event included Men and women's
freestyle and Men's Greco-Roman wrestling. Russia was the clear winner
with 10 gold medals. The 27.4mm copper-nickel 50 Forint depicts one
wrestler throwing the other. The denomination is on the obverse
Item HU-50FT-18WREST
HUNGARY 50 FORINT 2018 WRESTLING UNC.
$3.00
HUNGARY HONORS THE
"HEROES OF THE
PANDEMIC"

Hungary
recently released 2020 dated circulating 10 and 20 Forint commemorative
coins honoring the "Heroes of the Pandemic".
Hungary's COVID-19 cases and death rates were well below that of
neighboring European nations, though recently there has been a spike in
the number of cases. Both coins have similar designs. The
obverses depict the images of those that contributed to control the
pandemic formed into the shape of a heart. The coins have the
same reverses as the regular issues which depict the denomination and
the Budapest mint mark.
Item
HU-COVID HUNGARY 10 & 20 FORINT 2020
HEROES OF THE PANDEMIC UNC.
$5.00
HUNGARY OPENS
NEW MONEY MUSEUM

Hungary
commemorated their new Money Museum, which opened in March 2022 on this
bi-metallic 100 Forint. The museum, operated by the Hungarian
National Bank is designed to focus attention on financial literacy and
includes many interactive exhibits oriented towards children.
The coin depicts four stylized coins (the Anjou lily, in a reference to
Hungarian gold florins from the Middle Ages, the iconic digit 1 of the
1-forint coin introduced in 1946, a globe, and a pair of scales), the
old Postal Palace which now houses the museum and an upward pointing
graph. The 2022 dated bi-metallic coin is 23.8mm.
Item
HU-100F22 HUNGARY 100 FORINT 2022 MONEY
MUSEUM, UNC. $6.00
HUNGARIAN
BIMETALLIC COMMEMORATES 175th ANNIVERSARY OF THEIR MILITARY

Hungary
issued this circulating 2023 bi-metallic 100 Forint to commemorate the
175th anniversary of their Defense Forces. The Defense Forces
were first organized by Lajos Kossuth during the unsuccessful 1848
Hungarian Revolution. The obverse of the 23.8mm coin features
the emblem of the Hungarian Defiance Forces: a Turul, a mythical bird
of prey, holding the sword of Stephen I of Hungary in its claws, and
the shield of the Hungarian Defense Forces. The
denomination is on the reverse.
Item
HU-100F-23DEF HUNGARY 100 FORINT 2023
DEFENSE FORCES UNC.
$7.00
HUNGARY HONORS THEIR AMBULANCE
SERVICE

Hungary
issued a 2023 circulating 50 Forint coin to commemorate the 75th
anniversary of their National Ambulance Service. It is the
largest ambulance and medical institution in Hungary. It was
formally established in 1948, though traces its roots going back to
1887. The 27.4mm copper-nickel coin depicts the Rod of
Asclepius, depicting a snake coiled on a stick, which symbolizes the
healing aspect of medical arts. Beneath the Rod of Asclepius is a
six-armed Cross of Constantine. The cross represents the star of life
signifying the steps in the process of life-saving: recognition,
emergency call, first aid, paramedic care, control during transport and
hospital care. The denomination is on the reverse.
Item
HU-50F-23AMB HUNGARY 50 FORINT 2023
AMBULANCE SERVICE UNC.
$4.00
RARE
KOSOVO BANKNOTES


Kosovo was a province of Serbia that is made up of primarily Muslim
ethnic Albanians. In 1998 fighting broke out between Serb
armed forces and ethnic Albanian militias that supported independence
or unification with Albania. Atrocities were committed by
both sides. United States and NATO forces finally stepped in
to stop the fighting. It was during all this chaos these
unusual banknotes were issued. The notes were printed on
obsolete 1992 Macedonian banknotes. The notes dated April 1,
1999 were issued by the Provisional Bank of the Republic of
Kosovo. The notes were sold to
collectors as fundraisers for humanitarian efforts in Kosovo.
They are the only notes of Kosovo as Kosovo has not yet issued any
coins or notes for circulation. They use Euros or Serbian
Dinars.
Item
PM-KOS-10D KOSOVO 10 DINARE NOTE 1999 UNC. $4.00
Item
PM-KOS-25D KOSOVO 25 DINARE NOTE 1999
UNC. $7.00
Item
PM-KOS-25DMOD KOSOVO 25 DINARE MODEL
(SPECIMEN) NOTE 1999
UNC. $20.00
ATTRACTIVE
MACEDONIAN COIN SET INCLUDES WILDLIFE

This six coin set from Macedonia includes the 50 Deni to the 50
Denari. The
50 Denari
portrays the head of Archangel Gabriel.. The 10 Denari has
the peacock. Both coins are copper-nickel. The
lower four
denominations all feature animals and are struck in brass. A lynx is on
the 5 Denari. An Ochrid Trout is on the 2 Denari. A Yugoslav
Shepherd Dog (Sarplaninac) is on the 1 Denar. The 50 Deni
features a seagull in flight. The reverses
of the coins feature the denomination and a 16-ray sun symbol
that was used by Alexander the Great. All six coins are
Brilliant
Uncirculated
Item
S-MK-SET6 MACEDONIA 6 COIN
SET 50 DENI-50
DENARI, 1993-2008 BU
$9.75
FIRST NORTH MACEDONIA
COIN SET FEATURES ANIMALS

This
three-coin set features the first coins issued by North Macedonia. The
country was previously known as Macedonia, but Greece forced it to
change its name. Other than the revised name, the design and
the specifications of the coins are the same as the previous Macedonian
issue. The coins feature native fauna. The 2022 5
Dinari features a Macedonian Lynx. The 2022 2 Dinari depicts a Lake
Ohrid brown trout. A Shar Planina Shepherd dog (also called
Illyrian or Yugoslavian Shepherd) is on the 2020 1 Dinar. The
reverses of the coins depict 16 sun rays, which is derived from a
symbol of ancient Macedonia. All three coins are brass-plated
steel. Also available is the beautiful 2020 North Macedonia polymer 10
Denai banknote.
Item
MK-SET3 NORTH MACEDONIA 1 2 & 5
DINARI 2020-22 UNC.
$7.50
FIRST
BANKNOTE OF NORTH
MACEDONIA
In 1991 the Republic of Macedonia gained independence in the breakup of
Yugoslavia. Greece, however objected to the name Macedonia,
which they saw as part of their ancient Greek heritage and was a region
of Greece. Greece blocked Macedonia's membership to the
European Union and NATO. The countries finally came to an
agreement and in 2019 the Macedonia was renamed the Republic of North
Macedonia. The first banknotes issued under the new name were
released in 2020, including this beautiful polymer 10 Denars note. The
design was similar to previous issues. The front includes a
crescent-shaped gold filigree earring from the 4th century BC and an
ancient alabaster statue of the Egyptian Goddess Isidia which was
discovered in the city of Ohrid. In the lower left corner is
a 2nd Century AD marble bust of Titus Flavius Philoxenia, the high
priest of the city of Heraclea Lyncestis (Bitola). The
reverse features a mosaic of a peacock from the 4th-5th century
baptistry of the Episcopal Basilica in Stobi. The peacock
motif is repeated in the see-through window on the right. Peacocks
symbolized resurrection, immortality, and eternal
life.
Item
PM-MK-10D NORTH MACEDONIA 10 DENARS BANKNOTE
2020 UNC.
$3.00
EARLY DATED
SILVER COIN OF
POLAND-LITHUANIA

Until
the 1600's most nations did not put dates on coins. These silver
1/2 Grossus (Groschen) coins of Sigismund II Augustus from the 1500's
are some of the earliest affordable coins bearing an AD date.
Sigismund was both the King of Poland and Grand Duke of
Lithuania. In 1569 he formally united the two countries with
the Treaty of Lublin to form the Polish-Lithuanian
Commonwealth. His coins reflect this dual
nationality. One side features his titles as Grand Duke of
Lithuania, and Vytas, the White Knight, which is the national symbol of
Lithuania. Below Vytas is the date. The other side
features the Polish Eagle and his titles as King of Poland.
The 19mm silver coins date from 1547 to 1572. In 1572
Sigsmund died childless, despite having three wives (two of which were
first cousins) and carrying on affairs with "two of the most beautiful
of his countrywomen". He was the last of the powerful
Jagiellonian dynasty controlled much of central Europe for almost 200
years.
Item
PL-LT POLAND-LITHUANIA 1/2 GROSSUS, SIGISMUND
II AUGUSTUS 1547-1572 F-VF $29.75
Item
PL-LTx5 5 DIFFERENT DATES OF
POLAND-LITHUANIA 1/2 GROSSUS 1547-1572 F-VF $129.75
POLAND HONORS
THE LIFE OF THEIR POPE

Poland
issued this 2 Zlote coin in 2005 shortly after the death of Pope
John Paul II. The Polish born Pope was the first the first
non-Italian Pope since 1523. One side depicts the
Pope ith an outline
of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome in the background. The other
side features a stylized Polish Eagle. The 27mm coin is
struck in a brass alloy called "Nordic Gold".
Item
PL-2Z-POPE05
POLAND 2 ZLOTE 2005 POPE JOHN PAUL
II, KM525 BU
$4.00
POPULAR POLAND WILDLIFE COINS
Poland regularly
issues a 27mm
"Nordic gold" (brass alloy) 2
Zlote
honoring native endangered wildlife. The
attractive coins are always popular with collectors.The
2014 issue features the Konik Horse. The Konik Horse is a small, hardy,
semi-feral horse that originated in Poland. The European
Bison (Zubr) is on the 2013 issue. The European Bison was
hunted to
extinction in the wild in the early 20th Century. Since then
it has been reintroduced from captivity. In the past,
especially during the Middle Ages, it was commonly killed for its hide,
and to produce drinking horns. No wildlife coins
were issued for 2012. The 2011
issues featurew the European Badger. The 2010
issues feature the Lesser Horse-shoe
Bat. It is one of the world’s smallest
bats, weighing only 5 to 9 grams (less than a third of an ounce) and is
less
than a 44mm long (under 2 inches). The 2008 issue honors the
Peregrine Falcon.
Item
PL-2Z14-HORSE
POLAND 2 ZLOTE 2014 KONIK HORSE, Y896 UNC.
$3.00
Item
PL-2Z13-BISON
POLAND 2 ZLOTE 2013 EUROPEAN BISON, Y878 UNC. $3.00
Item
PL-2Z11-BADGER
POLAND 2 ZLOTE 2011 BADGER Y762 UNC. $3.00
Item
PL-2ZBAT10
POLAND 2 ZLOTE 2010 HORSESHOE BAT Y723 BU
$3.00
Item
PL-2ZFALCON08
POLAND 2 ZLOTE 2008 PEREGRINE FALCON Y627 BU
$3.00
POLAND 2
ZLOTE
COMMEMORATIVE SETS
Each year Poland produces a number of attractive
commemorative 2
Zlote
coins covering a wide variety of topics, including endangered wildlife,
historic cities, famous Poles, sporting events, etc. The
coins
are struck in an aluminum-bronze alloy called Nordic Gold.
The
issues are reasonably priced and popular with collectors, however
collecting them can be difficult due to the large number of
issues. Luckily we found someone that assembled
complete
sets of these popular and attractive 2 Zlote coins from original mint
bags. The 2005 series
consists of
19 issues. The 2006 and 2007 sets each contain 23
coins. The 2008 set contains 16 coins. The 2009 set
has 18 coins. The 2010 set has 20 coins. The 2011
set has 21 coins. The 2012 set has 15 coins. These
sets
are not
packaged.
Item
BK-PL-SET05 SET OF ALL 19
POLAND 2 ZLOTE
2005 UNC. $65.00
Item
BK-PL-SET09 SET OF ALL 18
POLAND 2 ZLOTE 2009
UNC. $59.50
Item
BK-PL-SET10 SET OF ALL 20 POLAND 2 ZLOTE 2010
UNC. $67.00
Item
BK-PL-SET11 SET OF ALL 21
POLAND 2 ZLOTE 2011
UNC. $69.50
Item
BK-PL-SET12 SET OF ALL 15
POLAND 2 ZLOTE 2012
UNC. $49.50
BI-METALLIC COINS
FROM POLAND


Poland
recently introduced a series of circulating bi-metallic 5
Zlotych coins with the theme "Discover Poland". Each coin
features historic, but often not well known places.
The 24.5mm coins have a
copper-nickel ring around an aluminum-bronze
center. The arms of Poland are on the obverse.
Poland honored the Poznan Town Hall (Ratusz) on this 2015 bi-metallic 5
Zlotych. The mannerist style
building was completed in 1560 and served as the seat of local
government until 1939. Today it houses a museum.
Each day at noon two mechanical goats come out from the clock tower and
butt heads. The coin depicts the town
hall. The two goats can be seen in the shaded are next to the
town hall. The 2016 5 Zlotych features The Priest's Mill
(KSIĘŻY MŁYN) in Lodz. The mill is a vast housing and
industrial complex built in the 1870's on land which originally
belonged to the Rector of the Parish of Lodz. The almost completely
preserved complex includes a spinning mill, factory buildings, shops,
two hospitals, a school, workers housing and owners and directors
estates covering over 1200 acres (500 ha). Today it
is a monument to 19th century industrial designs and company
towns.
Item
PL-5Z-15POZAN 2015 POZNAN TOWN HALL
BU $6.00
Item
PL-5Z-16LODZ
POLAND 5 ZLOTYCH 2016 PRIEST'S MILL, LODZ, BU $6.00
COIN OF RIGA FOR
THE
UNCONVENTIONAL QUEEN CHRISTINA

Queen
Christina of Sweden was one of the most educated, wittiest, unorthodox
and unconventional women of the 17th century. She succeeded
her father on the throne of Sweden in 1632 when she was only six years
old. She took a deep interest in philosophy, religion, art,
mathematics and science. She was fond of books,
paintings and had a collection of over 33,000 coins and medals. She
frequently dressed as a man. She knew at least nine languages - and
could out-cuss a soldier. She was headstrong and often in conflict with
her own Chancellor. In 1638 the first Swedish settlement in
the New World was established and named after her: Fort Christina,
which is now Wilmington, Delaware. She founded Sweden's first
newspaper. Her efforts helped bring about the Peace of Westphalia,
ending the Thirty Years' War. She had an intimate relationship with her
handmaiden and in 1649 she announced that she decided not to
marry. In 1654 she abdicated her throne and left Sweden in
order to convert to Catholicism. She was warmly
received by Pope Alexander VII and for a time was given her own wing
inside the Vatican. Though often running short of money, she
was a major patron of the theater and the arts. She gave much
occasion for gossip as she did not follow the norms for women of that
era and freely socialized with men. She used her position to
protect the Jews of Rome. Missing politics, she attempted to
regain the throne of Sweden and gain the thrones of Naples and Poland,
all without success. She died in 1689, and is one of only
three women buried within St. Peter's Basilica. This Solidus of Queen
Christina was issued for Riga between 1634 and 1654. Riga,
now the capital of Latvia, was under Swedish control from 1621 to 1721.
It was given considerable autonomy, including the right to
issue its own coins. The copper or silver-washed Solidus of
Riga have Queen Christina's royal monogram on one side and the arms of
Riga on the other. The crudely made coins are 15mm in
diameter, typically are struck somewhat off center without a date.
Item
RIGA-CHR RIGA SOLIDUS OF CHRISTINA
(1634-1654)
Fine-VF-Crude
$10.00
FIRST BANKNOTE
OF
NAZI OCCUPIED SERBIA
The first banknotes issued by the Germans after invaiding Serbia were
made by overprinting Yugoslavian banknotes they found in the vaults of
the central bank. Perhaps it is telling that the Nazi's would
put their ugly brown overprint on what was then one of the world's
prettiest banknotes. This 100 Dinar note dated May 1, 1941,
less than a month after the Nazi invasion began. It is
overprinted on the 1929 Yugoslavia 100 Dinar banknotes. The
front depicts young woman holding a sword. The back features
a young man with a large garland of fruit.
Item
PM-RS-OVPT-100D NAZI SERBIA 100 DINARA 1941
OVERPRINTED NOTE P23 Fine
$5.00
ATTRACTIVE
BANKNOTE OF NAZI GERMAN OCCUPIED SERBIA
On April 6, 1941 Axis Forces under Nazi Germany
invaded Yugoslavia.
They promptly conquered and divided the nation along ethnic
lines. Serbia was placed under the control of the German
military. Serbia issued some beautiful, multi-color
banknotes while under Nazi German control. The notes were printed by
the Serbian Institute for Manufacturing Banknotes and Coins in
Belgrade. The 500 Dinar dated November 11,
1941 depicts a woman
with
gold coin jewelry on the front and a bricklayer on the back.
They are impressive, large size,
colorful notes from a time when Serbia was under Nazi German
occupation.
Item
PM-RS-500D-41 NAZI SERBIA 500 DINARA BANKNOTE
1941 P27 Fine $5.00
NATIVE WILDLIFE ON
OBSOLETE COINS
OF SLOVENIA
With the introduction of the Euro, Slovenia's attractive wildlife coins
are now obsolete and have been withdrawn from circulation. All six of
the Tolar denominated coins feature native wildlife. The 10 Stotinov
pictures an Olm salamander, an unusual blind aquatic salamander found
in the caves of Slovenia. A barn owl is on the 20 Stotinov. A bee is on
the 50 Stotinov. The 1 Tolar features salmon, the 2 Tolar shows a
swallow in flight, an ibex is on the 5 Tolar, a horse is on
the 10
Tolar and a stork is on the 20 Tolar.
The lower three
denominations are aluminum, the top three are brass. It is an
attractive animal coin set. The coins date from 1992 to 2006.
The coins were withdrawn from circulation in 2007 when
Slovenia
switched to the Euro.
Item
S-SI-SET8 SLOVENIA 8 COIN ANIMAL SET 10
STOTINOV - 20 TOLAR, 1992-2006 UNC $8.00
SLOVENIA EURO
COIN SET
In 2007 Slovenia, once the northernmost part of
Yugoslavia,
became the
first of the former east European nations to adopt the Euro as their
currency. It
replaced the Slovenian Tolar.
Because of the expansion of European Union the common side
of
the Euro
coins have been redesigned to show the expanded European Union. The Slovenian Euro coins
are the first to
use the new design. The
national side
of the coins highlight Slovenian history culture.
The
bi-metallic 2 Euro coin features national poet France
Prešeren and the first line of the Slovenian national anthem which was
written
by him. The
bi-metallic 1 Euro pictures
Primož Trubar, a 16th century Protestant reformer, superintendent of
the
Protestant Church of Slovenia and the author of the first book printed
in Slovenian. Mount
Triglav, Slovenia's
highest mountain
and the constellation of cancer is featured on the 50 euro cent coin. Two Lipizzaner
horses are on the 20 euro
cent coin. The 10 euro cent coin features the "Katedrala Svobode"
(Cathedral of Freedom), a national parliament building that has never
been
built! A man sowing
stars and seeds is
featured on the 5 euro cent coin.
The
design is based on Ivan Grohar painting
"The
Sower". The
2 euro cent shows the Prince's Stone.
The stone was the base of an ancient Roman
column. It was used to install the medieval prince's of Karatania. A stork is on the 1 euro
cent. Every coin
has 12 stars around edge interspersed with letters spelling
“SLOVENIJA”. The
coins are the
first of what will be a
major expansion of the Euro coin series.
Item
SI-EUSET
SLOVENIA 8 COIN EURO SET, EUROCENT - 2 EUROS,
2007-09
UNC. $15.00
SLOVENIA
WORLD BOOK CAPITAL BI-METALLIC 3 EURO
Slovenia regularly issues circulating bi-metallic 3 Euro commemorative
coins. The 32mm coins have a brass outer ring, a
copper-nickel center and a reeded edge. They
are legal tender within Slovenia and available at
their face value. The
2010
issue commemorates Slovenia's capital,
Ljubljana, as the UNESCO's World Book Capital 2010. It
features the
facade of Plecnik’s National Library and the outline of a scroll and a
book.
Item
SI-3E10
SLOVENIA 3 EUROS 2010 LJUBLJANA WORLD BOOK
CAPITAL, KM95 UNC. $9.95
SLOVENIA
2022 2 EURO HONORS ARCHITECT JOZE PLECNIK

The
150th anniversary of Slovenian architect Jose Plecnik is commemorated
on this bi-metallic 2022 2 Euro coin from Slovenia. He had major impact
on the modern architecture of Vienna, Prague and Ljubljana, the capital
of Slovenia, giving that city much of its modern identity. He
was associated with the Vienna Secession style of architecture, a type
of Art Nouveau. The design features the large reading room
window in the National and University Library in Ljubljana, with a
column in front of it. The letters A R H. P L E C N I K are built into
the window space and is a metaphor for the architect’s signature.
Item
SI-2E22-PLECNIK SLOVENIA 2 EURO 2022 JOZE
PLECNIK UNC. $6.00
SILVER DENAR OF
TRANSYLVANIA

This
silver Dener of Transylvania was struck for Gabriel Bethlen. Bethlen
became the Prince Transylvania in 1613 with support from the Ottoman
Empire. His reign marked the start of a golden age for
Transylvania. He developed mines and industry, founded a
college
and supported the arts. He nationalized much of the foreign trade,
profits of which helped support his many programs. He was
Calvinist, and waged three wars against the Catholic
Hapsburgs.
In 1620 he was elected King of Hungary. After a string of
military defeats by Hapsburg forces, he renounced the title in 1621 in
return for guarantees of religious freedom for Hungarian
Protestants.. The obverse depicts the Madonna and
Child. The reverse has the arms of
Hungary. The
slightly irregular coin is approximately 13mm. The coin is
dated 1621 and were struck at the Kremnica Mint (KB)
and
show
virtually
no wear.
Item
TRANSY-1621 TRANSYLVANIA 1 DENAR 1621 KM120
XF-AU $75.00
Item
TRANSY-1626 TRANSYLVANIA 1 DENAR 1626 KM162
VF $55.00
LAST COIN OF THE
KINGDOM OF YUGOSLAVIA

This
1938 10 Dinara is
one of the last coins of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. The
obverse of the 23mm nickel coin depicts the head of young King Peter
II. The reverse has the royal crown, denomination and date
within a wreath. Peter became king in 1934 at age 11 upon the
assassination of his father, King Alexander I. Though he was
opposed to Nazi Germany, his regent signed a pact that allied
Yugoslavia with the Nazis in 1941. Two days later a British
supported coup overthrew the regency and proclaimed the 17 year old
Peter to be of age and in control of Yugoslavia. Hitler
responded by attacking and quickly conquering Yugoslavia.
Peter
escaped
by climbing down a drainpipe. Hitler's attack of Yugoslavia diverted
the German army and delayed
Operation Barbarossa, the Nazi invasion of Russia by six weeks. The
delay contributed to Germany's defeat due to the harsh Russian
winter.
Peter was never able to return
to his homeland. He made his way to London, then after the war lived in
the United States, eventually working in a Los Angeles Savings and Loan
before he died in Denver in 1970.
Item
YU-10D38 YUGOSLAVIA 10 DINARA 1938 KM22 XF-AU
$4.00
YUGOSLAVIA 5 NOTE HYPERINFLATION
SET
Between 1992 and 1994 Yugoslavia suffered from one of the longest and
worst hyperinflations in economic history. Inflation reached 116.546
trillion percent in January 1994. In 1990 Slovenia, Croatia
and North Macedonia all withdrew from the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia, followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1992. Due
to ongoing inflation Yugoslavia did a 10 to 1 currency revaluation on
January 1, 1992 and inflation continued to soar. On
October 1, 1993 the country did a 1 Million to 1 currency revaluation,
followed by a 1 billion to 1 revaluation on January 1, 1994.
That was replaced on January 24, 1994 by the Novi Dinar which was tied
to the German Mark, resulting in about a 13 million to 1 currency
revaluation. This set of 5 Yugoslavian inflation
notes includes the following notes: The 1992 50,000
Dinar depicting a young boy on the front and roses on the
back. The 1993 500,000,000 Dinar picturing a young
woman on the front and the Department of Agriculture building on the
back. The 1993 5,000,000,000 Dinar picturing 19th
century Serbian poet, painter and writer Dura Jaksic on the front and
the 15th century Vracevsnica Monastery on the back. The front
of the 1993 50,000,000,000 Dinar portrays Milan Obrenovic, who was
Prince of Serbia from 1868 to 1882 and King of Serbia from 1882 until
he abdicated in 1889. The 19th century Residence of Prince
Milos in Belgrade is on the back. The 1994 50,000 Dinar
features Prince Karadorde Petrovic who led a revolt for Sebian
independence from the Ottoman Empire from 1804 until 1813.
The back pictures the Church of the Holy Mother in Karadjordje that was
built in 1811.
Item
PM-YU-SET5 SET OF 5 YUGOSLAVIAN HYPERINFLATION
BANKNOTES, VF-AU $10.00
COINS
FROM YUGOSLAVIA'S HYPER-INFLATION
In the 1990's Yugoslavia
underwent a complete collapse as the country broke into five separate
nations and inflation soared. Prices sometimes more than doubled within
a day! To keep up with inflation Yugoslavia had to keep
introducing new coins and currency. In early 1993 more new
coins and currency were introduced, with 1 new Dinara equal to 1
Million 1992 Dinara. The new coins featured the national
emblem on one side and the denomination on the other. 1, 2, 50, 10, 50
and 100 Dinara coins were issued, however they circulated only briefly.
Due to raging inflation they were soon virtually worthless.
Item
S-YU-SET93 YUGOSLAVIA
6 COIN SET, 1 - 100 DINARA 1993 KM154-159 BU $5.50
TESLA HONORED
ON YUGOSLAVIAN BANKNOTE
Nikola
Tesla was one of the great pioneers in electricity. His
inventions
in electrical generation and power transmission give us the alternating
current electricity we use today. He was a man of many
nations. He was born in Croatia to Serbian parents, studied in Austria
and
Czechoslovakia
then went to the United States where he did most of his
inventing. The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia honored him with this
this 1993 5000 Dinara banknote. The reverse pictures the
Tesla Museum in Belgrade. The note circulated only briefly
due to Yugoslavia's
severe inflation at the time.
Item
PM-YU-TESLA YUGOSLAVIA
5000 DINARA BANKNOTE 1993 P128 VF
$3.00
SERBIA
HONORS TESLA ON SILVER COINS
Nikola
Tesla was a Serbian American inventor, electrical engineer, physicist,
and futurist. He is said to have over 300 patents covering a
wide range of
technologies including alternating current, electric motors, remote
control, television, radio, x-rays, cell phones, robotics, lasers,
turbine engines, magnetic propulsion, drones, solar power, weather
manipulation, particle beams and electromagnetic energy (the Tesla
coil). He was a brilliant inventor, but a poor businessman.
Despite his many important and revolutionary inventions, he
died alone and penniless in New York in 1943.
Serbia instituted an annual series of silver 100
Dinara coins honoring Tesla and his many inventions. The
40.25mm
coins each contain 1 troy ounce of .999 silver and are
struck by the Serbian Mint. The Serbian arms,
weight, purity, silver
content, date, denomination and one or more of his inventions are on
the reverses.
The 2020 coin honored Tesla's early work with
X-rays.
Nikola Tesla was one of the early discoverers of
X-rays. His first X-ray images, which he called shadowgraphs,
were done in 1894, a year before Wilhelm Rontgen published his
discovery of X-rays in 1895. He was one of the first to recognize some
of the benefits of X-rays, such as the finding of foreign objects
within a body and the detection of lung diseases. He was also
one of the first to recognize the hazards of X-ray radiation.
Unfortunately, most of his work was lost when his laboratory burned
down in
1895. The coin has a mintage of 19,812 in BU.
The 2021 issue depicts his famed Wardenclyffe
Tower. The 187 foot (57m) tall tower on Long Island was
supposed be able to distribute free energy to all.
Foreshadowing the Internet, it would allow one to call any telephone in
the world and allow one to hear music or speeches delivered
anywhere. The ambitious project failed on two
counts: Tesla could not figure out how to recover the costs
of the project if everything was free, and the technology did not
work. The coin has a mintage of 9,340 in BU
The first 2023 issue features
what Tesla
considered "The Secret of the Universe". Tesla believed the
everything in the universe could be understood through the Energy,
Vibration and Frequency of waves. Understanding waves not
only explains natural phenomena, but also our interaction and
perception of the physical world and our well-being, harmony and life
as well. We interact with the reality through our eyes and
ears which convert electromagnetic (light) and mechanical (sound) waves
into electric neural signals; which are then interpreted by our brain
through the firing of neurons, which produce and respond to electrical
impulses. Tesla believed physics and dimension are best
understood by the mathematics of threes. One of his famous
quotes: "If you only know the magnificence of the 3, 6 and 9, then you
would have the key to the universe". He believed these
numbers held great significance in the universe, nature and
understanding humans. It has a mintage of 9711 in BU.
The second 2023 issue depicts Tesla's "Aether into
space drive", also called his anti-gravity flying car. The
design is
based on his patent application for an anti-gravity flying car.
Much
of Tesla's later work, including his theories on transmitting large
amounts of energy through space, was based on his theories about
Aether.
Aether was an invisible substance which
filled space, rather than space being a vacuum. His
theories about Aether have been disproven and the Anti gravity flying
car was
never built. The coin has an estimated mintage of about 7000
in BU.
Item
RS-20TESLA-XRAY SERBIA 100 DINARA 2020
TESLA-X-RAYS BU $47.00
Item
RS-21TESLA-TOWER SERBIA 100 DINARA 2021
TESLA-FREE ENERGY-WARDENCLYFFE TOWER BU
$46.00
Item
RS-23TESLA-SECRET SERBIA 100 DINAR 2023
TESLA - THE SECRET OF THE UNIVERSE BU $45.00
Item
RS-23TESLA-ANTIGRAV SERBIA 100
DINAR 2023
TESLA - ANTI-GRAVITY BU $45.00
ALSO SEE:
TESLA HONORED ON YUGOSLAVIAN BANKNOTE: 5000
Dinara 1993 P128
ALSO SEE:
COINS &
CURRENCY OF EAST GERMANY
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