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ON-LINE ORDER FORM Alphabetical Listings
Coins by theme or topic
New Arrivals
World Coin Sets List
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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. 
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 
Croatia issued this
2011 dated 12-sided bimetallic 25
Kuna coin to
commemorate the signing of the treaty allowing Croatia to join the
European Union. Croatia is expected to join in
2013. The
reverse features a beehive of 27 cells, representing the 27 member
nations, and a square, representing Croatia, about to join the
hive. The other side is the standard obverse featuring a
partially incuse design that includes the Croatian arms and a Pine
Marten. The denomination Kuna is derived from an old Croatian term for
a marten pelt. The 32mm coin is Uncirculated, though the
obverse
is poorly struck.
Leopold
I was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1658 to 1705. He had a
rather
pronounced lower lip, possibly brought on by his father’s marriage to
his cousin. He was described as a cultivated man of extreme
ugliness, hence the name "The Hogmouth". As Emperor of the
Holy
Roman Empire (which was neither Holy, Roman, nor an Empire) he ruled a
vast territory including Austria, Hungary, Bohemia, as well as parts of
Germany. He claimed the throne of Spain, leading to The War of Spanish
The Succession. Leopold fought a number of wars against the
Turks
and France. The engravers made no attempt to hide his
ugliness on
the coins, hence his protruding Hapsburg jaw is plainly visible on the
coin. His coins tend to have a slight curvature that was
caused
by the minting process which used "roller dies" rather than the coin
being struck flat. We offer a silver 15 Kreuzer coins of
Leopold
from Hungary featuring the Madonna and Child on the reverse and a
wonderfully ugly portrait of Leopold on the
obverse. The
coin is date between 1660 and 1696 and are approximately 30mm in
diameter.
KOSSUTH
NOTES FOR HUNGARIAN
REVOLUTION
This
large (15.75" x 9.75", 25 x 40cm) bearer bond was issued by the Royal
Hungarian Ministry of Finance on May 12, 1917 for 50 Crowns (Krona).
The bond is written in four languages: Hungarian, German, French and
English. At the time Hungary, as part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire,
was engaged in World War I and needed funds to continue its war effort.
Only about 5% of the cost of Hungary's war effort was covered by
regular government revenue (taxes, etc.) Most of the rest came from
issuing bonds or borrowings from the Central Bank. All citizens and
soldiers were expected to purchase bonds to support the war effort. The
bond paid 6% annual interest, tax and duty free. Included with the bond
was a sheet of semi-annual coupons. The bond had no maturity,
but
was callable any time after August 1, 1922. That never
happened. With the defeat and breakup of the Austro-Hungarian
Empire in November 1918 and the enormous level of debt accumulated
during the war the value of the currency - and the bonds
collapsed. It is an historic World War I bond that
has never been redeemed.
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". 
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 = 4×1029 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.
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.
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. 
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.
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
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.
This
silver 3 Polker
coins of Poland issued by king Sigismund III Vasa is dated
between about 1620 to 1628. Sigismund became king of Poland and
Lithuania in 1587. He was also king of Sweden from 1592 until
he was deposed in 1599. His efforts to unite Poland and
Sweden caused sixty years of war between the two. He invaded
Russia in 1605, taking advantage of their Time of Troubles.
Despite occupying Moscow and proclaiming himself to be Czar, he was
unable to control the country. His war in Russia continued until a
peace treaty was finally signed in 1618. It was during the
later part of his reign that the 30 Years War started. The war was one
of the most destructive conflicts in human history.
One side of the coin has the crowned arms of united Poland and
Lithuania. The other side features the number 24 within an
orb, indicating the coin was worth 1/24th of a Thaler. On either side
of the cross and orb are the last two digits of the date.
Sigismund did not feel it necessary to include the first two digits. 
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".
The
guided-missile frigate ORP Generał
Kazimierz Pulaski is the latest Polish Naval vessel to be featured on a
2 Zlote coin of Poland. The ship was commissioned by the
United States Navy as the USS Clark in 1980. In 2000 she was
transferred to Poland, who renamed her after the hero of both Poland’s
and the United States’ independence. General Pulaski was one
of the leading military commanders of the Bar Confederation that fought
against Russian domination of the Polish–Lithuanian
Commonwealth. He was a brilliant and heroic commander,
however he often acted independently, disobeying or ignoring
orders. Following the defeat of the Confederation in 1772 he
ended up in debtors’ prison in France. In 1777 he was
recruited by the Marquis de Lafayette and Benjamin Franklin for service
in the American Revolutionary War. In the Battle of
Brandywine his cavalry actions most likely saved George Washington’s
life and saved the Continental Army from annihilation. He was
awarded the rank of Brigadier General and set about to reform the
Calvary. He became known as "father of the American cavalry".
He used his own funds in order to assure his forces had proper
equipment and to assure their personal safety. In 1779 he
died from wounds received during a Calvary charge during the Siege of
Savannah. 
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.
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.
This
1947 brass 50 Bani was one of the last coins of the Kingdom of Romania.
The denomination is on one side of this 16mm coin, and the Steel Crown
of Romania is on the other. Unlike most countries, Romania’s
royal crown was not made from gold, but from steel from cannon captured
from the Ottomans during its war of independence. On August
15, 1947, with no warning, Romania introduced new coins and currency,
replacing their previous, badly inflated currency. Citizens were
allowed to exchange only a very limited amount of money, effectively
wiping out the assets of the middle and upper classes. 1 On
December 30, 1947, the communists forced King Michael (Mihai) to resign
at gun point, bringing an end to the Kingdom of Romania and to this
short-lived coinage. The coin is
Uncirculated,
though has some spots.
Romania
commemorated the 30th
anniversary of the December 1989 Romanian Revolution on
this 2019 dated 50 Bani coin. The revolution which overthrew
the 42 years of communist rule. The obverse shows a young man
holding a Romanian flag without the socialist emblem making a victory
sign. Above him is the arms of Romania. The reverse pictures
a of group men and women atop a tank. 
In
2018 Romani
commemorated the 100th
Anniversary of The Great Union of December 1,
1918 in which Romani was formally unified with Transylvania,
Bessarabia, and Bukovina. The anniversary is a national
holiday in Romania. One side depicts prominent individuals who helped
accomplish the union: Stefan Cicio-Pop, Gheorghe Pop de Băsești, Iuliu
Maniu, Vasile Goldiș and Iuliu Hossu. The other depicts the
national assembly in Alba Iulia where the Union was decreed, and the
arms of Romania. 
In
2016 Romania commemorated the
575th
Anniversary of John Hunyadi becoming the Voivode of
Transylvania, a
position he held from 1441 until his death in 1456. The Voivode was the
highest ranking official in Transylvania, which was under Hungarian
control. John Hunyadi was a brilliant military strategist and eminent
statesmen that inflicted considerable defeats against the
Ottomans. In 1447 his forces killed Vlad Dracul, the Voivode
of Wallachia. Vlad's son, Vlad Dracula, also known as Vlad the Impaler,
later became Voivode of Wallachia. 
In
2015 Romania
commemorated the 10th
anniversary of Redenomination of the
Leu. In 2005 Romania did an 10,000 to 1 revaluation of their
currency. The coin depicts the National Bank of Romania
building. All the coins are 23.75mm, struck in a
gold-colored nickel-brass alloy and have a lettered edge.FIRST BANKNOTE OF
NAZI OCCUPIED SERBIA
BEAUTIFUL OLD
BANKNOTES OF THE KINGDOM OF YUGOSLAVIA
NATIVE WILDLIFE ON OBSOLETE COINS
OF SLOVENIA 
Slovenia's
2019 3 Euro coin celebrates the Centenary of Prekmurje region rejoining
its homeland. Though largely ethnically Slovenian, the region
was part of Hungary for some eight hundred years. In 1919,
following World War I, the region was united with the rest of Slovenia
as part of what was to become Yugoslavia. Slovenia achieved
full independence in 1991. August 17, the date of the
official unification is celebrated as a national holiday in
Slovenia. The 32mm bi-metallic coin has a mintage of just
50,000 pieces. Slovenia's 3 Euro coins are circulating legal
tender issues; however, they are rarely actually encountered in
circulation. 
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. He never returned
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 1970. 
Following World War II, Yugoslavia
changed its name to The Federal People’s Republic of
Yugoslavia. The communist nation, under the control of Josip
Tito, steered an independent course from the Soviet Union. It
issued one series of coins before changing its name to the Socialist
Federal Republic in 1963. Starting in 1991 the country
completely collapsed into the independent nations of Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina,
and Montenegro. The coins
include the aluminum 50 Para, 1, 2 and 5
Dinars dated 1953 and the attractive aluminum-bronze 10, 20 and 50
Dinars dated 1955. The coin features the emblem of Yugoslavia
on the obverse of each coin. All coins are Uncirculated.
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