DEAD NATIONS
COINS FROM NATIONS THAT NO LONGER EXIST
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 20 Haleru has wheat ears, a
sickle and the denomination 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-spots $6.00
BRITISH
EAST CARIBBEAN
TERRITORIES 1/2 CENT

The British
Caribbean Territories – Eastern Group was a short-lived
monetary union that provided coins and currency for the British
controlled territories of
Anguilla, Antigua, Barbados, British Guiana
(now Guyana),
British Virgin Islands,
Dominica, Granada, Nevis, St.
Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Trinidad & Tobago.
One of its first coins was this 1955 1/2 Cent. The 20.4mm
bronze coins depicts Queen Elizabeth on the obverse and the
denominations and date on the reverse. It has a mintage of 500,000.
Item
BECT-1 BRITISH EAST CARIBBEAN TERRITORIES
1/2 CENT
1955 KM1 UNC.
$3.00
SCARCE COIN OF DEMAK
SULTANATE

The
Demak Sultanate was founded about 1475 by Sultan Pangeran al Patah,
also known as Raden Patah. He was of Javanese nobility and his mother
may have been a Chinese princess who had been exiled from China.
His Sultanate was the first Muslim state in Java.
He quickly expanded his Sultanate to include most of the
northern coast of Java and southern Sumatra. This was
an important step in bringing Islam to what is now Indonesia.
The Sultan ruled until his death in 1518. The Sultanate
lasted about another 30 years, until it collapsed in a dynastic
feud. The Sultanate prospered through trade in spices, rice
and its control over Javanese trading ports. This
Pitis of Sultan Pangeran al Patah is one of the few
affordable coins of the Demak Sultanate. The uniface tin coin
is approximately 19mm to 20mm in diameter and grades Very Fine.
Item
DEMAK
DEMAK SULTANATE, TIN PITIS, PANGERAN AL PATAH 1475-1518 VF $19.50
FIRST BANKNOTES OF
EAST GERMANY

On
June 20, 1948 the Nazi era Reichsmark and Rentenmark were abolished and
a new currency introduced in the Western occupied zones of Germany.
The Soviets rook the currency reform as a threat. In retaliation, on
June 24 the Soviets cut off all access from the western zones into
Berlin, thus starting the Berlin Blockade. The Western Allies
responding with the Berlin Airlift. For eleven months all the supplies
needed in West Berlin were transported by airplane into the city.
Though the Soviets claimed to be surprised by the currency reform, they
were prepared as banknotes for East Germany had already been printed in
Moscow. The new notes were introduced on July 24, 1948. The new notes
had simple designs featuring the denomination, engraved borders and
were printed on watermarked paper. Officially East Germany Marks were
exchangeable on par with the West German Marks. In reality they were
not exchangeable for any currency and traded on the black market at a
large discount. The 1948 50 Pfennig note is 100 x 65mm. It was later replaced by a
50 Pfennig coin. The 1948 50
Mark note is 171 x 87mm.
Item
PM-EGER-50PF EAST GERMANY 50 PFENNIG NOTE 1948
P8b F-VF
$7.00
Item
PM-EGER-50M EAST GERMANY 50 MARK NOTE 1948
P14b F-VF
$7.00
FIRST COINS OF
EAST GERMANY

East Germany issued its first coins in 1948 while it was still under
the occupation of the Soviet Army. The coins consisted of the
aluminum 1, 5 and 10 Pfennig. The coins featured an ear of
grain and a cogwheel, which symbolized a communist "Workers' and
Farmers' state". The denomination was on the other
side. In 1952 a new series of aluminum 1, 5 and 10 Pfennig
coins
was introduced. The obverse showing the denomination was
basically unchanged, however the new reverse designs featured a
compass, hammer and two ears of grain. The compass
represented the intelligentsia, who were supposed to be leading the
workers (hammer) and farmers (grain). Most of the workers and
farmers that I know do not like the idea of being led by a bunch
of intelligentsia who have little idea of what life is like
in
"the real world". Perhaps that is a clue as to why so many
wanted
to escape from East Germany and why it later
collapsed. The
new designs were
issued only
two years: 1952 and 1953. After the reunification of Germany,
the East German coins were withdrawn from circulation and melted.
Item
EGER-SET48 EAST GERMANY 3 COIN SET 1 - 10
PFENNIG 1948-50 KM1-3 VF
$4.00
Item
EGER-SET52 EAST GERMANY 3 COIN SET 1 - 10
PFENNIG 1952-53 KM5-7 VF-XF $3.00
EAST GERMAN 5
MARK
COMMEMORATIVES

East
Germany issued an annual series of popular and well struck
non-circulating copper-nickel 5 Mark commemorative coins honoring
famous Germans and their achievements. The 29mm coin feature the emblem
of the German Democratic Republic on the obverse. The
denomination is repeated on the lettered edges of the coins.
The 125th anniversary of the birth of Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen
commemorated this 1970 issue which depicts his X-ray tube. He
was awarded the inaugural Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901 for his
discovery of X-rays. The 1971 issue marked the 400th
anniversary of the birth of Johannes Kepler. The design
reflects Kepler's theories regarding heliocentric planetary motions.
The 75th anniversary of the death of composer Johannes Brahms is the
theme of the 1972 issue. The design features musical
notes. The 100th anniversary of the death of physicist
Philipp Reis is honored on the 1974 issue. Reis invented a
telephone in 1861, pre-dating Alexander Graham Bell's telephone by more
than a decade. However, Reis's telephone was delicate, tricky
and produced inconsistent results. An image of his telephone
apparatus appears on the coin. The 200th Anniversary of the
birth of military officer Ferdinand von Schill is commemorated on the
1976 issue. In 1809 he led an unsuccessful revolt to liberate
the portions of Germany that were controlled by Napoleon. The
coin features his sword and military hat. The 125th
anniversary of the death of Friedrich Ludwig Jahn, the father of German
gymnastics, is on the 1977 issue. His portrait appears on the
coin.
Item
EGER-RONT70 EAST GERMAN 5 MARK 1970 RONTGEN
KM26 BU $15.00
Item
EGER-KEPLER71 EAST GERMAN 5 MARK 1971 KEPLER
KM30 BU $20.00
Item
EGER-BRAHMS72 EAST GERMAN 5 MARK 1972
BRAHAMS KM36.1 BU $17.00
Item
EGER-KEPLER74 EAST GERMAN 5 MARK 1974 REIS
KM49 BU $15.00
Item
EGER-SCHILL76 EAST GERMAN 5 MARK 1976 VON
SCHILL KM60 BU $15.00
Item
EGER-JAHN77 EAST GERMAN 5 MARK 1977 JAHN
KM64 BU $15.00
SCARCE, FINAL
BANKNOTES OF
EAST GERMAN NOTES


These scarce 200 and 500 Mark East German notes are rarely seen in any
collections.
They are the highest denominations ever printed by East Germany and
were some of the last banknotes ever printed by East Germany. The
notes
were dated 1985, however the East German government
collapsed
before the notes were released into circulation. After the
collapse of East Germany the notes were put into storage in old
Nazi
bunkers. A very limited number of notes were "liberated" from a
bunker
by teenagers who found a hidden entrance to the bunker, before
the German government destroyed all of the remaining
notes.
The front of 200 Mark note features a family standing in front of a
government apartment complex. The back pictures a group of young school
children and their teacher. The 500 Mark
pictures
the East German Arms and the Staatsrat building in Berlin.
Item
PM-EGER-SET2 EAST GERMANY 200 & 500
MARK NOTES, 1985 P32 & P33, AU-UNC. $45.00
SCARCE
SILVER
COIN OF THE KATHIRI STATE OF SEIYUN AND TARIM

The
Kathiri Sultans controlled the towns of Seiyun and Tarim in what is
now Yemen. After losing much of their territory to rival tribes they
agreed to become a British Protectorate. Seiyun was the capital, and
Tarim is a major center of Islamic learning. In 1897 they had
this silver 12 Khumsi coins struck at the Heaton Mint for their
territory. The coin is all in Arabic, except for the Heaton
mintmark and are dated AH1315. 12 Khumsi was
equivalent to
1/10 Riyal. The coin is 18mm in diameter. It is a rarely seen coin from
a now forgotten nation.
Item
SEIYUN-12K
KATHIRI STATE OF SEIYUN & TARIM 12
KHUMSI AH1315=1897AD KM216 F-VF
$45.00
KATANGA
COIN FEATURES TRADITIONAL FORM OF WEALTH

A bloody
civil war broke out in the
Belgian
Congo upon it gaining independence from Belgium in
1960. Katanga, a mineral rich province in the south, declared
itself independent from the rest of the
Congo.
Various factions were
supported by the United States and the Soviet Union, while the United
Nations tried to negotiate a truce. This Uncirculated 1961 1
Franc 1961 was issued only a single year. Shortly thereafter
Katanga was
forcibly reunited with the Congo. The coin displays the
country's traditional form of money, the Katanga Cross, on one side of
the coins. A bunch of bananas is shown on the other.
Item
KAT-1 KATANGA 1 FRANC
KM1 1961 UNC. $5.00
UNUSUAL FIBER
COINS FROM WWII JAPANESE OCCUPATION OF CHINA
Manchukuo was a Japanese puppet state carved out of Northeastern China
prior to World War II. Due to a severe metal shortage towards
the end of the war, it issued these unusual 1 Fen and 5 Fen coins
struck in a thick, red material rather than metal. The coins are dated
in the year of the reign of Emperor Kang Te of
Manchukuo. Kang Te was formerly known as Pu Yi, who
was the last Emperor of China until he was deposed in 1911. The
Japanese used him as the figurehead leader for Manchukuo. The
1 Fen struck only a single year; 1945. The 5 Fen was struck
in 1944 and 1945. Because the material used was relatively
soft, the
coins show considerable wear. These historic World War II coins are
some of the few circulating non-metallic coins of the 20th century.
Item
MAN-5F45 MANCHUKUO 5 FEN 1944-45 YA13a
AG-G $7.00
Item
MAN-1F45 MANCHUKUO 1 FEN 1945 Y13a
AG-G $7.00
WORLD WAR II
SILVER DIME FROM
NEWFOUNDLAND

These
silver 10 cents were struck for Newfoundland during World War II. At
the time Newfoundland was in a state of political and economic
turmoil. It was without a functioning
parliament. The Newfoundland 10 Cents features King
George VI on the obverse. The denomination, date and name of
the nation are on the reverse. The until 1945 the coins were
struck in .925 (sterling) silver. T
Item
NEWF-10C41 NEWFOUNDLAND 10 CENTS 1941-1944
KM20 VF $7.00
UNCIRCULATED
1927 PALESTINE
COINS

This
set includes the first coins issued by the British Mandate of Palestine
in Uncirculated condition.
Great
Britain gained control of Palestine from the
Ottoman Empire after
World War I. It
issued its first coins for Palestine in 1927, including these
1 and 2 Mils
coins. Both coins are bronze and have similar designs. In
order to satisfy the Jews and Arabs in the territory, as well as their
British rulers, the coins have their legends in three different
languages, Arabic, English and Hebrew and the date in both the AD and
AH calendar. An olive branch, representing peace, is on the
reverses of both coins. In 1948 the Mandate was dissolved
with most of the territory going to the newly declared
State of Israel.
The 1
Mil is 21mm and the 2 Mils is 28mm. Both coins still retain
most of their original bright mint luster.
Item
PS-SET2U PALESTINE 1 & 2 MILS 1927 KM1
&
2 UNC.
$55.00
TRI-LINGUAL
COIN OF BRITISH
PALESTINE

Great
Britain gained control of Palestine from the Ottoman Empire after World
War I. It did not issue issue its first coins for
Palestine until
1927. In order to satisfy the Jews and Arabs in the
territory, as well as their British rulers, the bronze 1 Mil coins have
their legends in three different languages, Arabic, English and Hebrew
and the date in both the AD and AH calendar. An olive branch,
representing peace, is on the reverse. In 1948 the British
Mandate of Palestine was dissolved and most of the territory became the
newly declared State of Israel. Britain only sporadically
minted the 1 Mil coin for Palestine: 1927, 1935, 1937, 1939, 1940
(rare), 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1946 and 1947 (very rare - all but 5
melted). We are pleased to offer the 1939 1 Mil, minted the
year World War II started in Europe and Palestine was being flooded
with Jewish refugees fleeing the Holocaust in Europe. We also
offer a set of nine different dates of Palestine 1 Mils:
1927, 1935, 1937, 1939, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944 &
1946, no 1940 or
1947.
Item
PS-1M-39 PALESTINE 1 MIL 1939 KM1 VF-XF
$4.00
Item
PS-1M-SET SET OF 9 PALESTINE 1 MIL 1927-1946
KM1 VF-XF
$29.75
PORTUGUESE
GUINEA CELEBRATES ITS DISCOVERY

In
1946 Portuguese Guinea, now Guinea-Bissau,
issued this bronze 1 Escudo
commemorating the 500th anniversary its "discovery" in 1446 by
Portuguese slave trader Nuno Tristao. It was the first and one of the
only commemorative coins for any of Portugal's many colonies.
The coin features the arms of Portuguese Guinea. The reverse
had the denomination and dates 1446-1946. Until the mid-19th century
slave trading was the primary business of Portuguese Guinea. . The
local African rulers sold slaves to the Portuguese who had two outposts
on the coasst. The Portuguese would then ship them to Brazil.
Portugal
granted Guinea-Bissau independence in 1974. The coin is
Uncirculated, though may have some minor toning or tiny spots.
Item
PORTGW-7 PORTUGUESE GUINEA 1
ESCUDO 1946 KM7 UNC.
$12.00
KISSING GIRAFFES AND DANCING
ELEPHANTS
FROM RHODESIA & NYASALAND
Great
Britain issued a joint coinage for their African colonies of Rhodesia
and Nyasaland, which are now the independent countries of
Zambia,
Malawi and
Zimbabwe.
The 1958 Rhodesian and Nysaland bronze Half Penny
depicts a pair of giraffes which appear to be kissing. The
bronze 1962 penny a pair of elephants that appear to be dancing!
Both coins are made with a center hole. The
reverses
have the name of the colonies, denomination and date.
Item
R+N-1/2P RHODESIA &
NYASALAND 1/2 PENNY 1958 KM1 BU
$4.00
Item
R+N-1/2Px5 5 of the above
RHODESIA
&
NYASALAND 1/2 PENNY 1958 KM2 BU
$14.00
Item
R+N-1P RHODESIA &
NYASALAND 1 PENNY 1962 KM2 BU
$5.00
Item
R+N-1Px5 5 of the above RHODESIA
&
NYASALAND 1 PENNY 1962 KM2 BU
$18.00
UNCIRCULATED 1/2
CENT OF THE WHITE
RAJAH OF SARAWAK

Sarawak
was a privately-owned nation ruled by the Brooke family. The Sultan of
Brunei awarded it to the English adventurer James Brooke in 1841 for
his help in putting down a rebellion, thus he became the first "White
Rajah" of Sarawak. The throne eventually passed down to his
grand-nephew Charles Vynar Brooke in 1917. In 1933 he issued
this bronze 1/2 Cent. The coin was stuck only a single
year. The 18mm coin depicts his head on the obverse and the
denomination on the reverse. The coin was struck at the Heaton mint in
England and has a mintage of 2 Million pieces. Due to the
heavy destruction suffered during World War II, Charles ceded the
country to Great Britain in 1946. It is now part of Malaysia.
This is a scarce, high-grade coin issued by an English family that
controlled an entire Asian nation.
Item
SAR-20 SARAWAK 1/2 CENT 1933 KM20 UNC.-toned $49.75
OLD
COINS FROM TIBET
Tibet is a fabled and isolated country located high in the Himalayas
that is now controlled by China. Tibet introduced the copper
1 Sho in 1918. The 24mm coin depicts a Snow Lion on the
obverse and inscriptions on the reverse. The Snow Lion is a
mythological animal that represents cheerfulness and clarity of
thought. Two major versions (and many minor varieties) were
issued. The first was issued from 1918 to 1928. The
second, which includes the sun over the Snow Lion and a redesigned
reverse was issued from 1932 to 1938.
Item
TIB-SHO1 TIBET 1 SHO 1918-1928 Y21variety
F-VF $5.00
Item
TIB-SHO2 TIBET 1 SHO 1932-38 Y23 F-VF $5.00
SUN AND MOON TIBETAN
COINS
These copper 5 Sho coins were some of the last coins minted by Tibet
before they were invaded by China. The coin features a Snow
Lion standing in front of the mountains on one side and inscriptions on
the other. The coin comes in two major
varieties. The first, dating 1947 to 1949 features two suns,
one on either side of the tallest mountain. The second,
dating 1950 to 1953 shows a moon and the sun next to the
mountain. Both are a reminder of this fabled and isolated
nation located high in the Himalayas.
Item
TIB-5S-SS TIBET 5 SHO 1947-49, 2 SUNS, Y28.1
F-VF $14.00
Item
TIB-5S-MS TIBET 5 SHO 1950-53, MOON &
SUN, Y28a F-VF out
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 coins dated
1620 or 1621 were struck at struck at the Kremnica Mint (KB)
and
show virtually no wear.
Item
TRANSY-1621 TRANSYLVANIA 1 DENAR 1620-21 KM120
XF-AU $75.00
Item
TRANSY-1626 TRANSYLVANIA 1 DENAR 1626 KM162
VF $65.00
SCARCE VIET-MINH
COINS 
As World War II drew to a close, Japanese, Chinese, French and
Vietnamese forces all battled for control of Vietnam. These
coins were
issued by the Viet-Minh under Ho Chih Minh in 1946. The coins
circulated only briefly before being withdrawn in 1948. The large
(33mm) aluminum 1 Dong features a portrait of Ho Chih Minh on the
obverse. A rice stalk tied with a ribbon and the denomination is on the
reverse. The aluminum 5 Hao coin shows a ceremonial urn on one side and
the denomination incused in a five-pointed star on the other. Because
the coins were struck under primitive conditions using scrap metal and
makeshift equipment the coins tends to be crudely struck with weak
areas in
the design and minor spots or corrosion.
Item
VN-5H-46 VIETNAM - VIET-MINH 5 HAO 1946
KM2.1 VF-weak strike
$9.00
Item
VN-1D-46 VIETNAM - VIET-MINH 1 DONG
1946 KM3
F-VF-cleaned
$19.75
LAST
COIN OF SOUTH VIETNAM

This 1974 10 Dong coin was the last
circulating coin issued by South Vietnam before it fell on April 30,
1975. The 24mm brass-plated steel coin was issued as part of
the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's (F.A.O.) Coin
program. The program created awareness of the F.A.O.,
encouraged people to work towards eliminating food insecurity and raise
funds for F.A.O. and related programs. The reverse of the
coin features two farmers in a rice paddy with an inscription which
translates "Increase in food production of agricultural
products". The obverse features the denomination.
Item
SVN-10D SOUTH VIETNAM 10 DONG FAO 1974 UNC. $4.00
LOBSTER ON COIN
OF SHORT-LIVED
PEOPLE'S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF YEMEN 

The
People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, also known as S out h Yemen or
Democratic Yemen, gained independence from Great Britain after the
withdrawal of the British and the collapse of the Federation of S out h
Arabia in 1967. Over the years its relations with the Yemen Arab
Republic, or North Yemen fluctuated between war and peace.
The two nations fought a war in 1972, but were peacefully united in
1990 after Democratic Yemen lost support from communist nations due to
the collapse of the Soviet Union. Peace was not lasting however, a
civil war between factions from the north and s out h broke out again
in
1994. Peace was temporarily achieved with an election in
1999, however the country continued to suffer from instability as
various tribal factions. Since 2012 Yemen has been engaged in another
ongoing civil war, with factions in the S out h supported by Saudi
Arabia
and factions in the north supported by Iran. This 23mm
aluminum 5 Fils coin of Democratic Yemen features a spiny
Lobster. The coins is dated in Arabic numerals 1973AD and
AH1373.
Item
YEMDR-5F YEMEN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC 5 FILS
1973 KM4
LOBSTER UNC.
$3.00
Item
YEMDR-5Fx10 10 of the above YEMEN DEMOCRATIC
REPUBLIC 5 FILS
1973 KM4
LOBSTER UNC.
$15.00
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
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