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ON-LINE ORDER FORM Alphabetical Listings
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SCARCE
BANKNOTE FROM SHORT-LIVED
BIAFRA
BRITISH
NORTH BORNEO
The State
of North Borneo, also called British North Borneo was a former British
colony that is now part of Malaysia that once had its own
coins. This 5 Cent coin of British North Borneo is dated 1938
or 1940. Japan invaded the territory in December
1941. Following World II it was joined with Malaya and no
further coins were struck specifically for North Borneo. One
side of the 28.1mm copper-nickel coin features the denomination.
. The other side shows the countries arms which include two
natives (one with a very large sword) upholding a shield that shows a
lion and a ship. The coins were struck at the
Heaton Mint in Birmingham, England. 
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.
East
Germany, also known as the German Democratic Republic or DDR, issued
this 5 Mark coin in 1969 to commemorate its 20th anniversary. It was
formed in 1949 from the Soviet occupied portion of Germany following
World War II. The design is simple, with legends "XX JAHRE
DDR", date and denomination on one side and the East German
emblem on the other. The coin is struck in a nickel-bronze
alloy.
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.
The
French East India Company took control and established a trading post
at Pondicherry on the south east coast of India in 1673. In
1693 the Dutch East India Company captured the town and controlled it
until 1699, when it was returned to the French by the Treaty of
Ryswick. The Dutch issued this undated bronze 1 Cash coin
during the brief six year period of Dutch control of Pondicherry. The
coin features a crude depiction of Kali, the Hindu Goddess of death,
destruction and disease on one side and Hindu legends on the
other. 
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.
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 this unusual 5 Fen coins struck in a thick, red
material rather than metal. The coin is 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 5 Fen was struck in 1944 and 1945. Because the
material was so soft, it wore quickly in circulation, resulting in the
coins being heavily worn,. This historic World War II coin is
one of the few circulating non-metallic coins of the 20th century. 
Great
Britain gained control of Palestine from the Ottoman Empire after World
War I. It did not 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). 
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.
LION
ON
SCARCE, SHORT-LIVED COIN OF RWANDA-BURUNDI 
After
Belgian Congo gained its independence in 1960, Belgium issued a coin
for what was left of its African territories: Rwanda and
Burundi. Only a single coin type was issued for the
joint
territory of Rwanda-Burundi: a brass 1 Franc. This brass 1961
brass 1 Franc coin features a walking lion on one side. The
other
has the names of the territories and the
denomination. In 1962 Rwanda and Burundi were both
granted independence 
Saar
is an important center for coal mining and heavy industry located
in Germany along the French border. Most of its citizens are
of German ancestry. Following World War II, France occupied
the region and tried to establish Saarland as a separate nation in an
effort to cripple Germany's industrial base. France assumed
control of its foreign affairs and even issued coins for
Saarland. The coins were struck at the Paris mint and were
the same size and composition as the contemporary French coins. Soon
after the coins were issued, Saarland voted to reunite with Germany,
bringing an end to brief coin issue. We are pleased to offer a complete
set of the only four coins ever issued by Saarland. The set
includes the 1954 aluminum-bronze 10, 20 and 50 Franken and the 1955
copper-nickel 100 Franken. The aluminum-bronze 10, 20 and 50
Franken feature
a stylized factory spewing out pollution and the Saarland arms on the
obverse. The copper-nickel 100 Franken has the arms within a
circle. The reverses of all the coins have the denomination
in German and the date. Perhaps it should have been a clue to
the French when they had to put the legends in German that Saarland
would not remain under French control. 
Tibet is a fabled and
isolated country located
high in the Himalayas that is now controlled by China. This copper 1
Sho coin was issued from 1918 to 1928. It features a snow
lion on one side and inscriptions on the other. The
Snow Lion is a mythological animal that represents cheerfulness and
clarity of thought.
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. 
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. 
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