2010 Scratch and sniff Marajuana coin... really???

Discussion in 'World Coins' started by LostDutchman, Mar 12, 2012.

  1. Cazkaboom

    Cazkaboom One for all, all for me.

    Well Mike, it is silver, a whopping 100 milligrams of it! Pure genius to advertise wit the .999 silver, but some people don't read the whole thing. Sneaky business with that one. But you just gotta be aware.
     
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  3. mikenoodle

    mikenoodle The Village Idiot Supporter

    well, Shawn's actually a pretty sharp cookie, I just wonder if he noticed it...
     
  4. krispy

    krispy krispy

    Yes, these coins created the typical snickering 'buzz' in the numismatic blogs too when news of them first started to appear...

    Issued by authority of the Government of the West African Republic of Benin as part of the 'Famous Plants of the World' series.

    The 2010 Marijuana Cannabis Sativa 1000 CFA coin was issued as a 1 oz. .999 fine silver coin, limited to 999 pieces.

    There were other issues for 2010 as well, such as the the Marijuana Cannabis Sativa 100 CFA Proof coin. Both a silver and gold plated cu-ni versions were being sold then. They are supposedly legal tender coins. These were limited to 2,500 pieces. Not sure if that number includes the gold plated coins as there appears to only be one KM# and both coins are the same denomination, weight, diameter and design.

    I'm not sure if an actual government operated mint produced these or if they came from a private mint, such as Africa Mint who has produced promotional and commemorative pieces for Benin in the past.


    There's plenty of information online, Talisman Coins has a lot on this coin and a statement about the aroma technology used on the coin.

    They also include on the website about this coin the following disclaimer,


    Read more at Wiki
    :

    CFA stands for Communauté financière d'Afrique ("Financial Community of Africa"). Currency is issued by the BCEAO (Banque Centrale des États de l'Afrique de l'Ouest, i.e. "Central Bank of the West African States"), located in Dakar, Senegal, for the 8 countries of the UEMOA (Union Économique et Monétaire Ouest Africaine).

    CFA francs have the same exchange rate with the Euro and they are both guaranteed by the French Treasury (Trésor public).
     
  5. chrisild

    chrisild Coin Collector

    Well, I mentioned Mayer Mint in an earlier post. But when it comes to such issues, solely produced for collectors, it does not actually matter in my opinion whether a piece is produced by a government-owned mint, by a mint that legally is a private business but is the sole producer of coins of the country where that mint is located, or whether it is a private mint that makes, umm, such pieces only. :)

    Side note - if you get tired or sick of that smell, you can always resort to incense or coconut scent. Palau to the rescue. :D
    http://www.coin-invest.li/images/document/Flyer_2011-15_Scent_of_Paradise_–_Incense_3118586.pdf
    http://www.coin-invest.li/images/document/Flyer_Coconut_4295652.pdf

    Christian
     
  6. moneyer12

    moneyer12 i just love UK coins.......

    i use hemp seed as a bait when i go fishing. always catches the big roach.............................honestly!
     
  7. krispy

    krispy krispy

    You got any better proof than an un-sourced mention to suggest Mayer Mint did in fact mint these coins? Neither this thread nor the other one you posted in the past has anything to suggest it was minted by Mayer.

    It should be a matter of distinction who minted the coin, despite being a limited mintage and marketed for collectors, when it is claimed that the coin is legal tender. One needs to know the quality of the material and reliability of the nation to hold to its promise what the coin is stated to be worth as legal tender backed by the legal authority of the nation willing to make the claim and who can prove the legitimacy of the coins and their specifications if ever they were in doubt legal and legitimate currency.
     
  8. jaytant

    jaytant Active Member

    I wonder what sniffer dogs think of this coin - I'd probably try not to travel with it.
     
  9. Parquet

    Parquet New Member

    Thanks for the heads up! I just bought the silver one! (1,000 CFA)
     
  10. LostDutchman

    LostDutchman Under Staffed & Overly Motivated Supporter

    I wonder if they ever have trouble shipping them. I wonder if they ever get popped by customs dogs coming into the US.
     
  11. chrisild

    chrisild Coin Collector

    Well, that was what I had saved on my computer. :) Just checked again, and I guess my source was the Schön which lists the cannabis piece as a Mayer Mint product. But I still don't see the difference when it comes to the mints involved. Yes, we would indeed like to know whether an issue is a purely fantasy piece or whether it has the "OK" of the government involved.

    But other than that, if some major dealer makes a contract with the government of Benin (or Palau, Cook Islands, Liberia, etc.) about producing and marketing some gimmick coin, the resulting piece will have "legal tender" status in the "issuing" country. In that case it does not matter to me whether the producer is Mayer or Pobjoy, or the mint in Kremnica or in Warsaw for example. Both the Polish and Slovakian mints produce the circulation coins of their countries, but they also make lots of this cutesy stuff for other countries ...

    Christian
     
  12. Collect89

    Collect89 Coin Collector

    Just having the coin in your brief case at one time might be enough to get the attention of a dog at the airport. The coin (or contraband) does not need to actually be in your bag. All it may take is a residual trace.
     
  13. snaz

    snaz Registry fever

    Most definitely, Just bought it as a paper weight. Would've been nice to find a true silver bar with this design, but I'll settle. :D

    Nice seeing ya'll again

     
  14. green18

    green18 Unknown member Sweet on Commemorative Coins Supporter

    Hey, with the way copper's been going (recent visits to the Home Depot for copper pipe and fittings) you're in a 'win-win' situation Snaz. :)
     
  15. Copper Head

    Copper Head Active Member

    They don't actually use cannabis for the scent, it's an artificial additive. I doubt the dogs would pay any attention. Their noses are a lot more discerning than ours and would not be so easily fooled.
     
  16. Parquet

    Parquet New Member

  17. Collect89

    Collect89 Coin Collector

    I would not keep the coin in my brief case

    I don't know what is being used for the scent. Nor do I know how the different dogs would react to it. I do know that the sniffer-dogs are everywhere in air travel. I am personally crossing the USA-Mexico boarder 4 times in the next 10 days. I have had the little critters (and sometimes big critters) sniff my bags hundreds of times. I enjoy crossing international boarders with out delay & would recommend not storing the coin in a travel bag.
     
  18. mikenoodle

    mikenoodle The Village Idiot Supporter

    ok, let's nip this in the bud... (no pun intended... ok... maybe I did intend it...) :)

    Just as Copper Head said, the coin does NOT have any trace of marijuana on it. It has a scent like marijuana and won't cause drug-sniffing dogs to alert. The dogs are smarter than that. Which is more than I can say for... nevermind
     
  19. chrisild

    chrisild Coin Collector

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