I chose 24 because that's how many slots this display case has. The vast majority of these coins are general circulation issues and can be found for very low prices - usually $1 or less. A few are nicer and more expensive. Enjoy! In no particular order... 1. 1999 Portugal 50 Escudos. I am a huge fan of ships, and this one certainly doesn't disappoint. A bit of toning on the edges doesn't show up, but is nice in hand. 2. 1947 Panama 1 Balboa. This nice, large 90% silver coin has a gorgeous female figure on one side and a pretty neat Balboa profile on the other. 3. 1876-S US Seated Liberty Quarter. This is a severely damaged coin, but I love it. It has contemporary graffiti of four initials. I always like to think that some young man kept this around as a portable "notch on the bedpost," recording his sexual conquests. Who knows, though. The coin otherwise still retains some mint luster, which is nice. 4. 1973 Bahamian 15 cents. This is a very weird coin, with a square-shape in a diamond orientation. Apparently this is a standard circulation coin (although this one is a proof)! Crazy. 5. c.AD 245 Philip the Arab AR antoninianus. This is the only real ancient coin in my collection, and was a gift via Secret Saturnalia. I love the exquisite detail. The small breaks on the planchet give this a certain character.
6. 1982 Singapore 10 Cents. I love sea creatures, and the sea horse doesn't disappoint. 7. 1917 France 10 Centimes. I LOVE the obverse profile. This Liberty in a phrygian cap certainly outdoes anything that has ever come from the US, in my opinion. The reverse is an entire artwork in itself, and the large size of the coin helps it stand out. 8. 1994 French Polynesia 5 Francs. This is a large aluminum coin, which is a bit unusual because most Al coins I've seen are quite small. In typical French fashion we have a gorgeous neoclassical figure gracing one side. 9. ?BC Olbia cast Dolphin coin. I guess the Philip the Arab coin isn't my only ancient - this one is older, but not necessarily what I would call a "coin." It is probably one of the most unique things I've ever seen. 10. 1999 New Zealand 5 Cents Cute little lizard on the reverse makes this a fun one.
11. 1974 Switzerland 2 Francs. Nice full-length female figure that you don't see too often in a standing position. 12. 1998 The Gambia 1 Dalasi. The crocodile is AMAZING. Curiously, Gambian coins wear very poorly, but this is fortunately in nice AU condition. 13. 1996 West African States 25 Francs. You might be wondering why in the world I have this coin. Well, when I was 3 years old living in Senegal, I got this coin. I thought it would be fun to write one letter of my name on each side. I quickly ran out of sides, but I kept this forever as a memento of how stupid I was as a kid. 14.1997 Russia 50 Kopeks. St. George slaying the dragon is a pretty intense subject, and it surprisingly fits very well onto such a small coin. 15. 1994 Cape Verde 1 Escudo. This former Portuguese colony off the coast of West Africa is a tiny country, and this is a tiny coin. I love how the obvious turtle is captioned "turtle" in Portuguese.
16. 2002 Italian 50 Euro Cent. Every Eurozone country has its own country-specific reverse. This Italian one features the famous bronze equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius! 17. 2017 China 10 Yuan. This wonderful bimetallic proof features a very cool rooster on the reverse, and was released to commemorate the year of the rooster. 18. 2015 Baker Island 1 Dollar. This large coin is silver platedand has a really cool bird on the reverse. I think this is legal tender on Baker Island, but I'm not sure. 19. 2016 Australia 1 Dollar. The Australian Kookaburra is a famous yearly one-ounce silver coin. With 99.9% silver, this is a great bullion coin with an awesome image. 20. 2015 Australia 1 Dollar. In addition to the Kookaburra, Australia also releases other cool bullion coins. This has a creepy funnel web spider. I'm not a fan of spiders, but I'm a fan of the coin.
21. 1948 Mexico 5 Pesos. At 90% silver, this might have circulated back in 1948; Mexico retained the silver standard for a decent amount of time. 22. 1967 United Kingdom 1 Penny One of the last large size pennies, the Britannia never really gets old. 23. 1922 French Commerce Industry 1 Franc token? Apparently, this is a standard circulation coin, but it seems more like a token to me. I don't know anything though. 25. 2009 Poland 2 Zlotych. I love lizard! I love 2 lizards even more. 2 lizards for 2 zlotych.
The frigate bird is a really cool animal. That pouch is normally deflated when they are flying around. Only the males have the pouch, and they inflate it when they are sitting on a nest looking for a mate. The females fly around and watch for the pouch - a bigger pouch means a better mate. Here are some that I saw in the Galapagos earlier this year:
Fun collection! For #3, I would guess it is a crudely made love token. The two initials on the right and left might be two sets of initials, and the center HCC could be some abbreviated phrase. I think the "An" 1876 just refers to the year, so it probably commemorates something from that year, such as a wedding. I have several love tokens from approximately that era, mostly on dimes from the 1850s and 1860s if you'd like to see one for comparison. #23 I believe was a standard issue coin. It was just after WWI, and France was hoping for large reparations payments from Germany which never fully panned out. The 1/2, 1 and 2 francs were all made of silver before the war, and switched to aluminum-bronze afterward due to precious metal shortages. The "Bon Pour" indicated that they were still "worth" the face amount in spite of the composition change.
Nice group of coins! The Baker Island one got me searching. It looks like no one lives there, but it's considered a US territory. The coin is a fantasy piece and likely made in China (according to the second link). I like it and the mintage is low (250-again based on the numista page). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baker_Island https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces108135.html
Neat info! Thanks for that. Please post a love token! I have a feeling most were probably much more aesthetic than my example... #23 - that makes sense. The "bon pour" made it seem like a token (good for one ride, etc). I wonder how the public took to the sudden de-silverization
Too bad it's not actually legal tender I didn't realize it was rare like that; I was unable to find any on eBay, even. Even better!
OK, here's some love tokens. First is a Queen Anne Shilling, 1711. They didn't flatten out one side of the coin, but instead used some open space on the obverse to engrave two sets of initials. Next photos are both sides of various loose love tokens, with the reverse flattened and engraved with usually just one set of initials, probably that of the woman who was the intended recipient. I like how cheaply one can get older US types as a love token compared to an intact specimen. Most are $10 or less. Not much interest to a general collector, but they have their own charm.
I see I'm not the only one who included a memento of an African childhood in my Eclectic Box. We lived in Tanzania in 1972. I turned 7 years old while we lived over there. I used to get one of these 5-shilingi coins for my weekly allowance, if I had been well behaved. If memory serves, you could buy a model airplane kit with one. I was happy to find this UNC example (from the right year!) in a bulk bag, so yes, I spent nearly $50 slabbing a coin that catalogs for maybe $3 in BU, and have no regrets. Sometimes the selections are purely sentimental. But these are cool looking coins regardless, and of a decent size.
Super cool! I don’t think there’s too many folks with African childhoods. I was much younger - lived in Senegal from age 3-4, from 1998-1999. I wasn’t old enough to spend or have any money, but I remember There was a French guy who ran the local convenience store who would give me a free lollipop if I asked politely in proper French.
There are lots. They happen to be African. But yes, I know what you meant. Not too many of us Western, English-speaking, coin-collecting folks with African childhoods, anyway. In 1974, when I turned 9, we lived aboard a 40' trimaran sailboat in the Bahamas. Your Coin #4 above reminded me of that. I don't remember seeing too many of those square/lozenge-shaped 15c pieces, but I do remember that a scalloped-shaped 10c piece would buy a comic book. I need to get one of those and slab it, too. Even the proofs are common. In fact, I used to have a bunch, but gave them away. [Edit- just got one.]