'Largest' circulating coin in 20th Century

well, i guess some did enter circulation, on a small scale... 20 balboas were struck in regular and proof finishes, and a number of the regular strikes probably were circulated. further check reveals that KM catalogue listed an XF value for a date.

 

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The 20 balboas mostly sat in vaults until the US embargoed Panama in the lead up to the invasion that toppled Noriega. Panama used American currency at the time (1 balboa equaled 1 dollar at the fixed exchange rate), so when America cut it off, the till ran dry, and in the barrel-scraping that followed (note the splendid mixed metaphor) the government paid civil servants with the 20 balboa coins.

So they did circulate, even if they were minted as vanity pieces (and a way to convert a few metal disks into $20 bills).

 

The South African silver 5/- & 50c. crowns were most definitely circulation coins as was the Southern Rhodesian 1953 Cecil Rhodes 5/-.

As to Panama,they actually still use US$ in addition to Balboas.El Salvador is in the process of withdrawing their Colones in favour of the US$.

Aidan.

 

these could be the answer:
- vanuatu 50 vatu
- french polynesia 50 francs

... and i believe they are still in circulation.

 

Ecuador is using dollars also. I believe that all of these dollarizations have been without the specific agreement of the US. They can still use $$, of course, but the US has not officially sanctioned it.

 

JBK,I know that Ecuador is now using US$.So is East Timor.I know someone who goes to Cambodia a lot.He sees very little Cambodian currency in circulation.It is mainly US$ & Thai Baht that the Cambodians want.The
US$ is also used in the British Virgin Islands,even though the B.V.I. have their own coins.I am not sure about the Turks & Caicos Islands,however.

Kosovo & Montenegro are using Euros,even though they have never joined the Euro-Zone.

Aidan.

 

Doug,the South African & Southern Rhodesian 5/- crowns are far larger than the 50 Vatu from Vanuatu.I think that the latter coin is closer in size (but not thickness) to the gold Krugerrand.What do you think?

Aidan.

 

hi GDJMSP. i was replying gxseries regarding current circulating coins larger than the australian 50c... both the vanuatu and fr plynesian coins have approx 33mm diameter while the aussie coin is abt 31.5

well, these 2 could be the largest circulating coins at the moment.

 

what about the Portuguese 200 Escudos and 250 Escudos? Are they circulating coins or are they just collectors' issues?

 

Doug,anything bigger than a crown is really a non-circulating medal-coin.I still don't think those 20 Balboas circulated.I know that Uganda issued some silver & gold medal-coins to commemorate the visit of Pope Paul VI of Rome,but they weren't used,due to their excessive intrinsic value.

Aidan.

 

I clearly remember the 20 balboas being used to pay civil servants because an American news outlet did a story about them at the time.

 

Didn't Katanga Crosses circulate still into the early part of the 20th century in Belgian Congo?

 

I think it would be the fai (from the island of yap).

 

Several years back when silver dropped down around the $4 range some 1976 Canadian $10 Olympic coins began circulating because they were now worth more as money than as metal. They were 45mm in diameter.