Non-Circulating “Legal Tender” (NCLT) is what collectors call coins produced in the name of various countries for the sole purpose of making money through sales on the numismatic market. If you show such a coin to the man on the street in the country of issue you will probably get a puzzled look and a question like “what is this” if you are lucky, and arrested or robbed if you are not. Private mints or promotors would get a small county or official to sign off on the idea for a percentage of the final sales total after the coins were produced and distributed. Example: Liberia 25 dollars 1997. This two and a half ounce pure silver coin commemorates the 25th anniversary of the Standard Catalog of World Coins published in Iola, Wisconsin. The promoter of this idea was Krause Publications, publisher of the book. Pobjoy Mint (private mint in London) produced the coins and the entire production of these coins was distributed by KP as subscription premiums and gifts to employees. Sadly a large number of these were sold at melt value when the price of silver jumped up.
There is plenty of NCLT out there with all sorts of designs. Some don't like it but I don't mind. It gives more options for collectors-including some designs that are more innovative than you would typically see.
I do buy a lot of them with themes I like but generally I'd prefer if it was a regular coin. But you get less interesting designs with circulating coins. Sometimes it's a turn off for me if it's a country like Mongolia and it's in English. It's blatantly aimed at foreign collectors.
I wonder what is the most “ridiculous” example out there? It might make an interesting thread to see some of the bizarre themes on these coins (which I also think can be a turn off but can also be a bit of fun for some people).
There's so much out there that is only a coin in the most technical way. Stuff that isn't shaped like a coin or doesn't look like a coin. Those have no interest to me. I sometimes scroll through the Royal Canadian Mint page. They make some things I really like but you have to scroll past a lot of garbage.
Now I have I don't mind that one; I would buy one if the opportunity came across (although not at the prices they go for-hence I won't own one).
With their unhappy faces they are probably thinking money money everywhere and yet not a penny to spend.
