Esperanto (Universal League): 1959 copper-nickel 10-steloj fantasy, struck in 1960 at Utrecht

Esperanto (Universal League): 1959 copper-nickel 10-steloj fantasy, struck in 1960 at Utrecht

PCGS MS66. Cert. #37681947. Tied as the top-population example as of 2026.

Numista-23988. Krause-Mishler-X-5.

Diameter: 28 mm. Weight: 8.6 g. Mintage: 10,000. Dated 1959 but struck in 1960 at the Royal Dutch Mint in Utrecht.

Quoting the Wikipedia article about these coins:

"The stelo ("star"; plural: steloj) was from 1945 to 1993 a monetary unit of Esperantists, one of whose aims was to achieve a single world currency. Attempts at an earlier currency, the speso, were cut short by the First World War. For a time the Universal League (Esperanto: Universala Ligo), part of the Esperanto movement, issued coupons and coins denominated in steloj, making attempts to link the Stelo to existing currencies on the basis of relative purchasing power in different countries."

So essentially these coins were a proposed universal world currency. I knew an Esperanto speaker in my youth, and found that movement and its goals of world unity interesting.

When I inexpensively acquired a couple of these 10-steloj fantasy coins, I submitted them to PCGS. One graded MS65 and the other MS66 (this coin). This was the sole top-population example at PCGS until at least December 2025, but I note in August 2026 that six others have since graded 66 and are thus in a 7-way tie for the top spot. These coins are listed in the Krause Unusual World Coins volume.

Ex-Mark Metzger.



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