What is your favourite British Commonwealth coin(s)?

Here's a section that is right up the streets of those who are collectors of British Commonwealth coins such as myself.What is your favourite British Commonwealth (as opposed to English or British) coin? One of my favourite coins is the gold 1/10 Krugerrand from South Africa.Another is the Southern Rhodesian 1953 5/- Crown (affectionately known as the 'Cecil Rhodes Crown').

Aidan.

 

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How about the BVI proof silver dollar coin with that big pelican on it?

 

JBK,The silver 5/- & 50c. silver crowns depicting a pronking springbok from South Africa are very attractive coins,as is the New
Hebrides silver 100 Francs crown.

Aidan.

 

Kookaburras, since Britannias are excluded.

 

I'm sure that silver Maple Leaf $5 coins from Canada are very nice & attractive coins.It is a suitable alternative for those who are unable to afford the gold $50 Maple Leaf coins.

Aidan.

 

Not as nice as Britannias ...

What can you tell us about New Zealand coins ? I think there is a learning opportunity here.

 

Bacchus,I have not been a collector of New Zealand coins in a big way,but I do collect the 19th Century traders' tokens,which are,in a sense,New Zealand's first coins.

One of the most interesting countries that I find difficult to get coins from is the Hutt River Province Principality,which became independent from both Australia & Western Australia on the 21st of April 1970.Yes,the Hutt River Province Principality is a proper country,which,I think should be granted full membership in the British Commonwealth along with the Republic of Somaliland,which has issued coins depicting animals since 1994.
Somaliland has been independent since 1991.

Aidan.

 

I've never heard of Hutt River Province (sorry; pardon my ignorance and provincialism). Is that an island near NZ or Australia ?

Also, what about modern NZ coinage ? What size denominations (e.g., American coins are 0.01, 0.05, 0.10, 0.25, 0.50, 1.00 dollars) and what metals (copper, nickel, silver, gold, etc.) ? What is the unit of currency, similar to the American dollar, and what is the exchange of that currency to a dollar ? What are the different coins called, how often do you change the coin images, do you have commemoratives, do you have bullion coins ?

How popular is coin collecting in NZ ?

 

Bacchus,the Hutt River Province Principality is not located on an island.You can type in 'Hutt River Province Principality' into www.google.com .That way you can find out some information.The
currency of the Hutt River Province Principality is called the Dollar.
H.R.P.P.$1 is equal to A$1.

New Zealand's currency is also called the Dollar.We have got 5c. as the smallest coin.There are also 10c.,20c.,50c.,$1,& $2 coins.
The notes are $5,$10,$20,$50,& $100.There are commemorative coins,which do not circulate,so these are regarded as medal-coins.
New Zealand does not have bullion coins like the Krugerrand,Maple Leaf,or Britannia.

Aidan.

 

No, it is not an island. It is actually a huge farm owned by one guy who did not want to pay his taxes, so he seceded.

I am pretty sure Australia still does not recognize his “independence” as legitimate. He does issue stamps, but HRP stamps are not recognized or accepted by the International Postal Union, thereby requiring that Australian postage also be paid when the letters are posted outside of HRP.

Never seen his coins/notes. I know they do exist, though.

 

Thanks. Sounds like the coinage isn't that much different from ours.

Now that you've explained Hutt River, I don't feel so bad about not hearing about it.

 

There's some links in the 'Coins & Banknotes of the Hutt River Province Principality' section.Yes,the Hutt River Province Principality is a proper country,which,like Somaliland,has not yet been granted full membership of the British Commonwealth.I have always regarded the Hutt River Province Principality as a proper country,even though Prince Leonard accepts the suzerainty of Queen Elizabeth II,albeit,remaining independent.

Aidan.

 

I have no problem if HRP is or becomes a "real" country, but this general issue is one I have already considered for some time. Sealand is another example.

Simply declaring a country a country does not make it so. Take the USA, for example: Amercians consider their independence to be from July 4, 1776, but that was just the date on some ragged peice of parchement that was signed by a bunch of malcontents/freedom fighters. Britain did not recognize independence until they lost the War for Independence (American Revolution ot Americans) some years later.

As for HRP, as far as I know, they have no recognition from any internatonal body such as the UN, Universal Postal Union, etc, etc. etc. I am pretty sure no other country recognizes them. They do issue coins, but if that is the only criteria, then I will make my apartment an independent state.

 

The best British commonwealth coin I've got is a Franklin Mint Belize 25¢ piece of which there are less than a thousand in existance.

As to phoney countries, I've always wanted a Key West dollar, postdated from the week when Vice President Bush kicked the Florida Keys out of the Union in order to fight drugs. It was a major embarrasment.

 

One of the most interesting British Commonwealth coins that I have is the 1966 commemorative 10/- from Ireland,which was issued to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Easter Rising,
which began Sinn Fein/I.R.A.'s campaign of Britanniphobic terrorism,genocide, & ethnic cleansing that still continues today with the tacit support of such countries as Libya & the Vatican City.

Aidan.

 

But how do you really feel about it?

I think that IRA murder recently crossed the line for so many people (in Ireland and in the US) who had romanticized the cause. The fact is, they have been nothing but thugs for a long time.

I have a few counterstamped coins (some UK, some Irish) from various sides of the "Troubles". Interesting collectables, but hardly worth the bloodshed they represent.

 

The hucksters used to market these back in the 70s and early 80s, but I wish I had snapped some up. What happened was, the F; used to be a premium place to have proof sets made. It was profit for the FM and for the issuing country. Most of these countries would normally not even have had proof sets, but the FM offered to come in and make and market the sets. Some of the coins were even designed by Gilroy Roberts, a former US Mint engraver.

To help keep things legit, the FM would them strike some business strikes with the FM dies and send the coins off to the country involved. Somehow most ended back in the US to be sold to collectors. Then, normal business strikes would have been made by whatever mint the country used for such things.

 

In what year was your Belizean 25c. coin struck at the Franklin Mint?

I have got an example of the 1997 Zimbabwean $2 coin,which has
a pangolin,which is a type of anteater on it.This was one of the last coins to be issued by Zimbabwe prior to the Zimbabwean dollar's value going down the pan.

Aidan.

 

British Virgin Islands proof coins from around the 1970's, Just purchased my first proof set of 1973's, i've got to say, stunning.....

 

Pennycase,I have got the British Virgin Islands 1974 1c. & 5c. coins.They do not have their own notes though,as they also use American currency.The closest thing to a banknote that the British Virgin Islands issues is a British Postal Order issued at the G.P.O.,Road Town,Tortola.I have got a 1 Pound one issued back in 2002.

Aidan.