Starting the "disputed territories" set

As an addendum to my set of former Soviet Union nations (more on that at a later point), I've decided to include some related disputed territories. Some are more difficult (and more expensive) to find than others so this set may take some time. The first two coins arrived recently and have been placed into lighthouse slabs with my own labels.

First up is Transnistria. It is located between the river Dniester and the Ukrainian border. While it is recognized as part of Moldova, there are more ethnic Russians and Ukrainians (combined). That has led to tensions and military conflicts. They have their own currency (known as the ruble), so the coin below is semi-official (it's more of a non-circulating commemorative).

Coin: European wildcat (Forest Cat)
Country: Transnistria
Face value: 1 Ruble
Year: 2020
Composition: steel with nickel-plated
Diameter (mm): 22
Mintage: 50,000





And then there is Nagorno-Karabakh. It is located in the South Caucasus, within the mountainous range of Karabakh. While fully within Azerbaijan (it is close to the border), the area has a large majority of ethnic Armenians. It is governed by the unrecognized Republic of Artsakh (formerly named Nagorno-Karabakh Republic). There have been several bloody conflicts regarding this zone since the breakup of the Soviet Union. The Artsakh dram is legal tender, but it is not as widely used as the Armenian dram.

Coin: Cheetah
Country: Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh)
Face value: 1 Dram
Year: 2004
Composition: Aluminum
Diameter (mm): 21.7
Mintage: unknown

 

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@Beefer518 I believe you were asking about Transnistria, so here you go.

@MeowtheKitty I'm sure you will appreciate the other theme of this set so far.

 

I like 'em! They're quite attractive, and more interesting then a lot of the Eastern European stuff out there.

 

You betcha! Cats are the best, and Cats on coins are even better!

 

What kind of holders are those? Did you make the labels for them, or do they already make them that way?

 

I like would fit with my urdmurtia 2 roubles (fantasy coin)
And I might just have to grab some of those lighthouse slabs. they take more space but hard to label airtites....

 

They are Lighthouse Quickslabs. These come in multiple different sizes. The two coins above fit in the nickel sized (21mm) version.
As for the labels, I made them (Columbian Expo and Chicago skyline theme that I have been using for all of my self-slabbing endeavors).

 

Don't forget the Composite Plastic series of 2014.

 

Nice set up. Meow has just been using Whitman snap locks. Your slabs really add to the coin. And shucks, Meow just bought more snaplocks yesterday. After seeing yours, Meow may want to try those out.

 

Those are on the list of coins I want but aren’t a priority at the moment. I potentially want to get them all in NGC holders but at a reasonable price level.

 

Thanks!
I like the look of these and have used them for a few different series. Sometimes the snaplocks are a better option as they take less space and are less expensive (these cost between $1.75 and $2.50 per slab, depending on the size and sellers-if they have combined shipping and you buy multiple boxes, that helps bring down the cost a bit too).

 

Very cool! I have a couple of postage stamps from Nagorno-Karabakh, that were actually postally-used to send me some antique postcards from an Ebay seller some years ago:

 

Meow will keep them in mind. Meow may want to get some to document some of the more interesting CRH finds. Like the three strike throughs Meow recently found, or some interesting die chips. Meow also has a pawful of double ear shields of the last few years. Do you print the labels on a home printer?

 

That would definitely be a cool way to document your better CRH finds!

And I did print the labels on a home printer. The labels are Avery Easy Peel (had them for years and finally found a use ). I picked black and white designs as I don't have color ink. They aren't as colorful as the grading companies but I like the look.

 

It is a fantastic coin. Udmurtia is the one of the regions of Russian Federation.

 

Another new addition arrived recently. This is a fantasy piece for a nation that does not exist-Kurdistan. The Kurdish people are mainly located in four countries (Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Syria). There have been a few times that an independent homeland was in the plans, but it has not come to fruition (often due to Turkish pressure). This fantasy coin features a Persian Fallow Deer on the obverse and mountains on the reverse. The four peaks are said to represent the four countries with large Kurdish populations. The coin was the work of dealer Joseph E. Lang with input from several Kurdish groups. Some of these groups even took coins to Iraqi Kurdistan for possible circulation.

Country: Kurdistan
Face value: 10 Dinars
Year: 1424 (2003)
Composition: Copper-nickel
Diameter (mm): 38.6 mm
Mintage: 4,700 (some sources say 10,000 were authorized)



More info:
http://www.chiefacoins.com/Database/Micro-Nations/Kurdistan.htm

 

Continuing the set, another fantasy piece arrived today. South Ossetia is within Georgia and shares a border with Russia. It is only recognized by a handful of countries: Russia, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Nauru, and Syria. The population consists mostly of Ossetians (an Iranian ethnic group-one of the few in Europe). As the Soviet Union was breaking up, the nationalistic spirits among Georgians and Ossetians clashed, and that led to war in 1991. Tensions finally subsided in 1992 as a coup d'état brought new leadership to Georgia (including a former Soviet minister). This lasted until Georgian leadership changed again in 2004 and they attempted to reunite the country. In 2008, Russian involvement in the area along with provocations from both Ossetians and Georgians, led to the Russo-Georgian War. This resulted in Ossetian and Russian forces gaining full de facto control of the territory.

Country: South Ossetia
Face value: 2 Rubles
Year: 2013
Composition: Bimetallic: brass center in copper plated steel ring
Diameter (mm): 28 mm
Mintage: Unknown

 

@MeowtheKitty another of your relatives in the post above...I'm trying to see if I can do most of this set with felines.

 

the centering of the bimetal is really odd.

 

Do you mean that the cat isn't fully inside the inner ring? Otherwise the ring does appear to be in the exact center.