Starting the "disputed territories" set

The reverse, I would expect the center part to be a bit more centered around that reverse circle part

 

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Very cool!

 

I'm guessing they wanted the text at the bottom, so the design was shifted up (the main part of the emblem-the one inside the inner ring-is still in the center).

 

Transdnestria or Pridnestr is an unusual place. I've actually been there, rather surreptitiously about 11-12 years ago. During the Soviet era when the republics were all part of the USSR and not independent countries roads sort of wandered back and forth over what would later become national boundaries. So it is possible that while travelling in one country you may have to briefly traipse through what is now another country. While travelling around there we had to make a brief journey through Pridnestr to get to where we were going. Going through there had to stick to speaking Russian and no English since I didn't have a visa to be there.

 

Cool and interesting set!

 

Rounding out the Moldovan entities (the other being Transnistria), here is a fantasy piece from Gagauzia. The Gagauz people are a Turkic group who are mainly Eastern Orthodox Christians. When the Soviet Union fell, they were concerned with Moldova moving towards a Romanian culture and language, and thus declared independence. The Parliament of Moldova granted some concessions in 1994 and allowed Gagauzia to become an autonomous territory. This kept relations relatively calm until another contentious moment came when Moldova began contemplating joining the European Union in 2014. The Gagauz saw this as Moldova surrendering its own independence which in turn gave them the right to declare their own. In a referendum a vast majority voted to move apart from Moldova and integrate with a Russian led coalition.

Country: Gagauzia
Face value: 10 Para
Year: 2018
Composition: Aluminum
Diameter (mm): 24 mm
Mintage: Unknown

 

nice squirrel coin OP! You collect way out there compared to what most collect!

 

That's the way I like to collect!

 

Interesting they use the term "essai" which is French if I'm not mistaken. Unless it's simply become a generic term for any test or pattern piece anywhere in the world.

 

It does originate from French but I believe it has become somewhat of a generic term for pattern/test pieces.

 

A new addition!

Coin: Grapes
Country: Viinamarisaar
Face value: 7 Krooni
Year: 2007
Composition: Purple anodized niobium
Diameter (mm): 17
Mintage: 100

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/viinamarisaar.406660/

http://chiefacoins.com/Database/Micro-Nations/Viinamarisaar.htm

 

That's cool. "Grape Island" sounds like something from H.R. Pufinstuff. I had to look it up.

Viinamarisaar is a small island of 3396 acres in the Baltic Sea. Viinamarisaar, except for a short time during World War II, has been inhabited since the 1300s. The original settlers were Swedes who lived an isolated pastoral life on the island. Many Baltic Sea Islands operated as tight knit self-sufficient communities that were completely isolated from the world....

https://en.numista.com/catalogue/exonumia109269.html

 

These are so cool! Fantastic collection