`Political' Coins

Well, if I can not get online with pics soon I might ship some samples off to you if you promise to get them on line. I have a few that are duplicates.

Funny you mention the French....they take a beating in one of the more extreme examples (might be too extreme for the forum censors).

 

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I'd be delighted, in more ways than one.

Lol! Why am I not particularly surprised by this?

Ian

 

I had stayed out of this post but today I couldn't resist asking, are not all coins political and carry a message that the ruling body, democratic or dictatorship, want to convey. Nationalism just being one aspect.

 

Yes, and no. Euro coins, for example, often exhibit an astounding lack of nationalism (German coins, fr example, have no wording about the country of origin).

I think the real political coins mentioned here are altered coins. That way the original political or national inetent is modified or obliterated. Or maybe the original coin is just a vehicle for some unrelated statement.

 

Sorry if I am taking this thread off of it's main theme of altered coins. I have stayed off of it for that reason all this time. However, since I already interjected, I will continue my line of thought and then leave it be.

I always felt that the Euro coin is political in that it is a step of having Europe being a united entity and not a collection of nation states. I would think the projected nationalism is not in being French or German but of being European, therefore the name Euro. I would think that the future for Europe would be like a United States with those individual countries functioning more as states do in the USA then individual countries. The euro coins will reflected that more and more as time goes on. One Europe, all Europeans.

Of course political/demographic changes could change all of that.

 

You are 100% correct as far as what the Eurocrats in Brussels had planned, but I am still skeptical it will be that easy. The divisions here in Europe run much deeper than geographical boundaries. Language (many of them), culture, etc. are vastly different.

Then again, I was wrong at how easily some of the gave up their cherished national currencies, so maybe it will work. I think it depends on how big the thing gets and how many countries have what sort of power. For example, right now Germany and France seem to guard their power in the EU quite closely, but when Poland and other big nations get established, they may see their influence reduced.

Should be interesting, especially when the UK has its say on the EU Constitution and the euro.

By the way, your point about the intended lack of nationalism on the euro coins is interesting to consider. Some countries still use very nationalistic symbols (Greece), and others place their flag on their side (Austria). Still others are less specific. Germany does have the Brandenburg Gate on some, but the others have an eagle or some oak leaves.