This is Part 4 of Trivia: Millennium Coins. In the past we covered N. America/Canada N. America/U.S.A. N. America/Mexico Now, lets check out the Millennium (2000) coinage of Central America. We will do this in alphabetical order beginning with Belize. Remember this small country used to be British Honduras. BELIZE: The photos of Belize' coins whose links are in this trivia article will not be dated 2000, but since 1992 the designs have been the same. If there is no photo and the coin struck in 2000 is different, I'll include a description of the coin's design. One Cent: Most of the Belize coins minted in 2000 were also minted in 1992 and/or 1993 so the photos of the coins will not be dated 2000, but will bbe of the same composition, metallic content and designs. http://worldcoingallery.com/countries/coin.php?image=img14/19-114&desc=Belize%20km114%201%20Cent%20(1992%2B) Aluminum 5 Cent: http://worldcoingallery.com/countri...4a&desc=Belize km34a 5 Cents (1992+) aluminum Copper-nickel 10 Cents, 25 Cents and 50 Cents: These three coins are progressively larger than the 5 Cent coin, but, have identically designed obverses and reverses except for the denominations. 10-Sided Nickel-Brass Dollar: The 2000 coin has QE II on the obverse just like the others, but the reverse carries an artist's rendering of Columbus's ships and is the same design as this 1990 coin: http://worldcoingallery.com/countri...11/19-99&desc=Belize km99 1 Dollar (1990-1992) Belize authorized this same coin dated 2000 be struck in proof: Now lets look at Costa Rico's coins: COSTA RICA: No minor coins, such as centimos or centavos in any denomination were struck in Costa Rica in 2000. In fact, no 1 Colon, 2 Colones, 5 Colones, 10 Colones, 20 Colones, 25 Colones or 50 Colones were struck for circulation during the 2nd Millennium year. However Costa Rica authorized the minting of 100 Colon coins in proof for sale to collectors: It's of the same composition and design as the 1999 brass example in this photo, except the letters were reduced to a smaller size: http://worldcoingallery.com/countri...30a&desc=Costa Rica km230a 100 Colones (1997+) They, also, issued this silver proof 2000 dated 500 Colones coin as a commemorative to "50 years - Central Bank": http://worldcoingallery.com/countri...a Rica km236 500 Colones (2000) Bank building EL SALVADOR: Remember Y2K? Those letters referred to the Millennium Bug and the problems that was bound to happen when the clock would tick forward from Midnight 1999 to 12:01 a.m. 2000. Well, the expected chaos didn't happen, as we well know now, but the anticipation of a chaotic event produced some unique (one year only) coins. El Salvador was one of the countries who produced a Y2K coin (75,000 5 Colones coins dated 2000 were minted. Just what do the letters "Y2K" mean? The abbreviation combines the letter Y for "year", and k for the Greek prefix kilo meaning 1000; hence, 2K signifies 2000. I couldn't find a photo of this coin, but the coin is bi-metallic having a bronze-plated steel center within a nickel-plated steel ring. The coin has a diameter of 25.9mm. The obverse has a Y2K Motif and the denomination is on the reverse. GUATEMALA: Guatemala's coins produced in 2000 begins with the Copper-nickel 5 Centavos: This coin design lasted only three years ('97, '98, 2000): http://worldcoingallery.com/countri...76_6&desc=Guatemala km276.6 5 Centavos (1997+) Copper-nickel 10 Centavos This coin design was minted five different years ('95, '96, '97, '98 and 2000): http://worldcoingallery.com/countri...8-10c98&desc=Guatemala new 10 Centavos (1998+) No other business strike Guatemalan coins were made in 2000. However a Quetzal coin was struck ln brass: http://worldcoingallery.com/countries/coin.php?image=img2/78-1q00&desc=Guatemala new 1 Quetzal (2000) And in a large Crown Size (40 mm) proof .9250 silver (.803 oz. ASW) for collectors. This coin's obverse has the current coat-of-arms centered among an outter ring of coats-of-arms (I'll leave it up to you to decide if the outter ring of coats-of-arms are those of other countries or past out-of-date ones. The reverse bears a zoommed-in versian of a horse pulling a walk-behind plow. It has a a reeded edge. HONDURAS: The only coin minted in 2000 by Honduras is a 1 oz. silver proof Lempira. I didn't locate a photo of the 2000 coin but this 1932 Lempira's obverse carries the same design (Coat-of-arms): http://worldcoingallery.com/countri...83-75&desc=Honduras km75 1 Lempira (1931-1937) The 2000 proof Lempira's reverse doesn't have "The Chief of the Lempira" image on it. The reverse of the 2000 bears an artist's rendering of the Central Bank Building. NICARAGUA: No decimal coins were authorized in 2000, but beginning with the Cordoba the following coins were struck: Nickel clad steel Cordoba: 35,000,000 2002 Cordobas were struck for circulation in a composition of Nickel clad steel. The coin pictured is a 1997 Cordoba. (this is a 2-year type coin 1997 and 2000): http://worldcoingallery.com/countries/coin.php?image=img3/132-89&desc=Nicaragua km89 1 Cordoba (1997) Nickel clad steel 5 Cordobas: 25,000,000 were made. This coin, too, is a two-year type of 1997 and 2000. http://worldcoingallery.com/countri...3/132-90&desc=Nicaragua km90 5 Cordobas (1997) Silver (0.803 ASW) 50 Cordobas were struck: 1000 of these were struck in Proof only as a 40th Anniversary commemorative of Nicaragua's Central Bank. Just like the other two coins, this coin bears Nicaragua's Narional Arms on the obverse, but the reverse has a portrait of Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba on it. Three coins were all that were produced in 2000 PANAMA: Panama did not produce or authorize the minting of 2000 dated coins. Hope you enjoyed this trivia, Next week's Trivia covers 2000 (2nd Millennium) coins minted and/or produced by S. America nations... Clinker
