Comments on "One-off sets from countries with circulation coins"

[<k>]

I'm interested here to make a list of respectable coin-issuing countries that have issued one-off sets. I am not interested in those territories such as Gough Island, where nobody lives, or Pitcairn, which is inhabited but uses the New Zealand dollar and not the sets of Pitcairn collector coins that have been issued in recent years and masquerade as circulation sets. I am interested only in countries and territories that also have, or have had, their own circulation coins.

I will divide these countries/territories into two groups:

1] Those countries with circulation coins that have issued sets of "circulation-like" coins over a period of years, not just one year, that are completely different in design from their actual circulation sets. Two countries I can name straightaway in this regard are Belize and Guyana. Can anyone name any more? Old hands will remember the collector sets that the Franklin Mint produced on their behalf in the 1970s and 1980s. The Franklin Mint did in fact design the actual circulation coins of Papua New Guinea and Trinidad and Tobago.

In the case of T&T, the FM also produced a special set in 1982 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of independence. This sets contained 1, 5 and 10 cent pieces with different designs from the standard circulation coins, and some editions of this set came in silver. A similar set, without the 10th anniversary legend, was produced in 1983 and 1984. I do not believe that ANY of the coins mentioned in this category 1] ever circulated, as the sets were simply money-spinners, aimed at collectors.

I know that in the same period the FM produced proof sets for Panama, of what looked like circulation coins. I have always wondered whether they were proof versions of their actual circulation coins, as Panama is a hazy subject for me.

2] Those countries that produced a one-off set of "circulation-like" coins, in one year only. Examples of this are the silver Waitangi commemoration set that New Zealand produced in 1990. The sets came both in silver and standard metals, and their reverse designs were entirely different from the standard circulation designs. Again, I do not believe that any of these coins circulated.

Another set that comes to mind is the Canadian Confederation Centennial set of 1967. This is a set I own, but I do not know whether any of these pieces circulated.

Another set I own is the Hong Kong set of 1997, that was produced with special designs to commemorate the handover of Hong Kong to China, after being a British colony for so long. Again, I do not know whether any of those pieces actually circulated. I recall that Macau also produced one or maybe two one-off year sets in the late 1990s, but I have no data on this, nor do I know whether Macau still uses a separate currency from the People's Republic of China. Can anybody think of any more such sets from any other countries or territories?


A grey area is Gibraltar, which produced a new set of actual circulation designs in 2004, to commemorate the 300th anniversary of being British. The following year, it reused these designs but switched them to different denominations, a gimmick I have never seen done before.

Then there are situations where some but not all of the denominations are given a different or commemorative one-off design. An example of this is the 3 Bicentennial coins issued by the US in 1976. Do our American members know if any of these circulated?

[kena]

Yes, the coins for American Bicentennial circulated.  The quarter, half dollar, and dollar coins were minted in 1975 and 1976.  Coins were dual dated - 1776-1976.

Circulation strikes were made by both the Philadelphia and Denver mints and Proof issues from the San Francisco mint.  Mint sets and Proof sets had the Bicentennial coins for two years as well.

3 piece 40% silver Proof and Mint were also made by the San Francisco mint.

Circulation mintages were:
Quarter P 809,784,016
Quarter D 860,118,839
Half Dollar P 234,308,000
Half Dollar D 287,565,248
Dollar P 117,337,000
Dollar D 103,228,274

Ken

[<k>]

Thanks, Ken. Nice to know that they circulated. I particularly like the military drummer design.

[kena]

The Ike Dollar reverse was my favorite of the Bicentennial coins.

The Moon and Liberty Bell.

Ken

[<k>]

When I first saw the bell, I thought it was supposed to be a telephone.

[kena]

US Mint has also done other series.

In 2009 since the Lincoln Cent was 100 years old, they did 4 different reverses.

Birthplace
Formative Years
Professional Life
Presidency

Collectors like this but not all like the new reverse for the Lincoln cent which started in 2010.

In 2004/2005 the Jefferson Nickel had 4 different reverses for the Westward Journey nickel series:

Indian Peace Medal
Keelboat
Bison
Ocean View

New front of Jefferson from 2006 with standard reverse.

This program was also ok with most collectors.

Since 1999, the Washington Quarter has switched it reverse several times a year - going thru all of the states and then District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Northern Mariana Islands.  National Park series started in 2010.

Starting in 2007, the President dollar coin program started with different dead presidents on the coins in order of their term in office.  Grover Cleveland will be on coins twice since he was president twice but Benjamin Harrison was president in between.

Native American dollars have a different reverse starting in 2009.

Problem with these other new programs for some collectors is the increased number of coins to collect for the series.

I am doing ok on getting the circulation issues despite living in the UK.

Ken

[Bimat]

How about the three different sets Cape Verde issued in 1994?

Aditya

[Bimat]

Reading the first post again, I realize that the Cape Verde sets do not fit in the theme.

Aditya

[<k>]

Reading the first post again, I realize that the Cape Verde sets do not fit in the theme.

Aditya

No, because they were all issued for circulation. I'm glad you reminded me of them, though, as they are a phenomenon, and possibly unique, in that there are three different sets of circulation designs for a single year.

[Bimat]

No, because they were all issued for circulation. I'm glad you reminded me of them, though, as they are a phenomenon, and possibly unique, in that there are three different sets of circulation designs for a single year.

So you mean they weren't commemorative issues but one year type sets?

I always thought that they are commemorative coins.

Aditya

[<k>]

I may be wrong, Aditya, but it is my understanding that they circulated. I'll have to see if I can investigate this now.

[Bimat]

I may be wrong, Aditya, but it is my understanding that they circulated. I'll have to see if I can investigate this now.

They indeed circulated. My question is: Are these coins considered commemorative coins or just one year type definitive coins?

Aditya

[<k>]

That's a difficult question to answer, Aditya. I've just had a look at Numismaster. These coins are all dated 1994. There are no later types. There are only 3 or 4 later coins from Cape Verde that are in standard circulation metals and denominations, and all of these are commemoratives. So, unless and until Cape Verde issue more of the 3 mentioned sets with new dates, we won't really know. However, I suspect they won't - but I can't be sure. 

[SandyGuyUK]

Following on from the Cape Verde example, would it be fair to say that a similar situation existed in the UK back in 1998 when there were three different design 50p's issued that year and all of these circulated - e.g. the circulation (Britannia) version, the NHS 50th anniversary coin and the EU 25th anniversary...

Ian

[andyg]

FM produced sets for the Cook Islands, they used the normal designs - except for the 20 cent - Why?

Jamaica - a set of standard designs by the FM Mint but with a different style of coat of atms.
Also a set for the 21st anniversary of independence in 1983 (NCLT)

Barbados has a set (also by the FM) for the 10th anniversary of independence in 1976, only the 1 cent circulated - the rest sets only...

The Panama FM sets were indeed NCLT.

Canada 1967 sets did circulate, as did Hong Kong 1997.