One-off sets from countries with circulation coins

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In this topic, I will post images of commemorative coin sets, whether circulation or collector-only sets.

I will not post commemorative coin sets that ran for more than one year.

I will not post commemorative collector coin sets of countries that do not issue their own circulation coinage.

I will not post FAO-themed sets. F.A.O. = Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations.

I will not post one-off sets that do not commemorate anything or anybody.

I will not post partial sets, such as the US bicentennial commemoratives of 1976.


Brazil 1932.

The daddy of all such sets was the Brazilian set of 1932.

That design series commemorated the 400th anniversary of the country's colonisation.

See also: Brazil: circulation commemoratives of the 1930s and 1940s.




100  reis.  Cazique Tibirica.
200  reis.  Admiral da Sousa's caravel sailing to Brazil.
400  reis.  Map of South America.
500  reis.  Joao Ramalho, colonist.
1000 reis.  Martim Afonso do Sousa, colonist.
2000 reis.  King John III of Portugal.

Circulating commemorative set.

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Jersey, 1966.   900th Anniversary of the Battle of Hastings.

Coins sizes are not to scale in this topic.

Circulating commemorative set.
This was a full set, because the only circulation coins that Jersey issued in those days (before decimalisation) were the 1⁄12 shilling and the ¼ shilling. Those coins were equivalent to the UK penny and three pence respectively. For the rest, Jersey used UK coinage.

Jersey issued a commemorative circulation 5 shillings coin for that year only, to add to the set.

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Canada, 1967.

Canada celebrated its Confederation Centennial in 1967.  It issued a special circulation set of animal designs for that year only.

See also: Canadian coinage since 1937.




1c.    Dove.
5c.    Snowshoe hare.
10c.  Mackerel.
25c.  Lynx.
50c.  Grey wolf.
$1.    Canada goose.

Designer: Alexander Colville.

Circulating commemorative set.


USSR (Soviet Union), 1967.



50th Anniversary of the October Revolution.

10 kopecks.  "Conquest of the Cosmos"  - a monument in Moscow.
15 kopecks.  Statue: Worker, and peasant woman of a Kolkhoz.
20 kopecks.  Armoured cruiser "The Aurora", which fired the first shot of the revolution.
50 kopecks.  Statue of Lenin.
1  rouble.      Statue of Lenin.

Circulating commemorative set.

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Jamaica, 1969.   100th Anniversary of Jamaican Coinage.
Before decimalisation, Jamaica used its own nickel-brass half penny and penny coins for cultural and historical reasons, but for the other denominations it used UK coinage. This set therefore counts as a full set in Jamaican terms.

Later that same year (1969), Jamaica issued its own first decimal coins.

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Trinidad and Tobago, 1972.   10th Anniversary of Independence.

This set of 1 cent to 50 cents circulated. The $1, $5 and $10 coins in the mint sets did not circulate and were collector coins only.

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Barbados, 1976.  10th Anniversary of Independence.

This was a collector-only set, apart from the 1 cent coin, which also circulated.

The years 1966 and 1976 were presumably self-explanatory for Barbadians.

Otherwise there was no change to the coin designs - only to the obverse legend.




Seychelles, 1976.   Independence.

Also in 1976, the Seychelles commemorated its actual independence - not its anniversary.

Circulating commemorative set.

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Iraq, 1982.   Restoration of Babylon.. 

See: Iraq: Restoration of Babylon series, 1982.

The coins of this set were also minted for circulation.




Malta, 1982.  Tenth anniversary of decimalisation. 

A legend replaced the decorative wreaths.

This was a collector set only.




Trinidad and Tobago, 1982.   20th Anniversary of Independence. 

This was a collector set only.

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Jamaica, 1983.   21st Anniversary of Independence.
A collector set only.

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New Zealand, 1990.  150th anniversary of the Treaty of Waitangi.

This collector-only set was issued in both silver and copper-nickel versions.

You see here the silver version of the set.

The reverse designs were the work of Horst Hahne.


See: New Zealand: 150th anniversary of the Treaty of Waitangi collector set.




Oman, 1990.  20th National Day.

Collector set only.




Canada, 1992.  125th anniversary of the Confederation.

The standard circulation coins showed the years '1867-1962' on the reverse of each denomination.

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Hong Kong, 1997.   Return to China.

10c.  Chinese junk.
20c.  Butterfly kites.
50c.  Symbolic ox (year of the ox).
$1.    Chinese unicorn.                                 
$2.    He He brothers, symbol of harmony.
$5.    Good luck signs.
$10.  A bridge, symbol of transition.   

Common obverse: Bauhinia flower.

Designer: Lady Elizabeth Haddon-Cave.

Circulating commemorative set.

Hong Kong was returned to Chinese sovereignty by Britain in 1997. In that same year, a special set of coins was released by the Royal Mint to commemorate Hong Kong's return to China. The set was designed by Lady Elizabeth Haddon-Cave. The new obverse showed a bauhinia flower, replacing the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II.

See also: Hong Kong: Elizabeth II and the Return to China.

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Canada, 2002.   The Queen's Golden Jubilee.

In 2002 the Canadian circulation coins added the year 1952 to their obverse.

This was done to commemorate the Queen's Golden Jubilee - the 50th anniversary of her accession to the throne.

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Gibraltar, 2004.   300th anniversary of British administration.

1p.    Barbary Macaque.
2p.    The Keys of Gibraltar.
5p.    The Gibraltar Constitution Order, 1969.
10p.  Operation Torch, 1942.
20p.  The discovery of the Neanderthal Scull in Gibraltar, 1848.
50p.  The Battle of Trafalgar, 1805.
£1.    The Great Siege, 1770-83. The Koehler Siege Gun, invented by Lieut Koehler.
£2.    The capture of Gibraltar, 1704.

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Oman, 2015.   45th National Day.

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Australia, 2016.    50th anniversary of decimal currency.

All six denominations were issued in a collectors set.

However, the lowest four denominations were available in uncirculated bags.

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Canada, 2017.    150th Anniversary of Canadian Confederation.

Canada issued a new design series to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of Canadian Confederation.

Each design was produced by a different designer, with the result that the set lacks stylistic coherence.




A 50 cents coin was also produced, but for collector sets only.

However, it is said that the Canadians rarely use 50 cents coins anyway.

See also: Canadian coinage since 1937.