Newly introduced denominations

[Ukrainii Pyat]

Outside of the 20p being introduced in the UK and filling a big void betwixt the 10p and the 50p, I cannot think of a newly introduced denomination that succeeded as planned.  Gees, in the USA they have been trying to introduce dollar coins for 40 years now without any modicum of success.

[Figleaf]

Well, there was the 2-1/2 gulden replacing the 3 gulden and the 2-1/2 cent filling the gap between the 1 and 5 cent. That's some time ago, though.

Peter

[andyg]

Israel and Thailand have introduced coins with a '2' denomination recently, in between 1 and 5's of existing series.

[chrisild]

I just split the topic; this is where we are coming from so to say. In Germany there had been (vague) plans in the early 1990s to introduce a 20 Pfennig coin. For two reasons: One, the GDR had such a piece, so at least part of the country was already used to the concept. Two, the Deutsche Mark had the 1-2-5 setup elsewhere, so why not here as well?

Ultimately the idea "died", and shortly afterwards the euro was introduced anyway (with a 20 cent coin). However, we did get a 200 DM note in 1990 that was supposed to fill the gap between the 100 and 500 notes. Was not exactly successful ...

Christian

[FosseWay]

The UK introduced the £2 coin not that long ago. In terms of public acceptance it's been successful, although there seem to be supply issues. For example, most of the time when I need >£2<£5 change from the automatic checkout machines in the supermarket, I get a fistful of £1s. Historically, the UK introduction of the 2 shilling piece was successful in the sense that the public liked and used the coin, even though the decimalisation project it was supposed to herald never got off the ground in its original form.

Sweden will be reintroducing the 2 kronor coin next year, albeit in a much changed format from its previous incarnation. It will be interesting to see its progress, but it will be in the context of revising most of the range of coins rather than adding to an established series.

I never really understood the German dislike of the 20 pfennig denomination. It existed fitfully as a silver coin during the Kaiserreich, but then not at all after WW1 (except, as mentioned, in the DDR). I remember ending up with trouser-dropping quantities of 10pf coins because of its lack.

[andyg]

For example, most of the time when I need >£2<£5 change from the automatic checkout machines in the supermarket, I get a fistful of £1s. Historically, the UK introduction of the 2 shilling piece was successful in the sense that the public liked and used the coin, even though the decimalisation project it was supposed to herald never got off the ground in its original form.

The automatic checkout machines in Asda or M&S never give out 2p or £2 coins...
Have never used enough of the other machines to see if they are all the same.

[Enlil]

A 25 South Sudanese pound replaces the 20 Sudanese pound banknote. A 20 and 200 Carribean guilder replaces the 25 and 250 Nederlands Antilles Guilder respecively.

[villa66]

....I never really understood the German dislike of the 20 pfennig denomination. It existed fitfully as a silver coin during the Kaiserreich, but then not at all after WW1....

Definitely a puzzle for me too, especially since--as I understand it--20 pfennig was the long-time price of a streetcar ride (which, also, as I understand it, was a prime reason for the introduction of the East German 20-pfennig coin).

  v.

[malj1]

Australia introduce the Fifty cents in 1966 filling the gap between 20cents [2/-] and one dollar [10/-] but it was hastily withdrawn when they realised it was composed of too much silver [80%] and after a few years of seeking a solution, reintroduced the denomination in 1969 in cupronickel, but this time dodecagonal instead of round, and this has been a great success. It has constantly been used as a commemorative too.

Yes we did have the Crown [5/-] in 1937 but this was mainly to celebrate the coronation of George VI - the repeat in 1938 was a total flop and most were remelted.

Later a Two Dollar coin was introduced [1988] this too has been very successful. The reverse has an Aboriginal Elder and a Blackboy Plant.

[Blackboys = Xanthorrhoea is an Australian native plant genus. Commonly called grass trees]

[FosseWay]

Definitely a puzzle for me too, especially since--as I understand it--20 pfennig was the long-time price of a streetcar ride (which, also, as I understand it, was a prime reason for the introduction of the East German 20-pfennig coin).

I'd heard that the East German 20 pfennig was made in brass (the only circulating coin not in aluminium) because it was the standard charge for a phone call from a public phone box. The denser metal made the coin more likely to work in the phone box mechanism.

If the tram tickets were also bought using some kind of machine, it makes sense that they used the same machine-friendly denomination.

[villa66]

I'd heard that the East German 20 pfennig was made in brass (the only circulating coin not in aluminium) because it was the standard charge for a phone call from a public phone box. The denser metal made the coin more likely to work in the phone box mechanism.

If the tram tickets were also bought using some kind of machine, it makes sense that they used the same machine-friendly denomination.

Ah...weight for utility in coin slots...a nice insight. Thanks! And I'll add the pay-phone use to my picture of these coins. As for the tram use, I got that from a c.1985 book about a visitor's moment of confusion on a East German streetcar, and how it led to his learning that the state's ability to keep the fare at the longtime 20pf was a point of pride for the DDR authorities.

  v.

[villa66]

...we did have the Crown [5/-] in 1937 but this was mainly to celebrate the coronation of George VI - the repeat in 1938 was a total flop and most were remelted....

If you have a spare moment or two, would you please let me know the current thinking as to why the '38 crown was issued? And are there good estimates of how many were actually recycled?

Not to worry if digging up this info is inconvenient. Just curious.

  v.

[FosseWay]

The automatic checkout machines in Asda or M&S never give out 2p or £2 coins...
Have never used enough of the other machines to see if they are all the same.

I sometimes get £2 out of the ones at Sainsbury's, but it never gives 50p coins (bit of a bummer that, since the 50p series is the part of my collection of currently circulating coinage that I have most holes in!). Yesterday I needed £5.50 in change and it gave me 5 x £1 (one fake  ), 2 x 20p (no dateless ones) and 5 x 2p (one Irish  ). I figure if the machine let a fake £1 in once, it'll do so again, so I'll hopefully be able to get rid of it. The Irish 2p can go in the Oxfam kiloware donation pot.

[Ukrainii Pyat]

The East Germans must have had pretty crude mechanisms in their trams if they had to make a heavier coin to be used in them.  In Kyiv the metro uses plastic tokens.  In Toronto Canada the train system uses little tokens that are aluminium and very easy to lose - which stinks because they are sort of costly for such a small thing.

[malj1]

would you please let me know the current thinking as to why the '38 crown was issued?

I don't really know the answer to that.

Originally it was intended to comemorate the coronation of Edward VIII but he abdicated two days after the bill passed through parliament so it was issued for George VI instead, with over one million produced.
But why they carried on the next year is strange, belatedly the Melbourne Mint, realising the unpopularity of the type as a circulation coin, halted production of the 1938 Crown mintage at just 101,600. Various estimates have put the figure at around 100,000 melted down for their bullion value; they are sterling silver 925 fine.
[I'll try to follow up this]