Coins on Coins

[chrisild]

After jellyfish and insects on coins, why not do something wild and crazy, such as ... coins on coins? In 2005 Italy participated in the euro/star program with an interesting visualization of the "peace" theme: One side shows a Roman sestertius coin from 69 AD featuring a goddess of peace with an olive twig and a horn of plenty.


(Image: monete2000.it)

Now Spain has started a new series called Joyas Numismáticas. The first piece dedicated to these "numismatic jewels" is a tiny €20 gold coin with the depiction of a Roman aureus:


(Image: FNMT-RCM. Here http://www.fnmt.es/content/imagenes/mmcc/08/joyas/comp_oro_alta.jpg is a high resolution image.)

Seems that the plans to also issue a €10 silver coin had to be postponed because the design needs to be adjusted or improved. So expect that to come next year ...

Christian

[chrisild]

While the pieces mentioned in the first are collector coins and cannot be had at face value, here is one that we (may) have in our pockets or wallets every day ...



... the Greek €1 coin which depicts an Athenian tetradrachmon.

Christian

[chrisild]

Are there only ancient coins on coins? Of course not. When it comes to celebrating 200 years of the tax collecting authority (Belastingdienst), why not put a coin from 1806 on one side and a modern coin on the other side ...



Christian

[Figleaf]

Not a coin but a medal, but loaded with coins and even another medal.

My measuring instruments are powerless against this big copper brute. Diameter is about 8 cm, it's 1/2 cm thick and weighs about 200 grams.

The obverse shows a minter, a walled city, some coins from the late middle ages and the dates 1328 and 1988. The Slovak text explains: 660 years Kremnitz Mint. A very solid, but not very creative design with some interesting elements.

The reverse drifts into communist propaganda. The screw press is not very relevant but the large exergue with recognizable current (at the time) Czech coins is plain fun. The text says "State Mint, bearer of the labor medal and the medal for the victorious February" (with thanks to the translator formerly known as translateltd). The two medals are symbolized by the star to the right of the second and third line of text. The circle to its left holds the logo of the Mint, a monogram MK (Mincovniciva Kremnici - Kremnitz Mint) between two dies.

Peter

[chrisild]

With so many coins depicted on one medal, you really need to have a huge piece. Celebrating 660 years is a little strange though, so making this a medal and not a coin is fine ...

A piece from Germany - 50 Years Deutsche Mark, with 1, 2 and 5 DM coins:



Austria - 800 Years Vienna Mint, showing the 13c silver Vienna Pfennig:



And one from the GDR - 700 Years of Minting in Berlin:



This one shows an "Ewiger Pfennig" coin from the early years of the mint. Such coins (denarius perpetuus, eternal penny) were, at least in theory, safe from being recoined ...

Christian

[Figleaf]

Argentina, KM 61, 25 pesos 1964-1968 with the country's first coin after independence, KM 5, 8 reales 1813.

Peter

[translateltd]

Three offerings from New Zealand (no pics as yet, but the first two will be in SCWC anyway):

$1 1983 50th anniversary of coinage
$1 1992 25th anniversary of decimal coinage
Royal Numismatic Society of NZ "Decimalisation" medal 1967, 63mm bronze & silver versions - designed by James Berry, who designed the circulating decimal coins of 1967 so was able to re-use his own designs on the medal.  He was also a member of the executive of the RNSNZ, which helped :-)

BTW, Peter: I don't recall translating any Czech, which isn't one of my languages ... or did I ask around on your behalf?  Memory for things I may have said or done is like a sieve these days.

[Figleaf]

It was some time ago and more about the medals, but yes, you did. I know the symptoms. My computer has far more memory than me and mine's getting worse every year.

Peter

[Figleaf]

I thought I was pretty good on Japanese (and French) history, but I can't make a connection between the kan'ei tsuho coin and France - can anyone enlighten me, please?

On 9th October 1858 in Edo, France and Japan concluded a treaty of "paix, commerce et amitié" (peace, trade and friendship, note the order) that allowed France a diplomatic representation in Japan. The relation was at first on a consular level. One of my friends was married to a descendant of the first consul. When he died, his wife gave me three Japanese prints her ancestor had brought from Japan (he'd bought himself silly there, from furniture to silverware to prints).

Peter

[chrisild]

On 9th October 1858 in Edo, France and Japan concluded a treaty of "paix, commerce et amitié" (peace, trade and friendship, note the order)

Interesting - the Monnaie de Paris refers to the treaty as "Traité de paix, d'amitié et de commerce".   Then again, economic interdependence is said to promote peace too ...

And yes, Miguel, that is a combination of the Eiffel Tower and a kimono; it's the official logo of the jubilee year. From what I have read, they had more than 700 suggestions from France and Japan for the logo, and this is the winning design. The logo is colored: The tower is blue (so is the background), the kimono is white, the circle or dot is red, like on the Japanese flag.

Christian

[translateltd]

On 9th October 1858 in Edo, France and Japan concluded a treaty of "paix, commerce et amitié" (peace, trade and friendship, note the order) that allowed France a diplomatic representation in Japan. The relation was at first on a consular level.

So if I understand correctly, the only connection that the kan'ei tsuho coin has is that it was current in Japan at the time of the treaty.  Wonder if Japan will produce a commemorative showing a 10c coin of Napoleon III in response? 

[chrisild]

The MdP made three different designs for the France-Japan year. But the two others do not depict coins; one shows a famous portrait of an actor (Ichikawa Ebizo IV), the other one features Delacroix's "La Liberté guidant le peuple".

In 2000 the French mint did a whole series of commems dedicated to the history of French money. Nine different types, Celtic, Carolingian, Marianne, etc.  That is a series that I do not have, and so far I have not found pics online ...

Christian

[Figleaf]

It is discussed elsewhere, but it belongs in this thread as well. The first picture is the coin-on-a-coin, the second the original, which is slightly more expensive




Peter

[<k>]

Does this count? The ram design from the Australian shilling was deliberately copied onto the 1991 50 cent coin. The ram was an actual prize-winning individual, with his own name, which eludes me unfortunately.

[chrisild]

Strictly speaking it does not count, as what is depicted on the coin is not a coin. But as this is a commem which explicitly refers to the introduction of the new currency, it is OK here.

We could also add several Polish commems here:
2 zl 2004: 1 and 2 zl 1924/25
2 zl 2005: Sailing Vessel - 2 and 5 zloty 1936
2 zl 2006: 10 zloty 1932
2 zl 2007: 5 zloty 1928 (Nike)

The first three are depicted in the attached image. In 2009 Poland issued a "180 Years of Central Banking in Poland" commem; see a large image here: http://www.nbp.pl/banknoty/kolekcjonerskie/2009/180_lat_2r.jpg (By the way, these are the 2 zl coins only; the mint also made silver collector coins, with different designs, on these occasions.)

Christian