Circulation sets: obverse and reverse design configuration

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State emblem and common obverse of the coinage.




Irish Free State, 1928.

Now we come to those modern sets with a common obverse where each reverse design is different.

For me, the daddy of those sets is the Irish barnyard set of 1928.

The uncluttered look of those designs still seems quite modern.


Can you think of any earlier examples of such sets?

The earlier South African set contained some duplicated or almost duplicated designs.

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Common obverse of the the first Zimbabwean coins.




First coins of Zimbabwe.

Some set have reverse designs where one design seems not to fit very well.

The leaves of the flame lily appear towards the rim of the 1 cent coin.

They are not shown centrally.

Perhaps this was because of the small size of the coin.

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Turkey, 2009.

The Turkish set of 2009 has a common obverse.

The reverse designs are all different, however.


They mainly show traditional motifs.

However, the 50 kurush coin shows a bridge.


It is stuck between the 25 kurush and 1 lira coins.

It stands out as a misfit design among these reverses.

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Comoros, 1964.

Sometimes the reverse designs of a set change according to the metal colour.

Here the Comoros reverses have two different designs.

Each one corresponds to a different metal colour.


They also correspond to the number of digits in the denomination:

1, 2, 5 francs versus 10 and 20 francs.




Mozambique, 2006.

Here the reverse designs are all different.

However, again the metal colour corresponds to the number of denomination digits.





South Africa, 1990s.

Here there is even a correspondence between metal colour, number of digits, and the INNER COIN SHAPE.

See:  Coin tiers: metal colours according to number of denomination digits.

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Tonga, 1975.

1   seniti.  One pig.
2   seniti.  Two water melons.
5   seniti.  Five birds.
10 seniti.   Ten cows grazing.
20 seniti.   Twenty bees leaving the hive.
50 seniti.   Fifty fish.
1   pa'anga. 100 palm trees.  (1 pa'anga = 100 seniti).

Here the designs also play with number.
They link the design to the denomination.
This is an old trick but an enjoyable one.See:  50 fish on 50 cents: Denomination reflected in design.

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Gibraltar, 2004.




Gibraltar, 2005.

Gibraltar issued a commemorative circulation set in 2004.


In 2005 the same reverse designs were reused.

However, this time they were placed on different denominations from the previous year.


That is the first and only time that I have seen such a gimmick.

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Malaysia, reverses, 1989.




French Pacific Territories, 10 francs, 2021.  Obverse.




French Pacific Territories, 2021.  Reverse designs.

Some coins have a common obverse, apart from the denomination.

But then they also have reverse designs that are text-free and wholly pictorial.

The country name, year and denomination must then all be fitted on the obverse.

See: Circulation coins where one side has neither text nor numerals.

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When I think of a typical coin set, I imagine all the obverse designs to be the same and the reverse designs to be all different. However, that is just my own mental picture, probably derived from the coins of my home country, the UK. In reality, the obverse designs of a set can come in a variety of configurations.

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Czech Republic: obverses of the 1990s.

The first coinage of the Czech Republic featured a variety of lions on its obverses.

They were all different, even if sometimes only in minor ways.


Look at the tails and the paws for minor differences.

Why the beast has such a strange tail, I do not know.

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Singapore, 1980s, floral series.

Top row:  1 cent, 5 cents, 10 cents.

Middle row: 20 cents, 50 cents.

Bottom row: $1 (1985 to 1987), $1 (1987 to 2013).


The 10 cents and 50 cents coins have an inner circle of vertical lines.

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Cape Verde, 1994.  Obverse designs.

The Cape Verdean obverse designs also feature variations on a theme.

The legends are all arranged in different ways.

No two layouts have the same arrangement.


It is notable here that the denominations also appear on the obverse.

Normally one expects to see them on the reverse.








Cape Verde, 1994.  Reverse designs.

The obverses were paired with three different sets of reverse designs.

These birds, flowers, and ships.

Only the 1 escudo coin had a single standard reverse design of a green turtle.

I know of no similar occurrence on world coinage.


These coins are dated 1994.

Our forum member Big_M believes that these are frozen dates.

There is evidence that the coins are still being issued with that date.

See:  Modern coinage of Cabo Verde (Cape Verde).

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Croatia: pre-euro obverse designs.

Croatia also had a similar set of obverse designs.

This is another case where the denominations appeared on the obverse.

The lipa / lipe coins showed variations on a theme.


The lipa / lipe denominations showed linden leaves and blossoms on their obverse.

The 1 lipa and 5 lipa obverses have the same design.

The other lipa / lipe denominations show an extra leaf and a different arrangement of blossoms.


The 1 kuna, 2 kune and 5 kuna coins feature a marten on the obverse.

The kuna / kune denominations feature the same shield, but it is flanked by sprigs.


1 kuna: the shield is flanked, to the left, by an olive branch and, to the right, by ears of wheat.

2 kune, 5 kuna: the shield is flanked by oak leaves to the left and laurel leaves to the right.




Croatia: pre-euro reverse designs.

The reverse designs were all different.

See:  Croatia: post-Yugoslav coinage.

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Bahrain.  Obverse designs.




Bahrain.  Reverse designs.

Here is a set where the obverse designs are mostly different.

The palm tree design is duplicated, however.

This makes the set look unbalanced aesthetically.

Why was an extra design not found, to make them all unique?


Meanwhile, all the reverse designs are similar, non-pictorial, and very plain.

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Turkey 2008 set.

Here is another set with a duplicated obverse design.

The same portrait of Atatürk appears twice.

It graces the 1 and 5 yeni kurush coins.


This just seems like laziness.

Why wasn't an extra portrait found?


Meanwhile, all the reverse designs are similar to one another, non-pictorial, and very plain.

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Chile, 2011 / 2012.  Obverse designs.

Chile originally showed only national hero Bernardo O'Higgins on its coins.

Over time, it added more denominations.

It then decided to diversify the portraits.

Other sets have sometimes experienced a similar transformation.




Chile, 2011 / 2012.  Reverse designs.

The reverse designs are almost uniform in style.

However, the 100 pesos additionally shows the coat of arms.