Countries of convenience

[translateltd]

I've come up with what I think may be a new term, at least in a numismatic context: the "country of convenience", i.e. one that is happy to lend its name to junk NCLT issues to lend them a veneer of authenticity or supposedly "legal tender" status, presumably in return for kickbacks in the form of royalties on sales, given how unlikely it is that any of the "coins" in question are ever likely to get anywhere near the territory of the places whose names they bear, either for circulation or sale.

Examples would be the Cook Islands, Niue, Tuvalu ... how many others could be included?  (Note that this does not refer to just any issuer of junk NCLT - I assume places like the Isle of Man and Australia (and many others) do have some input into what goes out bearing their names, and are largely responsible for the issues in question, whereas these two conditions would be dubious at best in the case of the C-of-Cs.

One of the worst offenders I've seen recently is a piece ostensibly from the Cook Islands, showing a koala on the reverse (how many koalas are there to be found there, I wonder), up a eucalyptus tree (ditto), the leaves of which are green and apparently give off a eucalyptus smell when rubbed.  I really came close to throwing in the towel and getting out of coins altogether at that point - how much worse can the gimmicks get?

[Figleaf]

One reason is that most people's knowledge of geography is minimal a best. As a civil servant, I once recommended to an export manager to look at the Korean market. He answered that communist countries keep their border closed. I explained the difference between North Korea and South Korea. He said that his product didn't work well in wet tropical countries. I gave up.

Another reason is utter lack of taste. Most of the "souvenirs from Holland" (sic) found in Amsterdam's uglier souvenir shops are made in China. Surely, the stuff you mention is just more expensive, but otherwise at par with Delft blue porcelain clogs?

A third reason is poverty. These island states can use the extra income. Since it comes from the ignorant tasteless, can you blame them?

Peter

[chrisild]

One of the worst offenders I've seen recently is a piece ostensibly from the Cook Islands, showing a koala on the reverse (how many koalas are there to be found there, I wonder), up a eucalyptus tree (ditto), the leaves of which are green and apparently give off a eucalyptus smell when rubbed.  I really came close to throwing in the towel and getting out of coins altogether at that point - how much worse can the gimmicks get?

What other scent would you prefer - sea breeze or coconut? Or would rather have coins from the Roman Empire ... issued on behalf of Palau? The Côte d'Ivoire Mecca compass "coin" maybe? Mother Teresa "from" the Solomon Islands? Oh, this is so frustrating; I will try and get some consolation from my little teddy bear:



In case you haven't guessed it, that is a $1 coin. I am sure they use tiny golden bears as means of payment in Palau. Here are more pieces like that ...

Christian