Which countries issue circulation commemoratives?

[<k>]

Design-wise, coins can be split into two categories: standard circulation designs and commemorative designs. The commemorative coins can then be split into those that are intended to circulate and those that are not. I am excluding bullion coins, such as the gold and silver Britannia coins, etc., which belong to an entirely different category and often carry a standard design, year on year.

The first circulating commemorative that I saw in the UK was the 50 pence of 1973. It wasn't until 1992 that I saw the next circulating commemorative 50p, celebrating the UK's presidency of the EU. However, the design of the modern pound coin, first introduced in 1983, carried a different design each year, sometimes representing the UK as whole, sometimes one of its constituent countries. So perhaps "special" or "non-standard" design would be a better term than commemorative, since those pound coins do not "commemorate" a country.

These circulation coins with non-standard designs have become far more common in recent years. In the UK, we have non-standard 50 pence, one pound and two pound coins most years. In recent years, there have sometimes been two non-standard designs per denomination. For instance, there are two non-standard UK 2-pound-coins for 2015: one commemorates Magna Carta, the other remembers the First World War.

Then there are non-standard denominations that circulate. These are much rarer. In the UK I think of the 1977 Jubilee crown, with a face value of 25 pence - though this was not shown on the coin! One was given to every schoolchild, and as you can imagine, many just wanted to spend them on sweets in the shops! So, this non-standard denomination did circulate to some extent, though that was not the original intention. I do not, then, want to include such non-standard denominations among the non-standard circulation coins.

Of the circulation coins with non-standard designs, they could perhaps be split another way: those denominations that have a standard design, such as our UK coins, but which are also issued with non-standard designs; and those circulating denominations which do not have a standard design and are issued with a different design each year.

My aim is to build a list of those countries that issue circulation coins with non-standard designs. In addition, it would be interesting to know, for each denomination, in which year the non-standard issues began; and also the issues for which in fact there never existed, or no longer exists, a standard design. That's somewhat complicated, but I hope it makes sense. Please post details about your own country's coins or any others you know about.

[<k>]

THE UK.

The UK first issued a circulating commemorative 50 pence coin in 1973. See above. The next commemorative 50p did not appear until 1992. It was dated 1992-1993 so covered two years. There have been gaps since then: in 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2008 and 2012. Two commemorative 50 pence coins were issued in 1998, 2006 and 2013.

UK 50 pence designs.

The UK varied its pound coins designs from 1983, the date of its introduction, until 2007 - though some were repeated in a five-year cycle. In 2008 a whole new design series was issued, with a standard design pound as part of the so called jigsaw series. Since 2010 we have had additionally two non-standard designs of the pound coins per year, on a country theme, e.g. Scotland etc.

UK one pound coin designs.

Since 1997 we have had a standard circulating 2 pound coin. The first circulating commemorative, for the Rugby World Cup, was issued  in 1999. There was no such issue in 2000, but since then we have had sometimes one, often two, and in 2013, three such issues.

UK 2 pound coin designs.

[davidrj]

There aren't many bronze & copper pieces that fit the brief. These French "Monnaies de Visite" may have been intended as souvenirs, but almost certainly circulated as 10 centimes. the two from Lille also were issued on 5 centime blanks



David

[davidrj]

Italy, 10 centessimi, commemoration 50 yrs of the unified Nation



David

[davidrj]

And these pennies from Jersey were for circulation, though many became tourist souvenirs



David

[Figleaf]

The monnaies de visite were not intended to be used as money, but they were. The intention was to keep the visitors from stealing, because protocol didn't allow detection, let alone capture of thieves, so during the visit, only medals were struck. The copper ones were freely available for those who attended, including mint staff and offered for sale as a souvenir to the public. The silver ones were distributed among the dignitaries. The gold specimen was presented to the royals. The coppers are often found worn, so they had ended up in circulation.

A similar trick for mint visits was used in the Netherlands. They did not enter into circulation.

There was a host of later French circulating commemoratives, ranging in denomination from 1 to 20 francs. Like in all euro zone countries, the 2 euro commemoratives of EU members that use the euro can be found in circulation.

Peter

[davidrj]

Thanks Peter, that's how I had interpreted these French "10 centime" pieces. Officially issued but not as legal tender, so not listed in Le Franc, but included by VG. Do you have any idea of the mintages, I found the Paris type hard to track down?

David

[Figleaf]

There is a fun story connected to the first Dutch circulating commemorative.

King Willem III had three sons. He survived all three. By that time, his marriage was a shambles. His wife died in 1877 and the kingdom had no heir. One candidate after another refused to marry Willem, who had a very difficult character and was a serial adulterer. At that point, 20-year old Emma of Waldeck-Pyrmont agreed to a marriage to the 61-year old Willem. A daughter, Wilhelmina, was born in 1880. Willem died in 1890.

Emma became regent, diligently repairing the damage done to the family and their function by Willem III. Without her, the country could well have chosen to become a republic. Emma and Wilhelmina were as popular as Willem had been unpopular. The regency ended in 1898, because Wilhelmina reached legal age that year. By 1897, the government prepared the issue of a special rijksdaalder (2½ gulden) that would be issued on coronation day. The designer, Pander, got it just right, with a charming portrait of a young lady.

The problem was that it took the die sinker, the Frenchman Paul Tasset, until 1900 to come up with a die. Therefore, the rijksdaalder 1898 was issued only in 1900. No matter. It was wildly popular, so the dies were hastily reduced for other denominations. The intended commemorative eventually became a whole series of silver and gold coins. The rijksdaalder was struck in 1900 only with a mintage of 100 000, retaining its character of a commemorative. The other denominations were struck until 1902 with the frozen coronation date 1898.

Later circulating commemoratives were issued with denominations of 1, 2½ and 5 gulden.

Peter

[Figleaf]

Do you have any idea of the mintages, I found the Paris type hard to track down?

In view of the character of the coppers, I doubt that mintage records were kept. Otherwise, the mintage and sales records would have shown how many had been stolen. The coppers are common in circulated condition, hard to find in the condition you are showing. The gold specimen have a mintage of one or two. Silver was probably 20 to 30.

Peter

[bgriff99]

Was not the 1965 Churchill crown a circulation piece?   

The US Washington quarter was a circulation commemorative, as issued in 1932.

[<k>]

Was not the 1965 Churchill crown a circulation piece?   

No, it was a crown, i.e. 5 shillings, and 38mm in diameter, therefore very large and not a convenient circulation piece. The highest coin in circulation in 1965 was a half crown (two shillings and sixpence), and that still bought you a lot in those days - enough sweets to make a child sick. I remember an uncle showing his Churchill crown to family members - they all held it very respectfully by the edges so as not to get any fingermarks on it while admiring it. It was meant as a keepsake, and I never heard of it circulating.

[<k>]

The monnaies de visite were not intended to be used as money, but they were.

Peter

Thanks for the info. The UK seems to have been issued no circulating commemoratives in predecimal times. Now in recent years we have a surfeit of them.

[davidrj]

There is an earlier commemorative copper coin, that I had forgotten about :-

Belgium 1853 10 Centimes for the wedding of the Duke of Brabant I've got one somewhere in pretty ropey condition, so I assume that circulated, but probably not for long as the large copper 10 centimes were unpopular

sorry can't find a photo either, but one here

http://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces272.html

David

[Figleaf]

Here is a thread relating to those. One of our first. Another case of pieces not intended as coins, but used like coins.

Peter

[davidrj]

So, anyone suggest the first commemorative coin intended for circulation?

I'm thinking milled, I understand some Roman issues could be considered such

David