10
Strange Coins From Around the World
There's
many reasons your pocket change might change in the future (see what
I did there?). Perhaps inflation makes minting a certain coin too
expensive.
Or over time a nation may think differently about the heroes on their
coins. The government might even use its coins as a kind of
propaganda.
In that case, as new leaders seize power, the images of the old guard
are removed from the coins. Sometimes it's just a simple matter of
taste and changing times. Either way, what you pull out of your
pocket today may look radically different tomorrow.
Of
course, there's no telling what your going to get. Bureaucracies
aren't exactly known for their creativity, and the coin minting
department of your nation is no exception. So its no surprise some
people hate
their new coins. I mean, it's a pretty small detail right? It's just
a coin guys. On the other hand, you'll have to see these coins every
single day, after every cash purchase you make, and you likely had no
choice in the matter. If you happen to fall into this irate coin
hating demographic, take heart that you didn't have to give your
cashier any of these awkward coins. Below, are the 10 strangest coins
in history.
1
Medusa Coins
If
this
coin
showed up in your pocket, you might not turn to stone, but you'll
likely need to change your drawers. This was apparently a very
popular coin in Greek and Roman times, with many different
versions
produced in antiquity. The coin shows the terrifying Medusa of Greek
myth, with her tangled hair of snakes, and usually sporting that
psychotic look on her face.
The idea of putting such a frightening entity on a coin, is a foreign
concept to people alive today. Since Medusa's spiritual meanings are
open to interpretation and lost to history, we will likely never know
why they put her on currency. Think of how strange that is. It was
well known that Medusa could turn men into stone just by looking at
them. Then those poor Greeks had to look at her every time they
bought a felafel.
2
Belgian 5
Frank Baudouin
Belgium
minted this brass and aluminum coin in
1986.
It portrays Belgium's King Baudouin, and was last coined in 1993, the
year of his death. The coin is divided
in three parts,
each cascading downward, and yet leading back into the next interval.
No other coin in the world has utilized this design outside of
Belgium, thus it likely represents the three historical nationalities
of Belgium: the Flemish, The Walloon, and the German. Other than
making Baudouin look like a cyborg, it's a pretty rad coin.
3
1 Ocher
Grosche
No
that's not Winston Churchill in drag. What you're looking at is a
fine example of “Notgeld”
or “Emergency
Money”.
Throughout World War One and into the 1920's, Germany was forced to
inflate its currency to pay down various war debts. Eventually this
inflation spiraled out of control leading to one of the most
horrendous examples
of hyperinflation. At a time when it required a wheel barrel full of
cash to buy a loaf of bread, commerce ground to a halt. City's began
printing their own money and minting their own coins to keep trade
going at a somewhat functional level.
The Ocher Grosche is roughly translated as “Aachen Penny”. Thus,
it was one of many coins produced by the town on Aachen in 1920, and
is quite collectible today. It depicts the image of an older woman
working as a vendor in the streets of the city (in case you couldn't
guess that from the image right?).
4
Holed
Coins
This one may not come as any surprise to Old World
readers, but it's still a pretty foreign concept to Americans. We've
never had any currency with a hole drilled or stamped into the
middle. For a long time though, this was extremely common all around
the world. Nowadays it's extremely rare, with Japan among the last
remaining countries to have this type of coinage.
There
are numerous reasons to do this, and it often varied from time and
place. It's well known that Chinese coins were holed so they could
all be kept on a string, but it's just as likely that it was simply
part of the manufacturing
process.
In the west it was more common to drill out the coin to use as
jewelry or charms. In Roman times, multiple holes might have been
drilled to incorporate cheap coins into weapons
and armor.
As for the modern era, the reasons are often based on tradition, or
to make the coins easier to identify.
5
1
Lats
It's
a bird! It's a plane! It's
an owl?
Until Latvia adopted the Euro last January, they frequently
updated
their coins with some pretty interesting designs. That said, it's
hard to believe this alien looking design (we'll get to that in a
moment) is supposed to be an owl. It's what's referred to as an “owl
fibula” an ancient design for a brooch.
6
Hungarian
15 Kreuzer
Depicted
here
is Leopold I, the Hapsburg ruler of Hungary from 1658 to 1705.
Leopold didn't look flattering on any
of his coins,
or really any
of his portraits.
I mean none
of
them.
I could probably write a whole new article titled “10 worst
portraits of Leopold I”. His features were likely due to being born
at the narrow end of a very
incestuous
royal line.
I digress. This coin is likely the worst of his. Not
just because of his features, but it was obviously designed by a
terrible artist. It looks as though he was trying to create a
silhouette of the Emperor, and failed miserably. It gives Leopold
the appearance of having some kind of mutant half head. Although
maybe I shouldn't blame the artist. He had very little to work with.
7
50
Peso “CHIIE” Coin
Have
you ever accidentally written a typo? Of course you have. I know I do
it all the time. Shucks, their mite be some in this artikle. Let me
ask you this, have you ever printed
a typo
onto thousands of your nation's coins? If you haven't, thank your
lucky stars you aren't the manager of the Chilean Mint, who was fired
in 2010 for misspelling their nation “CHIIE” instead of “CHILE”
on the new coin. Citizens of Chile don't seem to mind though. The
coins weren't removed from circulation, so citizens immediately began
hoarding the coins, knowing
full well
they'll be a collectors item in the future.
8
End
of Pain Coin
This
eerie
coin
is what's known as a “Conder
Token”.
In the late 18th
Century, Britain suffered a severe
coin shortage, mainly due to counterfeiters flooding the
market with junk coins. This forced the average person to hoard their
genuine coins. Since most of these genuine coins stayed within urban
areas, rural areas had very few small denominated coins to trade
with. So local communities took it upon themselves to coin their own
local currencies.
This explains a coin no national mint would ever put
into circulation. Depicted on the End of Pain coin is none other than
Thomas Paine (End of Pain is a pun on his name). Given that Thomas
Paine was a central figure in the American Revolution, and
passionately argued for toppling the British Monarchy, he wasn't
exactly popular in England. The other side of the coin Lampoons
Paine's famous work “The Rights of Man” by titling it “The
Wrongs of Man”.
9
UFO
Coin
Strap
your tinfoil on, this
coin
looks remarkably like a modern UFO. The type of coin is what's known
as a “Jeton
Token”
minted in France between the 13th
and 18th
centuries. They were used as a method of counting similar to an
abacus, or as substitute
money
for gambling. They frequently carried religious teachings,
allegories, and propaganda. The image of this particular coin has
baffled experts for years. One theory suggests that it could be an
interpretation of the biblical story of Ezekiel, another story
popular with UFO
enthusiasts.
Others believe it's a reference to the mythological Roman shield
known as Ancile,
which supposedly came from the heavens, and was delivered by a god to
save Rome from a plague. This angle sounds suspiciously like an
episode of Ancient Aliens, so maybe it's as good an explanation as
anything else.
Speaking of Romans, this last entry is definitely NSFW.
10
Roman
Brothel Coin
The
Romans loved sex. Their public spaces and private homes were
saturated
with sexual artwork. They drove the Silphium plant to
extinction
for its contraceptive properties. So it's not really surprising that
the Romans would stamp sexual acts onto their coins. Known as
spintria, their purpose is still debated today. The most widely
believed theory, is that the coins were actually tokens used in Roman
brothels.
The numerals on the back of the coins indicated cost, and the image
on the front was of course a depiction of what the customer was
buying. It's also been suggested the coins would be useful for
prostitutes living in such a large and diverse empire. They could
communicate with customers of any culture or language without
confusion. Though they could also be nothing more than novelty
items.
Either way, Rome's penchant for public displays of debauchery is to
date, unrivaled.
Bonus
Entry
I desperately wanted to add this other conder token, but
I couldn't find enough information to write on it. That may be for
the best.
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