A new one for OFEC collectors: Nagorno Karabakh (updated w/background story)
spoon
Posts: 2,798 ✭✭✭
I just got mine 
Pics at the ebay link. (apparently digga has the best price on these, on ebay at least)
And, yeah, I know it's not technically a country.. but close enough for the collection.
Just imaged these, in case anyone's interested in the detailed pics:
(images reduced to links)
50 Luma 2004, 21mm Al, KM6 - Horse OBV REV
50 Luma 2004, 21mm Al, KM7 - Goat OBV REV
1 Dram 2004, 23mm Al, KM8 - Bird OBV REV
1 Dram 2004, 23mm Al, KM9 - St. Gregory OBV REV
1 Dram 2004, 23mm Al, KM10 - Leopards OBV REV
5 Dram 2004, 23 Al-Bronze, KM11 - Monastery OBV REV
5 Dram 2004, 23 Al-Bronze, KM11 - Sculpture OBV REV
A blurb on the last coin's image:
"Near the road to Shusha lies the monument that has become the symbol of Artsakh - nicknamed “Tatik Papik” (Grandmother and Grandfather), it was created in Soviet times by sculptor Sarkis Baghdasarian, a named "We Are Our Hills", symbolizing the attachment to the Karabakh land (it was inagurated by then communist leader Heydar Aliyev)." [pic here] The image can also be seen on the inescutcheon of the Karabakh seal on all reverses.
Pics at the ebay link. (apparently digga has the best price on these, on ebay at least)
And, yeah, I know it's not technically a country.. but close enough for the collection.
Just imaged these, in case anyone's interested in the detailed pics:
(images reduced to links)
50 Luma 2004, 21mm Al, KM6 - Horse OBV REV
50 Luma 2004, 21mm Al, KM7 - Goat OBV REV
1 Dram 2004, 23mm Al, KM8 - Bird OBV REV
1 Dram 2004, 23mm Al, KM9 - St. Gregory OBV REV
1 Dram 2004, 23mm Al, KM10 - Leopards OBV REV
5 Dram 2004, 23 Al-Bronze, KM11 - Monastery OBV REV
5 Dram 2004, 23 Al-Bronze, KM11 - Sculpture OBV REV
A blurb on the last coin's image:
"Near the road to Shusha lies the monument that has become the symbol of Artsakh - nicknamed “Tatik Papik” (Grandmother and Grandfather), it was created in Soviet times by sculptor Sarkis Baghdasarian, a named "We Are Our Hills", symbolizing the attachment to the Karabakh land (it was inagurated by then communist leader Heydar Aliyev)." [pic here] The image can also be seen on the inescutcheon of the Karabakh seal on all reverses.
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Comments
Shep
I thought that the East Timor set was the weirdest this year
First DAMMIT BOY! 25/9/05 (Finally!)
" XpipedreamR is cool because you can get a bottle of 500 for like a dollar. " - Aspirin
Maybe the idea is not precisely to target the western market, but also to raise awareness for Nagorni Karabah. Just a speculation, of course.
First DAMMIT BOY! 25/9/05 (Finally!)
" XpipedreamR is cool because you can get a bottle of 500 for like a dollar. " - Aspirin
<< <i>I agree with your point. Given the region's history I'd expect that the inscriptions would be in Armenian, similarly to the modern Armenian coins.
Maybe the idea is not precisely to target the western market, but also to raise awareness for Nagorni Karabah. Just a speculation, of course. >>
Timor-Leste has international recognition, and they use Latin script because the native language is Portuguese. Nagorno-Karabakh doesn't, so maybe they are trying to raise their visibility, as you suggested.
NOTICE: Digga will be out of the office between Friday September 17 and late Monday September 20 on his annual visit to Maine's greatest mountain, Katahdin. Questions will be answered upon his return, assuming that besotted fat fool doesn't drop dead on the Knife Edge...
is that you end up being governed by inferiors. – Plato
Ebay name: bhil3
Sorry I didn't get back to this thread earlier, but it looks like you guys hit the nail on the head: this stuff is pure propaganda. I was thinking about writing Karabakh's Armenian reps in DC (yes they have them) for info on these, haven't gotten around to it yet. But I did pick up some of the banknotes they issued along with these coins. I missed the 10Ds but I did get a few 2 drams. While the legends on these are in Armenian, the notes are printed on such a heavy stock paper that I can't imagine these things would circulate even for laffs. So, final conclusion: I'll put one set in my numismatic collection and another in my propaganda collection
But even so, from their side, it's always good to crank out minor things like this for PR. And you have to remember that moneying rights are/were the ultimate statement of sovereignty over a territory. (aside from a military presence, of course
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Total Copper Nutcase - African, British Ships, Channel Islands!!!
'Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup'
09/07/2006
My wantlist & references
<< <i> All feature the youthful profile of Her Royal Highness, Elizabeth II, Queen of Belize and Several Other Places. >>
<< <i>Unusual for commonwealth currency, this coin does not feature the Monarch, probably because it is a hole coin and one does not needlessly perforate Her Majesty >>
<< <i>Samoa was a German colony until the onset of World War 1, when the Kiwis landed. Samoa, then Western Samoa, became indepence when the Kiwis swam home in '62. (Kiwis, of course, are unlikely to fly home.) These Samoans play rugby, unlike the American Samoans, who dominate in the NFL. >>
<< <i>Compared to the rest of the region, it has a high standard of living, relatively clean politics, and a distinct lack of General Officers standing ready to save the Motherland. >>
<< <i>Tongans developed a complex family ranking system whereby the eldest female (and her descendants) held higher rank within the family than the brothers. This seemingly unique maternal structure intertwines with the paternal inheritance system (eldest son receiving rights to all property and titles) to develop a system whereby no two individuals can hold the same rank within society. For example, individual "A" with higher paternal/social rank than individual "B", but is inferior to "B" if "B"s mother is the eldest female on the family of "A"s father. >>
<< <i>No wonder there are no political parties! They have family. >>
<< <i>this large copper-nickel coin features the sea turtle on one side, and the Monarch on the orther. The Monarch wears the tiara, the turtle wears a shell. Both are endangered species. >>
Some of his commentary is a bit political too....
<< <i>Zimbabwe is is circling the drain. This is happening because of the mismanagement, duplicity, and outright larceny of and by Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe and Africa's most heinous sacred cow. Mr Mugabe's offenses are too numerous to mention here, but worst of all, in a country starving by his hands, he is quite plump. >>
Just a smattering, but his auctions are always a fun read!
TEMPERS FLARE OVER THE ISSUE OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH "SOUVENIR" CURRENCY
Elizabeth Owen 9/07/04
Over the past month and a half, two souvenir currency notes from Nagorno-Karabakh have unleashed a storm of accusations and counter-accusations between Azerbaijani officials and representatives of the Armenian-controlled, self-styled republic of Nagorno-Karabakh.
On the surface, the red and green notes, which have no monetary value, seem harmless enough. One diplomat even compared the notes to money used for the board game Monopoly. But for those directly involved in trying to achieve a Karabakh peace settlement -- in particular the governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan, along with Karabakh Armenian leaders -- there is nothing about that is taken lightly about the 1988-94 conflict.
At present, the Karabakh peace talks are deadlocked. Azerbaijan is adamantly opposed to any political arrangement that leaves Karabakh outside its jurisdiction. Armenia, meanwhile, will not accept a settlement that restores any level of Azerbaijani control over the enclave. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].
For Baku, the two-dram and 10-dram notes represent an attempt by the enclave to burnish its image as an independent entity. "Despite the fact that this is not real money, we cannot accept this and we strongly oppose any attempt at creating this currency," said Fikret Pashayev, economic counselor at the Azerbaijani embassy in Washington, DC. "It could create further tension in the region."
For Armenian leaders in the Karabakh capital of Stepanakert, the bank notes are seen as an attempt to reinforce their republic’s right to exist. "Of course, my government is involved in this," said Vardan Barseghian, the US representative of the self-declared Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. "We see this as a promotion for Nagorno-Karabakh."
The bills are meant not only to reinforce a sense of national identity, said Barseghian, but, also, to encourage outside investors and even tourists to venture into the remote, mountainous region. Among the attractions touted for potential visitors are the 13th century Gandzasar Monastery, once a residence of the head of the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church.
Still, for a publicity campaign, details have been scarce. Posing as currency collectors, correspondents from the Baku-based daily newspaper Echo found out that the notes had been printed by Österreichische Staatsdruckerei, the Austrian State Printing House, a 200-year-old company now in private hands. The order was placed by the Educational Coin Company, a wholesale numismatic firm located in Highland, New York.
Barseghian characterized the print run as "not very large," but could not give an estimate of overall sales. The project, he stressed, "is more of a souvenir type thing."
That fact, however, apparently has yet to register with individuals selling the souvenir currency on the online auction site E-Bay. Prospective buyers have been told that the drams are already in use in Nagorno-Karabakh, described as "a breakaway region in Armenia." In late August, bidding reached a high of $6.50 for a pair of two-dram and 10-dram notes.
Azerbaijani diplomats in Washington raised the matter with the US State Department, Pashayev said, and reportedly received assurances from US officials that the Educational Coin Company could face "very severe punishment" if it continued with its promotion and distribution plans for the Karabakh currency.
Images of the Nagorno-Karabakh currency have been removed from the Educational Coin Company’s website. David Laties, the company’s secretary-treasurer, declined all comment on his firm’s deal with Österreichische Staatsdruckerei. The State Department did not respond to a request for information on its own role in the affair.
"They [the Educational Coin Co.] need to be careful when they get involved in something that has a political side," Pashayev said. "After all, if some Armenian company tried to print money for Texas, no one in the United States would support this, either."
Meanwhile, representatives of Azerbaijan’s embassy to Vienna filed a complaint with the Austrian government and met with Reinhart Gausterer, director general of Österreichische Staatsdruckerei, Echo reported. In a telephone interview from Vienna with EurasiaNet, Valentin Inzko, head of the Austrian Foreign Ministry’s department for the South Caucasus, stated that Austria has subsequently allayed all of Azerbaijan’s concerns.
"Azerbaijan understands that we are not involved in this, and that our position on Nagorno-Karabakh is unchanged," Inzko said. "This is a discussion between two private companies."
The Azerbaijani response to Nagorno-Karabakh’s currency venture comes as no surprise, Barseghian stated. "Azerbaijan reacts to everything," he said. "They don’t like anything."
"What’s the big deal?" he went on to say. "The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic has been developing for the last 15 years. Azerbaijan has no influence whatsoever on what¹s going on in Karabakh."
Editor’s Note: Elizabeth Owen is a is a freelance writer specializing in political issues in the Caucasus.
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<< <i>That fact, however, apparently has yet to register with individuals selling the souvenir currency on the online auction site E-Bay. Prospective buyers have been told that the drams are already in use in Nagorno-Karabakh, described as "a breakaway region in Armenia." In late August, bidding reached a high of $6.50 for a pair of two-dram and 10-dram notes. >>
Now you've done it Conder101!! Caused an international dispute with your eBay bidding!!
Come on over ... to The Dark Side!