Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (lots of pics)

kuhli · February 8, 2005 8:43PM

An Armenian enclave, completely surrounded by Azerbaijan. Under the Soviet rule, it was an oblast, but since the break-up the USSR, and the independence of Armenia and Azerbaijan, there has been a military struggle for control of the region. Russia orchestrated a cease-fire that has stood since 1994, although control has still not been determined.

50 luma

1 dram

5 drams

2 drams

10 drams

mrfred · February 8, 2005 9:57PM

Thank you -- very interesting.

In what metal are the coins struck? I'd guess aluminum or some steel composite for the first set.

kuhli · February 8, 2005 11:32PM

Yes, the 50 luma and 1 dram coins are aluminum. The 5 dram coins are some sort of alloy, probably a CuNiZn. Have not been able to track down any "official" information on these, so I do not have the specifics. It surprises me that many of the former Soviet states with recent coin issues actually have very advanced web-sites (in English) with an abundance of technical data for the coins, including actual compositions, diameters, weights, etc.

rhound1977 · February 8, 2005 11:41PM

Neat, was not aware of the republic and it's coins.....

mrfred · February 9, 2005 12:09AM

Thanks for the info on the metal.

Aluminum pops up here and there, now and again, doesn't it? I was recently working w/ some French Vichy coins struck in aluminum. It's all over the place, seems like.

spoon · February 9, 2005 8:03AM

Ah! It's cool to see these catching on!

I posted a thread about them a while back. There was an interesting news article on them that I found.. actually at the time there were quite a few.. this issue caused a diplomatic spat between Azerbaijan and Armenia (which really isn't hard to do!). Check that thread for the article and some other related info

cosmicdebris · February 9, 2005 8:57AM

They got a cool eagle on their coins.

sumnom · February 9, 2005 9:15AM

These are great. The pheasant coin is great.

kuhli · February 9, 2005 9:40AM

For anyone interested, I got the whole lot, coins and notes, for less than $10.00 delivered, from Joel Anderson.

wybrit · February 9, 2005 9:57AM

Great thread. Cool coins. I know about that enclave. It's a sure setup for a conflagration between those two former Soviet republics that could not be more different.

izzy452 · February 9, 2005 10:01AM

Thanks for the info and pics Scott.

Walt

Askari · February 13, 2005 11:56AM

Neat items!! Since the coins are mostly in English, you can tell where they're intended to "circulate".

Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (lots of pics)

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