Home› World & Ancient Coins Forum

Vague South American coin question??

netguynetguy Posts: 2
in World & Ancient Coins Forum
I am not especially a coin collector but I have this question pertaining to an old story I read about two years back, it seems some foreign fellow moved to an island in South America (I believe it was off the coast Argentina?). Anywho he got it into his head that he was going to colonize this unihabited place and declare himself king , he even printed a few coins, which is where my question comes full circle.....does anyone know the name of this coin and possibly some more information on it?

Comments

  • critocrito Posts: 1,735 ✭
    Hmm, are you sure you're not thinking of Emperor Norton image
    http://www.rotten.com/library/bio/royalty/america/emperor-norton/

    who printed his own money
    image
  • netguynetguy Posts: 2
    No. Very funny. Buts thats just not it, it was definatley somewhere in South America.
  • lordmarcovanlordmarcovan Posts: 43,658 ✭✭✭✭✭
    The Lundy puffins were a similar situation (small island, private coinage, etc.) Lundy's not in South America, though. I wouldn't be surprised if there were situations like that in South America, and your story sounds familiar, but I can't think of the answer. There were some countries in Africa that were set up by British adventurers, too.

    image


    Crito- I like your sig line. image My paternal grandmother was a Norton. I was under the mistaken impression for a while that Joshua Norton was a distant great-uncle of mine, but my uncle, the family historian, says this isn't so. I still claim him- it can't hurt to have an emperor in the family. I would love to have a piece of his money.

    Explore collections of lordmarcovan on CollecOnline, management, safe-keeping, sharing and valuation solution for art piece and collectibles.
  • SapyxSapyx Posts: 2,257 ✭✭✭✭✭
    You're probably thinking of the Kingdom of Araucania and Patagonia. The following was cut-and-pasted from the North American Araucanian Royalist Society site.

    The Kingdom of Araucania and Patagonia [was] founded in 1860 by the Mapuche Indians in territory now occupied by the Republics of Chile and Argentina. Orelie-Antoine de Tounens, a French lawyer living in Araucania, was elected by the Mapuche to be the first King of Araucania and Patagonia. In 1862, King Orelie-Antoine was kidnapped by Chilean soldiers and deported to France. He mounted three expeditions to reclaim his throne and rally the Mapuche against the Republic of Chile, which was invading and colonizing Mapuche lands. In 1878, King Orelie-Antoine died in Tourtoirac, France. Though the royal house has been in exile in France for over a century, it has never relinquished its rights under international law.

    The Krause "Unusual World Coins" catalogue has two series of coins. The first, dated 1874, were probably struck as awareness/fundraisers for the original king. The descendant and present title holder, Phillip I, has struck coins of his own since 1988. In my (1992) edition the listing is under "New France".

    I'm surprised the French let him stay there and do this. I thought they arrested people with royalist pretensions?
    Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one.
    Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, "Meditations"

    Apparently I have been awarded one DPOTD. B)
  • LynchLynch Posts: 299
    Maybe you are thinking of Julius ("Julio") Popper, who struck some gold coins in Tierra del Fuego.

    Bill Rosenblum gives this information on his website about the 5 gramos coin shown:

    Julius Popper was a Romanian Jewish adventurer who emigrated to Argentina in the 1880's and soon moved to Tierra del Fuego in the extreme south of the country where he created a vast feudal type estate and produced a machine for extracting gold from the mines. In 1889 he issued this coin (plus a smaller 1 gram coin and stamps). According to Daniel Friedenberg (Jewish Minters and Medalists page 4-5) Popper's gold coins, "are the only gold coins ever issued by a Jew before the emergence of modern Israel". For more about Popper and these coins, see The Shekel Vol. III, #4, page 20; Vol. IX, #4, page 10; Vol.IX, #6, page 22, and Vol XVIII, #6, page 21. An interesting sidelight to Popper is that his father was the principal of the first Jewish school in Bucharest.

    See also "La Moneda Circulante En El Territorio Argentino 1767-1998" by Hector Carlos Janson pp. 277-282. While these coins were privately struck, they are considered a territorial issue of Argentina.

    The weights of 1 and 5 grams shown on these rare coins refers to their gross weight. Their bright yellow color is due to their high silver content (13.2%).

    image
    "Think of the Press as a great keyboard on which the Government can play" – Joseph Goebbels

    "The Central Intelligence Agency owns everyone of any significance in the major media" - William Colby, former CIA director
  • ManyQsManyQs Posts: 83
    I love it! Study history by collecting coins.

    Okey-dokey folks, I'm off to find me island. Get ready to collect me ManyQs coinage. No paper stuff for me. I want them long-lasting metal things.

    Yep, the Kingdom of Many run by King Q.


    ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
    Okay, who stole the royal animals down there? Where's the royal sig? C--A---R----O-----L!!!! The KING ain't HAPPY!!!!

    WOW!! I AM IMPRESSED!!! This royalty business suits me just fine. My sig came back about 2 minutes after that royal tantrum just above this. Where's me island? Oh yes, this royal stuff is very, very kool!!!
    imageimageNever figure without figures to figure.
  • lordmarcovanlordmarcovan Posts: 43,658 ✭✭✭✭✭
    The Tierra Del Fuego pieces are what I was trying to remember earlier, I think.



    << <i>I love it! Study history by collecting coins. >>

    You betcha. At least ninety percent of my knowledge of world history came as a byproduct of my numismatic adventures.

    Explore collections of lordmarcovan on CollecOnline, management, safe-keeping, sharing and valuation solution for art piece and collectibles.
  • MrEurekaMrEureka Posts: 24,328 ✭✭✭✭✭
    The Eliasberg specimen, one of the extremely rare originals struck at El Paramo:

    imageimage

    The more commonly seen "second issue" pieces were produced in Buenos Aires.
    Andy Lustig

    Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.

    Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
  • LynchLynch Posts: 299


    << <i>The Eliasberg specimen, one of the extremely rare originals struck at El Paramo:

    imageimage

    The more commonly seen "second issue" pieces were produced in Buenos Aires. >>



    Thank you. I could not find a picture of that issue on the net. This is CJ-2, unpriced in Janson. The Tierra del Fuego first issues are of considerably cruder style than the later, more refined Buenos Aires issues.

    What did the Eliasberg coin bring at auction?
    "Think of the Press as a great keyboard on which the Government can play" – Joseph Goebbels

    "The Central Intelligence Agency owns everyone of any significance in the major media" - William Colby, former CIA director
  • MrEurekaMrEureka Posts: 24,328 ✭✭✭✭✭
    What did the Eliasberg coin bring at auction?

    $36,800, against an estimate of $4000-7000.
    Andy Lustig

    Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.

    Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
  • LynchLynch Posts: 299


    << <i>What did the Eliasberg coin bring at auction?

    $36,800, against an estimate of $4000-7000. >>



    Thank you for the information.

    The estimate sounds low, the hammer price considerably higher than I expected (but I understand many of the Eliasberg coins went for crazy money).
    "Think of the Press as a great keyboard on which the Government can play" – Joseph Goebbels

    "The Central Intelligence Agency owns everyone of any significance in the major media" - William Colby, former CIA director
  • cladkingcladking Posts: 28,701 ✭✭✭✭✭
    The only one in recent memory I can come up with is Hutt River Province but this is Australia.
    Tempus fugit.
  • LynchLynch Posts: 299


    << <i>The only one in recent memory I can come up with is Hutt River Province but this is Australia. >>



    He said "it seems some foreign fellow moved to an island in South America (I believe it was off the coast Argentina?).".

    The only thing I can think of that meets those criteria is Julius Popper and his Tierra del Fuego issues.
    "Think of the Press as a great keyboard on which the Government can play" – Joseph Goebbels

    "The Central Intelligence Agency owns everyone of any significance in the major media" - William Colby, former CIA director
Sign In or Register to comment.