My One from Every Country Collection
Reading and commenting on the thread recently started by @GotTheBug got me really going with my own long-dormant collection, and I've been thinking about it quite a bit since I replied to his thread. Looked through all my scans in the album and I remembered why I got so involved in this hobby starting in 2008. I don't believe I ever really talked about or shared my OFEC collection, because it's mostly modern and all scans. But I've decided to anyway. I know scans are not the best for showing coins, but I like the uniformity of it, for someone with OCD that's a big deal, lol.
I'm actually thinking about rescanning my collection, I bought a new scanner in 2016 and it can make MUCH better coin scans than the one it upgraded. But so far I have not made a decision either way, so for now you get the original scans, not all of which are good. I apologize for the lack of quality on some of them that you will be seeing. If I do decide to rescan them, I will edit this post with new images- I'm planning to keep updating it as I work on my collection and add to it. The small scans were made with my first scanner, the large ones with my second scanner as a general rule.
For me, name changes are what's important. Governing bodies are not, if they kept the same name then it counts as one country for me. You'll see.
And now, in alphabetical order:
Algeria 1964 two centimes
Andorra 1999 centim
Argentina 1950 20 centavos
Armenia 1994 twenty luma
Aruba 1998 5 cents. This one I believe came from a neighbor who vacationed there and brought one back for me.
Australia 2006 dollar. I traded with forum member @Sapyx for this coin.
Austria 1993 10 groschen
Austria-Hungary 1858 A heller. This one is really low grade, one side is almost worn smooth, but it's my only example from the country under that name.
Austrian Netherlands 1797 kronenthaler. This was the first coin I ever purchased from the internet, coming from the BST on this very forum, in 2008. One of the very few coins in this project I went over $10 for. My first coin pre-1800s.
Bahamas 1973 cent Proof
Bailiwick of Guernsey 1998 cent. Mint state coins scan especially poorly.
Bailiwick of Jersey 1998 penny
Barbados 2000 cents
Belgian Congo 1922 10 centimes
Belgium 1958 5 franks Flemish
Belize 1979 cent
Bermuda 1970 cent
Bolivia 1883 10 centavos. Surprisingly the only example of this country in my collection. South America is pretty popular in the "World Coins by the Pound" that a whole lot of these came from.
Botswana 1991 10 thebe
Brazil 1965 10 cruzeiros
British Caribbean Territories Eastern Group 1955 10 cents
British West Africa 1952 shilling
Bulgaria 1974 10 stotinki
Byzantine Empire 527-565 40 nummi. I know they didn't refer to themselves as the Byzantine Empire, but my collection, my rules . The Byzantine Empire was my #1 most wanted for a while, I've got three now, but this was the first.
Cambodia 1955 20 cents
Canada 1973 5 cents. Canada was tough to choose from because I have a lot of them, many found in circulation, as this one was. I have been collecting Canadian coinage out of circulation in the USA since the late 1980s and have collected more than 100 different date/denominations that way. When I chose images for this subcollection in 2011 I chose this one, but it could have gone many other ways.
Cape Verde 1994 escudo
Cayman Islands 1996 5 cents
Central Africa 1985 5 francs
Chile 1965 10 centesimos
China 1997 yuan. I thought about going with a cash coin but I can't figure out which way is up, so I went with the easy option.
Colombia 1969 centavo. This was the very first coin out of the very first pound I ordered, in 2008.
Cook Islands 2003 cent
Costa Rica 1983 20 colones
Croatia 2005 2 lipe
Cuba 1994 25 centavos
Curacao 1994 1/10th gulden
Cyprus 1996 bani
Czech Republic 2005 50 haleru
Czechoslovakia 1923 koruna
Czech-Slovak Federal Republic 1992 koruna
Denmark 1941 5 ore
Dominican Republic 1989 25 centavos
East Africa 1941 five cents. This scan is really, really bad and I considered not even posting it. But it's my only example from this country.
East Caribbean States 1991 dollar
Ecuador 1988 10 sucres
Egypt 1984 5 piasters
El Salvidor 1991 colon. This one has been with me since the 1990s, I got it at the science store in the Danbury Mall, circa 1995, when I first showed some interest in the hobby.
England 1271-1307 penny. This was a Christmas gift from a forum member. Amazing!
Eritrea 1997 ten cents
Estonia 1991 5 senti. Another one from the Science Store.
Ethiopia 1977 cent
Falkland Islands 1998 cent
Fiji 1987 10 cents
Finland 1999 10 Euro cents. This was my first Euro, which I traded for on a non-coin hobby forum circa 2002.
France 1970 5 francs. My dad actually found this one on a bus in the 1990s.
French Equatorial Africa 1948 franc
French Indo-China 1941 S 20 centimes
French New Caledonia 1949 50 centimes
Gambia 1971 five butus
Georigia 1993 thetri
German Democratic Republic 1972 50 pfennig
German States- Bavaria 1858 pfennig.
German States- Hamburg 1765 four shilling. I purchased this one at a local shop, now closed. One of the few I went above $10 for. If my memory is correct this one cost me $20.
German States - Hesse-Cassel 1820 1/24th of a thaler. I bought this the same time I bought the Hamburg piece above. It's slightly bent but good enough for me!
German States- Nassau 1850 kreuzer
German States - Prussia 1863A Silber Groschen. All three German States that I did not buy at the local shop came from this forum.
Germany 1913 A 5 pfennig
Gibraltar 2000 penny
Great Britian 1920 penny
Greece 2002 Euro
Guyana 1990 25 cents
Haiti 1997 5 cents
Honduras 1998 5 centavos
Hong Kong 1966 fifty cents
Hungary 1944 pengo. I'm only one year away from completing the Pengo of this type, if I recall correctly.
Iceland 1974 50 aurar
India 1977 5 paise
Indonesia 1971 25 rupiah
Iran 1976 rial (I think)
Iraq 1981 25 fils
Ireland 1968 shilling
Isle of Man 1977 half penny
Israel 1979 5 lirot
Italy 1909 20 centesimi
Jamaica 1972 five cents. Believe it or not, but I got this one in circulation here in the USA.
Japan 2002 ten yen (I think)
Jordan 1970 5 fils
Kenya 1969 shilling
Kyrgyzstan 2008 ten tiyin
Laos 1980 10 att
Lebanon 1952 15 piaster
Liberia Proof 1972 cent. This was the first proof coin I ever saw in person.
Liege 1723 liard. Pretty sure this one came from this forum as well.
Lithuania 1991 two centai
Luxembourg 1981 franc
Malaya 1950 ten cents
Malaya and British Borneo 1962 cent
Malaysia 1992 ten sen
Mali 1961 five francs. A gift from members of this forum.
Malta 1998 cent. Got it as a Christmas present, because it has a weasel on it.
Marshall Islands 1988 Space Shuttle Discovery. I am not really into NCLT but I will make rare exceptions. I actually got this one at a car show, there is occasionally a coin dealer who sets up at one of our biggest car shows. Does quite well too. Actually the same show I took my current profile photo at.
Mauritius 1991 rupee
Mexico 2007 50 centavos
Moldova 1996 ban
Morocco 1951 five francs
Mozambique 1974 20 centavos
Netherlands 1942 25 cent. My grandfather brought this one home from WWII. Finding what he had brought home played a role in my becoming a true coin collector, so this one is pretty important to me.
Netherlands Antilles 1971 gulden
New Zealand 1967 five cents
Newfoundland 1865 cent
Nicaragua 2002 five centavos
Nigeria 1973 ten kobo
Norway 1962 ore. One of my favorite coin designs ever. You may recall I used a squirrel as my profile picture on here for most of my first 9 and a half years as a member here.
Pakistan 1963 25 paisa
Panama 1940 two and a half balboa. I bought this on my first ever trip to a coin store, in May 2008.
Papal States 1721-24 quattrino. Purchased from Allan Berman.
Papua New Guinea 1995 20 toea
Paraguay 2006 500 guaranties
Peru 1969 half sol de oro
Philippines 1993 piso
Poland 1970 5 groszy
Portugal 1987 50 escudos
Rhodesia 1964 sixpence
Romania 1966 five bani
Rome, 324-325 follis, Cyzicus mint. My first ancient coin, my first Roman artifact. I'm a big time devotee of ancient Rome. This is one of my favorites in my collection, even though I have rarer Emperors and even a couple silver, this one will always be my first. I got it from @lordmarcovan on the BST here in 2008.
Russia 1991 ten roubles. I got this one from a friend of the family who went to Russia in the 1990s. I don't believe this coin design is listed in Krause.
Sasanian Empire, 591-628 dracm. This coin is the most I've spent for a single issue in this entire project, $25, from Allan Berman at the Danbury Coin Show several years ago.
Saudi Arabia 2002 10 halala
Serbia 1875 50 para
Sicily 1717 grana, a gift from @bobsr the first country I have added since 2014
Singapore 1989 five cents
Slovakia 1993 ten halers. Another one I got at the Science Store circa 1995.
Slovenia 2000 tolar. This one needs a new scan.
Somalia 2000 5 shillings
Somaliland 2002 ten shillings
South Africa 1996 ten cents
South Arabia 1964 fils
South Korea 2002 100 won
South Vietnam 1968 twenty dong
Spain 1945 ten centavos
Sri Lanka 2002 five rupees
St. Pierre & Miquelon 1948 franc
Straits Settlements 1896 ten cents
Swaziland 1999 five cents
Sweden 1954 50 ore
Switzerland 1965 half franc
Syria 1997 10 pounds. Another one that needs a new scan. The color is closer to the back but that's not right either.
Taiwan 1955 chiao
Tanzania 1976 20 senti
Thailand 1999 baht
Togo 1957 25 francs
Trinidad & Tobago 1977 ten cents
Turkey 1987 100 lira
Uganda 1987 five shillings
Ukraine 1992 5 kopijok
United Arab Emirates 50 fils. I have not been able to determine the year yet
United States of America 1976 D quarter. I didn't have any trouble picking the coin for the USA, even though the vast majority of my collection is from here, as I am from the USA. My dad used to save every one of these, saying they would be rarer than the regular ones. While I know that's not true, I save them in honor of him. I may not have become a collector if not for him. I didn't even know he had a collection while he was alive, he had it stored leaning on the back of our home's heater. That went bad in 2008, and when we had it replaced we found his stash. I had never seen anything like the stuff he found, and I got hooked on the hobby. I now save all the bicentennial quarters I get in honor of him, and have collected 2 full rolls out of circulation. We lost him to cancer in 2002.
Uruguay 1994 20 centesimos
Uzbekistan 1994 tiyin
Vatican City 1977 100 lira
Venezuela 1967 bolivar
Yugoslavia 1953 2 dinara
Zambia 1983 ngwee. The last one from the Science store.
Zimbabwe 1980 five cents
In all, there are 165 different countries represented in this sub-collection and I think I may have a few more I forgot to copy into this file, or maybe just didn't scan yet. I didn't keep very good records of my collection from 2014-2017 so I'm not really sure what I've gotten in that time. It's not much, but there is some. Got to try and find the stuff so I can document it properly. The last new addition I typed in was on 9/9/2014 so I have some work ahead of me!
I have been working on it since 2008 although I hadn't realized yet at the time that was what I wanted to do.
I tend to favor coins with portraits on them, but that isn’t really as common as it used to be, a lot of them are from before I have access to (or more accurately, am willing to pay for) so barring that, I chose a lot of coins showing animals, which is not something I consciously thought about, I noticed it when looking at my gallery.
Just because I think it's cool looking, here is a screencap of the file I keep of this project, and used for this post.
Thank you for reading and thank you especially to those of you who have helped me over the years, those I mentioned and those I did not.
Comments
Well Well Well I see the little spark turned out to be a raging fire. Amazing collection and a great tool for reference for those of us who have an occasional coin we can't identify. I am honored to be mentioned in your post and I'm especially glad to see that little copper UN Grano has found a good home with such notable friends.
Cool post & love all the pictures!
I started a similar set a decade ago, which began as 1-per-country and morphed into what I like to call my "1-per-phase/ruler/political-entity-per-country" - - i.e. "Kingdom" to "Republic" to "Socialist State" to "Democratic Republic" to "Peoples' Republic", etc, etc, etc........ I believe I now have over 300 "categories".
Do you have a list of those you are still looking for?
I especially like the fact that you save Bicentennial quarters in honor of your Dad. I save them, too, simply because I like their design. I must have about 2 rolls' worth as well.
I also like that you collect U.S. & Canadian, as they are my mainstays as well. Do you collect just out of circulation, or better grades or slabs? Folders or Albums? If you have a "haves/needs" list for both, PM them to me - - maybe I can help. Always up for trades!
Again, congrats & nice pics!
That was a nice story about your dad. Thank you for sharing it.
Nice collection of coins and it seems that the goal has kept you quite busy.
I have a pretty random OFEC collection with a few coins the same as yours. For some reason, like you I added in some of the German States to the mix.
Successful BST deals with mustangt and jesbroken. Now EVERYTHING is for sale.
Your U.A.E. 50 fils is dated 2013. It is dually dated 2013 - AH1434.
https://www.pcgs.com/SetRegistry/collectors-showcase/world-coins/one-coin-per-year-1600-2017/2422
Thank you for the replies! It's funny, this started out as a side project and gradually grew into what I enjoyed the most, and has since become what I work on when I add to the collection, which isn't too often anymore... All but one of these have been in my collection since 2014.
@bobsr yes I'm fully back into it now, and that Sicilian piece sure has found a good home!
@dbstrader2 I don't have a list of what I'm missing, I base more on what I have, anything not present is part of the wantlist, lol. I collect by date and mintmark as well, but it's not a driving force. Most of my US and Canada came out of circulation but I've purchased older stuff as well. I'm all over the map, really. Although I'm only showing one per country here I collect whatever I can get my hands on, from everywhere. I go for quantity over quality, to me quantity is quality! I'm not really much of a slab guy...grade isn't that important to me, which probably shows from some of these scans. I store most of my world coins in a metal container I bought akin to a bucket or barrel. Special stuff is usually still in the 2x2 they came in. Most of these coins cost me about 8 cents, really. I have not updated my wantlist since 2013, the last time I went to a coin show. Hoping to go to the Danbury CT show in March so I should probably get to work updating it again!
@MrBreeze thank you! I've been trying to figure that one out since I got it in December 2014. I can usually figure out the dates on Arabic coinage using the guide in Krause but this one got me.
Thanks again everyone!
Billy: "Junk-bin" collecting........... a man after my own heart! Can't say I usually got them as low as 8 cents each, but along those same lines!
So do you scan each one before you toss them in that metal container, or do you have to sift thru everything to find what you want to look at, etc at any given time? Yikes!
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This is so cool!
Really appreciate these kind of collections. Especially love that your most expensive coin is $25
Inspiring to see what your up to.
They all get scanned first...my scanner is always plugged in to my computer and ready to use at a moment's notice, then they get put away. I look at the scans way more than I look at the actual coins actually.
Thanks again everyone!
New country added: Seychelles
It was not the only new one I added but I am having a hard time pulling an image of the others...hopefully will be able to update soon.