Which country has the most beautiful modern coinage?

GoldClause · November 15, 2011 10:49AM

Defining that as post WWII. Most modern coinage is pretty ugly but Italy and France seem to have some beautiful types. Any other thoughts about countries as a whole or any specific issues?

lordmarcovan · November 15, 2011 11:38AM

Italy, Switzerland, and France definitely come to mind.

Some smaller places like San Marino and the Vatican City, too, maybe.

lordmarcovan · November 15, 2011 11:44AM

Israel and Belgium and the Netherlands top my list of countries with ugly post-WW2 designs. By that I mean sort of stark and postmodernistic. Naturally, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, though, and some of those "ugly" modern designs I'd call ugly, but "cool ugly". Some of them are rather interesting.

I've always thought this was a really weird one...

These are rather modern looking, and I can't say I think much of the design, but then again, I can't say I totally hate it, either.

worldcoinguy · November 15, 2011 1:10PM

Hey "Holey of the Holeys" - your new icon threw me off for a moment. It is very regal.

Perhaps a future alias could be "Houses of the Holeys" and your icon would be a mockup of the old Led Zeppelin cover, but the kids would be climbing up a pile of yap coins. I'm not sure why that popped into my head. It's nobodys fault but mine but sometimes I just ramble on......I must be dazed and confused. Sometimes the day's wearing and tearing gets to me in the evening

7Jaguars · November 15, 2011 1:16PM

At the risk of sacrilege I vote the "Birds of Belize", 1974-1985

worldcoinguy · November 15, 2011 1:17PM

Getting my mind back on focus of the OP, I think Spain had some of the most beautiful modern coins (pre 1999 euro timeframe). The designs they put out for general circulation before the switch to the euro were fabulous.

Zohar · November 15, 2011 1:27PM

I kind of liked this one from Ethiopia

Ethipia 2 Birr Crown - World Cup Soccer

GoldClause · November 15, 2011 1:36PM

<< <i>Italy, Switzerland, and France definitely come to mind.

Some smaller places like San Marino and the Vatican City, too, maybe. >>

Good call on the Vatican and San Marino. I've looked at some of those issues and they have some beautiful types as well. They really seem more like sub types of Italy though, which is a good thing.

theboz11 · November 15, 2011 7:48PM

IMHO , Haiti

Bjorn · November 16, 2011 3:04AM

For Circulating coinage, I would say probably France, with some nice designs from Greece (from 1960 - 1973), Germany (Silver 5 marks, 1951 - 1974), Italy (Silver 500 lire, 1958 - 1960s), India (1952 - 1980 or so), Austria, Nepal and Canada. Also, Poland and the Czech Republic have some neat recent designs.

steveben · November 16, 2011 11:52AM

i have always liked coins from barbados. i don't have any images though...and i am a sucker for anything bajan.

lordmarcovan · November 16, 2011 12:21PM

<< <i>Hey "Holey of the Holeys" - your new icon threw me off for a moment. It is very regal. >>

Thanks.

Badge of the Clan Donnachaidh (Robertson). My family crest, at least on the maternal side.

I've been meaning to upload one for a long time. Not that I'm done with the "LMHoleyHatIcon"- that remains my default, and I'll come back around to it eventually.

I just like switchin' 'em up once in a while, when I get tired of seeing my own (younger) face peering out from the screen at me, that's all.

Funny with the LedZep kids climbing on the Yap coins.

Back to the topic at hand- Steveben- I too have always like Barbadian coins, and some of the other Caribbean coins. Having lived in the Bahamas as a child gave me a taste for fishes and flowers and fruit on the coins.

lordmarcovan · November 16, 2011 12:37PM

By the way, if I had to pick one design as my favorite modern issue, this would be it.

(Here is a courtesy link back to the site I grabbed the picture from.)

I started collecting as a kid in 1976 (this month is my 35th anniversary!), and my mother bought me a subscription to Coins magazine, since there weren't any dealers where we lived. I remember seeing that coin advertised and lusting after it. Maybe five years ago or slightly less, I had the opportunity to own one, when I was a broker in a gold deal. There was one of those in the lot I was selling. My fees as middleman would've covered its purchase, but it was a lot of money for me to set aside into something that wasn't part of any of my core collections, so I passed on it and took the cash instead. I should've bought that coin. I couldn't afford one now, with what bullion has done since.

I think honorable mention should also go to the US mint for some of the modern platinum coins, a few of the Statehood quarters like the Nevada, and the Dolley Madison dollar.

(Again, a courtesy link to the site I borrowed the image from.)

lordmarcovan · November 16, 2011 12:47PM

The reverse of this modern 20p British design was always a favorite of mine.

It's simple and relatively uncluttered, yet beautiful, I think. I like the combination of incuse and raised elements on it.

I should also add a courtesy link to Don's World Coin Gallery. Though the coins shown there are not always the best examples and the photography is nothing to crow about, it's adequate, and the site is a great reference when you need a picture of a particular type of coin for a discussion and don't feel like hunting one down in an eBay auction. It's a great site, overall.

BillyKingsley · November 19, 2011 11:00AM

The Palau mermaids have a certain charm....<evil grin>...though I don't have any.

SYRACUSIAN · November 21, 2011 1:48AM

Defining that as post WWII.

What if we narrow it down a little?

If by modern, we mean, current circulating series, excluding NCLTs , Italy, France and other aforementioned countries are out because of the euro. In this particular category, I think that the modern British circulating coins are the nicest and most modern in design, circulating legal tender coinage in the world.

I liked that combination, part blank part design from the first time I laid eyes on them. Touching them in change and in BU only reinforced my opinion, but I'm aware from their initial presentation on this forum, that very few members agree with me on this.

De gustibus e di coloribus, non disputare est.

Which country has the most beautiful modern coinage?

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