The Swedish central bank will start issuing circulating commemorative coins next year. Collector coins will still be made, but apparently on fewer occasions, according to a Riksbank press release. http://www.riksbank.com/templates/Page.aspx?id=26818

The denomination selected for the circulating commem ("bruksmynt med specialprägling") is the 1 krona coin, so they will be similar to the Millennium Coin issued in 2000. The first of those new coins will commemorate the separation of Sweden and Finland in 1809. While the circulating commemorative coins (Cu-Ni) will be available at face value, the collector coins ("minnesmynt") in gold and silver carry a surcharge.

Christian

So can we in the US claim credit for starting the latest circulating commemorative trend or do we have to give credit to Canada?

It may be much older. When it comes to series like the US state quarters ("let's do all our states/provinces/Länder ..."), that is something that I think Canada started with, back in 1992. Now what Sweden plans to do is single commemorative coins, with the specs of regular 1 kr coins but one occasion specific side. These coins would actually circulate, but there is no "theme series" in sight.

Christian

Yeah, I'd have to agree that -at least from what I know- the Canadian provence series is perhaps the first modern example of a specific circulation series, or then perhaps Spain with its Olympic series also in 1992.

I look forward to this coin for obvious reasons, but also I picked up the silver commem dealing with the dissolution of the union between Sweden and Norway.

Gotta love the Swedes, they commemorate losing territories I won't say what the USA should be commemorating on a similar vain.

Nothing wrong with coins that commemorate a peaceful separation, as in the case of Norway/Sweden. Now Finland/Sweden is a slightly different case as, after that, it took quite a few more years until Finland became independent. But it is a nice way to show that "we are good neighbors" these days. Certainly more interesting than primarily commemorating wars, battles and victories.

Christian

When they did occasion to battle, as in 1718 in Christianborg(now Oslo) the Swedes and Karl XII found out the hard way about messing with the Norwegians. Karl XII whom had battled with Petr I of Russia for a decade and a half and fought battles from Narva to Poltava and then the Ottoman Empire, met his maker at the hands of the Norwegians. Why on earth Karl XII decided to prosecute Norway when the Great Northern War with Russia was still at a stalemate and Petr I was sending Russian galleys to raid the Swedish coast is beyond comprehension.

You mean I can't get gold coins at the coin's face value?

Damn.

I think this it might be fun to see if we can come up with the earliest circulating commemorative. Surely they can't go back that far? Can They?

Well, how much sense would it make? The French mint may do that with one issue later this year. But what if the face value is way above the intrinsic value?

Christian