I like to collect coins that tend to be a bit different than most. Like the Belarus Commemorative series with embedded crystals...



Or Poland's Silver & Ceramic...



Or Colorized issues...




To the Netherlands imaged coins...





What are your thoughts? Do you like things different? Or are they just too outrageous? Do you have anything that's different? If so, let's see 'em.

Frankly, I find them wacky

There are several Aussie hologram coins that are selling like hot cakes - I can't really get hold of them unless I pay quite a fair bit more

Example:
http://www.prospectstampsandcoins.com.au/w...mint/holograms/

I am actually much more interested in how long they will last - I mean, will it not affect the quality of the coins over long period of time? Well I guess we don't get to live that long

Oh well... I guess it's nice to have some

I like the bottom 2 but... uh... those are a tad on the HOLY CRAP side of expense.

i like to think that coins should circulate, so coins that have features that would inhibit their circulation don't seem to interest me ... so i don't love the crystals, ceramic, ..., and if an issue is colorized then it should be a colored metal and not something painted in ...

otoh, holograms seem like they could be sturdy enough to circulate ...

Hologram coins most certainly do circulate, like Japan's 500yen, Russia's 10 ruble bi-metal and Taiwan's 50 yuan coins but not THAT pretty like that colored hologram coins.

I'm sure there are a lot more to that list...

These I love! And also some of the similar ones you entered in the PCIs. I am not much for the colorized ones but I have seen some old enameled ones that were cool.

The rest I am not all that keen on but you should take that for what it is worth. I am the guy who buys irradiated dimes and other such weird stuff.

The latest Belarus Crystal issue is on it's way from Belarus as we speak. It's one coin series I can say I have all of!

Speaking of such crystal jewellery related coins,

Have you seen Cook Island's examples by any chances?

http://www.pandaamerica.com/subcategory.as...ateg=45&grp=1#a

I can drool on these two...

http://www.pandaamerica.com/details.asp?it...&grp=1&categ=45
http://www.pandaamerica.com/details.asp?it...&grp=1&categ=45

*drool...*

Now those are 'way out there'. But, if you put some gold dust or meteorite pieces or something even odder in there, I might want one too! A lot of possibilities for something like that, actually.

OMG Stujoe, quick patent it before the US mints start to mint such coins and place some lunar samples in their coins and price them at some insane prices!!!

I have seen those before. I don't quite know how I feel about them. They certainly qualify as strange.

I believe there is one with meteorite or some space stuff in it. I saw it in a Littleton catalog I believe. I'll see if I can find it.

Already? Awwww... too late

Maybe some Swiss gold coins with Jew teeths...

How about these two:

From Joelscoins.com
Oooooops,
http://www.joelscoins.com/oops.htm

And the prismatic color coins:
http://www.joelscoins.com/color.htm

Ok, I might have to get that Calendar Coin.

I didn't realize that calender coin

I like real "calendar coins" of the 19c alot more.

Perhaps you should allocate a forum to jewellry. That's all these are!

The Dutch one I like. Well, I hope the mint does not make excessive use of this MPI technology, because then it would get boring ;-) Other than that, it's cool. The one from Poland ... I remember a similar coin, commemorating the Amber Trail, which had a little piece of amber in it. Odd but nice. The Malbork coin is already over the top IMO - interesting but I would not buy it.

I am not a big fan of colorized coins (with a few exceptions though). As for all those collector coins from Belarus, Cook Islands, etc., if I have the impression that the locals will hardly ever get to see one of those pieces, I tend to avoid them. Hope that was vague enough ...

Christian

How about this tabbs:

Wouldn't you be happy if you were ever to get such coins as a gift, regardless of whether you collect them or not

I generally don't like colorized coins, but Belarussian WWII commems make good use of color (less is more). The Dutch photo coin is interesting as a new technology specimen. The rest are total wack.

I think either Tonga or Fiji issued bullion coins in gold that were not struck in collars, I thought they were pretty interesting, because they were struck very similarly to ancients.

I think they're wacky. I enjoy them because of that. If I were to be looking for a new typeset, it would probably coins with unusual shapes, materials, add-ons. I think it would make an outstanding exhibit.

Anyone know what the earliest coins to contain such things may be? I've heard that there are ancients that were actually bimetal.

My kids got a bunch of coins from my in-laws trip to Poland this summer, several of the coins are bimetallics. The most interesting for me anyway was the French 5 eurocent rcvd in change in Finland.

IIRC, Nauru [the bankrupt island nation near Australia] issued a commemorative for the creation of the Euro. The 'coin' is shaped like Europe. When I first saw it, I thought it was a solidified spash of metal. Then, on closer inspection, I could see that it is indeed an outline of Europe.

That I would actually like to see.

Actually I find all of those attractive, but I'm pretty flexible when it comes to collecting.

I like this kind of coins, although some are very weird, like the guitar coin of Somalia or the cristal coins of Congo. There's a company in Liechtenstein dedicated to produce the most strange coins, they made the wood coin of Congo, Cristal coins, heart shaped coins, etc. Just take a look to their newest invention: 10 and 25 dollars from Liberia including an original piece recovered from the Titanic:

Nothing new: I remember the tokens made from German canons in 1920's in US, Moldavian-Wallachian coins made from Turkish canons, so why not coins made from steel recovered from Titanic... or from Arizona ships?

Here are more of those coins with encased things:



And a coin with a pearl:


Of course all minted by the same company.

I actually have one of those.

Your wish is Reppa's command ... Here are some of those "outline" and "3D" pieces:

2001:
10 dollars "from" Nauru, dedicated to the golden Last Mark:
http://www.reppa.de/images/JA_img/big/av/1655015002.gif

2002:
ditto, but dedicated to the first euro cash.
With outline of Germany:
http://www.reppa.de/images/JA_img/big/av/1655017004.gif
With outline of (oddly selected parts of) Europe:
http://www.reppa.de/images/JA_img/big/av/1655016001.gif

2003:
ditto, issued four years after the "birth" of the currency and one year after the euro cash became legal tender.
http://www.reppa.de/images/JA_img/big/av/1655019008.gif



Christian

Daggit, I am your echo on this one!

I dig that first one. Of course, cuz it's Germany and a Mark.

Here is a strange coin that is virtually as struck +2400 Years, this is a coin from Syracuse that still has the casting spur on it, unusual to still find a coin with this much of the spur left on it. It is one of my favourite Syracuse coins, in fact I think it was my first Syracuse coin.

I like the variety. Not all of them resonate with my artistic values, but I do appreciate them on their own terms. I think that these point to the future of circulating coinage.

Consider this: America's classic coins, the Walking Liberty, the Buffalo Nickel, and of course the Saint Gaudens $20, were created by artists who used coining as another medium for expression. The reason that previous American coins were lackluster is that the Mint hired "coiners." That was fine. It met a practical need. However, the stunning coins came from thinking outside the box.

Has anyone here seen recent example of medals? They are not "coins" any more!

http://www.bams.org.uk/artists/mcgough.htm
go here
http://www.fidem-medals.org/fr/default.htm
and click on Other Sites.

These are the outer limits of "coin" art. Coins will not look like all of these things, but these things influence what coins become.

Casino chips are electronic devices. That is another trend.

I like these new coins. I think they are innovative, creative, thoughtful and thought provoking.

Most certainly what Michael has said is true

"I like these new coins. I think they are innovative, creative, thoughtful and thought provoking."

Let us not forget that in Canada...




These were meant for circulation and did/are circulating to a point.

Nooooo....

Fascinating coins in this thread
I have never been a real fan of NCLT, but I almost pulled the trigger on the coin with the meteorite piece embedded in it. The outrageous price finally convinced me not to.

I found this...

http://www.meteoritearticles.com/romancoin1.html

Do you remember who issued that one?

I'm not certain, but I think it was a Morrocan coin.
An Ebay seller "Danglen" had it for sale, but I can't find another one in his current listings.

AHA! Here it is...

Leave it to Liberia.

That's the one !!!

Morocco ... Libera ... same place, right ???