The most unusual coins. The smallest banknote. Coin as a work of art

In principle, any old coin seems today to be something unique and unusual, but even among this incredible variety of curiosities there are their own "uniques", such as huge - weighing up to 5 tons - Yap Island boulders, or Chinese metal plates weighing up to 3 kg, on which one hundred coins were stamped, obviously for ease of use. And the ancient Roman coins were called “elephant money” at all because of the image of an elephant that occupied the entire surface of the metal plate. Australian dollars are also curious. They consisted of two coins: the central part of the dollar was removable and had its own denomination, as well as the rest around it. However, not only ancient coins attract the attention of lovers of various kinds of miracles. Anniversary collectible coins of modern minting also deserve to be mentioned among the most unusual coins. By the way, the cost of some of them reaches one and a half million!
Today, thanks to modern technology, collectible coins can take on the most amazing look. For example, multi-colored coins are produced, the price of which depends not only on the alloys included in their composition, but also on the artistic value of the entire product, as well as on the number of issued copies. Yes, if you suddenly decide to laugh at ancient heavy coins, pay attention to the modern collection series dedicated to tropical fish. One such coin weighs almost 5 kg! Such coins have a quite suitable frame in the form of an aquarium. What is not a suitable gift for a lover of underwater walks? Unless, of course, you have an extra fifteen thousand rubles. Australians also do not cease to delight numismatists with expensive novelties, having released a whole collection of coins dedicated to motor vehicles of the early twentieth century. Such unusual coins are not only for collectors. They are a good investment as they are made from high quality precious metals. You can give them for any reason and absolutely for every taste, the main thing is that there is enough money for such a gift. Coin with real black pearl
Silver coin with Swarovski crystal The Central Bank of the Congo has issued three coins dedicated to the biblical story of the Three Wise Men who bring gifts to the newborn Jesus. These coins are unusual in that each of them has inserts corresponding to these gifts: gold, myrrh and frankincense. Continuing the baton of commemoration of John Paul II, the government of Liberia issued a very unusual coin. The coin is completely black, except for the gold bas-relief of the Pope. Oval coin with a piece of coal found during one of the expeditions in 2000 in the remains of the ship "Titanic". Central Bank of the Russian Federation. A three-kilogram silver coin and a kilogram gold coin. Non-standard approach to the standard form. Modern coins of Hungary. Canadian coins with a hologram. Canadian coins with enamel. Coins in the shape of the Australian continent Coins with inserts of precious and semi-precious stones

Turkish square coins. Oval coins "Flowers of Turkey" 100 Austrian shillings. Silver 900, insert - titanium 4 triangular coins stacked like a puzzle Coin with concave relief Coin with built-in electronic clock Silver coin with gold rectangular insert. "Commonwealth Games", three-metal coin: gold, silver, copper.
Chinese coins in the form of a fan. "Chinese Calendar" Series, Gold, Silver 999 This unusual coin made of maple wood was issued to commemorate the protection of rainforests and the gorilla population, which is becoming less and less. Only 2,000 of these coins have been issued. Sierra Leone, $75. 24 carat gold, purple niobium. Australia, 2006, a silver coin with a capsule containing miniature copies of six coins that were legal tender before the introduction of the decimal currency system in Australia. The first coin in a series of outstanding sculptures of the world with an insertion of a miniature sculpture made of real marble.
Crystal silver coin. Coin with gold granules. Cook Islands, for the 80th anniversary of Benedict XVI, 2007, denomination of 5 dollars, silver 925, 25 g, gilding - gold 999, Swarovski crystals Coin with the smell of the sea! If you scratch the wave depicted on the coin with your finger, it will begin to smell. Coin "I miss you". Silver, enamel, Swarovski crystal The three roses on the coin are made using the technique of a unique hologram iridescent with all the colors of the rainbow.
Series "Dangerous Animals" Tuvalu, 1 dollar, silver 999 Coin in memory of John Paul II in the form of a cross with black Swarovski crystals, silver, gilding Coin with carbon fiber insert from a real Formula 1 car - Ferrari F2008. Marine calendar for 50 years. Unique spinning top coin Transformer coin "Sundial" and compass coin
Set of four coins. The reverses of the coins together make up the word "Cook". The circulation is 1779 sets, i.e. year in which Cooke was killed by natives in Hawaii Silver-titanium coin with bicolor titanium: blue on the reverse and gold on the obverse of the coin. Coin with inserts of elements of a real meteorite. Silver 925, palladium plated.
A unique set dedicated to the main milestones in space exploration. The set, housed in a metal "astronaut" case made of aluminum, includes five coins and a capsule with a particle of a lunar meteorite.
The world's first pyramid-shaped coin with a capsule containing sand from the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamen, discovered in the Valley of the Pharaohs by the famous English archaeologist Carter in 1922. Coin with a capsule of holy water from the source of Lourdes. A unique coin with a thermal image. In the initial state, the coin has a uniform red color. When the coin is heated by hand, the image of a chicken appears. Bicolor Niobium Coin Palau, 2009, 5 dollars, silver 999. Braille alphabet, raised dots on the coin mean "2009".
Palau coin with natural amber stained glass insert.
Cook Islands, Egyptian pyramids. Coin-transformer. The tab can be mounted vertically on the coin.
An unusual turquoise titanium coin commemorating the world's first misprint on a postage stamp of Western Australia in 1855. Illusion coin. Woman hiding in autumn leaves. Palau, 2008, 5 dollars, silver 925 Coin with sound! "I'm proud to be a Berliner!" - when you press the button, the coin reproduces the historical phrase of John F. Kennedy.

The heaviest coin currently is the $1 million gold coin made by the Perth Mint (). The 1000 kg coin, made of 999.9 gold, has a diameter of 800 mm and a thickness of 120 mm. Before it, the heaviest were the Canadian 1 million dollar coin weighing 100 kg and the Austrian 100 thousand euro coin, which weighed 31.1 kg.

The most beautiful coin

The most beautiful in the world is the Mexican coin of 2005, made of silver, with images of the coat of arms and the Aztec calendar. The decision was made by the members of the World Conference of Mints in May 2008.

The largest coin in terms of purchasing power in Russia

A commemorative coin with a face value of 50,000 rubles weighing 5 kg of pure gold is the 150th anniversary of the Bank of Russia, put into circulation by the Bank of Russia on February 1, 2010 with a circulation of only 50 copies. This coin is legal tender throughout the country and must be accepted for payment at its face value. The real value of this coin is several times higher than the face value.

The smallest denomination coin in the country

Half half a piece is a rare copper coin that was issued at the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries, equal to one eighth of a penny (half a half piece or a quarter of money). Minted at around 1700.

In Moscow, Novgorod, and also Pskov, a small copper pulo coin was minted from the 15th century to the beginning of the 16th century. The denomination on the coins was not indicated, but the purchasing power was 1/60-1/70 money (1/120-1/140 kopecks).

The heaviest coins in the Russian Empire

The heaviest coin was a square copper plate worth 1 ruble of Catherine I with round seals - the coat of arms of Russia on four edges and with a denomination in the center. The inscription in the center in a circle: The price is a ruble. Yekaterinburkh. 1725. The weight of the coin exceeded 1.6 kg. Ten of these coins weighed exactly a pood.

The largest coin in terms of weight of five kopecks of regular minting is 5 kopecks of Catherine I of 1726 weighing 81.9 grams, made at the Yekaterinburg Plat Yard in the form of a square copper plate measuring 4.5 × 4.5 cm.

The most unusual coin according to the material of manufacture

In 2005, the first wooden coin was made, which is the official means of payment. The denomination of the coin is 5 francs. The coin depicts a gorilla, and the inscription in French "Let's protect the animal world." The coin is made from . And the estimated cost of the coin according to Krause's catalog is 20 US dollars.

Each old coin today looks interesting and original, they are all very diverse, but you can also find special outlandish ones: with a huge weight of three kilograms or even several tons, originally from China or Yap Island.

In Rome, in ancient times, money was called elephant money, because the image of an elephant was embossed on the plates. Also noteworthy are dollars from Australia, which consisted immediately of 2 collapsible coins, each of which had its own denomination.

The most amazing and unusual coins

Nowadays, thanks to innovative technologies, collectible coins also look unusual. There are multi-colored specimens. Their value is determined by the type of alloys, decoration and the total number of issued coins.

By the way, if the ancient heavy money plates seem ridiculous to you, you can take an interest in the modern collection of coins, which is dedicated to tropical fish. Each of the coins has a weight of about five kilograms, and their frame, as befits the fish, is made in the form of an aquarium.

This is a wonderful gift for connoisseurs of the underwater world, unless, of course, you are stingy with 15,000 rubles.

Until recently, the largest coin was called a million Canadian dollars, which weighs about a hundred kilograms, and its diameter is more than 50 cm.

But not so long ago, the Australians presented another gold coin with a weight of more than 1000 kg and a diameter of 80 cm.

Its value is several times higher than the face value. Experts say that it can cost up to 55 million dollars.

The largest coin in Russian Federation is considered a coin of 2010 issue in honor of the anniversary of the Bank of the Russian Federation.

Its face value is 50 thousand rubles, and the weight is 5 kg.

50 of these coins have been issued, and you can pay with it in a regular supermarket at a real face value.

The most beautiful coin in the world was recognized as a coin from Mexico, which was released in 2005. Experts were most struck by the most complex manufacturing technique, copies are sold at the Mint and in the main Mexican bank. On it you can see the image of the Aztec calendar and the coat of arms of the country.

Surprising and unusual coins include the most valuable coin, which is worth 3 billion dollars, it can be found in the Belgian Royal Library. Numismatists call it the tetradrachm Etna. And the oldest is a coin of the 8th century BC from Lydia. It is called "Satyr", weighing about sixteen grams.

Spintrii are the most unusual coins of the ancient world, which were in circulation in the brothels of ancient Rome. The coins depict sexual scenes. Such coins were not used in official money circulation, but rather played the role of tokens, which were used to pay with getters. Real coins were exchanged for spintrias at the entrance to the brothels.

The most expensive coins at the moment include two copies - a double golden eagle, which was minted in the 33rd year of the last century and sold at auction. The American Mint issued a total of 445 thousand of these gold coins, later they were bought from citizens and melted down.

But 2 dozen of these eagles remained in their original form, and one of them was sold for more than 7 million US dollars 14 years ago.

The second on the list is a gold dinar, which was bought at a London auction for 3.7 million pounds.

The richest collector in the world is Bruce McNell from the USA, who started collecting from the age of 8 after receiving a coin album as a gift. As a student at the university, he became the owner of a shop that sold coins. Today, the numismatist's collection is worth more than $200 million. In addition, Bruce is the owner of a famous hockey team and the main co-owner of a film studio in Los Angeles. This is how the hobby led McNell to fame and fortune.

Coin-puzzle "12 apostles"

Silver $100 from Liberia. This coin is very massive and made in the form of a puzzle. When all parts are assembled into one whole, you can see the image of the 12 apostles and their names.

All the particles are individual 5 Liberian dollar coins, and the main part is a coin of forty dollars.

The 12 apostles are the disciples who were chosen by Jesus Christ himself, they had to follow the path of the Lord and preach among ordinary people.

All the disciples were called "12" even after the betrayal of one of them - Judas.

This number was again replenished by Matthias after the Lord's Ascension.

Later, 70 more followers were chosen to teach, forgive sins and preach to the masses.

However, it was those twelve who were closest, they became witnesses of the ministry of Jesus on earth.

The Palau coin, which is also called an illusion by collectors, was founded by one of the great Swiss artists in the 30s of the last century.

It depicts a drawing with an optical illusion of deception. The face value of the coin is five dollars.

Another unusual design is applied to a coin called the Dancing Man. Here you can observe the effect of movement. The coin was issued in 2005 to commemorate the end of the war.

The image resembles a dancer in one of the Sydney films, in memory of the dead Australians.

The coin is shaped like a four-leaf clover and is made of gold alloy in Palau. According to legend, such a funny coin brings good fortune not only to the owner, but also to people around, employees, and relatives.

Coins in the form of guitars, motorcycles and other unusual shapes and colors are issued in Somalia. These funny coins have a value of only 1 dollar.

Canadian coin in the shape of a triangle, reminiscent of a plectrum for a guitar, in denominations of 50 cents. 30 thousand such copies of nickel and copper were produced. This form was not chosen by chance, because the guitar is a symbol of national Canadian unity!

TOP 3 original coins

Coins that are not used on our planet. They are issued for space tourists and are planned to be used in the future.

Their material is a super strong plastic that can withstand very high loads. Such money does not yet have its own face value.

Silver coin minted in Palau. On it, in addition to the image of the Virgin Mary, the magicians placed a special disk with a mini-bottle of holy water.

A talking coin from Mongolia with the image of the well-known John F. Kennedy.

On the right shoulder of the president is a small button, pressing which the famous Kennedy expression is pronounced: "I am proud that I am a Berliner."

Liberia. 100 dollars. Silver 999.
it unusual coin master chasers is unique in that the outer circle of a massive silver coins made in the form of a "puzzle", on each part of which is placed the image and names of the twelve apostles. Each of the 12 pieces of the "puzzle" of silver coins is a separate coin with its own denomination - 5 dollars of the Republic of Liberia. The central part is also separate coin with a face value of 40 dollars of the Republic of Liberia.

Coin dedicated to the apostles - the twelve chosen disciples of Jesus Christ, whose mission was to preach the gospel. These are the brothers Peter and Andrew, the brothers James and John Zebedee, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, Jacob Alfeev, Thaddeus (Judas Levvei), Simon Zebedee and Judas Iscariot.
They were called simply "The Twelve," and this name remained with them even at the time when, after the betrayal of Judas Iscariot, they became eleven. The sacred number of the apostles was completed by the election of Matthias shortly after the Ascension of Christ. Later, 70 more apostles were elected, also vested with the power to preach, teach, forgive sins, and lead communities. But the first twelve are the closest disciples of Jesus Christ, witnesses of His earthly ministry.

The set is dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the success of Ferrari racing and racing cars. 6 coins depicting the most successful models of the decade, and 1 coin with the image of the E2007 model participating in the latest "Formula I".

12 silver coins triangular shape, each of which reflects the history of a shipwreck in the mysterious Bermuda Triangle.

Eland. Series: Giants of Africa. Gold 999.9, 2 coins: 1/4 oz b 1/10 oz. Edition of 300 pieces, South African Mint Company.

Mongolia, 500 Togrog, Silver 999.
The “Yeti” coin is special, on the obverse of the coin there is an iridescent image of a bigfoot, if you look at it from different angles, you can see how it goes.

Coin illusion. Palau, 5 dollars.
The Swiss artist Sandro del Prete (* 1931) is the founder of an optical illusion drawing which he called "Illusorismus". One of his images is a riddle - What do you see under the great helmet? Don Quixote on horseback accompanied by his squire Sancho Panza? Or do you see the face of the "Knight of the Sorrowful Image"?

Cook Islands, $5, Silver.925, natural pearl inlay.
One of the most famous paintings by the Dutch painter Jan Vermeer "Girl with a Pearl Earring".

Coin of the Royal Canadian Mint. Biggest in every way gold coin.
Measurements: 53 cm (21 inches) in diameter and over 3 cm (1.2 inches) thick. Weight of 100 kilograms of pure gold
The record-breaking coin was released as a competitor to the largest coin so far, “Big Phil”, . It was released in honor of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Its denomination is €100,000

Perhaps the most strange and unusually designed and executed coin is coin$10 denomination made of high-grade silver, which was issued in 2002 in the Republic of Nauru, an island republic located in the Western Pacific Ocean. The coin is dedicated to the formation of the European Union and its transition to a single currency - the euro.

issued by the Russian government face value ... 100 francs - 37 rubles 50 kopecks!
There is an official assumption that in this way Nicholas II wanted to commemorate the Franco-Russian union, however, numismatists are more inclined to think that 100 francs were intended for circulation in the casino system.
At the exchange rate, 100 francs was an extremely illogical Russian denomination - 37 rubles 50 kopecks and had an even more illogical weight, identical to two and a half imperials. At a time when everything was tied to the value of gold, 100 francs could not be perceived otherwise than the nonsense of the Russian monetary system. Everything says that these coins were not for circulation.

Fancy coin The Dancing Man motion effect was released in Australia in 2005 by the Perth Mint on the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II. Viewed from different angles, it creates a movie-like sequence of the man dancing in the film, which was filmed in Sydney on August 15, 1945, in memory of the 39,000 Australians who died in the war.

The packaging of the coin is made in the form of a metal box for storing films.

The circulation of silver coins with a face value of 1 Australian dollar amounted to 25,000 copies, and gold, with a face value of 100 Australian dollars, 750 pieces.

The four-leaf clover is a symbol of good luck. According to an ancient legend, a person who finds this rare specimen, from this moment and forever, is haunted by luck and success. Moreover, this lucky man himself brings good luck to everyone who meets him, cooperates or is just in the neighborhood.
And so that everyone would have a lot of luck and happiness in the small island state of Palau, they decided to give it by releasing a funny coin of gold in the form of a four-leaf clover.

A small country in Africa, Somalia, which has neither a government nor a currency, constantly torn apart by internal conflicts, is nevertheless one of the countries that issues the most unusual and funny coins. The shapes and colors are simply amazing: now guitars, now motorcycles. Circulation 2007, coins denomination of 1 dollar.

They are absolutely legal tender. But of course they don't go into circulation.

Spintria (lat. spintria), also known as brothel stamps, are coin-like tokens used in ancient Rome as a means of internal payment in lupanaria. AT Russian numismatics in practice, the term is sometimes applied to all antique tokens and coins with an erotic plot.

Especially for the Winter Olympics 2010 in Vancouver, Canada, the Mint has released a special set commemorative coins. They are called Lucky Loonie. The circulation of coins is limited, for example, a silver dollar is issued in the amount of 40,000, and a roller of 25 pieces is 10,000 pieces.

Mac Funamizu, a Japanese designer, has developed a new way of presenting the familiar on money. This concept project was codenamed "Coin of Neverland".
There is coin denomination of 1 dollar. The next denomination, 50 cents is its half, 25 cents is a quarter, and so on.

The pick-shaped coin was issued by the Royal Canadian Mint. The value of the triangular banknote is 50 cents. Circulation - 30,000 copies.
Made of an alloy of copper and nickel, the coin was issued in honor of one of the national symbols - the symbol of Canada's national unity - a six-string guitar.

Armenia, 100 dram. silver coin with enamel and artificial crystal insert. Series - "Zodiac".

Canada, 15 dollars, gold, enamel. Series — "Lunar Zldiak"

Canada 15 dollars, 2008. Set "Playing cards".

Several coins of different denominations dedicated to the national symbol of Canada.

Coin set"Road Kings" Tuvalu, 2010, 1 dollar. Silver, enamel.

Beautiful coin set Canada. Boxed version of the Naval Battles set. Each coin set is packed in a separate box.

We all make certain payments every day, and money has become a familiar medium of exchange for us. Perhaps everyone is wondering what money was in the past.

However, today we will not talk about ordinary money that people used before, but we will talk about the most unusual money in the world, both ancient and modern.

The most unusual and interesting money in the world

1. The largest coin.

American artist-sculptor Stanley Witten created a coin that set a record simultaneously for several characteristics: size, weight and face value. This coin was issued by the Canadian National Bank and has a denomination of one million US dollars. This authentic piece of art features the Canadian Maple Leaf symbol on one side and the image of Canada's Queen Elizabeth II on the back. This coin weighs a centner and consists almost entirely of pure gold. There are 15 such coins in total, and all of them are in personal collections.

2. The most expensive coin.

At the moment, the most expensive coin in the world is a coin issued in the 30s of the 20th century. Its face value is only $20, but it left a New York auction for $7 million in 2008. The lucky owner of the unique coin wished to remain anonymous.

3. The lightest coin.

The lightest coin in the world is the coin of Nepal, which was issued in 1740 and consists of silver. The weight of the coin is only 0.002 grams.

4. The most beautiful coin.

The Mexican coin of 2005 was recognized as the most attractive outwardly coin. It is made entirely of silver and features the Mexican coat of arms on one side and the Aztec calendar on the other side. The decision that this particular coin will bear the proud title of the most beautiful in the world was made by the commission of the World Conference of Mints in 2008.

5. The smallest banknote in size.

The banknote, which was issued at the beginning of the 20th century in Romania, can be easily confused with a tram ticket - after all, its size is just over 3 centimeters.

6. The largest banknote in size.

But the largest banknote in size was in use already in the 14th century in China. Its long side is 33 centimeters.

7. Banknote of the largest denomination.

The Hungarian banknote, which appeared in the 1940s, is the largest banknote in denomination. It is a sextillion pengö (Hungarian currency from 1927 to 1946).

8. Wooden coins.

But in the Republic of the Congo, the legal medium of exchange is a wooden coin, the release of which began in 2005. Maple wood was chosen for the manufacture of such coins. Obviously, the creators tried to give the coin some kind of social character, since the inscription on it calls for the protection of animals, and there is also an image of a gorilla on both sides.

9. Fiber money.

In 1944-1945 in Japan, in the region of Manchuria, coins made of reddish-brown fiber were used. The use of just such a material for coins was a necessary measure, since the metal reserves were on the verge of extinction.

10. The oldest paper banknote.

- the first country in which money began to be used from the material to which we are accustomed - from paper. It happened at the end of the 1st century AD. The money of that period, unfortunately, has not survived to our times. The most ancient paper money that has survived to this day looks like this:

11. African money sticks.

Until the 20th century, the inhabitants of some parts of Africa used money in their everyday life, which are small iron sticks. They were called “kissy” money. For convenience, they were often used in whole bundles, which had an equal number of sticks.

12. Bullet coins.

For almost two hundred years, since the 18th century, bullet coins have been in use. In appearance, such coins resembled a small uneven ball of silver. Each coin had the name of the king and his dynasty.

13. Geometric money.

Lovers of regular geometric shapes have a direct road to Somalia - coins are issued there in the form of a cylinder, cone, ball and cube.