One from Every Country #15: Belgium

Belgium is a small country, but the coinage has proven to be one of the most common countries found in the mixed coinage by the pound that I like to purchase. I've gotten 54 coins from Belgium, ranking it well in the top 10 in most populous countries in my collection.

Of course, it doesn't hurt Belgium's total coinage numbers that unlike most countries, there are multiple versions of most every coin issued every year, one in French and one in Flemish.

The frank is the most common, and in the mixed-by-the-pound I have built most of my collection through, I have gotten franks ranging in age from 1950 to 1995. I chose the 5 frank as the coin for this project solely because it scanned the best. The frank used the same obverse design.

Belgium is one of the countries now using the Euro, so they have abandoned the frank that had served them well since the 1830s.

2016 Bailiwick of Jersey Queen Elizabeth 90th Birthday

I received a really cool coin for Easter today, celebrating Queen Elizabeth's 90th Birthday, which is April 21st. She will be the first British Monarch to reach the age of 90. I would not be surprised if she is still ruling 10 years from now!

I was unable to get a good photo, but my brother was able to, and these are his work.

Very, very cool!

This is a large issue and made of, I believe, brass. (metal content is not as important to me as subject content)

This is my first non-US coin from 2016, and it is spectacular!

First 2016s arrive

The first 2016 coinage made it's way to my collection today, March 21st. (In actuality, it's been sitting in the "to be sorted" box for an unknown number of days, but I just found them today).

Seven cents were found, and all of them have some problems. Spotting that is typical on current cents afflict most of them, and there are some with small scratches already.

I don't mind, I am happy to have them!

Even before I became a true numismatist in 2008, I have always been thrilled by getting the first new issue of the year.

This is the 3rd or 4th year in a row where the first issue found on the year is a cent. For several years before that a quarter had been the first find of the year. I don't believe a nickel has ever been the first found in circulation since I started paying attention, and dimes only once that I can remember.

My scanner that I use for scanning coins is pretty much useless for new issues, so this photograph will have to suffice.

One from Every Country #14: Belgian Congo

Not every coin comes from happy circumstances. The Belgian Congo existed from 1908-1960, and had a poor track record of treating it's native inhabitants. That's a common occurrence in areas "colonized" by other nations. Since this is the first time it's come up, I will put it bluntly- terrible things happened when places that were already inhabited were colonized- the native peoples were abused at best, murdered at worst. This is not exclusive to Europeans by the way. The fight against colonization led to even more people, on both sides, being killed. A visicious cycle that is repeated many times in world history.

But even when there are bad things associated with a place and time in history...it's still part of history, and should not be forgotten. After all, those who forget history are doomed to repeat it, and any good historian knows that it is not their place to suppress, but to document, what came before.

This is my only coin from the Belgian Congo, nor do I have any coinage from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is what the country is known as today.

The hole in the center was part of the design. I don't generally care for holed coins, and while I will accept extremely low condition coins for my collection, I draw the line at holed examples...unless the hole was part of the original design. The crowned A on the back around the hole stands for King Albert I.

Some new Polymer notes join my collection

I can't believe I have not yet posted in 2016. I thought I had done a OFEC post but apparently I had not.

I actually have some new additions to share, which doesn't really happen all that often. I got a set of 8 uncirculated polymer notes for Christmas 2015 and I just finally got them scanned. I really like the new polymer notes, they have a unique feel and the detail seems to be crisper than on paper notes.

All except Nigeria are countries that did not appear in my currency collection, I believe, and at least one is totally new, with no coins either. (Bangladesh). I am not able to identify the country of origin for one of them yet. I should be able to with a little research but I have been so busy with other things I have not had a chance to do so yet.

I scanned them all with a piece of black construction paper behind them so the security windows show in the scan.

This last one is the one I'm not sure on. The Rupees lead me to think of India but I believe there are other countries that use rupees as well. I must do more research.