Black Mountain Coins Newsletter for February 22nd, 2011
In This Issue
1968 FAO 1st Album
Francisco Matta Vilaro
Year of Mathematics Set
Vanishing Countries
World Sealife Coins
Hyperinflation & Emergency Currencies

Since it's inception in 1945 following World War II, the most devastating conflict the world had ever seen, the United Nations has solicited and inspired the issuance of commemorative  coins from it's member states. This week we are spotlighting three unique U.N. issues that were each meant to help highlight common efforts shared by the world community.  

There are a maximum of 7110 complete albums based upon initial issues (although the odds of there being that many complete albums are infinitesimal). According to the 36th Edition of Krause's Standard Catalog of World Coins

the individual coins in this album possess a total value of over $575.00.

Price: $249.99

Francisco Matta Vilaro Design

Designed by Francisco Matta Vilaro and listed in Krause's Standard Catalog of World Coins as Pn 92, was a pattern struck in 1968 and was intended to be Uruguay's contribution to the 1968 UN FAO series (see 1968 FAO Album featured above). The likely reason for it never being minted for circulation was the imposition of martial law by President Jorge Pacheco Areco in that year in the wake of the food riots and labor unrest that arose in response to his draconian economic policies. Apparently Areco had little interest in further popularizing world efforts to feed the poor and Vilaro's innovative design was dismissed. Only a few of these patterns exist and are rarely seen in the secondary market.

Price: $29.99

 Somali Republic

Year of Mathematics Set   

Somalia Mathematics Set

In the quest for something totally different to mark the Year of Mathematics in 2008, the Somali Republic authorized the issue of a legal-tender coin set of five One Dollar 3-Dimensional geometric coins:  Each coin is approximately 20 millimeters to 25 millimeters in each dimension and is silver plated.

With only 500 sets minted they were sold in Europe for $00 to $450 per set. 

Price: $99.99

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Greetings!
        We've been very proud to be a representative of the Perth Mint here in America. Many of the countries that comprise the region of the world known as Oceania rely upon the fine design and minting standards of the Perth Mint for much of their commemorative and NCLT output and collectors from around the world have expressed their admiration for the mint's work by way of the great popularity of these coins. Recent news from some the island nations of the world has put them even more in the spotlight. Kiribati, the Solomon Islands, The Cook Islands, Fiji and, in the Indian Ocean, the Maldives have all declared the the need to begin planning for Island loss. Visit our piece below for more on the coins from these potentially vanishing nations and the subsequent collection we're offering on Sealife Coins from around the world.
       Keeping on theme, we also bring to you the banknotes, tokens, notgeld and emergency issuances related of nations when they were under threat of inundation by hyperinflation and extreme world events. There's nothing quite like having a few hundred million Deutsch Marks, 500 billion Dinara or 180 trillion Dollars in your pocket, though it's doubtful any of you will want these currencies in you portfolio.
       Finally, we bring you several unique items that were issued or meant to be issued under the auspices of the U.N. While the world body can't always manage to help nations out of the their toughest spots it's inevitable that the world will take note, if only to declare a special year in which everyone should take note of your particular affliction. We hope you enjoy the unique numismatic selections we bring to you today.
       We wish you the very best as you continue through your week and hope to have brought some small interest or curiosity your way.

                                                                     Dan's signature    

       
       The Pacific's 22 countries and territories are strung out across 29 million square kilometers of ocean. They contain some of the most diverse ecosystems on Earth, and are inhabited by cultures that have lived in an often difficult and fragile environment for millennia - longer than Germanic or Slavic peoples have lived in Europe, or Anglo-Saxons in Britain.
But now, at the dawn of the 21st century, many of these nations are struggling with the possible abbreviation of their histories and the loss of their homelands due to the effects of sea level rise. Kiribati has moved forward with contingency plans for evacuation while the Solomon Islands has announced the salination of their freshwater resources and the ocean's breaching of one of their islands into two. These Polynesian nations that have lived on the edge of the world appear poised to vanish. Coins of Vanishing Nations
       For those of us familiar with their contributions to world numismatics over the course of the last century we can state that any loss to these peoples is lamentable. We can also note that it has often been through their out-sized proportion of issuances of noncirculating legal tender that so many of these nations' economies have been supplemented. We bring these to you now for both your curiosity and as a tribute to all those who live amidst the tides.

 


       Visit our site to see our extensive collection of sealife coins from around the world. Here you will find coins stuck in honor of just about every creature that has ever found their home amidst the waves.
Sealife Coins

   

 
       These are the products of too much, not enough and just making do. Please enjoy our collection of what happens to money when economies or history go seriously awry or when money itself is just plain out of reach.
Hyperinflation & Emergency Currency, Tokens & Notgeld
  

Imperial Eggs in Cloisonné  

Cook Islands Imperial Eggs