Coin of the Week: 1936 German Reich 5 Marks

Obverse (Image: Paul von Hindenburg)

Reverse (Inscription: The German Reich, 5 Marks) 

The Reichsmark was Germany's currency from 1924 to 1948 and was the legal tender that replaced the Papiermark at an exchange rate of 1 trillion Papiermark to 1 Reichsmark (actually, the Rentenmark, backed by the Rentenbank, replaced the Papiermark).

The first version (1935-1936) of the commemorative 5 Mark piece depicted the German eagle on the reverse. The later version also included the Nazi insignia. The 5 Mark coin commemorated Paul von Hindenburg, a Prussian general and second President of Germany from 1925 to 1934. Although Hindenburg defeated Adolf Hitler in the presidential elections of 1932, he was instrumental in bringing the Nazis to power by, among other activities, appointing Hitler as Chancellor in 1933. It should be noted that Hindenburg was in his 80s at the time and lapsing in and out of senility. Though remembered by most as a strong and powerful military hero, the biographers John Wheeler-Bennett and Andreas Dorpalen have argued that Hindenburg was actually a weak-willed and not very intelligent man who depended greatly upon the advice of others to make decisions for him.

In 1948, the Reichsmark was replaced by the Deutsch Mark in West Germany and East German Mark in East Germany.

Coin of the Week: 2002 Greece 2 Euro

Obverse (Image: Mythological Story of Europa)

[[posterous-content:pid___1]]

Reverse (Image: Europe, Denomination and 12 Stars)

[[posterous-content:pid___0]]With my employer constantly checking economic forecasts for the Euro / USD exchange rate, I decided to look through my Euro coin collection. I picked out Greece, one country that has led to the exchange rate being so volatile over the past few years.

All 2 Euro coins have the same reverse with a depiction of Europe, the denomination and the 12 stars on the flag of Europe. The coins alloy mixture creates two colors, silver and gold. The obverse is country-specific, but must show:

1) the year of issue and
2) the 12 european stars.

The Greek obverse depicts the abduction of Europa by Zeus, in the form of a bull. The continent "Europe" derived its name from this mythological character, a Phoenician who became the first queen of Crete. Zeus later portrayed the bull in the stars, the constellation we now know as Taurus.

An interesting aside - since Greece uses an alphabet other than Latin, it is allowed to show the denomination in Greek on the obverse side.

Coin of the Week: 1974 Egyptian 10 Piastre

Obverse (Image: October War Anniversary)

Reverse (Top Inscription: Arab Republic of Egypt)

With the military committing to democracy in Egypt today, I thought it'd be interesting to show an Egyptian coin minted before former President Hosni Mubarak's reign.

Although one of the oldest civilizations in the world, Egypt used barter as a form of exchange until approximately 2000 BC. When Alexander the Great conquered Egypt in 332 BC, he introduced a monetary system, and Egyptians began using coins. Over the years, Egyptian coins have reflected national pride, depicting symbols like the three great pyramids of Giza. The reverse of each coin has the denomination in the center, the Gregorian date on the bottom left and the Muslim date on the bottom right.

The 10 Piastre coin honors the first anniversary of the October War against Israel (or the Yom Kippur War). On October 6, 1973, the Egyptians crossed the Suez Canal and recovered the Sinai peninsula from Israel. The image on the obverse depicts an Egyptian soldier standing before the Suez Canal. He carries a weapon over his right shoulder, in his left hand he holds an olive branch. The inscription reads "In Memory of the 6 October 1973 War". 

Coin of the Week: 1984 Iceland 10 Kronur

Obverse (Image: Atlantic Salmon)

Reverse (Image: Iceland's Coat of Arms)

Iceland's currency is the krona, meaning "crown", and is related to that of other Nordic currencies (such as the Danish krone, Swedish krona and Norwegian krone). Fishing has played an important role in Iceland's economy and is represented on a number of its coins. The 10 kronur depicts the Atlantic salmon, which is common in Iceland. The reverse depicts Iceland's coat of arms, composed of the country's four protectors: a bull, a giant, a dragon and an eagle. According to one legend, a Danish king who wanted to invade Iceland sent an evil spirit in the form of a whale to attack the island. When the whale reached Iceland, it saw the four protectors and returned to Denmark to report this to the king. The king then decided not to invade Iceland.