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Marine theme on money. The most famous coins with ships
Marine theme on money. The most famous coins with ships
Anonim

Coins are the oldest and most widespread currency in the world. What is not depicted on them: fish and animals, plants and fruits, portraits of presidents and monarchs. In this article, we will pay special attention to coins with ships. You will be surprised at how often images of boats, yachts, schooners and other watercraft are found on coins.

Marine theme on coins

The very first coins with ships were minted in antiquity. So, images of various sea vessels can be seen on the banknotes of Ancient Greece, Phoenicia and Carthage. Even on the ancient bronze coins of the Romans, who can hardly be called great navigators, the ships of the empire's navy were proudly minted.

coins with ships
coins with ships

Modern coins also often contain schooners, sailboats, boats, cruisers, lighthouses, anchors and other marine paraphernalia. And this is not surprising, given that about three-quarters of the current states have access to the sea or ocean. Such coins represent a greatinterest not only for avid numismatists, but also for sailors. According to the ancient belief of the latter, the presence of a silver coin with the image of a ship promises good luck in sailing.

To date, many banknotes with a marine theme have been issued in the world. On them you can see all kinds of passenger, cargo, military, as well as sports vessels. Therefore, you can collect an impressive collection of coins with ships. It would be a wish!

Togo 1000 francs
Togo 1000 francs

Coins with ships: the most interesting specimens

According to the research of numismatists, 154 states of the planet mint ships on their banknotes. The following countries are most actively doing this: Canada, Portugal, Russia, Cuba and the Cook Islands. Curiously, on the coins of the “Queen of the Seas” of Great Britain, images of ships are extremely rare.

Let's look at the most interesting examples of coins with ships, both historical and modern:

  • Series of six 20-ruble coins "Sailboats" (Belarus). Material - silver, circulation: 7000 pieces. The highlight of this series is a color integral hologram with a pattern of "Wind Roses" on the obverse.
  • Tetradrachm from the Greek island of Samos (494 BC). This is one of the oldest coins depicting a ship. On its obverse, the goddess Hera is minted, and on the reverse, a ship with 50 oars built at the island's shipyard.
  • A miniature 100 tenge gold coin depicting Marco Polo, his ship and four camels (“ships of the desert”). The most interesting thing here is that this coin was minted in 2004in Kazakhstan, a landlocked country.
  • A series of 10-dollar coins dedicated to the battleships of the Second World War (Palau, 2010). The most interesting thing about them is that they have an unusual diamond shape.
silver coins
silver coins

Ships on silver coins

Silver coins are valuable in their own right. And if interesting, original images are also minted on them, then their value increases significantly. Listed below are the ten most expensive ship-themed silver coins, along with their approximate collectible value:

Coin and Country Yearissue Who or what is pictured? Cost(in rubles)
1 dollar (US) 2000 Leif Ericsson and his Drakkar 4600
10 lats (Latvia) 1995 Three-masted sailboat Julia-Maria 3300
3 rubles (USSR) 1990 Cook's expedition to Russian America 3200
1000 pesetas (Saharan Republic) 1992 Viking ship 3200
3 rubles (Russia) 1996 Ermak Icebreaker 3200
5dollars(New Zealand) 1996 Abel Tasman's ship 3000
5 pesos (Mexico) 2003 Spanish Galleon 2800
1000 francs (Togo) 2001 Three-masted vessel 2600
7 won (DPRK) 2004 Sailboat 2500
250 shillings (Somalia) 2002 Bismarck Battleship 2500

In conclusion, it should be said that the exact number of coins with ships is unknown to anyone. This topic in numismatics is practically inexhaustible. This means that every collector can expect their most interesting discoveries here!

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