Tuesday Treasure Trove - Korea

 Bank of Chosen (U.S. Army Administration)

10 Yen = 10 Won

 No Date (Printed in 1946)

Pick #43

 Bank of Chosen (Japanese Occupation of Korea)

10 Yen

No Date (Printed in 1932)

Pick #31

Bank of Chosen (Japanese Occupation of Korea)

5 Yen

No Date (Printed in 1945)

Pick #39

Hello and welcome back to Tuesday Treasure Trove!  I've just got back from my travels and wanted to show you guys some of my new additions!  The three notes that you see pictured above were all purchased for a whopping, $1.50, or 50 cents a piece.  To me, that's a steal!  Whenever I come across older Korean notes, I usually try to purchase them, it's part of my family history and they are usually cheap as almost no one is interested in them! All three of these notes comes with some history.  My grandparents from my maternal side are from Korea.  In fact I have family on both sides of the border, North and South, unfortunately I've never met, nor have ever heard from my family in the North, we presume that they are either dead or enslaved in some type of farming cooperative.  Sad story, but history is history and there's nothing that I can do to change the past, only the future. 

Anyways, enough of my ramblings, the first note that you see is pretty neat for any history buff.  It was one of the first notes of Korea following the occupation of Japan.  At the time, Korea was divided into 2 sectors, the North (Soviet Occupied) and the South (American Occupied), Korea was more of a war prize for the allies and probably one of the first places where the Cold War was noticeable.  Korea, North and South, really was not independent until the "end" of the Korean War.  I say "end" because the Korean War really isn't over, it only stopped following the signing of a cease fire and the creation of the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone), also known as the 38th Parallel or the "most dangerous place on Earth".  Korea was and had been a tributary or a suzerain of China for centuries, and following the Chinese dominance in the area, it was followed by Czarist Russian influence and then finally Japanese Annexation.  If you ever have a chance to go to South Korea, these notes are actually quite unpopular to the typical collector.  To many Koreans, North and South, currency from the Japanese Colonial Era bring back bad memories and trace back to a time where Koreans were mistreated by their Japanese masters.  Anyways, this note was quite neat and a great find as I do not have this one in my collection yet.

The second note is just as interesting as the rest, but this one is from the Japanese Colonial Era.  This note could've been used by my grandfather and grandmother (both of whom are alive and well to this day; 90 and 86 respectively).  It's in pretty bad shape and really not worth that much, but the collector value far outweighs its book value.  At the time this note was printed, Koreans were being sent around the Japanese Empire to work as slaves in mines, servants in the army, concubines for Japanese soldiers and the like but more noteworthy, Koreans were fighting for their independence.  Unfortunately, that independence did not come until after the Korean War, but as such, both Korea's celebrate 1 holiday together, March 1st, also known as Sam-Il-Ja in Korean, or the Independence Day Movement of 1919.  

Finally, another note, this time a 5 yen note, printed in the last year of Japanese Occupation.  I saw this one and thought it was great, especially the note on the back that says "this is fifty cents in Korea".  It probably was fifty cents at the time, and the guy that wrote it was probably an American Missionary.  The American Missionaries were vital to creating a foundation for what Korea is today.  Although I don't really appreciate it when someone tries to force their religion on me, the missionaries created hospitals, universities and schools which were the backbone of creating an independent Korea.  For purchasing it for only 50 cents, when the note is worth more around $10, it was a great find and a great addition to my collection of Korean notes!

Happy Tuesday Treasure Trove!   

UPDATE! Back from the exam, but off to Chicago!

Hey everyone! I'm back but only for a few hours! I'm taking off to Chicago very soon, but as soon as I get back, I will post more on what I purchased.  Until then, I will leave you with this! I got these at a coin store that I only get to go to every once in a while.  It's far away, but they usually have great coins in their discount foreign coin box.  If you don't know the owner, he will charge you 25 cents a coin, if you do know him, he lets you pick out all the coins you want for $5 a pound.  Very few coin dealers that I know charge such a fair price for foreign coins, one place that I go to charges $10 a pound, and online, you would find a similar price.  So to me, $5 was a bargain, so I picked up  just over 4 pounds of coins, and paid $20.20.  In total, I got 442 coins, so about 100-110 per pound, but if you look at the tally and see how many different countries I found, it was a great deal! I also found some WWI emergency tokens (2 from Germany, and 1 from France).  There are quite a few coins that carry a pretty nice price tag if I sold them (which would never happen), but regardless, I found some stuff that people either overlooked or just didn't know about, but I got the benefit of the bargain for sure!  If any of you have a request for a specific country to start off the next series of posts, please comment and I will do it! Pick one from the spreadsheet posted above and I will get it prepped as soon as I get back!

Enjoy!

Signing-off For 1 Week

Thank you all for reading my blog, I know that at the moment it isn't much, but I just haven't had the time to make it as interesting as I would like it to be.  That being said, once I get back (next Sunday), you will see some gradual changes and some more interesting posts! I'm thinking about doing some posts on the countries that have visited this blog, so you will soon see coins and paper money from Singapore, India, Germany, Russia, Turkey, Ireland and more of Thailand, Canada and the US.  I wanted to do this as a "thank you" for those who've visited from around the world, whether or not you're an avid reader of this blog. 

As for this coming week, I will be sitting for the bar exam and going to Chicago, all while the hairs on my head turn grey from stress and lack of sleep! I know this is a little redundant, but I just wanted you guys to know that I'm still here and ready to do some more blogging once I get back! Wish me luck and see you all soon!

-Pockets!

Friday Free Finds - 8 - Canada

Why "Hello There"! I should've posted this yesterday as it was the perfect thing to post, but I ran out of time and didn't want to go to bed so late, but here they are, 2 Friday Free Finds.  And I did actually find both of these yesterday! How lucky!  So as my Korean lunch is being cooked (Korean style pork belly with rice and sesame oil dipping sauce - yum) I will be posting!

First off, I wanted to give a shout out to all of my readers! So thank you to my visitors from Iowa, Illinois, South Carolina (Dr. Math), Pennsylvania, New York (Man), India (Kulraj), Singapore, Thailand, Canada (myself), Russia, Ireland and Germany.  And yes, I listed IOWA first because I'm a Hawkeye (I bleed Black and Gold), so hello to all my fellow Big 10 people!

Anyways, more about the coins. I got both of these from my fiancee, she got the $2 (toonie) as change yesterday and realized that it was new so she saved it for me, and the dime, well she thought it was just a dime, but I saw it and told her that it was silver; she's still learning!

The $2 coin is one of the newest coins to enter Canadian circulation.  It is the second coin to be made from a new material (multi-ply nickel plated steel and multi-ply brass plated aluminum bronze).  Although it is only the second toonie to be made from this material, it is the first commemorative made from this composition.  The coin is absolutely stunning if you have one in hand.  They used their new laser technology to inscribe the maple leaves, so they look perfect and the top maple leaves have a holographic effect.  Really cool coin!  It commemorates the War of 1812, when the United States tried to invade what is now Canada to take it over and take out British interests in North America.  Unfortunately, it was unsuccessful (for the United States), but this coin is really representing the peace between the two countries and commemorates those who thwarted the American attack.  This coin commemorates the involvement of the H.M.S. Shannon, a famous ship from the War of 1812.  There will be 4 more coins coming out within a year and they will be quarters.  If you were lucky enough to buy these from the Royal Canadian Mint website (and you lived in Canada), you would've been able to purchase this coin in a set of 5 in a blister pack for $10 with shipping free of charge!  They did the same thing with the newly released Lucky Olympic Loonie (released 7/19/12), I was in time and bought 3 packs of them for $15, they're going to run out in the next few days, so act fast!

The dime that you see is also quite special.  It's fairly rare that you find silver in your change, but even more when you find a silver centennial dime.  The dime was created to commemorate the centennial anniversary of Canadian Confederation (in 1867), which at the time did not include Newfoundland.  Newfoundland had it's own distinct coinage until 1949 when it joined Canada.  Anyway, the design on the obverse is the Tiara Portrait which went unmodified from 1965 - 1979.  The reverse of the coin has a picture of a Mackerel instead of the typical "Bluenose" ship design along with the double dates 1967-1967.  Also what's interesting about this coin is that in 1967, the price of silver increased so much that the mint had to change the composition from .800 silver to .500 silver with the remainder made from copper.  From the looks of the coin, one is unable to tell the difference between the two, but with a simple check on the scale, a .800 composition coin should weigh 2.33 grams, which this coin checked out to be! This is only the 3rd silver coin that I've found in change, the other two are a dime and a quarter with the laureate portrait of QEII.

Note about the deleted posts:
Sorry that I did not elaborate on why I deleted the posts, but basically, I wanted to alter the photos a bit to thwart anyone using my material for their own pecuniary gain and as an anti-counterfeit measure.  As such, I will eventually re-post the items that were deleted in the coming weeks with upgraded security measures.  I don't want to be on the wrong side of the law, and I don't want to be perpetrating any type of crime via my blog.  Once I get back from my exam and from Chicago, you will see some more new posts, so stay tuned!

Note about new post details:
In the interest of making my blog a little more professional, I will be posting all new photos of my coins and banknotes with their numismatic stats.  Kulraj from "my coin collection" mentioned that I needed more structure, so I will try to keep my posts more uniform in style while still having a story behind the numismatic product itself.  Additionally, I will be taking pictures of my entire collection (which is not at my house, but somewhere safe) for insurance reasons and so that I will always have plenty of material for everyone to look it.  I would welcome everyone to give me some suggestions about the format and style of my posts.  Thanks for any constructive criticism and comments!

-Pockets

1 Week Off From Blogging

I will be sitting for the Bar Exam (an exam to become a lawyer) and will be gone for the rest of next week starting on Monday.  The exam is 11 hours long, requires 100's of hours of studying and practice and takes place over the course of 2 days, for most states.  After the exam I will be heading out to Chicago to meet with some family and old friends and enjoy the time off and away from studying and work.  Sorry that I'm unable to post, but in the meantime, I will leave you with a few things to look at! Hope to see you the following week, I will start off strong as I will also be going to some coin shops in the Chicago area!

Wish me luck!
-Pockets O'Change

Deleted Posts

Unfortunately I had to take down some posts for unmentioned reasons.  The paper money posts will be back up in a week or so, so please be patient.  Sorry for any inconvenience.

-Pockets

Friday Free Finds - 7 - U.S. $1 Coins

Pictured Left to Right - Andrew Johnson Presidential Dollar Coin (2011-P), Sacagawea Dollar Coin (2000-P), Susan B. Anthony Dollar Coin (1979-D), Susan B. Anthony Dollar Coin (1979-S)

I thought that I would share these coins with you.  I got these as change (believe it or not) at the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel Border Crossing when I put my $10.00 bill into the feeder, it spat these out, with two more that I'm not saving, and thus will not be posting.  To many of you, these are quite common, a little harder to find in circulation, but if you go to a bank and request a few, a roll or a box of these coins, they will usually have them on hand.  I've always enjoyed receiving U.S. dollar coins in change, but to many fellow Americans, they cannot bear the thought of having an extra coin in their pocket.  This is what has likely led to the demise of this coin as all production of the Presidential Dollar Series has come to a full halt, except for collector coins found in sets.  It's quite sad to think that they stopped production of these coins when their use, durability and seigniorage is quite a cost-effective way to produce money.  What can I say though, it's politics, and maybe a reason that adds to the indebtedness of the United States.  It will either be a long time or a very very short time until the U.S. dollar note will be discontinued.  Once the government begins to realize that producing dollar coins is more cost-effective than producing it's paper counterpart, then maybe the government will start to make sense of itself. 

We don't really need to look at history to tell us that a dollar coin is more cost-effective than a paper note.  All we have to do is look north to Canada where they put an end to producing costly paper $1 notes (and eventually the $2 note as well) and replaced it with a $1 coin.  I'd rather have a pocket full (oh yeah, new catch phrase #pocketfull lol) of these dollar coins than a bill fold of paper.  They're already accepted in most vending machines and they save quite a bit of money to tax payers.  Its just a matter of time until we see the end of the dollar note and the beginning of a sensible America using coins.  That being said, I do not want a $5 coin, that would be taking it a little too far!

Happy Friday!

Thursday Terminology - 1 - Coin Grading Terms

 COIN GRADING TERMS

I thought that it would be nice to start this first series of posts with something that is quite basic and something that needs to be learned by most, if not, all collectors of numismatic products; Grading Terms.  The various grades that coins fit into are the quintessential facts that determine a coin's value.  Knowing the terms is essential if you plan on becoming a numismatic investor, or if you plan of giving your collection an honest appraisal, they also help you understand what the values mean in coin catalogs.   Coin valuation terms are listed usually from the lowest to the highest grade possible with a numerical value given to the show its degree of quality within each category.  These numbers were established by the American Numismatic Society, and thus are the standard for most collectors.  I should also state that not all numismatists use the following coin grading system, many European countries have their own grading system, but this is what is followed in the United States and Canada.  The following are the most basic of terms that every beginner should know and understand.


Coin Valuation Terms From Lowest to Highest:

Poor (PO, PR) - 1 = The lowest grade possible, meaning that the coin is very worn or even damaged to a high extent, a coin in this grade would have to be exceptionally rare if it were to be collected. Usually 0-1% of the design is remaining in this grade.

Fair (FA, FR) - 2 = The second lowest grade, still very worn, very slight difference between Poor and Fair, you really need to be a professional to see these differences, coin is still undesirable for typical collectors.  Coins will have 2-4% of the design remaining.

About Good (AG) - 3 = The third lowest grade, very worn, and the difference is still slight between Poor, Fair and About Good, as mentioned before, you will likely have to be a professional to recognize the difference in such obscure grades.  You will find that more than 5% but less than 10% of the design is remaining in this grade.

Good (G) - 4, 6 = The fourth lowest grade, probably the lowest grade that a collector would buy a coin it, it will still be very word, but yet still collectible.  This will likely be the lowest grade you would find in any numismatic catalog, if they start here that is.  Usually only 10% of the design will be remaining.

Very Good (VG) - 8, 10 = Another low grade, but many collectors will purchase coins in this grade, many catalogs either start at this grade or at Good.  Around 25% of the design is remaining in this grade.

Fine (F) - 12, 15 =  This grade is low, but it is likely to be collectible as you begin to see many of the details of the coin.  World Coin catalogs published by Krause Publications usually start here.  Here you find about 50% of the design remaining on the coin.

Very Fine (VF) - 20, 25, 30, 25 = This is where you typically seen many coins that have been in circulation for about 10-15 years, they are worn but you can still see much of the finer detail, usually hairlines and other lines that usually get worn off by typical handling of the coin and circulation.  These coins are very collectible and even rare coins fetch a high price in this grade.  75% of the coin design will be intact.

Extremely Fine (XF, EF) - 40, 45 = This grade will look somewhat worn, but also somewhat new, much like a Statehood Quarter that has been in circulation for about 1-2 years. Highly collectible, coins will usually command a good price in this grade.  Usually 90% of the coin design is found to be intact. 

About/Almost Uncirculated (AU) - 50, 53, 55, 58 = Coins found in this grade look like they're almost uncirculated, as the name suggests, they usually have a few dings and bag marks on them and the luster of the coins will have diminished only slightly.  Great coins to collect and to preserve in coin albums.  Here the coin will have 95% of the coin design intact with some luster to be found from the original minting of the coin.


Mint State (MS) - 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70 = These coins are uncirculated and have never seen the grimy and oil laden hands of people.  Any coin that is found in this grade is highly collectible, command far higher prices than any other coins and if graded by a professional, it will usually have a nice price tag.  Keep in mind that MS-70 is the highest grade, and coins found in this state are very rare and need to be perfect in every sense of the word!

** It should be noted that within the category of Mint State are two subcategories that divide the 60-70 numerical values in half:

Uncirculated (UNC) - 60, 61, 62, 63, 64 = The coin will be  100% intact but the luster will vary depending on the quality of the dies that coin was minted on or if bag marks are present on the coin.  Many, if not most coins that are sold online by non-professional vendors of coins will give a coin the general grade of UNC without a numerical value as they are only telling you that the coin has never been in circulation and that the grade of the coin is up to you to find out.

Brilliant Uncirculated (BU) - 65, 66, 67, 68, 69 70 = This coin will also be 100% intact and usually with full and complete luster.  You will find very few bag marks or other small scratches on the coin at this grade.

Proof (PR) - This is a coin that was designed only for collectors and thus was not intended for circulation.  A proof coin can have a numerical value if it is graded under the Mint State category, otherwise, coins produced in proof condition will generally only say proof with no numerical value, this is the final grade of a coin, but keep in mind that it may not be the highest grade unless it was graded under Mint State.

Wednesday World Coins and Currency - 1 - The New But Unreleased $100 U.S. Bill

Let's start the Wednesday World Coins and Currency off with something quite funny, so funny in fact that it's worth $110 BILLION DOLLARS! Yes, you have probably heard the news and if you haven't this "new" $100 note was supposed to be circulating over 2 years ago but due to a problem in the printing process (some of the sheets are defective and crease during production), they haven't been put into circulation as of yet.

Now, first off, this is probably the most beautiful U.S. note not in circulation.  The security thread is similar to that found on the South Korean 50,000 Won note (it's holographic). Not only that but many of the security features are also beautiful.  With the beauty of the note aside, this note is a huge problem for the Bureau of Printing and Engraving (America's Printing Machine).  Why they were unable to find the problem before they expended over $110 billion in U.S. taxpayer money is ridiculous!  I mean, really?  They printed that many notes and no one said anything about it? Sounds like a conspiracy to me! Well to the collector, it leaves room for plenty of error notes, that is if they ever get released!  This is probably one of the most expensive numismatic blunders in world history and one of the most powerful countries on the planet is not even able to resolve the problem in an effective manner.

Enough of the hating game, I still wish they were put into circulation sometime soon, but given that the BEP will give about a 6 months notice to retailers and consumers before they introduce the note into circulation, the earliest that this thing will be out will likely be sometime early next year, if they ever fix the problem!  To me, it's mind blowing that they weren't able to find the problem sooner, and why not go to the Koreans who successfully printed their 50,000 Won notes.  The world never ceases to amaze me sometimes.

Happy Wednesday! PM Company Color-Coded Kraft Currency Straps, Dollar Bill, $50, Self-

Monday Money Magic - 1 - The Pink Penny

The Pink Penny

Welcome all to my first Monday Money Magic Post! In this post I'm going to show you how to turn a dull, grimy penny into a sharp looking pink one! Well, sorta pink, more like an orangey-pink color! It's a fun experiment, more reactive that just throwing the penny into a salt and vinegar mixture, and it really takes the grime off.  I do this every once in a while to the pre-1982 pennies that I find that have lots of gunk on them.  I usually keep all of my pre-1982 pennies, as the copper value is worth more than the penny itself.  If the US ever decides to make the melting of pennies legal again, I would have about $10.00 worth of pure copper! Lol! That being said, it is illegal to melt copper pennies in the United States, it is also illegal to take more than $5.00 worth of pennies outside of the country! So don't break the law, one day it might be me at the other end prosecuting you! =)

DISCLAIMER: Children under the age of 18 should not attempt this experiment, it is dangerous and may result in injury.  Please be forewarned that your penny will now become worthless in terms of being a numismatic piece, but it will still retain it's 1 cent value.  I'm not responsible for damage to you, your property, your penny, or anything related to this experiment, proceed at your own risk!  DO NOT do this if it is a coin that you're collecting and something that you want to add to your collection, it will have no collector value because what you have essentially done is destroy the value that it used to have, only do this with a coin that you do not care about and only for fun! 

MATERIALS AND INGREDIENTS

1. A Copper United States Penny (Pre-1982 - must not contain zinc, to be safe find anything before 1981)
2. Regular White Vinegar (Cold) - 1/4 Cup
3. Table Salt - 1 Teaspoon
4. Electric Stove Top
5. Metal Tongs


INSTRUCTIONS

 1. Take the regular white vinegar and pour it into a small glass saucer, then add the table salt.  Place the contents into the freezer until you're ready to proceed with the experiment

2. Take the penny(s) and place them along the coils of the electric stove top, then turn the stove on to the highest setting and wait.

3.  Wait around 5 minutes until the penny(s) have become almost molten red (if you turn all the lights off in the kitchen, you might be able to see it).  By this time, the impurities and gunk that was on the penny(s) would have burnt off by now.

4.  Get your tongs ready, take the penny and then drop it into the vinegar and salt mixture, it will make a somewhat loud zapping sound and the blackened layer will fall off, exposing the pink penny.

5. Once cool enough to handle with your hands, or tongs, rinse and dry the penny.

6. Done, one pink penny to look at!

Saturday Random Day - Thailand

So I'm already breaking my own rules to blogging, but guess what, I was going to post this yesterday, but decided not to.  Regardless, what you see here are the newest additions to my collection and the latest update to Thai coinage.  Granted, the new obverse images were released in 2008 and 2009, they are still new to Thai people and you won't find too too many in circulation.  These gems were given to me by my fiancees mother, not father! She too knows about my passion and love for coins, and so, she sent the maid out to go get some pocket change and buy some stuff, and as a result, I ended up with around 300 Baht worth of Thai coins. I plucked out the older ones and only wanted to show you guys the new face of Thai coinage.

The Facts:
Thai 10 Baht coins: The ones pictured above (bi-metallic) are dated B.E. 2553, 2554, 2555 (2010, 2011, 2012 respectively).  The composition of these coins have not changed from the previous version, the only thing that is different is the obverse.  I actually have a mint-sealed bag of these coins from 2009 with both the new and former obverse images (100 per bag at 1000 Baht for the entire bag).  I'm going to hang on the bag (as I always do) as I believe that one day, it will be worth some money because of how unusual it is to have a bag containing 2 different versions of the same coin.

Thai 5 Baht coins: Pictured to the right of the 10 baht ones, dated B.E. 2551, 2552, 2554, 2555 (2008, 2009, 2011, 2012 respectively).  The metal composition of these coins have not changed BUT, the weight of the coin has.  They reduced the amount of copper and nickel in the coin to save costs which in-turn, made the coin slimmer.  Both the obverse and reverse of the coin has been changed slightly from its predecessor.  Still a great coin!

Thai 2 Baht coins: Pictured below the 10 baht coins, dated B.E. 2553, 2554, 2555 (2010, 2011, 2012 respectively).  These coins are my second favorite Thai coins.  Reason being is that they are highly unpopular in Thailand and when I lived there the first time, they didn't even exist.  When the first 2 Baht coin was released for general circulation, it was made from nickel plated steel.  The coin was similar is size and color to the 1 Baht coins, which for vendors, made them somewhat confused.  When you do find the original 2 Baht coins, you will usually see a "2" written on the back of the coin in permanent marker.  Now the reason that the coin was only written on the reverse of the coin is due to lese majeste laws in Thailand which makes it illegal to deface currency, especially when defacing currency means drawing on the face of the King; highly disrespectful and in extreme cases, could land you in jail!

Since the coins were so unpopular and vendors kept drawing the number "2" on the reverse of them, the Royal Thai Mint was forced to make a different 2 Baht coin, which are the ones represented above, made from brass.  The reason that the RTM did not want to withdraw the entire issue was due to cost-saving concerns of minting less 1 and 5 Baht coins and using 2 Baht coins to fill the void.  So basically what you see above is a modern failure of a coin, which to me, makes it a very collectible coin! I currently have 300 of the original 2 baht coins that were only minted for 2 years and about 500 of the newer ones.  Yeah, I tend to hoard coins, can't help it!

Thai 1 Baht coins:  Pictured below the 5 Baht coins, dated B.E. 2552, 2553, 2554, 2555 ( 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 respectively). These coins are different from their predecessors in terms of metal content.  They are made from nickel plated steel unlike the former coins, maybe a trade-off for their failure to get the original 2 Baht coin into circulation.  Many of these 1 Baht coins seem to be struck weakly, but unlike the former 1 Baht coins, they don't tend to tarnish as fast as they used to! I have plenty of these, numbering in the 1000's, from all years of production.  Since I have so many of them, I'm going to have to sort out the dates and find the best specimens to put into a display album one day; likely a daunting task!

Thai 50 Satang coins:  Pictured at the very bottom to the left, dated B.E. 2551, 2553, 2552 (2008, 2010, 2009 respectively).  Like the 1 baht coins, the metal contents of these have also changed.  They are made from copper plated steel (I believe) unlike the former 50 Satang coin which looked golden in color, these tend to tarnish VERY quickly once fingers get on them.  If you were a tourist in Thailand, you would likely never run into these coins, along with the 25 Satang coin.  Like the U.S. penny, people generally don't use these coins.  If you wanted to pick some up, you would need to go to a grocery store, like Villa Supermarket, or the grocery stores at Siam Paragon or Emporium.  When my family and I lived in Thailand, we used to go out on Christmas eve and give out the loads upon loads of these 50 and 25 satang coins to the beggars, along with food, clothing, a blanket and about $10 cash.  When I see these coins, it always gives me a sense of nostalgia, and gives me a good feeling that we tried to help some people in desperate need.  It was a way for my mother to give back to the people and the country that temporarily adopted her and made her life extremely fun and enjoyable.  The next time I go back, I think I will follow in her footsteps and give back to the Thai people, maybe donate some of my time at an orphanage, donate some money to a charity or feed the monks.  Thailand to me is a heavenly place!

Thai 25 Satang coins: Pictured at the very bottom to the right, dated B.E. 2551, 2553, 2554 (2008, 2010, 2011 respectively).  Not to make the story short of anything, but basically what can be said of these coins would be exactly the same as the 50 Satang coins.  The metal contents have changed from the former coin to a copper plated steel coin.  What's interesting is that they are worth slightly less than 1 U.S. cent. If you ever have a chance to go to the Royal Thai Mint (which is a one day adventure to a part of Bangkok that is not on the typical tourist map) I would highly advise doing so.  When I went there, I picked up about $50 worth of Thai coins, and relating to this coin, I picked up 2 bags of these 25 Satang coins, which contain 400 coins per bag for 100 Baht (3.33 US$).  You get a lot of coins for a few bucks, but not only that, almost no one abroad has a bag of these gems, so you get that rarity aspect too!

Enjoy!

Friday Free Finds - 6 - Croatia

Pictured left to right: Croatian 5, 10, 20, 50, 50 Lipa, 1, 2, 2, 5 Kuna

If Friday the 13th wasn't freaky enough, I'm already on my 6th post and yet again posting the coins that my fiancees father gave to me.  Let me just clarify this for you if you're confused on how these were brought back to me. My fiancee is Thai, she went back to Thailand for vacation and to visit family and her parents, more specifically, her father, saved these coins from his recent visit to Europe, he went 3 times in 2011 and every time he went there, he kept me and my coin collecting obsession on his mind.  How kind!

I hope I'm keeping my viewers busy with these posts, I really do! Although there are only a few of you at the moment, that's enough to keep me going, but put the word out for me, I want 1 Million views by the end of the year!

Now to the coins, what I have pictured here is are the best specimens that I could find in the coins that were given to me.  Most of them are quite nice, mostly in AU (Almost Uncirculated) condition while the rest are F (Fine) to XF (Extra Fine).  Croatian coins are quite beautiful, the obverse of the coins depict the flora and fauna native to Croatia.  One interesting thing about these coins are the inscriptions on the obverse sides.  They write the name of the animal or plant species in either Croatian or Latin.  A good example of this are the two 50 Lipa coins in the picture.  The 50 Lipa on the left is written in Latin while the one on the right is written in Croatian.  The same can be said with the 2 Kuna coins, the left is in latin and the right is in Croatian!

Despite the fact that Latin is a dying language, Latin is very important in the scientific community.  You will usually find the use of Latin on many coins and currency throughout the world.  For example, the Latin language is all over U.S. currency and coins.  I'm not exactly sure why countries do this, but I always find it interesting.

What I don't have pictured here is the 25 Kuna coin.  I'm not sure if they use them in general circulation or if they are just collectors items, but the National Bank of Croatia has them listed on their site as general circulation coins, which leads me to believe that the 25 Kuna coins are hard to find.  But I could be wrong.

Enjoy!

Friday Free Finds - 5 - Lithuania Commemorative

Pictured Above from left to right: Snoras Bank Packaging for Lithuanian Commemorative 1 Litas coin, 1 Litas Reverse, 1 Litas Obverse

Here is yet another coin that my fiancees father brought back from his travels.  I'm not quite sure how and where he got these, but they are in BU (Brilliant Uncirculated) condition.  He gave me 2 of these and each in it's separate packaging from Snoras Bank, a Lithuanian bank.  This coin, dated 2011, was created to commemorate the 37th Basketball Championship hosted by Lithuania.  It has the same particulars as the circulation issue 1 Litas coin, but this one is more beautiful and very well designed! Although the packaging isn't so great, the coin was intended for general circulation, which means that if you were ever in Lithuania, you might be able to find one of these in your change! I got lucky and got 2 of them in packaging for free! Khup khun maak krob (Thank you very much in Thai).

Friday Free Finds - 4 - Finland and Estonia

TOP: Estonia 5 Euro Cents and 2 Euros

BOTTOM: Finland 5, 10, 20, 50, 50 Euro Cents and 1, 2 Euros

Ah yes, another post. Trying to keep you guys busy with some more additions to my collection.  These too were also free and donated to me by my fiancees father.  

Estonia:  The coins pictured at the top are from Estonia.  Not too sure why my fiancees father wasn't able to find the rest of the coins, but I think that he didn't have too much time to spend there, AND, since there are some many other Euro coins floating around in the Eurozone, it's likely that he tried his best, but these were the only two he could get.  Regardless, it's a very kind gesture for him to keep me in mind and to send these back with my fiancee from her visit back home in Bangkok, Thailand.  I don't have much to say about these Estonian coins, except that they are new.  Estonia is a recent addition to the Eurozone and replaced their former currency, the Sent and Kroon.  The obverse of the coin shows a map of Estonia.  The reverse is the common reverse found on all Euro coins.  These are great and the only two that I have for Estonian Euros.  I have 1 Estonian Kroon coin which was given to me by my father's friend back in the late 90's, but in general, my collection contains very few Estonian coins and currency.  If you'd like to donate, check out the information page where you will find my email and we can set something up!

These Estonian coins will be placed in my Euro coin collection and is a great addition to my collection!

Finland:  The coins pictured on the bottom are from Finland.  Finland is one of the original users of the Euro common currency.  Despite this, Finnish Euro coins are hard to come-by in the rest of  Euroland.  Seems to make sense due to the fact that Finland is a little more remote than the rest of the Euroland countries.  It is bordered by Sweden, Norway and Russia, all of whom are not users of the Euro common currency.  With this in mind, when I lived in France, I never found a Finnish Euro coin.  Maybe some like-minded numismatists plucked them out of circulation and added them to their collection (Touché to you!).  

I find these Finnish Euro's to be quite beautiful, especially the 1 and 2 Euro coins.  As you may notice, the 1 and 2 Euro Cent coins are missing.  The simple explanation is that they do not exist in Finnish circulation thanks to a system of rounding from their neighbor, Sweden; Swedish Rounding.  This form of rounding of Euro currency exists in The Netherlands and Finland.  It also exists in a number of other countries around the world, with the next to be... Canada!  Anyways, this is why you do not see the 1 and 2 cent coins, as they are only produced for collectors and not for general circulation!

Finally, you are probably wondering why I posted 2 Finnish 50 Euro Cent coins, right?  Some of you may already know, but for those that don't, the coins are actually different.  The 50 Cent piece on the left is the updated version of the map of the European community, while the one on the left represents the original European community.  Have a look! I believe that the change occurred in 2008 or 2009, but since then, the 10,20 and 50 cent coins all contain an updated European Community image. 

Enjoy!

Friday Free Finds - 3 - Latvia

Pictured Left to Right: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 Santims, 1 Lat

These are some of the other coins that my fiancees father brought back from his recent travels to Europe.  Latvia has a similar history to that of Lithuania.  It was previously an independent republic in 1918, then occupied by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.  It became an independent nation at the fall of the Soviet Union and has since been minting their own national coins.  

Latvian money, as opposed to Lithuanian money, is much more expensive (has more value).  1 Latvian Lat is worth around $1.75 USD.  Keeping that in mind, you would basically double the value of these coins to find out their real dollar value.  That being said, these coins are relatively small and very simple, especially given the fact the these coins are worth quite a bit (in a US dollar sense).  To me, they are still interesting because of their real value and for their collector value.  Before these coins, I had no Latvian coins whatsoever, I have a few Latvian notes, but coins were non-existent in my collection.  It's hard to find people that travel to this area and actually bring back coins, which you would be able to pickup at the local coin shop.  Thus, it has been quite hard to get my hands on these coins.  

In my opinion, the reverse of the 1-20 Santims coins resemble the coins of the former German (Deutsche) Mark.  What I like about these coins is their user-friendliness.  The coins are small but heavy, making it easy for a person to carry these coins and being able to pay for something without having so many heavy coins in your pocket (like the coins of the Australian and Canadian dollar).  Maybe that is the reason for success of these coins.  They are easy to differentiate, feel expensive and easy to carry around!

I have approximately 12 Lats worth of these coins, but these were the best examples that I could find.  Beggars can't be choosers, but at least I can pick out the best ones from the lot.  As with the Lithuanian coins, these will also be placed in non-pvc flips and the rest will be placed in the safe.

One additional note, these coins may soon become extinct as Latvia moves closer to the introduction of the Euro in the next few years.  So save them if you can before the European Union dissolves the numismatic identity of the countries that it absorbs.  But who knows, maybe the the Euro will be short-lived given that it's having so many fiscal problems!

Friday Free Finds - 2 - Lithuania

Pictured Left to Right: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 Centas, 1, 2, 5 Litas

These are true free finds, more specifically, donations! I received these beautiful coins from my fiancees father.  He recently went to Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland and Croatia to do some research and get some inspiration for his architectural work in South East Asia.  He designs hotels, among other things.  Anyways, he saved these for me, as he knows that I'm an avid collector.

What I like about these coins is the fact that Lithuania, only until recently, has become an independent state and these coins represent the independent people of Lithuania.  Yes it's true that they were independent before, in 1918, and then reoccupied by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, but upon the collapse of the Soviet Union, Lithuania became an independent state with their own numismatic identity.

The obverse of these coins has a depiction of the Lithuanian coat of arms; Vytis "The Chaser", while the reverse is quite plain and has the value of the coin on them.  I quite like the 1-5 Centas coins as they are made of aluminum.  A lot of people think that aluminum coins are boring and look cheap, but in fact, aluminum is quite expensive, durable and light-weight, which is the reason why the coins date-back to the creation of the Lithuanian nation-state (1992).  The 10-50 Centas coins are made of nickel-brass, which give them a sense and feeling of luxury and richness (due to their weight and thickness).  The 1 Litas coin is also quite nice, it is thick, heavy and made of copper-nickel, which also gives it a rich feeling.  Finally, my 2 favorite coins, the 2 and 5 Litas bi-metallic coins.  For some reason, I've always liked bi-metallic coins, they always stand out and they always feel expensive, no matter how worn-out the coins are.

Lithuania, like Latvia and Denmark is an ERM II member.  Which means that once they meet certain criteria of the European Central Bank, their coins will cease to exist and the Euro will be introduced.  It's not guaranteed, but the switch to Euros will eventually happen in Lithuania, and it will lose its numismatic identity.  So save your Centas and Litas if you can!

The coins pictured are the best examples that I have in my collection, he gave me about 50 Litas worth of Lithuanian coins.  These coins will be placed in non-PVC coin flips, while the others will be neatly placed in my safe, in a non-pvc bag labeled "Lithuania"!

Enjoy!

Friday Free Finds - 1 - Thailand

Here are two very recent additions to my collection.  The coin pictured on the Left is a Thai 10 Baht coin celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Fine Arts Department (BE: 2554 / 2011).  The coin pictured on the Right is a Thai 50 Baht coin celebrating the 84th Birthday (7th Cycle) of H.M. Bhumipol Adulyadej (BE: 2554 / 2011).

What's interesting about these coins are a few things.  First, the 10 baht, bi-metallic coin is part of a growing series of Thai commemorative 10 baht coins, the coins really are not that rare, but they are generally easy to collect and usually are in great condition.  You could likely buy the entire set of the bi-metallic 10 baht series (number around 56-58 now) for about $60 on eBay.  If you were to purchase them in Thailand at a coin shop at say, MBK or Jatujak, you could purchase the entire set for around 1,500 Baht, about $50 or less with current exchange rates.

The second interesting thing relates to the 50 Baht coin.  50 Baht coins are more rare than their 10 and 20 baht commemorative counterparts.  The mintage is usually significantly less but the purchase price of one of these coins is not too pricey.  One of the reasons why the coins is not too expensive is due to the fact that many Thai people work for far less than 50 baht an hour; in fact, the current DAILY minimum wage is 300 baht, which entails that you may work for approximately 10-12 hour days.  So you would be looking at around 30-40 baht an hour, which is close to $1-1.25.  Not a lot of money, but regardless, many Thais revere the monarchy quite highly and always have a picture of the King around which makes these coins collectible in Thailand.  Compared to other South East Asian countries, Thailand's commemorative coins are very numerous in all types of denominations, metal bases and types!

I had my fiancee pick these two coins up for about 80 Baht, so around $2.75 for both! She was in Bangkok visiting her family (while I studied for the bar exam), and I added these coins to my long list of things to collect from Thailand.

If you have any questions about finding a coin shop in the Bangkok Metropolitan area, please let me know and I will direct you to a few great places to find these gems! Enjoy!