Many argue that money has become one of the most important inventions of mankind. With their help, we learned how to exchange goods. As a result, today we have the opportunity to get anything in the world, if these most coveted pieces of paper or zeros on the account would be enough. The bulk of money on Earth has quite traditional look. They are made either in the form of paper bills or in the form of metal coins. Long gone are the days when in some places you could buy anything for mirrors and beads. Nevertheless, even today in the circulation of some countries of the world there are very strange money.
Vietnamese Green stamps. This currency ranks tenth in our ranking. Surprisingly, the people of Vietnam themselves will not be able to pay for any goods with such money. For these stamps you can buy only some very specific things. The thing is that each banknote has tear-off coupons on the edge. Each of them can be exchanged for the thing that is indicated on the money. For example, the Green Mark can be issued for the purchase of clothing. At the same time, tear-off coupons make it possible to purchase only pants, coats, socks and other similar things. At the same time, coupons of a certain denomination are allocated for each item.
Centinial. It was the only wooden money in the world. At one time they were in circulation in the city of Mus-Jo, which is located in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The fact is that after the First World War, Germany tried with all its might to raise its Reichsbank, which had collapsed due to inflation. After all, it was necessary to pay compensation to all affected countries. In those days, the Germans printed money on everything that was only suitable for these purposes. But it was the tree that became the most unusual material. Such money was recycled by Canadians for their needs, their own designations were applied to their surface.
Pound Lewis. This money was named after the English town of the same name. At one time, the cunning entrepreneur Michael Chartier was the mayor there. He figured out how best to develop the small traditional shops of his town. To do this, the mayor introduced his own currency in his possessions, which he called the Lewis pound. With this money, the townspeople could pay for any goods in the Lewis area, as well as pay bills. This example was followed a year later by the city of Brixton in South London. A local Brixton pound would have been issued there.
Disney dollar. Disney created a whole fairy-tale world. And what is the world without its own currency? The Disney dollar is equal in par value to the US dollar. Banknotes are issued in denominations of 1, 5, 10 and 50 units. But they can only be used in Disney theme parks, resorts, cruise ships, and Disney's private island, Castaway Cay. This currency was created in 1987. On banknotes, instead of traditional American presidents, cartoon characters are depicted - Mickey Mouse, Goofy and Mini.
Chilean peso. Who today can call this currency strange? To understand this, we must go back to the year 2008, not far from us. Then everything will become clear, and the currency will really seem unusual and funny. After all, then, when minting coins on the engraving, an unfortunate mistake was made. As a result, about 50 million coins were issued in denominations of 50 pesos with the inscription "Republic of Chii" (Republica de Chiie). The head of the mint was arranged, and the coins themselves became the object of hunting for numismatists. For them today they ask for a double face value.
Recycled Caribbean money. The term recycled does not mean at all that this money was made from recycled materials or old paper. The secret should be sought in the middle of the 19th century. At that time, the Caribbean did not have its own currency. So it was decided to melt down foreign coins, and mint their own money from the resulting metal. Hence the name for recycled money. The most unusual of them were in circulation in the Dominican Republic. There, in the center of each coin, there was a hole in the firm of the heart.
Space Pound Sterling. It is curious that this currency has never circulated on Earth, although it already exists. This money is only waiting for the development of technologies to eventually become common and uniform for everyone. Interestingly, the currency is designed for large overloads that will occur during interstellar flights. These coins are missing sharp corners, and the material from which they are created is absolutely safe for the human body. The space pound was not created by enthusiasts at all, but by scientists from the National Space Center and the University of Leicester. This money will have to replace electronic money transfers, which will no longer be relevant in space.
Palau Silver Dollar. In 2007, these islands, which are also one of the smallest countries in the world, issued their own currency. She came out quite unusual. It was a silver dollar with the image of the Virgin Mary on it. But there was still a small reservoir attached to the coin. It contained holy water from a grotto in Lourdes, France. A year later, the second series of coins appeared, which was dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the appearance of the Virgin Mary in that grotto.
Rai Stones. This money can be considered the strangest, and they are not going to give this title away. Yes, and it is hard to do, because even moving the heavy stones of Rai is not easy. It is amazing that in this age of space and electronic technology, someone continues to use the old money. The inhabitants of Yap Island, which is part of the Solomon Islands, began to use them at the very dawn of commodity-money relations. Their currency was huge stone discs with a hole inside. The larger the circles, the more valuable they are. The price of the currency is also determined by the number of people who died while transporting such a "coin" to the island. Indeed, on the island of Yap, there are simply no such stones. So the natives are forced to swim in their canoes to the neighboring island of Palau, where there is a lot of such money. Then heavy discs are delivered home with great difficulty. The inhabitants of the island of Palau look at these attempts ironically. In their hearts, they are happy that there is already such a currency on the island, and there is no need to sail somewhere for it. I am also glad that there is no capitalism on these islands. There is simply no inflation in the country. Therefore, there is no need to bring home more and more stones of Rai from year to year.
Money is considered a necessary attribute of civilization. But if everything was as boring as it sounds, the world would not see such a flight of human imagination, captured in the most ordinary, it would seem, things. We have collected the most interesting coins and money in the world and examples of how they become the subject of art.
The most unusual money in the world
1. Let's start with Disney Dollars.Walt Disney, who created the world of childhood for several generations, did not forget about the important. In the legendary Disneyland, children run everything, which means that the currency must be appropriate. Equal in value to the US dollar, the Disney dollar was first issued in 1987. The denominations of 1, 5 and 10 Disney dollars correspond to famous cartoon characters - Mickey, Goofy, Minnie. You can pay with them in all parks, resorts, liners and the island of the great Disney.
2. Unusual money of the island of Yap, which is impossible not to notice.
They appeared at the beginning of time and are still used by them today. Heavy discs of worn stone with a large hole in the middle to carry them broke not a single pair of legs.
Their value is determined by the size and number of people who died in the process of transporting them to the island. Yapi does not have their own stones, so they have to transport money from the island of Palau in a canoe.
3. Money smells
Those still inventors live on the island of Palau. A few years ago, they decided to issue a series of coins called "Paradise fragrance". The coin with the image of a coconut was the first to be released and it smelled delicious. Another noteworthy one is from the same series - with an engraving of a surfer who caught a wave. Its fragrance is as fresh as ocean waves.
4. Cameroon Butterfly
Three years ago, a silver coin was issued in Cameroon, recognized as the most beautiful and unusual coin in the world of numismatics. This coin is very valuable, but not in terms of its face value, but in terms of aesthetics. It is engraved with the flower on which it landed. amazing butterfly with colored wings. Looks realistic and voluminous. The technology of its manufacture is kept in the strictest confidence, and the number of issued coins is only 2.5 thousand pieces, so there is a little bit of good.
5. Talking John F. Kennedy is a sample of a coin with an interesting property.
On strange Mongolian coins worth 500 tugriks, John F. Kennedy flaunts. They are equipped with a special button, pressing which reproduces the legendary phrase of the former US president: "I am proud to be a Berliner." It is clear that a series of such coins is extremely small and expensive.
But these interesting coins are not all that it can boast of. National Bank Mongolia. For example, in 2011, they decided to issue a collection series of coins dedicated to endangered animals. This idea met with active support from the world community, and collectible coins were recognized as unusually beautiful. One of the most expressive animals captured in this series is the Ural Owl. The work is done very realistically, the coin is made of the highest standard silver, and the owl's eyes are encrusted with dark Swarovski stones. Now the value of an owl fluctuates between 1500 - 3000 US dollars.
6. Pyramid of Tutankhamen
An interesting coin in the form of a silver pyramid came out of the Pobjoy Mint 5 years ago. This is a tribute to Howard Carter, 70 years since his death at the time. Carter is famous for finding the tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamen in the Valley of the Kings. The image from the walls of the tomb is engraved on the coin. The sun is depicted at the top of the pyramid, and this is a particularly remarkable detail, because grains of sand are interspersed in it, which abound in this very tomb.
7. Coins in the form of guitars
Ten years ago, coins were issued in Somalia, now recognized as the most unusual and original. These are miniature multi-colored guitars, the surface of which is coated with silver, with a denomination of 1 dollar. An extravagant series of coins was issued for the anniversary of rock and roll, for its fiftieth anniversary.
8 Dinosaur Skeleton
One of the latest novelties in the modern world of numismatics is a coin with the image of a dinosaur.
The fact is that the remains of a prehistoric animal were discovered not so long ago near the province of Alberta. A coin is easy to find in a dark pocket, as the phosphorescent skeleton of a majestic animal is sure to attract attention. On its reverse side is a portrait of Elizabeth 2, which, alas, does not want to phosphoresce.
9. From extreme to extreme
One of the heaviest coins in the world, one of the ten most unusual coins in the world. A coin with a face value of 1 million Canadian dollars weighs a lot - 100 kg., And its alloy is 99.9% pure gold. Until 2011, this treasure rightfully ranked first in the world in terms of its dimensions. But in October 2011, Australia presented something cooler. A giant coin 12 cm thick, 80 cm in diameter and weighing about 1000 kg of pure gold, which replaced its predecessor, was issued at the Perth Mint.
Meanwhile, in Foggy Albion, they came up with and implemented the concept of nano-money. The smallest of the coins boasts a diameter of 750 nanometers (1 nanometer is equal to one billionth of a meter). It depicts Queen Elizabeth 2, who, in fact, is the object of the idea - the creation of amazing money was timed to coincide with her diamond jubilee.
10 Chile Mint Misprint
In 2008, something irreparable happened in Chile during the minting of coins. 50 million coins with the inscription "Republic of Chii" became the subject of hunting for modern numismatists and the reason for the dismissal of the head of the Mint of Chile. Today, collectors will have to pay double the price for them.
11. Pound Sterling for the space public.
Ray Bradbury, in his writings, relentlessly placed fears about crossing cosmic boundaries. So far, his fears have not been confirmed and earthlings have not landed on other planets, but there is already a special currency for this case. Cosmic money is designed to withstand possible overloads during future flights, is not subject to interstellar collisions and is completely devoid of sharp edges. The currency is intended to replace irrelevant wire transfers in the future. And it was created by a group of scientists from the National Space Center and the University of Leicester.
12. Virgin Mary of Palau
The Palau Islands have repeatedly surprised the public with their exceptional money. But in 2007 they created something interesting. The $1 silver coin is adorned with the image of the Virgin Mary, and inside the coin there is a reservoir of holy water from Lourdes, a grotto in France. In 2008, another series of coins was released, dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the appearance of the Blessed Virgin in this grotto.
13. Chewbacca instead of an eagle
The small Pacific nation of Niue is in dire need of money, so it released it to make money. The coins depict characters from the legendary Star Wars movie saga, so fans of the movie and collectors will definitely like them. One such unusual coin costs $390.
In 2007, a coin appeared in the Cook Islands with unusual shape dedicated to Princess Diana, or rather the decade since her death. As you know, the world loved Diana Spencer very much, and therefore the coin looks like a Valentine. In the shape of a heart and with a portrait of a person of blue blood.
15. Science has stepped forward.
The now popular use of QR codes originated in Japan, and today the Netherlands Mint has released the first coins of its kind with this code. It contains a link to the website of the Dutch Ministry of Finance.
Humanity has long been paying with might and main plastic cards, but here in Canada, for example, they pay with plastic cash. The idea is good because the bill does not wear out over time and is not subject to attacks by counterfeiters.
Inspired by Lego, Designer Mac Funamizu set about creating the so-called prefabricated coins. For example, a dollar coin can be divided into quarters or halves. This idea will solve the age-old problem with an excess or lack of change and make money circulation more interesting.
We all know that it is impossible to count money after sunset, because they are not visible. Therefore, the recently created Luminous Paper Money concept is a solution to this problem. There are several backlight options, they correspond to a certain face value.
As you can see, human imagination is capable of transforming boring reality into something sublime and beautiful. The country has interesting coins, it is a kind of visiting card, an attempt to express feelings, the desire to perpetuate what you love, and of course dreams of a fantastic future. This is demonstrated by the exhibits presented above.
In many countries of our planet, the usual paper and metal money has not yet taken root. It would seem that the times of beads and mirrors as monetary units have long since passed, but is it really so?)
Earlier we already talked about the Most Unusual Money and the Most Beautiful Money in the World, today you will learn about the strangest examples of currency that have ever been bailed and even still used. So, in 10th place in terms of strangeness among modern and not very currencies are the Vietnamese Green Marks. With this money, the Vietnamese cannot pay for everything they want, they can only buy some specific things. The whole catch is that on the edges of each banknote there are special tear-off coupons that the owner can only exchange for the thing that is indicated on them. For example, if the Green Mark is issued for the purchase of clothes, then only trousers, coats, socks, etc. can be bought for tear-off coupons, and a strictly defined number of them is given for each item.
The 9th line is occupied by the only wooden money in the world - centennials, which at one time were used in the town of Moose-Jo in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. This method of printing money was used by the Germans after the First World War, who tried with all their might to raise the Reichsbank from oblivion and pay colossal compensation to the affected countries. In fact, at that time the Germans printed money on everything, but the most unusual material was still wood.
On the 8th place is the Lewis pound - it was in this English town at one time that the enterprising mayor Michael Chartier was in power, who decided to create an internal currency to promote the small traditional shops of the city, which he simply called the Lewis pound. With such money, local residents could pay for any goods and pay any bills within the city. The city of Brixton in South London followed suit only a year later with the creation of the local Brixton pound.
On the 7th line is one of the strongest currencies in the world - the Disney dollar, the value of which is equal to the US dollar. However, $1, $5, $10, and $50 denominations can only be used at Disney theme parks, resorts, cruise ships, and Disney's private island, Castaway Cay. The currency was created in May 1987
The 6th place on our list is occupied by the Chilean peso, which today will not turn out to be either strange or unusual, but if we return to the not-so-distant 2008, everything falls into place and the peso becomes, if not unusual, then at least a ridiculous currency. The thing is that it was then, in 2008, that the minters made a terrible mistake by writing the name of the country with an error - as a result, 50 million coins with the inscription Republic of Chii (Republica de Chiie) got into circulation.
5th place is occupied by "recycled money" of the Caribbean countries. No, this does not mean that they are made from recycled paper or recycled materials. What then is their "recycling"? The answer must be sought in the middle of the 19th century, when the Caribbean islands, in the absence of their own currency, began to melt foreign coins and mint their own from the resulting metal - that's where they got such unusual name. The most unusual "recycled money" was in use in the Dominican Republic - in the center of each coin there was a hole in the shape of a heart
On the 4th line is the Cosmic Pound Sterling - a currency that has never been used on Earth and is still waiting for our technologies to develop sufficiently to become a single space currency in the future, designed to withstand loads space travel: the "coins" have no sharp corners and they are made from substances that are absolutely harmless to the human body. The Space Pound was developed by scientists at the National Space Center and the University of Leicester as an alternative to electronic money transfers, which would become impossible in space.
In 2nd place is the silver dollar of the Palau Islands, issued in 2007. It was then that one of the smallest countries in the world made its own currency a bit unconventional. The authorities have issued a silver dollar with the image of the Virgin Mary and a tiny tank containing holy water from the Grotto in Lourdes (France). The following year, a second series of coins was issued to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Apparition of the Virgin Mary in the Grotto.
So, we finally got to the strangest currency. On the 1st line, the huge Rai Stones of the Solomon Island of Yap are firmly entrenched and do not want to move anywhere. It is surprising that in the 21st century someone still continues to use money, which was first used at the dawn of the market, but the islanders of Yap do use large stone disks with a hole in the middle as a currency, the value of which is determined by the size and, most importantly, by the how many people died in the process of transporting the stone to the island
The fact is that there are no such stones on their native island, so local residents have to canoe to the neighboring island of Palau, where there are still a lot of stone discs, and deliver "money" home
The inhabitants of Palau themselves are watching this process ironically, rejoicing in their hearts that they have their own currency and they don’t have to bend so hard trying to get it) Well, at least there is no capitalism on the island of Yap and the country remains immune to inflation, otherwise the islanders would have to to mine the Rai Stones of ever larger sizes...
The biggest coin
The largest coin in the world The coin, made in Australia, even has its own name - Tonne Gold Kangaroo Coin
The dimensions are amazing - 80 cm diameter of the coin, thickness - 12 cm. The largest coin is made of the purest 999.9 gold. Her weight is 102 kg. The face value of the coin is 1 million Australian dollars. Its real price on the market is hundreds of times higher (gold is the same). And the fact that it is made in a single copy makes it truly unique.
surprise money
thermal coin The coin itself initially looks simple, except that it is red in color. But as soon as you pick it up, the image changes and .... a chicken appears. The point is the thermal material that covers the surface. At different temperature different images appear.
A coin depicting …..cannabis was issued in 2011 in Benin. It is not clear what was the purpose of the government issuing coins. Smoking marijuana in this country is officially prohibited.
Hemp shaped coin The largest paper banknote was released in Hungary in 1946. In the post-war period, wild inflation reigned in the country. Price tags had to be rewritten literally every day. Therefore, the sextillion banknote did not surprise anyone at that time.
A sextillion is 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 or a billion trillion
The smallest banknote in the world issued in Romania in 1917. The dimensions of the "baby" were 2.7 x 3.8 cm.
The average circulation period of paper money is about 3-5 years. Too short-lived, they decided in Canada and put plastic money into circulation. The advantages are obvious - such money practically does not wear out and is most durable money in the world.
Plastic money from Canada If you have a banknote in your hands with a face value of 1 million US dollars, then you are a member of the International Club of Millionaires. The banknote was issued in 1988 specifically for these purposes and is a kind of pass to the club.
1 million dollar banknote The largest banknote in the world is not actually money. This is a huge office building in Lithuania. It is built in the form of a banknote of 1000 local money (lit.)
Building in Lithuania in the form of a banknote A flip coin issued in Liberia in 2001. The image of a woman with glasses changes to a sailor when a coin is flipped over.
The smallest coin in the world was issued in Nepal in 1740. Its weight was only - 0.002 g.
For comparison, a coin of 1 ruble weighs about 3.24 g and is comparable in weight to 1,162 Nepalese coins.
Celebrity coins
Coin - Star Wars The small island nation of Niue decided to capitalize on popular movie characters, namely " star wars". It began to issue coins depicting the heroes of the popular movie saga. It is clear that these coins were immediately bought by numismatists and fans of the film. There is only one but. The cost of one coin started from 500 US dollars. Thus, the government found a practical cost-free source of replenishment of the treasury.
Coin - Don Quixote In general, similar images of various fictional characters are periodically found on coins and banknotes. So, in the unknown state of Palau, coins with the image of Don Quixote were issued. It is noteworthy that only about 5% of the indigenous people of the country know the work of Cervantes.
Incredible Facts
However, throughout the history of the currency, rather strange forms of payment have appeared.
It could be giant heavy stones, geometric figures, metal sticks and many other non-standard materials.
Fancy Coins: Rai Stones
In Micronesia on Yap Island, Rai stones are legal tender. These coins are large limestone discs with a diameter of 1.5 - 6 meters with a hole in the middle. The cost of such a stone depends on the size, weight, and how many people died to move such a stone.
Coins of Africa: Kissi money
In some parts of West Africa, until the 20th century, twisted iron sticks 33-36 cm long in the form of the letter "T" on one end and with the shape of a spatula on the other. They were called Kissi money or Kissi pennies and were often used during burial ceremonies. Often they were used in bundles. So, for example, a cow cost 100 bundles of 20 twigs.
The biggest coin
Canadian 1 million canadian dollar coin, which weighs 100 kg and is 99.9 percent pure gold, was considered the largest coin in the world until 2011.
At the end of October 2011, Australia introduced the largest gold coin in the world. Huge coin issued by the Perth Mint weighs more than a ton of pure gold. Its thickness is 12 cm and its diameter is 80 cm.
The smallest coin
Historically, the smallest coin is the Tara Vijayanagara silver quarter in India, diameter - 4 mm which weighs only 1.7 grams.
The smallest commemorative coin
And in 2012 in the UK created the smallest diamond coin with the image of Queen Elizabeth II in honor of the diamond jubilee. Its diameter is only 750 nanometers (1 nanometer is one billionth of a meter)
Unusual geometric money of Somalia
These so-called coins are three dimensional geometric shapes cone (water), pyramid (fire), sphere (earth), cylinder (wood), and cube (metal).
Somalia is also famous for other unusual coins in the shape of cars, guitars and motorcycles.
Rare fiber coins
Yuan Makchukuo was the official coin in Japan in the occupied territory of Manchuria. In 1944-45, due to the war, the stocks of metal were sharply reduced and coins of 1 and 5 fen were made from red and brown cardboard-like material.
wooden money
This money was in use in the city of Moose-Jo in Canada. They were issued in the period after the First World War, when the metal was so rare that the cities issued currency from the very available material including wood planks.
Rare talking coin
The Mongolian 500 tugrik coin, which features US President John F. Kennedy on one side, has a small button that, when pressed, you can hear the historical phrase of the president: "I'm proud to be a Berliner!"
Silver coin with holy water
One of the smallest countries in the world - the island nation of Palau - in 2007 issued an unusual coin - a silver dollar depicting the Virgin Mary with a tiny vial containing holy water from a holy place in Lourdes, France.
space money
This currency is not used on Earth, but was designed for space tourists. It was created by scientists from National Space Center And University of Leicester and was named Quid (from the English Quasi Universal Intergalactic Denomination - a quasi-universal intergalactic denomination). These round coins, made of heavy-duty plastic with images of the planets of the solar system, are capable of withstanding space load and have a high degree of protection.
