France 10 Franc - I

10 Franc, 1976

Obverse shows some power transmission lines and reverse shows a map of France.

10 Franc, 1989

The subject of this coin is the spirit of Bastille. A winged figure can be seen on the obverse, which has been taken from the Place de La Bastille.

Place de La Bastille

This is one of the most famous spots in Paris, and a pivotal part of French history. It is where the French Revolution began.

History of the Place de la Bastille:

The Bastille was built during the 100 years war in 1370 as a fortress guarding the eastern entrance into Paris. Later on, it became a jail. Many prisoners were kept here, some sentenced for “witchcraft” by King Louis XIV. The best known prisoner is known only as “The Man in Iron Mask”, and his time in the prison (and suggestions for his possible identity) have been chronicled in print and film alike. Political prisoners, such as the Marquis de Sade and Voltaire, were also kept at the Bastille. The Bastille soon became a symbol of royal power and oppression. The confrontation between the royals and the commoners ultimately led to rebellion, with the French people storming the fortress on July 14, 1789, beginning the French Revolution.

Today, nothing remains of the building, but paved stones mark its outline. A Colonne de Juillet (July column), topped by the Winged Spirit of Liberty, was erected in 1840 as a reminder of France's turbulent past, and to commemorate victims of another revolt, the 1830 uprising.


July 14 is celebrated in France as Bastille Day in remembrance of the French Revolution.

France 20 franc, 50 franc

France 20 Francs, 1951

Metal: Aluminium-bronze
Diameter: 23mm

France 50 Francs, 1952

Metal: Aluminium-bronze

Proof set: Khadi and village industries commission

Khadi and village industries commission proof set cover

Khadi and village industries commission proof set obverse

Khadi and village industries commission proof set reverse

Khadi and village industries 50 rupee

Khadi and village industries 5 rupee copper nickel

Khadi and village industries commission proof set composition

Euro: Spain

Spain 1 Euro, 1999

Spain 2 Euro, 1999

The 1 and 2 euro coins of spain show Juan Carlos I (born in Rome, 5 January 1938) is the reigning King of Spain.

On 22 November 1975, two days after the death of dictator Francisco Franco, Juan Carlos was designated King according to the law of succession promulgated by Franco. The Spanish throne had been vacant for twenty-two years (1947 restoration) in 1969 when Franco named Juan Carlos as the next ruler of Spain.

On 22 November 1975, two days after the death of dictator Francisco Franco, Juan Carlos was designated King according to the law of succession promulgated by Franco. The Spanish throne had been vacant for twenty-two years (1947 restoration) in 1969 when Franco named Juan Carlos as the next ruler of Spain. The Spanish Constitution affirms the role of the Spanish monarch as the personification and embodiment of the Spanish nation, a symbol of Spain's enduring unity and permanence; and as such, the monarch is the head-of-state and commander-in-chief of the Spanish Armed Forces in a system known in Spanish as "monarquía parlamentaria" (parliamentary monarchy).

King Juan Carlos successfully oversaw the transition of Spain from dictatorship to parliamentary democracy.

Juan Carlos married Sophia of Greece and Denmark in 1962. The couple has three children and eight grandchildren.

Polls from 2000 show that he is widely approved of by Spaniards. According to the Spanish Constitution, the monarch is also instrumental in promoting Ibero-American relations, the "nations of its historical community".

Spain 2 Euro, 400th anniversary of Don Quixote

This 2 Euro coin was released in 2005 on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the publication of Cervantes’ Don Quixote de la Mancha. Throughout Spain and in cities such as Dallas, Mexico City, Paris, Brussels, Oran, Algeria, and St. Petersburg, Cervantes’ novel was celebrated with plays, debates, exhibitions, concerts and films. “Don Quixote Round the World”, a travelling exhibition featuring paintings, drawings and engravings, begins a world-wide tour of book fairs in April.

The first edition of Book One of Don Quixote came off a printing press in Madrid on December 20, 1604, and reached the public on Jan 6, 1605. The novel quickly became an international best seller. Four centuries on, it still ranks as the most published and translated book after the Bible.

The novel tells the story of Don Quixote, a humble, book-loving village gent who dries up his brain by reading too many cheap romances, and decides to throw it all in to become a knight errant.

He puts on a cardboard helmet, mounts an old horse and sets off across the plain with his faithful sidekick, Sancho Panza. They are searching for a peasant girl from a nearby village who the Don imagines is a noble princess. Along the way they sow chaos and confusion wherever they go.

Don Quixote has been variously described as the first great European novel, the first work of modern literature and the foundation of Latin American fiction.

"All prose fiction is a variation on the theme of Don Quixote," the American critic Lionel Trilling wrote in 1950.

In 2002, the novel was voted the best book of all time by a group of 100 writers, including Salman Rushdie, Nadine Gordimer, Wole Soyinka and Norman Mailer, in a survey organized by editors at the Norwegian Book Club in Oslo.

Euro: Spain cents

1 cent, 2005

2 cent, 2004

5 cent, 2005

The 1,2 and 5 cents show the facade of the cathedral of Santiago de Comppostela, which is the church in Spain.

Santiago de Compostela Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church in Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain. The cathedral is the reputed burial-place of Saint James the Greater, one of the apostles of Jesus Christ. It is the destination of the Way of St. James, a major historical pilgrimage route since the Middle Ages.

10 cent, 1999

20 cent, 1999

50 cent, 2000

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (29 September 1547 – 23 April 1616) was a Spanish novelist, poet, and playwright. His magnum opus Don Quixote, often considered the first modern novel, is a classic of Western literature, and is regarded amongst the best works of fiction ever written. His work is often considered amongst the most important works in all of Western literature. His influence on the Spanish language has been so great that Spanish is often called la lengua de Cervantes, Spanish for the language of Cervantes. He has been dubbed El Príncipe de los Ingenios – The Prince of Wits.

The picture shown on these coins is taken from portrait commonly said to be that painted by Juan Martínez de Jáuregui y Aguilar, though now some people believe that the painting is not an authentic one.

Cervantes died in Madrid on April 23, 1616. In honor of the date on which both Miguel de Cervantes and William Shakespeare died, UNESCO established April 23 as the International Day of the Book.

Euro: Germany

Germany 1 euro, 2002

2 euro, 2002

Weight: 8.52 gm

Metal: bi-metallic brass centre with copper-nickel ring

Diameter: 25.6mm

Reverse: Map of Europe with denomination

Obverse: stylized eagle

Edge: reeded

The symbol on the reverse is the German eagle which is a symbol of soveriegnity. It is taken from the coat of arms of germany, which is one of the oldest extant state symbols in Germany, and one of the oldest insignia in Europe.

Origin/meaning:
The present arms were officially adopted on January 20, 1950.

The German eagle is already an old national symbol for the Kings and Emperors of Germany, or its predecessors (to make it easy, the former Empire is named Germany below, even though the name was not officially used until 1871).
Even though Charlemagne used an eagle as the national symbol around 800, he claimed to be the successor of the Roman Emperors, who already used an eagle, it was not until the end of the 12th century that the eagle was used in arms of the Emperors. Before the end of the 12th century the eagle sometimes appears as the national symbol, but mainly shown as a natural eagle.

The first known use of the eagle as arms of the Emperor or the Empire is a coin, minted in Maastricht (now in the Netherlands), dating from between 1172 and 1190. It shows a single-headed eagle

The use of an eagle was not limited to the German Emperors, at the same time the Counts of Saarwerden and Henneberg, the Kings of Bohemia, the Dukes of Austria and others used an eagle in their arms or as their symbol. In the 13th and 14th century many other noble families also used an eagle.

The Imperial Eagle was also used by all free cities, throughout the empire, examples are Mosbach, Aalen and, outside present Germany, Deventer.

The colours of the Imperial Eagle are already known from the 13th century, as being a black eagle on a golden field. These colours are thus also used by practically all Imperial cities. The origin of the colours is not known. It may be derived from the colours of the Staufen dynasty, who were the ruling dynasty at the time the arms were adopted. In any case, the basic colours have not changed since. The claws, legs, beak and tongue gradually became red. The first mentioning of red legs date from the early 14th century. The Zürich roll of arms from 1335 also shows a red tongue. The beak does not become red until the 18th century. Completely black eagles appear at the same time during the centuries.

The arms were covered by a crowned helmet with an eagle as a crest until 1330. In 1330, under the reign of Ludwig of Bavaria, the eagle in the crest was replaced by the wings of the Wittelsbach family (his dynasty). These remained until the 15th century. Afterwards crests are rarely used.

The original arms showed a single-headed eagle. Germany was an Empire, but after the death of an Emperor first a nobleman was chosen as King of Germany. He could be promoted to Emperor, but that did not always happen. Gradually thus two different arms appeared, a single-headed eagle for the Kings and a double-headed eagle for the Empire and the Emperor. The first mentioning of a double-headed eagle dates from 1250 in a roll of arms of Matthew of Paris for Emperor Friedrich II. In the next 180 years both arms were used indiscriminately. Emperor Sigismund finally decided the difference between the arms for the King and the Emperor.

After the First World War, the new Republic removed all Prussian symbols, and used a plain single-headed eagle. The arms are identical as the present arms.
During the Nazi reign, the old heraldic arms were completely removed. The new national symbol, the swastika, was now held by a stylistic eagle. Even though the national state did not use arms, it was encouraged for local councils to adopt heraldic arms.

After the Second World War Germany was divided into Western Germany and the German Democratic Republic. West Germany continued to use the old arms of the Republic. The GDR did not use true arms, but a typical socialist logo. At first (in the 1950ies), it included only the garland of corn and the hammer. The garland of corn symbolised the farmers and the hammer symbolised the labourers, because the GDR was a land, which was governed by the labourers and farmers (according to the official propaganda) Later the compass was supplemented, which symbolised intelligence and fine industry.

After the reunification, the old West German arms were continued.

Bosnia and Herzegovina feninga

5 Feninga, 2005

Weight: 2.66gm
Metal: steel
Diameter: 18mm

10 feninga, 2008

Weight: 3.9gm
Metal: copper plated steel
Diameter: 20mm


20 Feninga, 1998
Weight: 4.5gm
Metal: copper plated steel
Diameter: 22mm


50 Feninga, 1998

Metal: copper plated steel

The obverse shows the denomination on the map of Bosnia and the reverse shows a triangle with stars.

Bosnia & Herzegovina Konvertible Marka

Bosnia-Herzegovina 1 marka 2006

The Bosnia Herzegovina 1 marka shows the Bosnian coat of arms on the obverse.

Bosnia-Herzegovina 2 marka, 2003

Bosnia-Herzegovina 5 Konvertible Marka, 2009

The Bosnia-Herzegovina 2 and 5 marka coins are bimetals and they feature a dove carrying an olive branch, which is a symbol of peace. This shows the country's yearning for peace as it has been torn by war for a long time now. It can also be called "No man's land", and there was also this oscar winning movie which went by the name of 'No Man's Land' from Bosnia-Herzegovina. Also, because of the country being caught up in war for a long time, the coins of the country are hard to get from a collector's point of view. The face value of a Bosnia set is about 330 rupees and it would sell in the market for about 3 times the face value.

South Africa Rand

South Africa 1 Rand, 2007

The obverse shows a springbok and the reverse shows the coat of arms of South Africa.

The inscription at the bottom reads "soli deo gloria". Soli Deo gloria is one of the five solas propounded to summarize the Reformers' basic beliefs during the Protestant Reformation; it is a Latin term for Glory to God alone.The doctrine states essentially that everything that is done is for God's glory to the exclusion of humankind's self-glorification and pride. Christians are to be motivated and inspired by God's glory and not their own.

2 Rand, 2004

5 Rand, 2006

Obverse shows a wildbeast and the reverse shows the coat of arms of South Africa.

The coat of arms of South Africa shows the secretary bird in flight at the top, two people meeting hands at the middle and a motto at the bottom. The motto /ke e: /xarra /ke is written in the Khoisan language of the /Xam people and translates literally to "diverse people unite". The previous motto, in Latin, was Ex unitate vires, translated as "unity is strength". The secretary bird is a predatory bird endemic to Africa, and is found in the Sub-Saharan plains of Africa. It features on the coat of arms of Sudan and South Africa.