RCC/"They Ain't From Around Here!"

"They Ain't From Around Here!"
(Actually, they are!)

Later this year the U.S. Mint will begin striking a commemorative 1,000 kronur coin on behalf of Iceland. The piece will celebrate the 1000th anniversary of Leif Erickson's trip to the New World, and will be issued in conjunction with a U.S. commemorative silver dollar celebrating the same event. This marks the first time since 1984 that the U.S. Mint has struck coins for another nation.

Prior to 1984, however, the U.S. Mint was a consistent producer of coins for nations around the world. In fact, the Mint has produced coins for over 40 countries, with the roster including Australia, Canada, Columbia, Cuba, Mexico, the Netherlands, Panama, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela. The first foreign coins produced by the Mint were 1 and 2-1/2 centavos pieces struck for Venezuela in 1876 in Philadelphia.

The execution of foreign coinage by U.S. mints was first authorized by the Act of January 29, 1874. This legislation allowed the Mint to strike coins for any nation, according to their legal specifications, as long as the activity did not interfere with the coinage needs of the U.S. This provision could help explain the cessation of foreign coin production by the Mint in 1984. At the time, the modem U.S. commemorative coin program was kicking into gear and millions of coins would soon be produced to honor the Olympics, the Statue of Liberty, the Constitution, and other people, places, and events.

For the collector looking for an interesting and challenging series offering a wide variety of coins, foreign coins struck at U.S. mints might be the ideal target.

Looking for a geography lesson? With coins produced for over 40 nations around the world, assembling a set featuring just one example from each country would produce a large and varied collection.

If metallic variety is the goal, this series offers coins struck in brass, bronze, copper-nickel, german silver, gold, nickel, silver, stainless steel, and zinc (among other minor compositions).

If denominational variety is desired, how about such "exotic" denominations as centavo, florin, franc, girsh, guilder, hwan, kroner, pence, peso, piastre, ryal, satang, shilling, sucre, and zlote.

And for collectors looking for a more typical or traditional approach (denominational type sets or date and mint sets, for example), the coins produced for Cuba, Panama, the Philippines, and Venezuela should provide the requisite challenges.

Will the striking of coins for Iceland begin a new era of U.S. Mint-produced foreign coinage? Time will tell, but it does not appear likely. With the 50 States Quarter Program, the continuing modern commemorative programs, and the normal demands of U.S. commerce all vying for press time, the Mint would be hard-pressed to take on much outside work. Thus for now, collectors have a static series to pursue and complete!

Until next month, Happy Collecting!

The RCC grants permission to reprint any articles not copyrighted by the author for non-profit educational purposes only, provided the Raleigh Coin Club and the author are cited as the original source.