Coin buyers may look for different qualities in currency and coinage. Some coins have value because they contain precious metal, others because they are exceptionally scarce, and some foreign currency become collectible simply because they are unusual. The following examples are among the stranger forms of currency found around the world.
1. Canadian Gold Maple Leaf Coins
Canadian Maple Leafs are gold coins showing Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse and a maple leaf on the reverse. They contain the highest gold purity found in any coin worldwide. Most were valued at $50, though they came in several sizes and denominations, including rare pieces worth $1 million. As an additional note, the $1 million Canadian Gold Maple Leaf—the most valuable coin ever produced—was recently stolen from Berlin’s Bode Museum.
2. Cook Islands 10-Dollar Bill
The Cook Islands are a chain of Polynesian islands in the South Pacific. Although associated with New Zealand, they govern themselves and use their own money. Their ten-dollar note expresses national heritage through an image of a topless native woman riding a shark through the sea.
3. Manchukuo Cardboard Yuan
Manchukuo, also called the State of Manchuria, was a monarchy within China governed by the Manchu family. During 1944 and 1945, World War II metal shortages led its government to issue coins made from a cardboard-like material.
4. Zimbabwe’s One Hundred Trillion Dollar Note
During one of history’s most striking episodes of hyperinflation, Zimbabwe issued notes denominated at one hundred trillion dollars, equal to about US$300. At the height of that inflation, one loaf of bread cost roughly 300 billion Zimbabwean dollars. These notes circulated for only a few months and, when this article was originally published, were regarded as collectors’ items.
5. Chinese Silver Pandas
When this article was originally published, the People’s Republic of China produced silver coins in assorted sizes and denominations. They display the Temple of Heaven on the obverse, or front, and a panda on the reverse. The panda design changes annually. Coin buyers often find these pieces appealing because of their appearance and low mintages, particularly earlier examples.
Collectors who enjoy rare coins may find one of these unusual examples an interesting addition to a collection.
