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ISLE OF MAN
The Island is rich in history with Norse stone circles and long houses, signs of early Christianity, and plenty of evidence of man's first struggles to farm the land. The ancient Manx Celtic language and its connexions with Scandanavia are apparent in village names . Until 1266 the Isle of Man was owned by Norway and was a separate country with its own King who also owned the Sodor, the southern isles of Scotland. The Norsemen busied themselves trading with the adjacent islands and carved beautiful crosses, many fine examples of which still exist today in churchyards and museums. Edward III was the Isle of Man's first English king but in 1405 Henry IV gave it to the Stanley family and it later passed to the Dukes of Atholl. It was not until 1765 that the British Government bought the island for £70,000 to stop smuggling which had become the island's prime source of income. Today the Isle of Man is an independent member of the British Commonwealth.
The private Pobjoy Mint is headquartered on the island and they mint Manx coins as well as NCLT for many other nations.
1 Sovereign - 1973
KM-027 - 7,96 g
Mintage
-
This coin was issued by the Pobjoy Mint and was
the first type to show a Viking warrior on the reverse imitating St. George on
the British sovereigns. The obverse
features a tiara bust of Elizabeth II (b1926).
The Isle is a very prolific coin issuer and has issued many types of NCLT
gold "coins" in the last several years.
There are more Isle of
Man NCLT gold "coins" in this section if you are interested - Page
IOM 1
ISRAEL
Israel's began around 1800 BC when Abraham led a group of nomads from Mesopotamia to settle in the mountains of Canaan. By 1023 BC the Israelites had formed a kingdom, led by Saul and then David, who captured Jerusalem and made it his capital. In around 950 BC, David's son Solomon built one of Judaism's most important sites, the First Temple of Jerusalem. The Temple was destroyed in 586 BC by the invading Babylonians, but was eventually rebuilt. The unstoppable Roman Empire took Israel in 63 BC and placed it under the control of a series of consuls, including Herod the Great and Pontius Pilate. This is when Jesus was born, lived, and preached forming the Christian religion when id the basis of western civilisation. The excesses under Caligula's reign prompted a Jewish uprising, which lasted four years but was finally crushed when the Temple was again destroyed. After a second revolt, Jerusalem itself was razed, a new city (Aelia Capitolina) built on its ruins, and the province of Palestine decreed. This defeat marked the end of the Jewish state. In 638 AD Jerusalem was conquered by Caliph Omar and was declared a Holy City of Islam, on the grounds that the Prophet Mohammed had ascended to heaven from atop the Temple Mount. Christians and Muslims fought for control of the region and Muslims were successful. Palestine was partitioned between Arabs and Jews in 1948. There has been an unending conflict in the region between Israel and its Arab neighbors.
Mints were set up in some cities in the region as early as 325 BC by Alexander the Great's forces.
50 Lirot - 1962
KM-044 - 13,34 g - 27,5 mm
Mintage
- 6.202
This coin features the encircled Israeli arms on the obverse. Former President Ezer Weizman (b1924) is shown on the reverse.
ITALY
Etruscans were the first people to rule Italy, arriving there somewhere between the 12th and 8th century BC. They were ultimately absorbed in the Roman empire. The ancient Greeks set up a few colonies along the southern coast and on the island of Siciliy that became known as Magna Graecia and developed into independent city states. The first Roman Republic was founded in 509 BC. The Republic's defeat of Carthage (near present-day Tunis) and Hellenic Macedonia during the three Punic Wars cleared the way for ultimate expansion into Spain, Britain, North Africa and present-day Iraq. Meanwhile, peace at home enabled the infrastructure of civilisation to develop. Under Julius Caesar the government devolved into a dictatorship. Constantine embraced Christianity in 313, and the empire's capital was moved from Rome to Constantinople (present-day Istanbul). The western empire was overrun by Germanic tribes and the eastern empire was finally overrun by the Turks in 1453. Conditions deteriorated until the the Renaissance in the 15th century. Several city-states governed present day Italy until the country as unified as a kingdom in 1861. The kingdom was abolished in 1946 and a republic was established.
Coinage began in many cities in the Graecia Minor (Greek colonies) and continued through the Roman imperial times. Mints continued to operate in many Italian cities during the Middle Ages into the 19th century. Current coins are minted at the Rome mint.
40 Lire - 1808-M
KM-012 - 12,90 g
Mintage - 0,352M
This coin was issued by Napoleon as King of
Italy at the Milan mint. The
obverse has a bare head of Napoleon Bonaparte (b1769-d1821) with the Italian
inscription meaning NAPOLEON EMPEROR AND KING.
Below the bust is the date 1808 and below that the mintmark M.
French style privy marks are shown at each side of the date.
The Reverse has the royal arms of the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy with
the Italian legend KINGDOM OF ITALY and the denomination 40 LIRE.
There are more Italian
gold coins in this section if you are interested - Page
Italy 1
JAMAICA
Arawak Indians settled the island around 700 BC. Christopher Columbus first landed on the island in 1494. Spanish settlers arrived in 1510. The Arawak population had been entirely wiped out by the end of the 16th century. England took control of the island in the mid-1650s despite strong opposition of Spanish loyalists and guerrilla-style of freed slaves. There were many slave insurrections through the years and slavery was finally abolished in 1834. Autonomy from Britain was granted in 1947. Jamaica seceded from the short-lived West Indies Federation in 1962 after a referendum called for the island's full independence.
Jamaica's coinage has been minted at the Royal Mint as well as in Canada and the U.S.A.
$
20 - 1972
KM-061
- 15,75 g
Mintage - 0,030M
This is an example of an NCLT "coin." The obverse has a map of the island and sailing vessels named CARDERA, SAN JUAN, and NINA. The obverse features the Jamaican coat of arms within a circle. Around the circle is the legend - TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF INDEPENDENCE - TWENTY DOLLARS
JAPAN
Japan's earliest settlers came by land bridges from Korea to the west and Siberia to the north (the latter are believed be Ainus who still live on Hokkaido) . .By AD 300, the Yamato kingdom had loosely unified the nation through conquest and alliance. The samurai used arms to defend its autonomy and many different families controlled Japan over the years. Minamoto Yoritomo assumed the rank of shogun in Kamakura, while the emperor remained the nominal ruler in Kyoto. This was the beginning of a long period of feudal rule by successive samurai families which lingered until imperial power was restored in 1868. In 1867 the ruling shogun, Keiki, resigned and Emperor Meiji assumed control of the state,who led Japan in westernisation and industrialisation. In 1889 Japan created a Western-style constitution. Japan was defeated in World War II and the Allies under U.S. General Douglas MacArthur rewrote Japan's constitution prohibiting any militaristic actions by the state.
Coinage was minted in various cities in Japan including the Ryukyu Islands into the 19th century. During the late 19th and early 20th century, mints operated in both Osaka and Tokyo,
5 Yen - 1898
KM-032
- 4,17 g
Mintage - 0,055M
The obverse of this coin features a stylized radiating sun. The country's name is to the left, the denomination is at the bottom, and the year (Meiji Year 31) is to the right. The reverse features the denomination in the centre surrounded by a wreath. The Japanese imperial chrysanthemum is at the top.
If you would like to view more Japanese gold coins, click Page Japan 1
If you would like to see additional gold coins, please click here - Page 16
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