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COSTA RICA

10 Colones - 1897

KM-140 - 7,78 g

Mintage - 0,060M

The obverse on this coin has an stylistic image of Cristobal Colon (Christopher Columbus) with CENTRAL AMERICA and DIEZ COLONES in Spanish. The reverse pictures to country's coat-of-arms with the country's name REPUBLICA DE COSTA RICA at the top and the date 1897 at the bottom.

CUBA

Cuba was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492. The island was colonized by the Spanish led by Diego de Velasquez in 1511. While most of the former Spanish colonies revolted in the late 1810s and early 1820s, Cuba remained a colony until 1898. It was not a time without troubles as the Ten Years War started in 1868 which won promised reforms and greater autonomy from Spain. In 1895 a second war of independence erupted led by Jose Marti.  There was strong sentiment in the United States in favor of the rebels, which after the sinking of the battleship USS Maine in Havana harbor led the United States to declare war on Spain. After a short war, the Spanish forces capitulated, and a treaty, signed in 1898, established Cuba as an independent republic, although U.S. military occupation of the island continued until 1902. Cuba has been plagued by a series of dictators from the earliest Republican days to today. The current communist dictator Fidel Castro has ruled the island with an iron fist since he led a successful invasion in 1956 and the previous dictator, Fulgencio Batista, abandoned the island.

Interestingly, Cuba served as the assembly point for the Spanish treasure fleets returning to Spain from the earliest colonial days, but no mint was established there until Republican times. Coinage in early Republican years was minted at the Philadelphia USA Mint. Post Castro coinage was minted at the Kremnica Mint in Czechoslovakia until the La Habana Mint became operational.

4 Pesos - 1916

KM-018 - 6,69 g - 18,3 mm

Edge - Reeded

Mintage - 0,129M

The obverse shows a bust of Jose Marti (b1853-d1895) who was a Cuban patriot who died in one of the first skirmishes against the Spanish in Cuba. The legend at the top means PATRIA Y LIBERTAD (FATHERLAND AND LIBERTY). The date 1916 is at the bottom with the weight in grams 6,6872 to the left and 900 thousandths for the fineness. The reverse has the Cuban national arms with the country's name in Spanish REPUBLICA DE CUBA at the top and the denomination QUATRO PESOS (FOUR PESOS) at the bottom in Spanish. These coins were minted at the Philadelphia Mint in the USA.

There are more Cuban gold coins in this section if you are interested - Page Cuba 1

CYPRUS

Cyprus located in the eastern Mediterranean Sea was ruled by the Assyrians, the Persians, the Greeks,  the Phoenicians, the Romans, the Byzantines, and even the English during the Crusades when Richard the Lion-Hearted established a crusader entity at the end of the 12th century. In 1489, the city-state of Venice took over Cyprus to be replaced by the Ottoman Turks in 1571. The Congress of Berlin in placed Cyprus under British rule in 1878, and she was annexed by Britain in 1914. Tensions between the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots have led to violence at various points after World War II.  Archbishop Makarios led a rebellion against British rule originally with a goal of ENOSIS (union with Greece).  Cyprus was granted independence in 1960.  Turkey invaded Cyprus in 1974 and established a Turkish  Republic of Northern Cyprus in 1983 on the northern part of the island (Turkey is the only country who recognizes this regime. The rest of the island constitutes the Republic of Cyprus with the Greek population.

Coinage dates from the earliest times, at least back to the days of Alexander the Great or earlier.

£50 - 1977

KM-047 - 15,98 g - 28,5 mm

Edge - Reeded

Mintage - 0,051M

The obverse depicts a bust of Archbishop Makarios (b1913-d1977), the first president of the Republic of Cyprus.  The Greek legend around the bust reads Archbishop Makarios Democratic President of Cyprus.  The reverse has a map of the island with a sailing ship above and dolphins swimming below.  The country's name REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS is at the top, the denomination £50 to the left, and the date 1977 at the bottom.  This coin was minted at the Royal Mint in London.

There are more Cypriot gold coins in this section if you are interested - Page Cyprus 1

CZECHOSLOVAKIA

Czechoslovakia was founded as a republic in 1918 when the former Austria-Hungarian empire broke up after the conclusion of the first world war. The country was made of three regions, Bohemia, Moravia, and Slovakia, all of which had been populated since prehistoric times. The Romans called Bohemia Boiohaemia because of the inhabitants, the Boii tribe.  Moravia had been inhabited by the Boii and Cotini tribes. Slavic settlers, the Czechs, arrived in the early centuries AD.  Christianity was introduced in the ninth century by Saints Cyril and Methodius.  Moravia in the early 10th century fell to the Magyars. St. Wenceslaus, the first great Bohemian ruler (920–29), successfully defended his land from Germanic invasions but his brother, Boleslav I (929–67), was forced to acknowledge the rule of Otto I, and Bohemia Moravia became a part of the Holy Roman Empire. Germany annexed the Sudetenland region in 1938 and was given other Czech territories by the Allies. The Czech provinces became the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia while Slovakia was granted autonomy as an independent republic allied with the Axis. After the second world war, Czechoslovakia was restored but the occupying Russians supported a coup d'etat by the communists. The communist regime was finally overthrown and democracy restored in 1989 after numerous attempts. Czechoslovakia devolved peaceably into the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic on 1 January 1993.

Coinage has a long history in Czechoslovak territory since the earliest times. The Celt tribes issued barbarous copies of Greek and Roman coinage. Several mints functioned in the Middle Ages and one of these, the Kremnica Mint, still functions today.

1 Ducat - 1934

KM-008 - 3,49 g - 18,8 mm

Mintage - 9.729

This coin was issued to celebrate the foundation of the republic in 1918. It has the Czechoslovak national arms on the obverse with the Czech legend REPUBLIKA ČESKOSLOVENSKA (CZECHOSLOVAK REPUBLIC) with the date 1934 at the bottom. The reverse depicts a half length figure of the good King St Wenceslas (b909-d927) with the Czech legend NEDES-ZAHYNOUTI-NAM-I-BUDOUCIM (Do not kill us and our future). 

DANISH WEST INDIES

These islands were discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1493. The islands were settled by both the Dutch and English at about the same time, around 1625 who contested for ownership but the French finally prevailed. In 1733 the Danish West Indies Company bought the islands from France. In 1754, Company rule came to an end and the Danish West Indies became a royal colony under a new form of government as a result of requests from the inhabitants. The United States bought the islands in 1917.

Coinage commenced in the early 18th century and continued to 1917. All coinage was minted in Denmark at the Altona and København mints.

4 Daler - 1904

Y-072 - 6,45 g - 21 mm 

Mintage - 0,121M

The obverse depicts a bareheaded image of Danish King Christian IX (b1879-d1952), with the king's name CHRISTIAN IX, the date 1904, and the issuing authority's name DANSK-VESTINDIEN (DANISH WEST INDIES) in Danish. The reverse pictures a female maritime allegorical figure with the denomination shown in two currencies 20 FRANCS and 4 DALER. Denmark sold this possession to the USA in 1917 and it is now known as the U. S. Virgin Islands.  

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