Motorcycles on coins 2In Newsletter 114, December 2015, we paid attention to motorcycles on coins. Most striking were the (many) coins from Isle of Man. The 50 pence and 1 Crown coins show several motorcycles. And also the TT has not been forgotten. |
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Amounts issued are not reported or very low. But the qualification "not circulated" indicates that the coins have not been used as utility coins. Of this kind of coins I have found a few more.
Palau:
In 2009 Palau has issued a 1 dollar coin with an image of Casey Stoner on his Ducati.
The coin is made of silver plated copper with a weight of 29 grams. 2008 (!) coins have been produced. The coin has not been incirculation in the country of issue.
Somalia:
In the horn of Africa lies the country Somalia or Somali. It is one of the poorest countries in the world. To gain some extra income this country therefore issues, apart from (many) stamps, also coins for collectors. In 2007 they came, in imitation of the successful issue of a series of coins in the shape of guitars, with a series of six 1-dollar coins in the shape of well-known motorcycle models.
The silver plated copper-nickel coins weigh 7 grams and measure 28x45 mm. Of each model 2000 coins have been minted. Although Somalia gains some income for its treasury, most of the profit will probably end with the speculators on the various sales websites.
Cook Island:
In 2007 the New Zealand Mint produced by order of Cook Islands a series of 5 coins to celebrate Great Motorcycles.
The coins are made of .999 silver and weigh 31.30 grams (1 ounce). The diameter is 38.6 mm and of each coin 6000 pieces were minted. The value of each coin is 2 (New Zealand) dollar, and the image side is provided with a coloured image of historical motorcycles like Brough Superior, Matchless Silver Hawk and Ariel 1000 Square Four.
In contradiction to the coins from Palau and Somalia the Cook coins are intended to be used.
The coins can be bought as set and are delivered in a nice box, with the coins packed in a wheel.
Italy:
In 2018 Italian Mint ordered a design with the most famous Italian means of transport on it: the Vespa. Established in 1949 Vespa provided a revolution in the mobility concept.
Maria Carmela Colaneri designed a coin with an image of a boy and a girl on a Vespa, with in the background the Colloseum. On the coin side we see an image of the first Vespa from 1949 under the value of 5 euro and the year number 2019. The (family) name of the designer can be found on the image side, under the front wheel of the Vespa, together with the name of the country.
There are 3 versions of this coin in the colours of the Italian flag: red and white, both in an edition of 7000 pieces and green, in an edition of 3000 pieces. These numbers include the 1000 pieces that have been sold in a collector box.
These are .925 silver (92.5% silver and 7.5% copper) coins with a weight of 18 grams and a diameter of 32 mm. All coins have been provided with the marking R of the Roman Mint. Except from the coins used in the collector boxes, all others are packed in a nice wrapper.
The prices at the Mint were 40 euro per coin or 100 euro for the complete set. On the online market the asking prices are already higher. Especially the green one because of the low number issued.
Also in philately Italy has not forgotten the Vespa. In 1996 a stamp has been issued on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Vespa. With this a yellow version of the stamp has come into existence.
See for the complete story about this the article "A completely yellow wasp!" by Hans de Kloet in Newsletter 116.
Nico Helling