Customer Reviews

Unusual World Coins: Companion Volume to Standard Catalog of World Coins Series

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This is a coin catalogue worth buying even if you don't have a single coin it lists. The Unusual coins are really unusual in the way they depict human vain hopes, unattainable dreams, and impossible ambitions. You can see here coins from imaginary or lost empires (Russian monarchists struck their coins in 1990), states that have not been recognized by a single sovereign nation (Hutt River Province) or worlds which existed only in the imagination of writers (the Middle Earth) or private mints (Russian euro coins...). All this is a great tribute to human imagination and entepreneurial spirit, neatly presented in the form of a handy volume.
Naturally, you may actually collect these coins. In this case you will find the typical Krause quality - lots of pictures are missing, some coins are not listed completely (just my luck - I have only 1 euro coin of the 2002 Vaticane euro trial issue and this coin is missing - there is #6 - 50 cents and #8 - 2 euro but no #7 - 1 euro ;) but as it is in the case of all Krause catalogues: you just won't find anything better!

This book is invaluable to one who collects or is interested in Fantasy Coins. Too bad that itdoes not cover so many of the more recent ones (i.e. 1994 and later).Unusual World Coins: Companion Volume to Standard Catalog of World Coins Series

An excellent reference for unusual coins. The book would be better if a brief history of each coin was also included.

This book does not list coin YB65a, which is an official Restrike in 1991 at the Lenningrad mint of a 1902 37 1/2 Ruble coin that had been struck at the same mint. Official restrikes are important because they are authorized by the government official mint. Fanstasy "coins" made at a private mint may be unusual, but rather meaningless, as most are really bullion or medallions, like the Maui Trade Dollar, issued by the Chamber of Commerce; the Maui Trade Dollar was one of the best of the fanstay "coins". However, this book fails to list the silver Maui Trade dollars, so not much effort was made to make this book complete, in its limited area of unusual world "coins". One one bullion bars are listed, but they are not coins. Little thought went into this publication.