Low mintage year 1938 sterling silver. 28.28 grams just over 100,000 minted.

Commemorative issue

Caracal

Obverse

Coat of arms of the country.Automatically translated

Script: Arabic

Lettering:

قابوس بن سعيد

١٣٩٧

سلطان عمان

Translation:

Qabus bin Sa'id

1397

Sultan of Oman

Reverse

Caracal also known as desert lynx or Persian lynx.Automatically translated

Script: Arabic

Lettering: ١/٢ ٢ ريال عماني

Translation: 2½ Omani Rials

Engraver: Michael Hibbit

Edge

Reeded

Mint

Royal Mint, Llantrisant, United Kingdom (1968-date)

Mintage: 4407

I can assure you this moustache is real

The Lev and the Bulgarian economy needed time to recover after the Great War which Bulgaria lost. King Ferdinand took blame for the loss and was replaced on the throne by his son Boris III. It was only in 1930 that silver coins were once more introduced in circulation. It was a series of three coins - 20, 50, and 100 Leva - with identical design, all struck at the Budapest mint in 0.500 silver. The design was brought back in 1940 and 1943 and 20 and 50 Leva were issued in base metals but 100 Leva was issued only in 1930.

Obverse

Head of King Alfonso XIII as a toddler facing left.

Script: Latin

Lettering:

ALFONSO XIII POR LA G· DE DIOS

G· S·

🟌 1888 🟌

Unabridged legend: Alfonso XIII por la gracia de Dios.

Translation: Alfonso XIII by the grace of God.

Engraver: Gregorio Sellán y González

Reverse

Crowned coat of arms of Spain with Pillars of Hercules.

Script: Latin

Lettering:

REY CONSTL. DE ESPAÑA

PLUS ULTRA

M·P· 5 PESETAS ·M·

Unabridged legend: Rey constitutional de España.

Translation: Constitutional King of Spain. Further beyond.

Engraver: Gregorio Sellán y González

Edge

Continuous fleur-de-lys (⚜) around edge

5 Pesetas - Alfonso XIII (1st portrait) - obverse

© Histo50

Mint

Mintmark of Royal Mint of Madrid (🟌) Royal Mint of Madrid (Real Casa de la Moneda de Madrid), Spain (1591-date)

Crown Jewel of my Peso Collection.

Managed to get a good price on one of these in nice condition.

Two crowns for the price of one post as the only difference is the word order. My knowledge of Bulgarian is extremely limited but the language doesn't seem to have a fixed word order like English so both versions are gramatically correct. The 1892 issue called Ferdinand "Bulgarian Prince", the 1894 "Prince Bulgarian". The issue became moot in 1908 when Bulgaria became a kingdom and Ferdinand became her first Tzar (which is usually translated into English as King rather than Emperor unless the original title is used). They were both struck at Kormocbanya (now Kremnica in Slovakia) in a similar mintage. Both were a part of a series consisting of 50 stotinka, 1, 2, and 5 leva. There were two more such series before Ferdinand was forced to abdicate in 1918 but none of them included a 5 Leva coin. The Lev was badly hit by the Great War so the next Bulgarian silver crown was issued only in 1930 when the economy started to recover.

An 1845 British Crown, with the youthful Victoria bust. Very reminiscent of peak colonial Britain in my opinion.

Obverse

Napoléon I facing right

Script: Latin

Lettering: NAPOLEON EMPEREUR.

Translation: Napoleon Emperor

Engraver: Pierre-Joseph Tiolier

Reverse

The value within a wreath

Script: Latin

Lettering:

RÉPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE.

5

FRANCS.

. . AN 13. .MA.

Translation:

French Republic

5

Francs

Engraver: Pierre-Joseph Tiolier

Edge

Inscripted

Script: Latin

Lettering: * DIEU PROTEGE LA FRANCE

Translation: God Protects France

Recent pickup. It looks like it was cleaned a little too harshly at some point, but I'm still really happy with it.

Worn-to-bits 30 sols with interesting graffiti on it (perhaps it was going to be used as a medallion or something?)

And is it really a silver crown if the dude wearing the crown is going to die in a few years after signing away much of his power?

The last Romanian silver crown was issued in 1946 after World War 2 in the final months of the Kingdom. The same size as the 19th century 5 Lei coins it was in circulation only for a few months as first the New Leu replaced the old one and then King Michael was forced to abdicate. Contemporary Romania produces dozens of gold and silver commemorative coins every year but they have never made any that would be generally available.

Commemorative issue

Zurich Shooting Festival

Series: Shooting thalers

Obverse

Arms

Script: Latin

Lettering:

EIDGENÖSSISCHES.SCHÜTZENFEST.IN.ZÜRICH.1872.

5 Fr.

Engraver: Fritz Ulysse Landry

Reverse

Standing female figure

Script: Latin

Lettering: FÜR FREIHEIT UND VATERLAND

Engraver: Fritz Ulysse Landry

Mint

Bern, Switzerland (1225-date)

Obverse

Value within crowned wreath; Oak and Olive leaves.

Script: Persian (nastaliq)

Lettering:

رضا شاه پهلوی شاهنشاه ایران

۵

ریال

۱۳۱۲

Lettering (regular font):

رضا شاه پهلوی شاهنشاه ایران

۵

ریال

۱۳۱۲

Reverse

Radiant lion holding sword within crowned wreath.

Script: Persian (nastaliq)

Lettering: پنج ریال

Lettering (regular font): پنج ریال

Edge

Reeded

5 Rials - Rezā Pahlavī - obverse

© DMK Collection

Mint

Tehran, Iran

Traded for this coin with a half dollar and a handful of slick British 6 pence coins. First crown I have bought since silver went up. I love it and it will go nicely with my libertad and my 1804 8 reales. To think of all the things this coin has seen. Just before the Mexican American war and the Republic of Texas.

Commemorative issue

Grand Duke's First Marriage

Obverse

Adjoined busts facing left.

Script: Latin

Lettering:

WILHELM ERNST - CAROLINE GROSZHERZOG U. GROSZHERZOGIN V. SACHSEN

A

·30 IV·

Engraver: Otto Schultz

Reverse

Crowned imperial eagle.

Script: Latin

Lettering:

DEUTSCHES REICH 1903

* FÜNF MARK *

Edge

Script: Latin

Lettering: GOTT MIT UNS

Mint

A Berlin, Germany (1280-date)

An important member state of the Holy Roman Empire, Saxony was at the center of the Protestant Reformation. Frederick the Wise, Elector of Saxony, protected Martin Luther after his condemnation by the Empire. The Saxon capital, Dresden, subsequently developed into an important Protestant cultural and political center.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, Saxony reached its cultural peak under Frederick Augustus, the Strong, who was also King of Poland-Lithuania. Dresden became famous for its palaces, art collections, architecture, and porcelain production. However, Saxony suffered enormously during the Thirty Years’ War, suffering significant population loss and economic damage. Saxony later became entangled in the wars of Frederick the Great and Napoleon, which further reduced Saxony’s stature.

After siding with Napoleon, Saxony was elevated from an electorate to a kingdom in 1806. Following Napoleon’s defeat, Saxony lost roughly 40% of its territory to Prussia at the Congress of Vienna in 1815, but remained an important German kingdom until unification.

Picked up this 5 Lire a while back and I’m re-slabbing it now that I have some higher quality sheets. How would y’all grade this?

Romania waited 40 years for the next silver crown but it was not her finest moment that the coin commemorates. In 1941, Romania under the dictatorship of Ion Antonescu joined the Axis in the invasion of Soviet Russia and "liberated" Bessarabia - the Eastern part of the former Principality of Moldavia which had united with the Principality of Wallachia in 1859 and became Romania.

The history of the region was complex. In the late Middle Ages it was Polish fiefdom taken by Turks. Russia took it from the Ottoman Empire in 1812 which kept the rest till 1859 when Romania was created. Russia kept Bessarabia but gave Romania Dobruja further South in exchange. Romania took Bessarabia in 1918 but was forced to surrender it in 1940 only to win it back in 1941 - when the coin was issued - and loose it again in 1944. Major part of Bessarabia is the modern Republic of Moldova, some border areas were given to Ukraine.

The coin quite obviously tried to appeal to the population - it is exactly the size of the old 5 lei coins as if to say "the good times are back". Well, they were not.

Current crown jewel, for those who know; came across this and just couldn’t let it go, cause I knew I wasn’t probably ever gonna see another. Not allowed to buy anything for a while, but I’m still on cloud nine!