u/AdStraight6341

The Irish Free State issued its own coins for the first time in 1928. Free State silver coins were minted with 75% silver while British coinage was only 50%, but this didn't make Irish coinage superior as the intrinsic value was still far less than the face value.

British coinage remained legal tender in the Free State for a while, and Free State coinage was quite common in Northern Ireland as well, although the nickel 3 and 6d pieces weren’t compatible.

In 1927, the British Mandate officially adopted the pound as its currency, with its value pegged to sterling. However, it wasn’t subdivided into 1000 mils instead of shillings and pence. Therefore, this 100 mil piece was equivalent to two shillings or one florin.

While contemporary British coinage was only 50% silver, Palestinian coins were 72%. However, this didn’t make Palestinian coinage superior, since the melt value of even the pre-1920 sterling silver coins was only about 40% of the face value back then.

What makes 19c French coins so fascinating is that they bear witness to it's turbulent history

Most 1959-dated North Korean currency, especially the 50 and 100 won, are unissued leftover notes that were exported after the 1979 currency reform. As a result, the letters in the serial numbers are almost always within the same range (ㄱㅇ 7***** for the 50 won). I believe notes starting with ㅎ(the last Korean alphabet) are replacements. This is the only genuinely circulated 1959 50 won note I have ever come across. Some dirty examples do exist, but judging by s/n, they seem to be uncirculated notes poorly stored.

Nevertheless, since the 1959 notes was printed in the Soviet Union and was very intricate, there are no “reproductions” like the 1947 series.

Series 1929 FRBNs were printed to counter further bank runs during the emergency bank holiday in March 1933. Around $911.7 million of these notes were printed, but only $284.9 million were issued through early 1934, as the banking crisis stabilized making them redundant. The remainder were kept in vaults and released only in 1942–43 to meet the wartime cash demand.

Therefore, the initial Depression issues are generally scarcer compared to wartime issues, both in terms of quantity and survival rate. For Philly $20s, 827k out of the 1.008 million total printed were issued during WWII, which means that only the first 181k notes were certainly issued in 1933–34.

The total Depression-era issue is probably slightly higher than 181K, since roughly 15% of the initially issued notes were recycled and reissued during WWII.

Type 1: Napoleon III

Minted before September 8, 1870.

Type 2: Ceres, Type 1 (Louis-Philippe Reverse)

Issued between September 8 and October 8, 1870, following the abdication of Napoleon III.

※ The Bordeaux Mint continued producing this type into 1871, likely due to the strong monarchist presence in parliament, many of whom regarded the new republic as only temporary.

Type 3: Ceres, Type 2 (1849–1851 Reverse)

Minted between October 12 and December 7, 1870, when Paris was surrounded by the Germans.

Type 4: Hercules

First issued on December 8, 1870, when the siege of Paris intensified.

Since the issuing bank used this title between Dec. 31, 1931, and Oct. 7, 1932, we can assume that this note was issued in 1932. On Oct. 8 of that year, the bank changed its title to First National Bank Detroit, but collapsed in Feb–Mar 1933. It was the largest bank failure in the US during the Great Depression and eventually led to the nationwide bank holiday immediately after FDR's inauguration.

The notes were still good since they were guaranteed by the Treasury, and the bonds deposited as collateral usually traded above par.

I need to add the second type of George IV minted in 1823-24.

Purchased it at near spot when it was around $3300/oz

Purchased it near spot in early 2024. When Indian $2.50 pieces were minted, they were used almost exclusively as Christmas gifts, while $5 and higher denominations commonly circulated in the Western states until 1917 when the US entered WW1.

Issued during the era of dual monarchy with the UK. Its contemporary exchange rate was slightly below three shillings, making it the highest-denomination silver issued under William IV, since no crowns were issued for general circulation.

The total mintage of Philadelphia Trade Dollars between 1873 and 1876 was even smaller than that of the Carson City Mint. This is because as they were intended for trade with China, it was much cheaper to transport them from the Pacific coast.

1877-P Trade Dollars are common because many were released into circulation in the eastern states as the price of silver crashed while the greenback appreciated. Even though they ceased to be legal tender after July 1876, many employers paid their workers with these depreciated coins in 1877–78.