u/ZanzibarOrcCoins

Post, as i promise )

In 1944, in the United States, at the Philadelphia Mint, with a truly American scale, with a circulation of as many as 50 million copies, this occupation coin was minted. As you have already understood, France was supposed to be occupied, which was carried out a little later.

Nobody bothered with the design, the material, and so on. Very primitive coins with a diameter of 27 mm, with a face value of 2 francs on one side and the inscription France on the other, were stamped from brass of mediocre quality. It should be noted here that France at that time was Vichy, and De Gaulle was the Republic of France.

There are a little humor and history.

One day the Americans came to the Danish king.

"Hey, man. Sell the island.

- ?!!!

- Your island is a potential threat to our security. Sell the island!

"I don't want to!"

"You don't understand, do you?" There's an island here, and ships sail here. They should be ours, but all kinds of people go. Don't you really respect America?!

- I... respect it, but I don't want to sell it!

"Well, then, it looks like you're not a democratic king!" But you know, democracy is sacred! And We are for our native Kathmandu! In short, we're bringing in troops, temporarily. About three or four hundred years old.

- Yes, I will sell, I will sell! Just take the gun away!!!

If you think this is a joke about Trump and Greenland, then no. This is how the story of the purchase of the Danish West Indies by the United States developed, the colony of Denmark in the archipelago of the Lesser Antilles, which included the islands of Santa Cruz, St. John, St. Thomas and a number of nearby islands. These territories are now known as the U.S. Virgin Islands. Actually, this was the third visit by the United States, but the previous ones were unsuccessful and we will not talk about them.

U.S. interest in the islands was revived during the First World War. The opening of the Panama Canal in 1914 and the possibility that the United States might be drawn into a war against Germany increased America's interest in acquiring the islands from a security perspective. The United States considered the Danish West Indies strategically important for protecting shipping lanes in the Caribbean, for securing the channel, and for demonstrating naval power in general in that part of the world. In 1915, the Danish ambassador informed Secretary of State Lansing that Denmark "would not negotiate on this subject," partly because the Panama Canal had increased the commercial value of the islands.

Lansing subsequently informed the ambassador that the United States could seize the islands if Denmark handed them over, voluntarily or by force, to any European power, especially Germany. This direct threat of what might happen under certain conditions had the desired effect, and the United States and Denmark reached an agreement in the "Convention between the United States and Denmark on the Transfer of the Danish West Indies," signed in New York on August 4, 1916.

The purchase price was $25 million, which translates to $617 million in modern terms. Both countries had ratified the convention by January 1917.

On March 31, 1917, after 251 years of Danish colonial rule, the Danish national flag was lowered.

The transfer of the islands to the United States, of course, put an end to this branch of Danish colonial numismatics, which is very interesting. Look at 1 cent (aka 5 bits) The Danish West Indies 1905, KM# 75. It's a very distinctive design, isn't it? This bronze year-type was minted in Copenhagen, with a circulation of 500,000 copies. Do you still remember what the heart on the Danish coins means? And when its absence dramatically increases the cost, do you also remember? Well, I didn't doubt you.

Unfortunately, the Americans launched ordinary dollars on the territory of the Virgin Islands, and the world did not see new colonial coins.

Where was only one type of coin minted for this colony.

After the abdication of Nicholas the 2nd, the Helsingfors Mint was the first (and I would say the only) to decide to change the symbols on Russian-Finnish coins, removing the crowns from the double-headed eagle.

Today is the 108th anniversary of the Vyborg massacre. On April 29 and 30, 1918, the Finnish army under the command of Mannerheim carried out mass executions of the Russian civilians.

Disclaimer: its google translate with a lot of mistakes. Thanks for you understanding.

80 years ago, at 8 a.m. on August 6, 1945, the air defenses of Militaristic Japan detected several aerial targets approaching Hiroshima. However, since there were very few targets, no more than three, the air alert was canceled.
Fifteen minutes later, thirty-year-old Colonel Paul Tibbetts, commander of the bombing of the Boeing B-29 named after his mother, accompanied by a Great Artist and Necessary Evil, officially ushered our planet into a new era. In the era of nuclear weapons.

In case you've forgotten, today is the 80th anniversary of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima. Which, of course, will be broadcast from every iron. But since we're talking about colonies here, let's leave the top crowbars to get hysterical and remember about one small country, without which this information guide would not have happened. About Belgium.

In order to understand how Belgium is connected with the extermination of the Japanese, you need to move back another 20 years and a little further south. To a God-damned place, it's the Belgian Congo, where else. In one of the provinces there, Katanga, the Shinkolobwe mine has been operating since 1921, in which radium was mined. It was a very profitable business, 1 gram of radium at its maximum cost the same as 265 kg of gold. And by 1940, almost a whole kilogram had been mined. The money is not small, the business is extremely profitable, given that the Congolese worked there for food and a bonus of 2 chickens and goats after 9 years, if they lived, of course. The problem was that Radium is a fragment of the radioactive fission of uranium-238, with a half–life of 4.5 billion years. In nature, there is an average of 1 atom of radium per 3 million atoms of uranium-238.

Therefore, by the end of the thirties, a certain amount of uranium ore had accumulated in the dumps of the Shinkolobwe owned by the Union Mine du Haut-Katanga. A small one. About 2500 tons.

To the great regret of the Japanese, half of these stocks were exported to Europe, closer to production and sales markets. No one knew where to put all this splendor, so uranium began to be used as ... paint for porcelain, glass with different colors was made with its help, it was fused with iron instead of scarce tungsten.

In total, in 1940, about 1,250 tons of uranium ore with 60% (!) fell into the hands of the Nazis. the uranium content is 238. (Just in case, now the uranium content of 2% is considered a very good indicator.) This event led to the activation of the program, which eventually became known as the Manhattan Project. The second half of the reserves of the Union Miniere du Haut-Katanga were used for its implementation. Today marks the 80th anniversary of the official results of this project.

As for the uranium captured by the Germans, it was not only harmful, but also beneficial. Most of these reserves ended up in the USSR and became part of Soviet nuclear shield. By the way, at first it was supposed to use this nuclear shield from Tu-4 bombers, almost a complete copy of the B-29. But that's another story...

That's all about bombs for today, let's move on to coins. I want to show you another coin minted in the USA, this time for the Belgian Congo, where it all started. And perhaps it was she who was being paid off by the workers who were digging for Congolese uranium, already in favor of the main democracy in the world.

The 1943 2 franc coin is different from the rest of the colony's coins. Firstly, it is the only coin with a hexagonal shape. And here's the question, were there any more hexagons in colonial Africa? I can't think of anything right off the bat.

Secondly, there is a spelling error on this coin. Americans are simple people, and they wrote BELGIHS instead of BELGIHCS.

The coin is also notable for the first appearance of an absolutely gorgeous elephant, which will become an obligatory part of the region's coins until the end of the 40s.

That's all for today.

If you know, Free Congo State its a place, where were killed about 15 millions people.

I'm hope, you'll like it.

As I promised to f1nlaygk , some my old text about colonial coins.
Disclaimer: English isnt my native language. Its google translated with a lot of mistakes.

Today, using the new African aluminum, I wanted to discuss two topics. But on second thought, I decided that two topics at a time was too much, even for a Monday.
So, the "continuation" of the Friday theme. About three out of four people, when they see an image of British West African coins, ask about Jews and their connection to these coins. Because of course, the Star of David is definitely Israel!
No, it didn't smell like Israel here (at least look at the year of release). And, importantly, Jews have nothing to do with it at all. The fact is that the Seal of Solomon, and this is exactly it, was a very popular symbol, suddenly, among Muslims. For example, in the 19th century, on the coins of the Sultanate(!) Morocco, there is this symbol. Again, suddenly, there are enough Muslims in Nigeria.
The official version of the appearance of this symbol as the emblem of Nigeria at that time, from the then Governor-General of the colony, Frederick Lugard:
"I think the pattern of intertwined triangles is usually called the seal of Solomon. I do not know if it was adopted as the seal of Islam, but it was found on the lid of a very beautiful cup or jug made of brass and copper, covered with patterns, which was captured by the troops when the emir (note that "emir" is the title of the ruler exclusively in Muslim countries, note from ZanziOrk) was infected. The main slave trader of Northern Nigeria has been defeated. I thought it was an appropriate sign for Northern Nigeria, and as far as I remember, it was my own suggestion."

In general, by the governor's arbitrariness, the Seal of Solomon has become a symbol of Nigeria. At the same time, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that this symbol was depicted in green.

With that, the explanatory team departs into the sunset, and we proceed directly to the coin. Long-time VK subscribers may remember this type (although the coin is different there), but it definitely wasn't in TG.
1/10 penny of British West Africa, issued in 1907, KM# 1, as can be seen from the catalog number - the first coin of the region.
From the point of view of a numismatist, it has one big drawback and one indisputable advantage.
The disadvantage, of course, is the material. As you have already understood, it is aluminum. And African aluminum from the early twentieth century is almost always corrosion. The indisputable advantage is, of course, accessibility. Compared to the British East African cent, which was minted from exactly the same blanks, 1/10 of a penny is extremely affordable if you don't ideally look for it. You can even choose from several offers).

That's all for this Monday. Next time we will continue to observe the coins with the Seal of Solomon and remember Edward the Seventh.

In the attached photos:
1/10 penny of British West Africa, 1907 KM# 1, minted at the Royal Mint in London, with a circulation of 1,254,000 copies.
Sir Frederick Lugard, the last governor of the Southern Nigeria Protectorate (1912-1914), the first High Commissioner (1900-1906) and the last Governor (1912-1914) of the Northern Nigeria Protectorate and the first Governor-General of Nigeria (1914-1919). Separately, I want to cancel that in the interval between these duties, he managed to visit the governor of Hong Kong (1907-1912).
The emblem of British Nigeria.

Lets talk about it :)

Try post it again.