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the peak of the country’s incredible economic rise. Thanks to the export of grain and beef during the Pax Britannica, Argentina at that time was among the ten richest countries in the world in terms of GDP per capita, surpassing France, Germany, and Italy. This coin is a physical embodiment of the era when the Argentine currency was one of the most stable and desirable on the planet.

The coin was minted in Buenos Aires, and its dies were created by the outstanding French sculptor and chief engraver of the Paris
Mint, Eugène‑André Udine. Because of this, Argentine gold acquired a refined European style, and the depiction of Liberty on the reverse side strongly resembles the classic French type and early US coins, which made it iconic beyond the borders of South America.

A monetary monument to the hyperinflation of the 20th century — the coin clearly demonstrates what the collapse of a financial system leads to. Initially, 5 pesos were a huge amount of money, equal to 25 French francs. However, due to the destruction of the economy and hyperinflation in Argentina at the end of the 20th century, the purchasing power of the paper peso fell trillions of times. The gold coin from 1888 fully retained its value thanks to the metal, becoming a textbook example of gold as an ideal hedge against capital.

A coin from the era of the Latin Monetary Union, established in
1865 on the basis of standards introduced by Napoleon in 1800.
The LMU included 16 European countries, 13 Latin American countries, and 6 African colonies. It was compatible with Austria‑Hungary (in terms of gold and silver) and partially with Russia
(in terms of gold). This was humanity’s first major attempt at a global monetary system: the states agreed to issue their own coins (francs, liras, etc.) with absolutely identical weight, diameter, and metal purity.
At the same time, the national names of the currencies and the design were preserved: a bimetallic standard, gold/silver ratio 1:15,5 and 900 fineness, and denominations:

5 monetary units — 0.0467 ozt

10 monetary units — 0.0933 ozt

20 monetary units — 0.1867 ozt

25 monetary units — 0.2334 ozt

40 monetary units — 0.3734 ozt

50 monetary units — 0.4667 ozt

80 monetary units — 0.7465 ozt

100 monetary units — 0.9334 ozt

Coins from all participating countries were accepted at cash registers
and in stores in any other member state at face value, 1:1, without additional fees or exchange. The main gold standard was the French “Napoleon” with a denomination of 20 francs. It weighed exactly
6.45 grams, fineness 900, and contained 5.8 grams of pure gold.

Argentina never officially joined the Latin Monetary Union, but became a so‑called associated (de facto) member. To facilitate international trade with Europe, the Argentine government fully copied the European standard for its new gold currency. In a similar manner, dozens of countries around the world acted (from Spain and Venezuela to the Russian Empire, where gold half‑imperial coins of Nicholas II, weighing 0.45 grams, were also minted strictly according to the “Latin” standard).

The union collapsed in 1914, when the countries stopped exchanging paper money for coins, and inflation and the world war finally destroyed the balance.

The coin has developed a patina, and the two sides are completely different. The obverse is rather plain, while the reverse is covered in a violet‑red patina; it turned out just like what specialists in patina work in the USA do — they create custom patinas of the required colour as an art form and a touch of sophistication. And here’s the last photo of the same coin, but without the patina and in perfect condition.

Russian coin from 2006, gold 900/1000, proof quality, 7.78 grams of chemically pure gold, Moscow Mint. It would probably be more difficult to obtain such a patina on a coin made of 999/1000 gold. What compounds formed on the surface of the coin — are there any hypotheses?

Perth Mint, 2008, mintage of 400 copies, face value: 100 New Zealand dollars.
Quality: proof.

Dedicated to the only and largest seven‑masted steel sailing ship in the history of world shipbuilding — the “Thomas W.Lawson,” built in 1902 in the USA. The idea for its creation belongs to the shipowner John Crowley, who was obsessed with the desire to have the largest sailing ship in the world (oligarchs and yachts).

Initially, the schooner was planned to be used for participating in sailing regattas, but the owner’s material gain quickly determined the vessel’s functionality. The sailing ship began to be used for voyages along the coast of the United States, delivering bulk cargo to ports — coal, salt, sand, etc. In the early 20th century, there was a high demand for oil, and in 1906 the vessel was converted into an oil tanker.

One day, while heading to the port of London with fully loaded crude oil tanks, the sailing ship encountered a severe storm and wrecked off the Scilly Isles on December 13, 1907. Of the 17 crew members, 15 died.

Thomas W. Lawson, “Steamship and Man,” after whom the schooner was named, was a multimillionaire, banker, and “copper baron,” one of the key figures in the US non‑ferrous metals market. He also wrote several books. One of his novels, published in 1907, was titled “Friday the Thirtieth.”

Paradoxically, the schooner “Thomas W. Lawson” sank in the same year, on Friday, December 13!

Lawson’s most famous book is the scandalous “Lawson History of the America’s Cup” (Lawson History of the America’s Cup). It described the intrigues, revealed all the unsavory details of the competitions, and gave extremely unflattering assessments of their organizers. The elite of the New York Yacht Club, known as the “millionaires’ club,” was extremely outraged by the authors of this work.

Not without the help of vengeful colleagues, Lawson went bankrupt by the end of his life and died virtually penniless.

On the obverse: Spanish admiral Don Álvaro de Bazán (Marqués de Santa Cruz)
On the reverse: a Spanish warship (galleon) and the inscription “100 ECU ESPAÑA”
The total weight is 34.55 grams, the fineness is 900, and there are 31.1 grams of chemically pure gold; it’s a rare item with a print run of 3,000 pieces worldwide.
The main phenomenon of his half‑century‑long career is that he did not suffer a single tactical defeat. The famous writer Miguel de Cervantes, who personally knew the admiral, called him “the father of soldiers” and “the terror of the seas.”

German 100 euros in gold, from the series dedicated to UNESCO sites in Germany.

The series consists of 16 coins minted by five German mints (Berlin, Munich, Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, Hamburg) in the period from 2003 to 2019.

The obverses feature the coat of arms of Germany, while the reverses depict a World Heritage site — in this case, the Hanseatic League city of Lübeck, 2007.

The coin is made of pure gold, weighing 15.55 grams, with a fineness of 999.9, and has a matte surface — unc. The letter “A” on the obverse indicates the Berlin Mint.

The characteristic reddish‑black spot typical of gold between the letters U and B in Lubeck.

The price of one ounce of gold on July, 2007, was $649. About a year remained before the global financial crisis that broke out in September 2008.

How the Gemini zodiac sign is depicted on gold and silver coins in different countries. Russia, Armenia, Turkey, Ukraine, Macedonia.

1. Russia: two types, 25 rubles in gold.
2. Armenia: 10,000 drams in gold.
3. Russia: 3 rubles in silver.
4. Turkey: 25 Turkish lira.
5. Ukraine: 5 hryvnias in silver.
6. Macedonia: 10 denarii in silver.

Belgian gold 100 euro coins from 2006, dedicated to the 175th anniversary of the Saxe‑Coburg and Gotha dynasty.

Gold, 15.55 grams, 999 fine, ½ ounce.
The reverse of the coin features a monument to the first King of Belgium, Leopold I, in Laeken, and the royal monograms of the dynasty’s rulers; around the circumference is an inscription in Latin: “REGIA BELGARVM DOMVS 1831-2006” (Royal House of the Belgians). The obverse features an image of the European Union with 12 stars and an anatomical depiction of Norway at 6:30.

The Dynasty of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, until 1826 — Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, is a German aristocratic family, a branch of the Ernestine line of the ancient Saxon Wettin dynasty, a ducal dynasty in the duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (since 1826 — Saxe-Coburg-Gotha), as well as the direct ruling royal dynasty in Belgium, Bulgaria and Britain (the British branch was renamed the Windsor Dynasty in 1917 for patriotic reasons during the First World War).

The ruling House of Wettin owns half the world directly and indirectly, including Russia. Thanks to Pavel Semenov and his channels:
Semenov Fermovedenie,
Semenov PRO,
Semenov Mist,
interested citizens have gained vision and now see and understand the concept of Wettins + Yamato + Borjigin, and there is no one who can refute this.

In the photo, 20 French euros from 2007 — the fifth year since the euro cash appeared, and then it all got going. As of May 2013, there were approximately 582,806,500 banknotes of this denomination (i.e., 291.4 billion euros), which is why the 500€ note is the second most common in Europe. In 2019, the ECB stopped issuing 500€ banknotes into circulation. The reason for the stop was the fight against illegal finance (money laundering, terrorism). But it’s important to remember that the main terrorist is the citizen holding a piece of paper, not the ECB, which has flooded the world with banknotes.

The French have an extensive coin program; the Paris Mint mass‑produces coins made of precious metals, bringing thousands of themes to life in metal — fortunately, the supply of metal from the colonies is stable. The coin is made of 920‑fine gold and was issued to mark the 60th anniversary of the publication of Exupéry’s fairy tale *The Little Prince*, with one of the author’s illustrations transferred to metal. The quality of the workmanship is proof, small print run. The total weight is 17 grams or 15.55 grams of pure African gold.

500‑dollars Liberian gold investment coin issued in 2010, part of the “Year of the Tiger” series, weighing 50 grams and made of 999.9‑fine gold with colour printing.
Issuing country: Liberia
Year: 2010
Metal / fineness: gold, 999.9
Weight: 50 g
Subject: The Eastern calendar (Year of the Tiger), featuring tigers against a backdrop of a blooming branch and the character “yin” (寅).