Fictitious coins that did not appear in circulation
Fantasy coins (fantasy coins) - This is what numismatics call the invented coins of real countries. This money could have been, but in fact was never officially minted. They include, for example, "ancient coins", as if they were once in circulation in any known states. These coins did not exist at the time, they have only appeared now, but are produced, as far as possible, exactly the same technology as was used in the relevant historical periods.
Fictitious Coins are minted on real antique presses by the famous American craftsman Tom Maringer, who lives in the state of Arkansas. In the backyard of his house Tom set up an entire shop for the production of coins, buttons, knives, etc. and named it Shire Post Mint.
Penny Leif Eriksson
At the very beginning of the 11th century, the Scandinavian navigator Leif Eriksson the Lucky, son of the discoverer of Greenland, Erik the Red, sailed west, where it was rumored that new lands were to be found, and reached the North American coast. One of the places he discovered Leif called "Vinland" (Grape Land). It is thought to be modern-day Newfoundland, where the climate at the time was slightly warmer and grapes could actually grow. The Vikings decided to stay on the island for the winter and established a settlement. But after a few years, the Scandinavians had to abandon the colony: there were not enough women, and in addition, the settlers were constantly threatened by the local Bedouk Indians. The next discovery of North America by Europeans occurred almost five centuries later.
Penny Leif Eriksson
Leif Eriksson did not found a new state, but if he had, he would have minted special coins, which would certainly have included pennies, such as today's "Leif Eriksson pennies.
Penny Leif Eriksson is a typical example of a Viking coin. The obverse depicts Leif Eriksson himself, wearing armor and a pointed hornless helmet. His name is written on the side, in the old spelling style: "LIEF EIRICSSON". On the reverse we see a stylized cross (traditionally coins were cut into quarters by its intersecting lines), and the text: "VINLANDMONETA" ("money of Vinland"), ending with a special mark known as "Thor's hammer".
It should be said that the end of the text on coins of Christian countries was usually marked with a cross. Leif had been baptized by the then Norwegian king Olaf Tryggvason before he sailed, but his pennies were minted in the old style, with the sign of Thor. Who knows if Leif Eriksson would not have returned to his ancestral faith if he had had the opportunity to establish a new state in new, distant lands?
Penny Leif Eriksson are of two kinds: silver and copper. The silver coin is 19 mm in diameter, weighs about 2.5 g, and contains 90% of silver. Copper is the same, but is made of copper.
Penny Ullah
Silver and copper pennies Ulle are minted in honor of the Norse Ull (Old Scandinavian Ullr), the patron saint of archers, the stepson of the chief god Thor. The obverse depicts the god Ullr himself, running on skis. In his left hand he has a ski pole, in the right - a bow with an arrow placed on it. The reverse of this coin is identical to the reverse of Leif Eriksson's penny.
Silver pennies Ulla weigh about 2.4 g. They contain 90% of silver, diameter -19 mm. Copper pennies consist of 95% copper and 5% zinc and weigh about 3.1 g. They are about 21 mm in diameter.
Penny Ullah These pennies were minted according to classic 10th century Viking coin designs and using the same technique. The edges of these pennies are uneven because the coins were forged with five strokes of the press and the blanks shifted slightly when struck. The edges of these pennies are uneven because they were forged with five strokes of the press and the blanks were slightly shifted by the strokes.
Murder Island Coins
Isle of Murder (Fr. Lile du Massacre) is located off the southern coast of the modern American state of Alabama, just four miles off the coast. Today we know it as Dauphin Island.
In 1699 Pierre le Moyne, sieur d'Iberville, a Canadian of French descent, a noted pioneer explorer of the time, established a small colony on the island. It was one of the earliest French settlements in what is now the United States. On the island's beaches, the settlers found many human skeletons piled up in random piles. They believed that a mass murder had once taken place here, so they named the island that way. This unfortunately sealed the fate of the colony.
In fact, hurricanes raging in the area had damaged a large Indian burial ground, and so the bones ended up in the open. Although the ominous name of the island appeared to have nothing to do with reality, the colony did not become popular. People were superstitious and were wary of moving there. To attract new settlers, in 1707 the island was renamed after the French Dauphin and became known as Dauphin Island, or Dauphin Island.
Murder Island Coins minted in copper and silver. The obverse depicts King Louis XIV of France. The circular inscription running along the edge proclaims him the ruler of France and the colonies. The reverse is marked with a royal crown, a coat of arms with three human skulls, symbolizing the terrible discoveries of the first colonists in the land, and the inscription "ISLE DU MASSACRE. 1699" (Murder Island. 1699).
The copper sol (sous) is almost 9 g of pure copper. It is 26 mm in diameter and in style of execution does not differ from the French coins of the 17th century. A silver coin of a quarter écu weighs about 6 g and is equal in diameter to a copper one. It contains 90% of silver.
Dauphin Island Coins
Because the island was renamed, there are also Dauphin Island coins. It is said that the island was not actually named after the Dauphin, but after the dolphin, but the vain French king thought otherwise. The obverse of the Dauphin Island coins is identical to that of the Murder Island, while the reverse bears an image of an almost unrecognizably stylized bearded dolphin and a corresponding inscription: "ISLE DAUPHINE. 1707" (Dauphin Island. 1707).
In composition and diameter, the Dauphin Island coins are the same as those of Murder Island.
Napoleon Coins
It is known that in the very early 19th century Napoleon Bonaparte obtained control of the lands west of the Mississippi from Spain. However, because of the slave rebellion in San Dominic his plans were not to be realized, and the so-called Territory of Orleans (later the state and county of Louisiana) was sold by France to America. But had history gone the other way, Napoleon might have ordered the minting of special Louisiana money.
King Arthur Coins
If the legendary King Arthur of the Britons really lived, as historians claim, in the 5th-6th centuries, just after the fall of the Roman Empire, his coins might have been minted according to late Roman canons and provided with Latin inscriptions.
On the obverse of the fictional King Arthur coin we see the profile of the king himself. On his head he has a crown, on his shoulders you can see the clasp of his marching cloak. Around the circle is the inscription in Latin: "ARTORIUS DUX BELLORUM BRIT" (Arthur, military ruler of Britain).
The reverse depicts a winged female figure holding a palm branch and a laurel wreath. It is the personification of victory. The inscriptions read: MONS BADONIS (referring to Arthur's victory over the Saxons in the famous Battle of Mount Badon, which took place around 490) and PCAM, which means Pecunia Camelot (money of Camelot).
King Arthur coins come in copper (5.5 g), 90% silver (2.3 g), gold (2.3 g) and have the same diameter -19 mm.