Cork, under Commonwealth authority, Farthing token, overstruck on a Double Tournois of Louis XIII

The Proliferation of Unofficial Irish ‘Farthing Tokens’ in the 17th Century

By the first half of the 17th C, the copper coinage in both Britain and Ireland was in complete disarray. Neither James I nor his son, Charles I, took much interest in providing small denominations and ‘farmed out’ the Royal prerogative of minting copper coins to ‘favourite’ courtiers as patentees – Lords Harington, Richmond, Lennox and Maltravers were the principal…

Ireland decimal 5p - large and small types

O’Brien Coin Guide: Irish Decimal Fivepence

The five pence (5p) coin (Irish: cúig phingin) was a sub-division of the Irish pound. It was introduced in Ireland on Decimal Day, 15th February 1971 and re-used the design on the shilling coin first produced for the Irish Free State in 1928.  Due to the similarity in size and weight, many of the old shillings…

1999 Kosovo 10 dinare provisional issue (overprinted: UCK - Ushtria Clirimtare e Kosoves / Kosovo Liberation Army)

O’Brien Obsolete Currency Guide: Kosovo

Kosovo is a fertile region lying just to the northeast of Albania, in central former Yugoslavia. It is one of the earliest settlements by the Slavic people who later became the Serb nation – one of the reasons the hard-line nationalists in Serbia were so determined to include it as part of a Greater Serbia during…

Bosnia and Herzegovina 200 KM

O’Brien Currency Guide: Bosnia & Herzegovina (Convertible Mark)

Bosnia & Herzegovina Bosnia & Herzegovina declared sovereignty in October 1991 and independence from the former Yugoslavia on 3 March 1992 after a referendum boycotted by ethnic Serbs. The Bosnian Serbs – supported by neighboring Serbia and Montenegro – responded with armed resistance aimed at partitioning the republic along ethnic lines and joining Serb-held areas…

2002-2006 Ireland €2, Type I reverse

O’Brien Coin Guide: Irish €2 Coins

The two euro coin (€2) is the highest value euro coin and has been used since the introduction of the euro (in its cash form) in 2002.  The coin dates from 2002, when euro coins and notes were introduced in the 12 member eurozone and its related territories. The common side was designed by Luc…