Coin Encyclopedia
Search and identify coins from around the world — with country, denomination, metal, mint, history, and how to tell them apart.
500 Reis
A Portuguese silver 500 Reis of Queen Maria II, with her left-facing draped bust on the obverse and a crowned coat of arms on the reverse.
Modern
20 Lire
Silver-colored Italian 20 Lire piece of the Fascist era, showing a Mussolini profile and a horse-drawn chariot, dated 1936.
Modern
20 Lei
Romania's first gold coin, the 1870 20 Lei of Prince Carol I, pairing his left-facing portrait with the national coat of arms.
Modern
Gotha 3 Kreuzer
A small silver 3 Kreuzer of the German state of Gotha, dated 1830, with an ornate armorial obverse and a laurel-wreath value reverse.
German States
German 1 Deutsche Mark
The workhorse 1-Mark coin of West Germany and reunified Germany, showing a large numeral 1 framed by oak leaves and the words DEUTSCHE MARK.
Circulation
Belize 1 Cent
A small bronze one-cent coin from the Caribbean nation now called Belize, carrying a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II and dated 1954.
Circulation
Louis d'Or Coin Weight
A French bronze monetary weight (poids monétaire) made to check the weight of a gold Louis d'Or, not a coin itself but a money-changer's balance weight.
Coin Weight
2 Francs Ceres
A French silver two francs of the early Third Republic showing the head of Cérès with a star on the obverse and the value within a wreath on the reverse.
Circulation
Newfoundland Two Dollars
Small gold two-dollar coin of the colony of Newfoundland; the only circulating coin ever denominated in dollars, cents, and pence together.
Canadian & Provincial
British Half Crown
British silver half crown of King George V, worth two shillings and sixpence, with the king's bare left-facing head and a crowned shield of arms.
British Isles
British Pre-Decimal Halfpenny
Bronze British halfpenny worth 1/480 of a pound. The George V type shows the king's profile and a seated Britannia with trident.
British Isles
Tunisia 1 Franc
A small golden aluminum-bronze 1 franc of French-protectorate Tunisia, reading TUNISIE with a wreath and 'BON POUR 1 FRANC' beside Arabic script.
World
Pahlavi Reign Gold Medal
A gold medal of Pahlavi-era Iran, its obverse a left-facing royal portrait and its reverse the Lion and Sun beneath a crown, dated 1971.
Persia / Iran
Walking Liberty Half Dollar Centennial Gold
A 2016-W gold collector coin marking the centennial of the 1916 Walking Liberty half dollar, struck in 1/2 oz of 24-karat gold at West Point.
Half Dollar
Tanzania 10 Shillings
A base-metal Tanzanian coin bearing President Julius Nyerere on the obverse and the national coat of arms with the value 10 on the reverse.
World
Somaliland 1 Shilling
An early circulation coin of the self-declared Republic of Somaliland, its reverse showing a dove above the country's name and the value.
World
Ghana 1 Cedi
A golden-brass Ghanaian coin dated 1979, showing a cocoa pod with FREEDOM AND JUSTICE on one face and the national coat of arms on the other.
World
Ghana 1 Pesewa
A small copper-colored 1 pesewa coin of Ghana dated 1967, showing twin eagle heads and 'FREEDOM AND JUSTICE' on one side and a star on the other.
World
100 CFA Francs
A widely circulated West African coin bearing a crossed-sword emblem and a floral design, denominated 100 francs of the West African CFA franc.
World
India Half Pice
A small copper half pice from India carrying a crowned obverse with the word INDIA; the pice is a sub-unit of the old pre-decimal Indian coinage system.
Modern India
10 Pahlavi Gold Coin
A large gold coin of Imperial Iran valued at ten Pahlavi, showing Mohammad Reza Shah on the obverse and the crowned Lion and Sun on the reverse.
Persia / Iran
Spanish Colonial Half Real
The smallest milled silver coin of Spain's American empire: a tiny 1/2 real with a royal bust and the crowned arms between pillars.
Colonial
Macao 20 Patacas
A silver 20 patacas of Portuguese-administered Macau: the Portuguese coat of arms on one face and a harbor scene with a Chinese junk on the other.
Circulation
China Panda Gold Coin
A modern Chinese gold bullion coin with the Temple of Heaven on one side and a giant panda on the other; this 2016 issue is a 30-gram gold piece.
Bullion