Coin Encyclopedia
Search and identify coins from around the world — with country, denomination, metal, mint, history, and how to tell them apart.
Alexander the Great Gold Quarter Stater
A small gold fraction of the Alexander the Great coinage, showing the head of Heracles and an eagle perched on a thunderbolt, the attributes of Zeus.
AncientDisarmament Commemorative Ruble
A 1988 Soviet copper-nickel commemorative ruble marking the US-Soviet treaty that scrapped intermediate- and shorter-range nuclear missiles.
World CoinsPanama-Pacific Exposition Dollar
An 1915 U.S. gold dollar struck for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, showing a canal laborer and two dolphins encircling the denomination.
Classic CommemorativeJunk Dollar
China's Republic-era silver dollar with Sun Yat-sen facing left and a Chinese junk under sail on the reverse; the pictured coin is Year 23 (1934).
CirculationAratame Sanbu Sadame
A round silver-colored coin with a coiled dragon and the inscription Aratame Sanbu Sadame on one face and a radiating sun on the other, dated 1859.
HistoricNemausus As/Dupondius (Crocodile Type)
The famous crocodile of Nimes: a large Roman provincial bronze with paired heads of Agrippa and Augustus and a crocodile chained to a palm.
AncientIsle of Man Crown
A 1976 Isle of Man cupronickel crown marking the centenary of the Douglas horse trams, showing a horse-drawn tram beneath an archway on the reverse.
CommemorativeSwedish Gold Commemorative
An early-20th-century Swedish gold coin showing a right-facing royal profile with the legend SVERIGES KONUNG and the fatherland motto.
CommemorativePakistan 5 Rupees
A brass Pakistani five-rupee coin with a large numeral 5 set in an ornamental frame and Islamic-style Urdu calligraphy around both faces.
South AsiaBangladesh 5 Taka
A modern Bangladeshi circulation coin worth five Taka, struck in nickel-plated steel, with the national emblem on the obverse and the value in Bengali on the reverse.
South AsiaIsrael 100 Sheqalim Hanukka Commemorative
A 1985 Israeli silver commemorative for the festival of Hanukka, its obverse dominated by a menorah and festive lamp motif.
WorldLouisiana Purchase Exposition Dollar (Jefferson)
An 1903 U.S. commemorative gold dollar honoring the Louisiana Purchase, featuring Thomas Jefferson's left-facing profile and struck for the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair.
Classic CommemorativeYuan Shikai Dollar
A silver one-yuan dollar of the early Chinese Republic bearing the left-facing bust of Yuan Shikai, nicknamed the "Fatman Dollar" by collectors.
CirculationIndia One Rupee (Cupronickel)
A 1947 British India one rupee in cupro-nickel, its obverse bearing King George VI's crowned bust and its reverse a striding lion above ONE RUPEE INDIA.
Modern IndiaWang Mang Spade Money
A cast bronze spade-shaped coin of the Xin Dynasty, issued under the reformer Wang Mang, its flat blade bearing raised Chinese inscriptions.
AncientGambia 20 Dalasis (Mungo Park Commemorative)
A 1994 silver 20 dalasis crown from The Gambia honoring Scottish explorer Mungo Park, shown with a sailing ship on the reverse.
WorldStanding Liberty Quarter Centennial Gold
A 2016 U.S. quarter-dollar struck in 1/4 oz of .9999 fine gold, reviving Hermon MacNeil's Standing Liberty design for its 100th anniversary.
QuarterIsrael 10 Lirot
Israel's 1968 silver 10 Lirot, struck for the 20th anniversary of independence, pairing a menorah emblem with a view of Jerusalem.
WorldBritish North Borneo Half Cent
An 1885 copper half cent of British North Borneo: a bust in a laurel wreath on the obverse and the company arms with a heraldic supporter on the reverse.
ColonialNapoleon III 20 Francs
French gold 20 francs of Emperor Napoleon III, showing his bare head facing right and a wreathed value on the reverse; example dated 1857.
World CoinsGold Tetradrachm of Ptolemy II and Arsinoe II
Ptolemaic gold of Egypt, c. 260-240 BC, with paired busts of Ptolemy II and Arsinoe II on one side and Ptolemy I and Berenike I on the other.
AncientIndia 10 Rupees Commemorative
Bi-metallic Indian 10-rupee commemorative honoring Maharana Pratap, shown in armor with a sword and Devanagari inscription, dated 2015.
Modern IndiaGold Guinea
English gold coin of the Guinea denomination; the example shown bears the right-facing bust of Charles II with a crowned cruciform shield reverse dated 1668.
World CoinsAncient Greek Didrachm
An ancient Greek silver didrachm worth two drachms, here with a bearded male head and a horse-and-rider reverse in the tradition of Magna Graecia.
Ancient