The largest and heaviest coin

The largest coin in terms of denomination and size is the one million dollar coin, created by artist Stanley Whitten. It is made from 999.99 fine gold and was minted by the Bank of Canada for the Royal Mint. On one side of the coin there is a portrait of the head of Canada, Queen Elizabeth II, on the other side there is a maple leaf. Each coin took up to eight weeks to make by hand. The weight of the coin is about 100 kilograms, or more precisely 99.95 kilograms or 221 pounds, the diameter is 20 inches or 50.8 cm, the thickness is 1 inch or 2.5 cm. Before it was made, the coin from Austria was considered the heaviest worth 100,000 euros, whose weight was 31.1 kilograms. 15 coins were issued and they sold out to collections in less than a month. Wooden coins of Africa

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the first wooden (maple) coin was produced in 2005, which is an official means of payment. The denomination of the coin is 5 francs. It depicts a gorilla and is written in French"Let's protect animal world" The weight of the coin is 2.4 grams, diameter is 40 mm.
The smallest and lightest coin in the world

This silver coin The 1/4 jawa was issued in Nepal in 1740. Its mass is only 0.002 grams.
The smallest banknote

The Romanian 10 bani, printed at the beginning of the 20th century, is considered the smallest banknote in the world. It was issued in 1917 by the Romanian Ministry of Finance. The 10 bani banknote measured 27.5 by 38 millimeters.

Largest paper banknote

The 1 guan note was issued between 1368 and 1399 by the rulers of the Ming Dynasty in China. It measures 23 by 33 cm, which is larger than an A4 sheet. And the largest modern banknote is the bill issued in 2007 in Thailand. It consists of three banknotes in denominations of one, five and ten baht, united by one payment slip, the size of which is 147 by 228 mm. This bill is also the largest current 16 baht bill, which is still a means of payment today.
The most expensive coin in the world

The $20 Double Gold Eagle coin was released in 1933. Immediately after its production ceased, previously sold coins were bought back from the population at a price 2.5 times their face value. All but three coins were bought back. Two are now in the museum, the third was stolen and nothing was known about it for a long time. It was only in 1996 that the coin surfaced from a private Egyptian collector. In 2008, the coin was sold at auction in New York for $7 million 590 thousand to a buyer who wished to remain anonymous.
The largest banknote in the world by its denomination

This is considered the Hungarian banknote issued after the Second World War - sextillion (billion trillion) Hungarian pengö of 1946. Penge, currency unit Hungary from 1945 to 1946, “marked” the highest ever world history circulation of banknotes by the level of inflation.
The largest current banknote in terms of purchasing power

This is a $10,000 bill issued from late XIX century. Of course, these banknotes, which were printed since the 80s of the 19th century, then had an incredibly large purchasing power, several tens of times higher than now. But today, more than a hundred years later, these banknotes, already many times depreciated, still have the greatest purchasing power on Earth. True, this banknote is a means of payment only in the United States.
The most large bill according to purchasing power for internal payments of the country

That's £1 million. IN currently The banknote has been withdrawn from circulation. It was printed for settlement purposes within the Bank of England. Today, only 2 such banknotes are owned by private collectors. Its auction price in 2008 was 78,000 pounds sterling. But the 100,000 US dollar bill is still in use today. It is valid only in settlements between banks, the US Treasury and the Federal Reserve. The banknote is not for sale to collectors.
The most beautiful coin

The most beautiful coin on the planet is considered to be a Mexican coin, issued in 2005 from silver with images of the national coat of arms of Mexico and the calendar of the Aztec tribe. The decision to assign this status to the coin was made by members of the World Mint Conference, which was held in May 2008 in South Korea. The value of the coin is not specified. This outlandish coin attracted the attention of the jury not only for its amazing beauty, but also for the complexity of its execution technique. After all, to depict in all details on a small coin the Aztec monolith “Sun Stone” weighing 24 tons, which is also called a “calendar”, you must admit, is very difficult.
Stamps-money

These are non-postage stamps, the purpose of which is to replace small change in case of shortage. First released in the United States during the War between the North and South in 1861-1865. Sometimes used as postage stamps, but this happened rarely. Usually on back side Money stamps have no adhesive layer. And in Russia, a real boom in the issue of stamp money occurred during the First World War and the Civil War.

But in the Principality of Monaco, stamps are still issued that are accepted as a means of payment. This is due to the fact that domestic mail there is free, and stamps on postal items are used only when it comes to external correspondence.
Walruses

This is the colloquial name for checks issued by the Arkhangelsk branch of the State Bank in 1918 - 1920 and served as a means of payment in the Northern Region. In relation to the pound sterling, Arkhangelsk checks had a rate of 40 rubles per 1 pound.

The need for local banknotes was caused by an acute shortage of banknotes with a face value of less than 500 rubles. To solve this problem, in February 1918, the State Bank issued official permission to issue banknotes of 3, 5, 10 and 25 rubles. Walruses got their common name thanks to the images of a polar bear and a walrus among snow and ice floes on the front side of a twenty-five-ruble check, which differed from other checks in its large size.
Siamese silver bullet coins

They were produced in Thailand, formerly called the country of Siam, one of the most powerful states in Indochina, from 1782 to 1868.

Bullets were used in Thailand instead of money until the end of the 19th century. Such coins were made by bending a small piece of silver into a ball, on which the name of the king who issued the coin and the name of the dynasty to which he belonged were minted. 1 coin weighs about 15 grams, its diameter is about 14 mm.
Colored coins

Most often, colored coins are issued for collectors. But there are also similar banknotes that serve as a means of payment. Thus, in 2004, the Canadian Mint issued about 30 million silver 25 cent coins, in the middle of which there is a background maple leaf a red poppy is depicted. The coins were issued in honor of the 117 thousand Canadians who died during World War II. After all, in Canada, the poppy is a symbol of memory.

In 2006, Canada minted its second issue of colored coins. The 25 cent coin was intended to raise awareness of breast cancer. The reverse of the coin contains an image of a pink ribbon in the center. The obverse depicts Queen Elizabeth.
Oval coins

Most copper farthings from the times of Kings of England James I (1566-1625) and Charles I (1600 - 1649) were oval-shaped. These unusually light coins, 15 mm long, served as currency from 1534 to 1700.

But such money was common not only in Europe. Before Japan's currency was called the yen, the island nation's coins had oval, rectangular and other shapes. One of them, Koban - gold coin Edo period was equal to one tenth of an oban. And the yen, as you know, got its name because appearance coins having round shape, since “en” means “round” in Japanese.
Wine money of Yakutia

After the October Revolution, wine labels played the role of money in Yakutia in 1919 - 1921. They were produced by Alexei Semenov, who in the future became the People's Commissar of Finance of the republic.
The history of the creation of this money is quite interesting. In pre-revolutionary Russia, wine was bottled without labels; they were issued separately as confirmation of the quality of the drink. Therefore, for the illiterate population of Yakutia, the multi-colored pieces of paper that Semenov found in one local warehouse were quite suitable. The authenticity of the banknotes was confirmed by the painting and seal of Alexey Semenov.

I don’t even remember what such a huge number is called. But this is not fantasy, but a real currency of the now non-existent state of Yugoslavia. Hyperinflation struck Yugoslavia in 1989, until reforms were introduced in 1994. This particular banknote was printed in 1988. Unfortunately, I don’t know what exactly could be bought for that kind of money. A loaf of bread?

Banknote from a concentration camp

This money was created by the Nazis for Jews in a concentration camp from Czechoslovakia. This camp served as a model camp for the Red Cross and other organizations that came to check the living conditions of the people living here.

The Nazis created schools for children in this camp, held cultural and educational events for prisoners, and even issued banknotes for internal circulation.

In fact, about 30 thousand people died in this camp, and about 90 thousand of the inhabitants of the "paradise" concentration camp were sent to other places, even more terrible.

The bills themselves were presented to the Red Cross, but were never actually used and had no value.

Hundred Trillion Dollars (Zimbabwe)

Another huge denomination note used in Zimbabwe in 2009. As you know, economic anarchy reigns there, and paper money is even scrapped. Sometimes the weight paper money, for which you can buy a loaf of bread, exceeds the weight of the loaf itself.

One hundred million billion pengo (Hungary)

Yes, this country experienced the highest possible hyperinflation. This happened in 1946, so it is not a consequence of modern economic turmoil. So, one hundred million billion is 100,000,000,000,000,000,000. It is clear that the zeros did not fit on the bill, so they were not printed, writing the numbers in words. In July 1946, pengos were replaced by forints, a currency that is still the official currency of Hungary.

The oldest banknote is from 1380

This banknote is the oldest of all surviving ones. It was issued in 1380, although paper money was used in China as early as 800 AD.

Notgeld (Germany)

This money is something like coupons that were widely used in Ukraine after the collapse of the USSR. By the way, Notgeld can be considered the most unusual of all the “emergency” currencies issued as a replacement for regular money. As you can see, the design of the money is not just unusual, but very unusual. I wonder how something like this was allowed into circulation?

Banknote with Einstein

In 1952, Israeli Prime Minister Ben-Gurion proposed using Albert Einstein's face as a feature on the new Israeli 5-unit banknote, Lirot. This particular banknote was issued in 1968.

Money has been known to mankind since ancient times. Initially, pebbles and shells were used instead of money, then coins and paper money came into use. Throughout the history of their existence, what they have never been like! You can read about the most interesting, unusual money in our article.

Coins.

Let's start with the most beautiful coin in the whole world. It was a Mexican silver coin depicting the national coat of arms and the Aztec “calendar”. The curiosity received this proud title in 2008 at the World Mint Conference, which took place in South Korea.

So, the biggest coin.

1 Tonne Gold Kangaroo Coin claims this title. It was made in Australia, and today it has its nominal value (this is not much - one million Australian dollars). As for the weight of the coin, it is 1012 kilograms, made of 999.9 fine gold. The diameter of the record-breaking coin was 80 centimeters, and the thickness was 12 cm. As for the appearance, on the obverse, as necessary, is the profile of Queen Elizabeth II, but on the reverse, a larger red kangaroo in the rays of the sun looks great. It took a little over 18 months to create such a rather large coin. Well, let's see if we can steal such a “baby”.

The smallest coin in the world.

It was released in Nepal back in the 18th century, namely in 1740. Its face value was 1/4 jawa, but its weight was only 0.002 g.

But, perhaps, the smallest and largest coins will not be on a par with the other “exclusives” presented below.

Celebrity coins.

For example, everyone remembers how in the 90s the world was simply conquered by the film “Star Wars”. He continues to remain on the wave of popularity today. But the tiny Pacific state of Niue decided to make money from this passion for the movie saga. This is how the coin shown below appeared. Or rather, not just one, but a whole series. Each of them features a famous character from Star Wars. And such a “toy” costs as much as 390 “live”! But this small state decided to make money not only on Star Wars. In 2005, a unique one of its kind, say, the “Edison light bulb coin” was born. Its peculiarity is that when you press the coin, the built-in light bulb lights up, exactly repeating the shape of the first one invented by Edison. electric lamp incandescent Its face value is $1.

By the way, not only the characters from the film are immortalized in banknotes. In 2007, the Cook Islands issued a coin to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the tragic death of Diana Spencer. But in Palau in 2008 they decided to immortalize the portrait of the greatest visionary and fighter against windmills, the brave and invincible Don Quixote. Or how do you like the image of Picasso on the 10 euro note that appeared in France in 2010?

Volumetric coins and QR code.

But in another small state, don't seem to have much faith in flat coins. Therefore, they use their own, voluminous coins. They look like spheres, cubes and triangles. Apparently, this was done for the safety of its own citizens: to fight off opponents with such “banknotes” civil war much simpler. And here Mint for security purposes, but not for citizens, but for its own currency, it issued the world's first coins with a QR code. This code contains an encrypted link to the website of the Ministry of Finance of this country. Interesting coins, is not it?

Changing money.

No less interesting and unique is a coin that literally “comes to life in your hands.” Its secret is thermal imaging. It turns out that in its normal state the coin looks quite simple: it is completely red. But.. As soon as you pick it up, it immediately transforms. Voila! And instead of one red color, a chicken sits in your hands.

Here's an Easter surprise.

The coin is an illusion.

But this is not the most amazing and extravagant coin in the world. In 2001, this commemorative coin appeared. Who do you see on it? A bored lady with glasses and a strange hairstyle? How about turn it over? Are you surprised? That's it. A sea captain, an experienced sailor or a lovely, intelligent lady? The choice is only for those who have this miracle worth 10 dollars in their hands!

How do you like such a nice coin? It was made in Benin in 2011, and its face value is 100 francs. And the question just arises: what did the Benin government want to tell the world in this way?

Paper money.

But not only coins represent original money. Do not forget that paper banknotes are also very popular. Well, let's start traditionally: largest paper banknote. You will be surprised, but this is not a banknote at all. In fact, it is simply a huge building. See for yourself - in front of you is the Easy Office office center, which is located in Kaunas, Lithuania, looks like a real banknote worth a whole thousand litas.

Denomination of the largest banknote in the world.

But the largest paper banknote by its denomination in history was issued in Hungary. This happened in the post-war years, when rampant inflation reigned in the country. Well, a sextillion penge was truly a good amount at that time. This billion dollar banknote was issued in 1946.

The Americans did not excel in this regard either. Have you ever managed to hold a banknote equal to one million? Then you are most likely a member of the International Club, because it is for them that such a “piece of paper” was made as a kind of membership card. This was done in 1988. Here are bills with face values ​​of 200, 500 and 1000 dollars.

And here smallest paper banknote was born in 1917. Romania became her homeland. A ticket for 10 baths measured 27.5 by 38 millimeters.

And Canada pleased us with another novelty from the world of money. Simple banknotes, as Canadians quite rightly believe, have a rather short lifespan. That's why they introduced the system a long time ago plastic money. As a result, this country has the most reliable and durable banknotes. But Luminous Paper Money has gone even further. They decided to create banknotes that would glow in the dark. By the way, each denomination of such illumination has its own specific color.

The most beautiful banknote.

And while the fair half of humanity raises the question of the parameters of beauty, vigorously discusses what external and internal data this same “Miss Beauty” should have, a unanimous opinion has long been established among banknotes. So, the most beautiful banknote in the world was the French Pacific franc.

It will appear in your wallet when You will go to Pacific Ocean in territories that belong to France: French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna, New Caledonia. The impeccable beauty of these places, the carefree life of local residents, the calm and serenity of nature, the fabulous underwater world - all this is perfectly reflected on banknotes. Here in front of you is a banknote of ten thousand francs, which seems to “charge” with the atmosphere and spirit of the countries. The banknote in circulation today can only compete with one that, surprisingly, is “older.” The “beauty”, confidently placed in second place, was the German currency of “crisis” times. This image shows how complex and multifaceted the image style is.

But, perhaps, 20 from the Cook Islands can easily claim the title of the most erotic banknote. Beautiful, feminine and graceful.. Well, why not native erotica?

But all of the listed types of banknotes exist in reality, they can be seen, touched, smelled, in the end. But there is also money that doesn’t really exist. Surprised? Read on.

Do you know which of the world's banknotes is the most counterfeit? No? Then pay attention to the presented copy. This money came from"Operation Bernard". It was them that the Nazis dropped from their planes onto English territory. The principle and purpose of such actions was clear: to destabilize the existing situation as much as possible.

And here is another, now fictitious bill. Agree, it is so unlikable that you are glad that no one thought to print it and put it into circulation. But for statistics it is quite possible to record it.

Do you know which banknote is the oldest?

This is a Chinese banknote that was in circulation in 1380. True, the Chinese invented paper even earlier: in 800 AD.

Everyone is afraid of the mythical number “666”. But few people know that the fate of another valuable paper bill is connected with him. This, by the way, is not only the most mythical, but also the very first banknote in Europe. Its history began in 1666: it was then that the Bank of Sweden issued the first European “money”. Well, a date that many fear like hell: isn’t it a reason to claim the title of the most mythical and mysterious?

That's how they are the most unusual money peace. It is worth noting that this is far from an exhaustive list of unique, one-of-a-kind, amusing and funny, formidable and serious banknotes, as well as coins. History has seen banknotes equal to trillions of rubles, and banknotes dedicated not only to outstanding personalities (presidents and kings, dukes and duchesses), but also ordinary people, as well as football players. In short, it is impossible to describe the multifaceted manifestations that formed the basis of these banknotes.

A huge number of numismatists around the world collect such amazing coins and banknotes. But their goal is not to get rich, but simply to have fun

We all make certain payments every day, and money has become a familiar means of exchange for us. Perhaps everyone is interested in what money was like in the past.

However, today we will not talk about ordinary money that people used before, but we will talk about the most unusual money in the world, both ancient and modern.

The most unusual and interesting money in the world

1. The largest coin.

American artist-sculptor Stanley Whitten created a coin that set a record for several characteristics at the same time: size, weight and denomination. This coin was issued by the Canadian National Bank and has a denomination of one million US dollars. On one side of this true work of art there is a Canadian symbol - a maple tree leaf, and on the reverse - an image of the Canadian Queen Elizabeth II. This coin weighs a whole centner and consists almost entirely of pure gold. There are 15 such coins in total and all of them are in personal collections.

2. The most expensive coin.

At the moment, the most expensive coin in the world is a coin issued in the 30s of the 20th century. Its face value is only $20, but it sold at a New York auction for seven million dollars in 2008. The lucky owner of the unique coin wished to remain anonymous.

3. The lightest coin.

The lightest coin in the world is considered to be the Nepal coin, which was issued in 1740 and consists of silver. The weight of the coin is only 0.002 grams.

4. The most beautiful coin.

The Mexican coin of 2005 was recognized as the most attractive coin in appearance. It is made entirely of silver and features the Mexican coat of arms on one side and the Aztec calendar on the other. The decision that this particular coin will bear the proud title of the most beautiful in the world was made by the commission of the World Mint Conference in 2008.

5. The smallest banknote.

The banknote, which was issued at the beginning of the 20th century in Romania, can easily be confused with a tram ticket - after all, its size is just over 3 centimeters.

6. The largest banknote in size.

But the largest banknote was in use already in the 14th century in China. Its long side is 33 centimeters.

7. Banknote of the largest denomination.

The Hungarian banknote, which appeared in the 1940s, is the largest banknote by denomination. It amounts to a sextillion pengö (Hungarian currency from 1927 to 1946).

8. Wooden coins.

But in the Republic of Congo, the legal medium of exchange is a wooden coin, the production of which began in 2005. Maple wood was chosen to make these coins. Obviously, the creators were trying to give the coin some social character, since the inscription on it calls for the protection of animals, and there is also an image of a gorilla on both sides.

9. Fiber money.

In 1944-1945, in Japan, in the Manchuria region, coins made of reddish-brown fiber were used. The use of exactly this material for coins was forced measure, since metal reserves were on the verge of extinction.

10. The oldest paper banknote.

- the first country in which money began to be used from the material to which we are accustomed - from paper. This happened at the end of the 1st century AD. Money from that period, unfortunately, has not survived to this day. The most ancient paper money that has survived to this day looks like this:

11. African money sticks.

Residents of some areas of Africa, until the 20th century, used money in their everyday life, which was small iron sticks. They were called “kissi” money. For convenience, they were often used in whole bundles, which had an equal number of sticks.

12. Bullet coins.

For almost two hundred years, starting from the 18th century, bullet coins were in use. In appearance, such coins resembled a small, uneven ball of silver. Each coin bore the name of the king and his dynasty.

13. Geometric money.

For lovers of regular geometric shapes, there is a direct route to Somalia - they issue coins in the shape of a cylinder, cone, sphere and cube.

The coin, made in Australia, even has its own name - Tonne Gold Kangaroo Coin
The dimensions are amazing - the diameter of the coin is 80 cm, the thickness is 12 cm. The largest coin is made of the purest gold of 999.9 purity. Her weight is 102 kg. The denomination of the coin is 1 million Australian dollars. Its real price on the market is hundreds of times higher (gold). And the fact that it was made in a single copy makes it truly unique.

Money with a surprise

The coin itself initially looks simple, except that it is red. But as soon as you pick it up, the image changes and... a chicken appears. It's all about the thermal material that covers the surface. Different images appear at different temperatures.

A coin with the image of .....hemp was issued in 2011 in Benin. It is unclear what the government's intention was in issuing the coins. Smoking marijuana is officially prohibited in this country.

Coin in the shape of hemp

Largest paper banknote was released in Hungary in 1946. In the post-war period, rampant inflation reigned in the country. Price tags had to be rewritten literally every day. Therefore, a sextillion banknote did not surprise anyone at that time.

A sextillion is 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 or a billion trillion

The smallest banknote in the world released in Romania in 1917. The dimensions of the “baby” were 2.7 x 3.8 cm.

The average circulation period of paper money is about 3-5 years. It’s too short-lived, they decided in Canada and released plastic money into circulation. The advantages are obvious - such money practically does not wear out and is the most durable money in the world. Plastic money from Canada

If you have a banknote in your hands with a face value of 1 million US dollars, then you are a member of the International Millionaires Club. The banknote was issued in 1988 precisely for these purposes and is a kind of pass to the club.

1 million dollar bill

The largest banknote in the world is not actually money. This is a huge office building in Lithuania. It is built in the form of a banknote of 1000 local money (lit.)

A building in Lithuania in the form of a banknote

The inverted coin was issued in Liberia in 2001. When the coin is flipped, the image of a woman with glasses changes to a sailor.

The smallest coin in the world was issued in Nepal in 1740. Its weight was only 0.002 g.
For comparison, a 1 ruble coin weighs about 3.24 g and is comparable in weight to 1,162 Nepalese coins.

Celebrity Coins

The small island state of Niue decided to make money on popular movie characters, namely Star Wars. It began to issue coins depicting the heroes of the popular film saga. It is clear that these coins were immediately snapped up by numismatists and fans of the film. There's just one thing. The cost of one coin started at 500 US dollars. Thus, the government found a practical, cost-free source of replenishing the treasury. Coin – Don Quixote

In general, similar images of various fictional characters are periodically found on coins and banknotes. Thus, in the unknown state of Palau, coins with the image of Don Quixote were issued. It is noteworthy that only about 5% of the country's indigenous people know Cervantes' work.

Volume money released in Somalia. They have the shape of balls, cubes and other geometric shapes. Of course, they are not used in ordinary circulation, but are produced for collectors.
Volume money Somalia

In the Netherlands, in order to protect their national currency from counterfeiting, they issue money with a QR code. It contains information about each specific coin.

The $20 bill from the Cook Islands can claim to be the most erotic banknote in the world - beautiful, graceful, sexy!

The most beautiful banknote

The oldest paper banknote was issued in China in the 14th century.

The following fact is notable not for the banknote itself, but for the date of issue. In 1666, the Bank of Switzerland issued the first paper money in Europe. People simply called it “the devil’s money” - 666.