Disappearing Shapes: The Future Of Oddly Shaped Coins Bleak?

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electroplating is happening on a molecular level, effectiveness has nothing to do with shape. you could plate something as intricate as a snowflake as easily as a circular coin.

Does the Cook Islands triangular $2 still circulate though? I thought that they used the New Zealand dollar exclusively and have done since 1994 or 1995.

>> Does the Cook Islands triangular $2 still circulate though? I thought that they used the New Zealand dollar exclusively and have done since 1994 or 1995.

The $1, $2 and $5 dollar coins are still current as is the $3 dollar note.
Last issue for the coins was 2003, I believe they still circulate alongside the NZ issues.

Here is the main reason why funky shapes are becoming extinct.


This is related to the vending machine issue, too. The British chose the equilaterally-curved heptagon specifically because, like all Reuleaux polygons, it could roll just as easily as a round coin, and also that it would maintain a fixed diameter, no matter which way it is rotated.

Vending machines can cope with strange shapes - the Australian 50 cent coin is accepted in pretty much any vending machine that accepts coins here - but it all adds to complexity, which adds to cost.


The plating itself is not be the main reason why plated coins are almost always round. There are two other factors involved.

First, a non-round shape has, by definition, some pointy bits sticking out somewhere. Those pointy bits attract wear, and wear on a plated object is bad, because if the plating wears completely away at that point, it allows corrosion through to the underlying metal. This is also one reason why plated coins are always struck in appallingly low relief.

Second, the underlying metal for most cheap modern coins is steel. Steel is cheap, so long as you don't want to do anything fancy with it. Making strange shapes adds to the cost, eliminating much of the savings made from switching to steel in the first place.


And here's the final reason why strange shaped coins are becoming unpopular with governments. What modern, sophisticated country wants to advertise the fact that most of their population is still illiterate?

Of course, increasing literacy worldwide throughout the 20th century and up to today means that very few countries these days actually have such low literacy rates anymore. Wikipedia 2011 world literacy map. Most of those that do, places like Afghanistan and South Sudan, have war, disorder and other things that are distracting them from making circulating coinage of any kind.

I am a fan of the shaped coins. Wether it be scalloped, square, triangle, etc they add variety to my collection. I hope some will continue. I know of a few countries that still issue non circulating coins that are square such as the canadian $3 beaver

I'm not sure. According to the 2011 Royal Australian Mint annual report 24,000 $1 coins and 200,000 $2 were struck and dated 2010.

Wow! Thanks for all the information on a lot of this stuff, much appreciated.

The electroplating thing I think I found most interesting, and it makes a little more sense than what I was told earlier. Many electroplate coins I've seen from Africa or Haiti look pretty bad when worn. All the metal layers get exposed and begin corroding at various rates. I'll bet some of these coins may eventually be worth a lot in good condition just because they lack durability.

From what I can understand, Bangladesh doesn't really make the small poisha coins anymore, due to having such little value. Same thing with the Indian Paisa, I think the lowest denomination in India right now is the 50 paisa. The Belize scalloped pennies are still used though, and the Belize dollar is still made with ten sides. Lots of countries have started using the "Spanish flower" shape, Australia's 50 cent works well with machines as a couple mentioned, I'm guessing quite a few "shapes" will circulate for some time yet. But I think we may as well say goodbye to the square, as well as a few shapes like the octagon which never took off except a few places to begin with.

I had no idea Cook Islands was still putting out those dollar coins, despite New Zealand retooling the cents. The mint figures Mr. T put up seem to hint they have the intention of using them. Weird but interesting.

As far as unstable countries go, I know post-invasion Iraq and Afghanistan have both issued 3 coin sets (all round) but I have no idea how much they actually circulate, if at all. I haven't even seen NCLT come out of South Sudan yet though, and when it does I almost doubt their government will even know about it.

[quote]There are the 2010 "sets" -
http://worldcoinnews.blogspot.co.uk...ok%20islands[quote]

I'm guessing they don't circulate then.