How Far Back Can We Go? Seventh Edition! Ended At 1380 Waiting On 1379

1997, the year I turned 21.



New Zealand had 3 coins in 1997, the 5c and 10c and the ultra scarce $2 coin. It was the first $1 or $2 coin minted for circulation since 1991 and this coin was minted in South Africa, it was minutely thinner than the British minted ones. It caused issues with slot and vending machines as it got rejected. Many were recalled after an old woman in a "pokie machine venue" was beaten to death by an angry gambling addict who put hundreds of dollars in machine and his 1997 $2 coin was rejected and had to get more money. In the meantime the woman came up, put one coin and won the jackpot he was due to win.

Just one million were minted and with the withdrawn one, they are super rare now (I have seen 2 in the past 20 years, I have one and the other was sent to Triggersmob in June).

The big development in UK coins in 1997 was the introduction of the bimetallic £2 coin. It was the only £2 coin of this type to have the Raphael Maklouf portrait of the Queen, as all coins used the Ian Rank-Broadley portrait from 1998:

The Golden Wedding of the Queen and Prince Philip was celebrated by a NCLT cupro-nickel 38mm £5 coin, which was available at face value from banks. Unusually, it shows both the Queen and Philip on the obverse:


Jersey meanwhile still used the Arnold Machin portrait:

Alderney issued a silver NCLT £2 coin fearuring Leeds Castle in Kent:

All countries using British coinage adopted smaller 50 pence coins in 1997. This is the Isle of Man version:

1997 Gibraltar 50 pence with dolphins on the reverse:

1 cent coin from Bermuda:

I got this 1997 New Zealand $2 coin in change when I visited NZ in 1999. I noticed immediately that it wasn't quite the same as other $2 coins, and thought it was a forgery until I read Princetane's account of it!

And I have given it a very good home. Thank you PrinceTane.

Here is the NCLT version of the Smithy $1

More coins from 1997...

South Korea 100 Won:

Dominican Republic 1 Peso:

Hungary 50 Forint:

Austria 20 schillings:

Haiti 5 centimes:

Aruba 1 Florin:

Eritrea 25 cents:

Italy 1,000 Lire:

Vatican 1,000 Lire:

Philippines 1 Piso:

Spain 10 Pesetas:

Some more 97 from me.


5 Francs Swiss - The 1999 coin I showed is the Obverse this time!


Korean 10 won (NumisRob you and I seem to think alike! - I took these photos last week though!)

Turkish inflation coins, these are quite large and thick. Bin is Turkish for thousand.


10,000 Lira


25,000 Lira - the biggest value coin by this stage - the huge 50,000 I showed for 1999 or 2000 came out in 1998.


Spanish 25 Pesetas celebrating Melilla, one of their Moroccan outposts near Tangier.

1996 UK £2 coin (the last monometallic £2) commemorating the European Soccer Championships:

1996 £5 coin for the Queen's 70th birthday:

1996 Cayman Islands 25 cents:

1996 Belize 1 cent:

1996 Ireland 2, 5 and 20 pence:

1996 30th Anniversary of Decimal Currency Australia silver $1