Continuing List To Show Everyones Latest Acquisitions

A few of the silver coins I've acquired recently. Some are very low mintages.
Belgium 20 Francs 1953

Egypt 1 Pound 1976 FAO (50,000)

Palestine 50 Mils 1939

Turkey 150 Lira 1979 FAO (10,000)

Sweden 5 Kronor 1959: Sesquicentennial of the Swedish Constitution

Uruguay 10 Pesos 1961: Sesquicentennial of Revolution Against Spain

WTG Hondo !

Nice group!

Memories Hondo. I was in Turkey in '78 and '79. I have memories of those hostages being taken and tho I dont remember the coins "wish I saved some" I do remember the paper money, "it never occurred to me to save any since it was 500 to $1 and basically worthless". The 18 mos there did however teach me the importance of gold.

To bad I didn't listen to it. Had I, and begun to buy back then, I'd have a gold stack big enough to choke an elephant. Gold was about $300 oz back then and it makes me want to cry just thinking about it. Uncle Sam was paying for my rack and my food and I could have bough an oz every month.

The Turks knew tho, "as did the rest of the 3rd world". The "rich" Turks back then were the ones who worked on the airbase, the house boys most of all. The barracks house boys "all men actually" had access to us knuckle heads which means they had access to $USD because we were to lazy to shine our own boots or press our own uniforms, "a buck apiece". Also we were able to buy the stuff we'd trade them for for Turkish rugs and whatnot. They made fortunes on the black market for the blue jeans, fruit of the looms, cigarettes, fancy booze, chocolates, only we were able to buy that we'd trade them for on the Black market "bush bush".

Others who were rich were the prostitutes and their controllers, "yes Turkey used to be the one country that allowed prostitution and it brought in a lot of USD and western currencys, but mostly USD. The Turks who had access to USD and Euro-currencys used them for one purpose only and that was to buy gold and silver, mostly gold.

For a Turkish family, indeed most of the world, "Gold" is the "bank" since the real banks aren't trusted and the fiat currencys are worth next to nothing anyway. Even now the Turk Lira is worth about 40 to $1 greenback. In 1978 it would go from 500 to 1 to 50 to 1 and back again in an effort to stimulate the economy. Even today with Turkey being far more Industrialized "back then the city's had goats on the streets and the meat was all open air with lukewarm water for a few hours a week for citizens" the bank is still gold.

Tho its not under Martial Law anymore, as it was in my day, its still a poor country, unstable, and gold is still how generational wealth is retained. The gift of gold from a man to a woman means only the most serious intent that he wants to marry her and the family approves. The importance of gold in these society's is fascinating really.

I was 19yo.


A day in the life in Martial Law Turkey.

Excellent group!

Nice notes, Silverskunk.

Thanks fellas. I got so many in its going to probably take most of the summer to organize my displays, photo them, and I have stuff coming in all the time.

That day in Nov. 1979, when I went into roll call and was told by my commander what happened in Tehran, and to draw weapons and ammo to be ready to "go" at a moments notice is what ignited the History bug in me.

Even tho Carter never sent us we knew we were witnesses to History. One thats still being played out and its why I love collecting even if it took quite a number of years to get into it.

I want to get these currencys right, in good order, to be witness to the conflicts previous generations had to endure.