Where Would You Put This Coin

No. This coin was never legal tender anywhere in Australia for $5. It was never "legal tender" anywhere for $5 - not even in the self-proclaimed "Hutt River Province".

Hutt River Province's self-proclaimed leader at the time was Leonard Casley, calling himself Prince Leonard. In an effort to increase international recognition of his "country", Prince Leonard in the late 1980s authorized a friend of his, Kevin Gale from the Gold Coast, Queensland, to act as his ambassador and agent in selling Hutt River coins and postage stamps in America.

"Prince Kevin", however, went beyond his authority, and struck a deal with the Continental Coin Company in California to manufacture millions of "coins", without Prince Leonard's knowledge or consent. These coins were mass-marketed through American mass-media of the day (women's magazines, newspapers and such) and none of the profits from their sale ever made their way back to Prince Leonard. The "New Queensland Mint" is a fictitious entity, a trade-name which Continental used in an effort to make their coins sound more legitimate.

The issue of bogus HRP coinage did not stop until Continental Coin Company were eventually sued for mail fraud, over these and other "coins", on account that they were advertised as "legal tender coins" when they were not. CCC was shut down shortly afterwards.

Today, the coins are recognized as a legitimate part of the history of Hutt River (and I'm told you can find examples on display in the Royal Coin Collection) - but they are still not "legal tender" in Hutt River. If you turned up at the remote property in rural Western Australia where the Province claims its territory, they might good-naturedly accept one as payment (rather than bore a visitor with the long and painful story of why they're not legal tender, outlined above) but they are not legally bound to do so.

I own four examples of these "rebel" coins. So, in terms of classification, I personally file them in my world coin albums, wedged in between Hungary and Hyderabad, for "Hutt River Province - Rebel Issues". I also own a (much scarcer) "Hutt River Province - Legitimate Government" coin.

"So if it's a $5 fantasy coin can it be used in Australia or any where for $5 ?"

NO, since not legal tender in australia. However maybe in the tourist shop in Hutt River Province you might be able to >.< .

And their postage stamps are not worth anything either.




Steve :)

Well, unlike the Liberty Dollars, these were not stockpiled by the company that made them - they would have sold them pretty much as soon as they were made. So the vast majority of them are out there in the hands of the general public, most of whom are not genuine coin collectors since the advertising was not aimed at coin collectors.

And unlike Liberty Dollars, the coins themselves are not technically illegal to buy and sell. The "crime" CCC committed was not counterfeiting (since Prince Kevin's HRP "coins" do not resemble American legal tender coins in any way, nor do they appear to claim to be legal tender US currency) but in making coin-like objects which are legally "medals" and calling them "legal tender coins". So, for people owning these things and wishing to sell them, as long as the seller is clear that the HRP "coins" are not legal tender coins, no-one is committing any crime.