Olympic Coinage

Olympic Coinage

By: Roger Grove

If you are looking for something to collect, why not work towards a collection of Olympic coinage? We are all familiar with the multitude of issues from the Royal Canadian Mint, issued for Vancouver 2010, which can easily be found in your pocket change. What about all the other countries and their circulating and non-circulating issues from when they were selected to showcase the Olympics? If you want a challenge, try and collect one type coin from each of the participating countries. In recent times, those who host the Olympics will issue coinage but don’t forget about the issues from countries who are participating and not hosting. This alone is enough to keep any collector busy for some time. Don’t forget the ancient issues to add an extra degree of challenge.

Here is only a small sample of what is out there.

Happy hunting.

Discus – Cos, Caria, Silver tetradrachm, 5th cent. B.C.

Hoplitodromos -Cyzikos, Mysia Stater, electrum, c. 400 B.C.

Wrestling – Philip II, Macedonia, Silver tetradrachm, 359-336 B.C

Chariot Racing – Philip II, Macedonia, Gold stater, 323-316 B.C.

Horse Riding – Aspendos, Pamphylia, Silver stater, 350 B.C

Coin from the time of Geta and Caracalla (209-211 AD) with a prize-table with palm branches, victory crown, five apples and an amphora for the Actian Pythian local games of the city Perinthos.

1972 Munich, Germany

1980 Moscow, Russia

Freestyle Skiing on 1988 Calgary Silver $20

1992 Barcelona Olympics

Royal Canadian Mint Set
1988 Calgary Olympic Winter Games Silver $20 Coins

Previously published in the ENS “The Planchet” Magazine Vol-57 Issue-01