SHIPS-ON-COINS (AND MEDALS!): A "Want List" for Collectors (Copyright NumisNet[SM] 1989) Tired of collecting by type? Has a paucity of politicians' portraits or a dearth of diverse denominations brought your coin and/or medal collecting to a standstill? Well...perhaps you should try collecting by "topic" instead! YOU pick the topic--chances are, at some point in time, somewhere on this planet, some sovereign government (or private concern) has minted coins (or medals, or printed currency) depicting that very topic! Take "ships," for example. Countries heavily dependent upon ocean-going vessels for defense or revenue (or both!) have, over the centuries, minted a vast and surprisingly diverse array of coins and medals depicting ships: everything from "3-masters" to steamships. The following list is illustrative of their output. This list is DELIBERATELY incomplete! Part of the "thrill of the hunt" is, after all, the quest for clues as to the whereabouts of one's quarry. If you should lose sight of your quarry, you might want to borrow or buy one or more of the following references: * Christopher Eimer's BRITISH COMMEMORATIVE MEDALS AND THEIR VALUES. * Milford Haven's BRITISH NAVAL MEDALS; also, his NAVAL MEDALS OF FOREIGN COUNTRIES...(2 parts). * R. W. Julian's MEDALS OF THE UNITED STATES MINT.... * Krause Publications' STANDARD CATALOG OF WORLD COINS. * Mueller-Reichau's NAVES IN NUMMIS (2 parts). * R. Obojski's SHIPS AND EXPLORERS ON COINS. Happy Hunting! [NOTE: The following abbreviations are used throughout this article: IR =a coin type issued at IRREGULAR intervals during the time span indicated SUFS=a sailing vessel under full sails OLT =an ocean liner (passenger ship) or tanker (cargo ship) of the modern era) All dates are A.D. unless otherwise noted.] ******* COINS * ******* COUNTRY DENOMINATION DATE(S) DESCRIPTION ******* ************ ******* *********** Anguilla 4 Dollars 1969-70 SUFS "Atlantic Star;" proof-only; almost 1 oz. of .999 silver! Argentina 5 Pesos 1961-68 Training SUFS "Presidente Sarmiento" Austria 500 Schilling 1984 OLT "Vorarlberg" Bahamas Penny 1806 SUFS 1807 (proof-only) 25 Cents 1966-70 Sloop 10 Dollars 1973 Sloop; almost 1.5 oz. of .925 silver! 50 Dollars 1967,71-72 Sloop; over 0.5 oz. of .917 gold! 1000 Dollars 1983 "America's Cup Challenge;" proof-only; over 1 oz. of .900 gold! Baltic States Kroon 1934 Viking SUFS (ESTONIA) Barbados 100 Dollars 1975 SUFS Bermuda Penny 1793 SUFS 25 Dollars 1977 SUFS; over 1.5 oz. of .925 silver 50 Dollars 1977 Sailboat 100 Dollars 1977 Sailing vessel w/furled sails Brazil 200 Reis 1932 SUFS 2000 Reis 1900 SUFS British 100 Dollars 1980 SUFS; proof-only Virgin Islands Canada 10 Cents 1937- SUFS "M.V. Bluenose" 1 Dollar 1949 John Cabot's flagship, "Matthew" 1987 Brigg "Sun"--on "400th Anniv. of Davis' 3rd NW Passage Expedition" 5 Dollars 1973 XXI Olympiad; sailboats (New Half-Penny 1843,1854 Sailing vessel w/furled sails Brunswick) Cayman 25 Cents 1972- SUFS; almost all issues Islands proof-only Chile Diez (10) Pesos 1968 Naval squadron of Lord Cochrane; almost 1.5 oz. of .999 silver! China 1 Dollar 1932-35 Junks under full sails (REPUBLIC) China 5 Yuan 1983 SUFS (PEOPLE'S 100 Yuan 1983 SUFS REPUBLIC) Cook 1 Dollar 1970 H.M.S. "Endeavour"--on "200th Islands Anniv. of Cook's Voyage" 2 1/2 Dollars 1973-74 SUFS--on "Cook's 2nd Pacific Voyage;" almost 1 oz. of .925 silver! 7 1/2 Dollars 1973-74 SUFS--on "Discovery of Hervey Islands" 100 Dollars 1975 SUFS Comoro 100 Francs 1977 Fishing cutter Islands Cuba 5 Pesos 1981 3 different varieties, depicting "Nina," "Pinta," and "Santa Maria" 1982 Ernest Hemingway's fishing boat! Cyprus 5 Mils 1963-81(IR) 6th-century merchant ship 100 Mils 1955,1957 As above Danish 20 Cents 1859-79(IR) SUFS West Indies Djibouti 10 Francs 1965-77(IR) Arabian dhow foreground; (FRENCH OLT background SOMALILAND; 20 Francs 1952-77(IR) As above AFARS & ISSAS) British East 5 Cents 1955-65(IR) SUFS Caribbean 10 Cents " " Territories 25 Cents " " 10 Dollars 1980-81 Sir Frances Drake's flagship, the "Golden Hind" Egypt 1 Pound A.H.1401 OLTs transiting Suez Canal (A.D.1981) [NOTE: 116 years earlier, in 1865, TOKENS were used as currency by employees of many of the companies involved in the Canal's construction. The 50-Centimes and 5-Francs tokens depicted either ancient Egyptian or 19th-century SUFS, while the 1-Franc token depicted a 19th-century SUFS.] Falkland 50 Pence 1983 SUFS Islands Fiji Islands Shilling 1934-65(IR) Outrigger 50 Cents 1975-83(IR) Outrigger Finland 5 Markkaa 1972- Icebreaker Gambia 1 Penny 1966 Native SUFS German States [NOTE: For over 2 centuries, the various "German States"--including Swiss "cantons"--produced an attractive and diverse array of "city-view" talers (dollar-size silver coins). Since many of the cities and cantons which minted these talers were sited on rivers or harbors, their "city-view" often included ships plying these same rivers and harbors. Collectors interested in pursuing this coinage more seriously would be wise to consult John Davenport's GERMAN CHURCH AND CITY TALERS 1600-1700....] Germany 5 Reichsmark 1927 "3-master" Gibraltar Crown 1980 SUFS--on "175th Anniv. of Nelson's Death;" almost 1 oz. of .925 silver; proof-only 50 Pounds 1980 SUFS; almost 0.5 oz. of .917 gold! Great Half-Penny 1937-67 Sir Frances Drake's flagship, Britain the "Golden Hind;" proof-only issue in 1970 Guernsey 1 Pound 1983 SUFS Haiti 5 Gourdes 1967-70 "Nina," "Pinta," and "Santa Maria" 100 Gourdes 1977 Sailboat Indonesia Gulden 1802 SUFS (BATAVIAN REPUBLIC) Iraq Dinar 1973 OLT Isle of Crown 1979,1982 SUFS; '82 also in OLT variety Man [NOTE: There are 20 different varieties of this denomination, in four different metals! (This also is true of the 50-Pence which follows!) The silver version contains almost 1 oz. of .925 silver. The gold version contains over 1 oz. of .917 gold. The platinum version contains over 1.5 oz. of .950 platinum.] 50 Pence 1971-84 Viking "longship" (also appears on bullion issue, the "Noble") 1981 Christmas issue; SUFS 5 Pounds 1988 Fishing vessel Israel 10 Sheqalim 1982- Ancient galley "after a Hasmonean drawing" 5 Lirot (Pounds) 1963 Ancient galley Italy 500 Lire 1958-82(IR) SUFS Jamaica 10 Dollars 1974-77 SUFS 20 Dollars 1972 SUFS Jersey 2 Pounds 1972 SUFS Kiribati 1 Dollar 1979 Native SUFS Korea(South) 5 Won 1966-83(IR) Native oar-driven vessel Kuwait Fils 1961-79(IR) Arabian dhow 5 Fils 1961-80(IR) " 10 Fils " " 20 Fils " " 50 Fils 1961-79(IR) " 100 Fils " " 2 Dinars 1976 " Lebanon 2 Piastres 1925 Native oar-driven vessel 5 Piastres 1925-61(IR) As above Liberia 5 Dollars 1973-82(IR) SUFS 12 Dollars 1965 SUFS; proof-only 20 Dollars 1964 SUFS Maldive 25 Rufiyaa A.H.1398 Fishing vessel Islands (A.D.1978) Malta 10 Cents 1972-81(IR) Fishing boat 1 Pound 1977-79(IR) " 2 Pounds 1975-81(IR) " 4 Pounds 1975 " 10 Pounds 1975-76 " 20 Pounds 1975 " 50 Pounds 1975-77 " 100 Pounds 1977 " Malta 10 Grani 1978-79 Oar-driven native SUFS; (Order of) 9 Tari 1978-79 both are MEDALLIC issues ZEELAND 6 Stuivers 1750-93(IR) SUFS; denomination also (Netherlands) known as "scheepjesschelling" Netherlands 25 Cents 1941-43 Viking longship Netherlands 25 Gulden 1976 SUFS Antilles New Caledonia 10 Francs 1967-79(IR) Melanesian pirogue New Zealand 50 Cents 1967-83 H.M.S. "Endeavour" 1 Dollar 1970 SUFS Norway 5 Kroner 1975 Sloop "Restauration" Pakistan 5 Pice 1961 Native SUFS 5 Paisa 1961-74 As above Poland 5 Zlotych 1936 3-master "Dar Pomorza" 20 Zlotych 1980 SUFS [NOTE: Poland issues almost as many "patterns"--geared solely to collectors--as it does regular circulating coinage. More of these patterns depict ships than do circulating coinage--see, for example: 1936 klippe 5-Zlotych (SUFS); 1958 5- and 10-Zlotych (OLT); 1960 5-Zlotych (OLT); 1980 100-Zlotych (SUFS); 1982 500-Zlotych (SUFS).] (Danzig) Half-Gulden 1923,1927 Galley 2 Gulden 1923,1932 " 5 Gulden 1935 " Portugal 2 1/2 Escudos 1932-82(IR) 16th-century SUFS 5 Escudos " " 10 Escudos 1932-74(IR) " Qatar Dirhem A.H.1393 Native SUFS (A.D.1973) " 5 Dirhems 1973-78(IR) " 10 Dirhems 1972-73 " 25 Dirhems 1973-81(IR) " 50 Dirhems 1973-78(IR) " St. Helena 25 Pence 1973 17th-century SUFS 1980 OLT St. Kitts 20 Dollars 1982 SUFS doing battle & Nevis St. Pierre Franc 1948 Schooner & Miquelon 2 Francs 1948 Schooner Senegal 50 Francs 1975 Native SUFS [NOTE: In 1920, the Dakar Chamber of Commerce issued TOKENS depicting SUFS. These were issued in denominations of 5-, 25- and 50-Centimes.] Singapore 10 Dollars 1975 OLT at dock South Africa Half-Penny 1923-60 SUFS (Union of) Penny " " 5 Shillings 1952 " Spain 25 Centimos 1925 SUFS Sweden 2 Kronor 1938 SUFS Tonga Pa'anga 1981 Native SUFS Trinidad 10 Dollars 1982 SUFS & Tobago Tunisia Dinar 1969 Phoenician oar-driven SUFS Tuvalu 10 Dollars 1979 SUFS Fujairah 5 Riyals 1969-70 SUFS; proof-only; a most (UNITED interesting piece, inasmuch ARAB EMIRATES) as it commemorates APOLLO XII ! United States [NOTE: SUFS are depicted on a wide variety of American exonumia-- see, for example: "Pitt" tokens of 1766; Rhode Island "Ship Token" of 1779; "North American" token of 1781; "Talbot Alum & Lee Cents" of 1794-95.] 50 Cents 1892 "Columbian Expo" commem.; "Santa Maria" 1920-21 "Pilgrim" commem.; "Mayflower" 1924 "Huguenot-Walloon" commem.; "Nieu Nederland" 1935 "Hudson" commem.; "Half Moon" 1936 "Long Island" commem.; Dutch SUFS 1936 "Delaware" commem.; "Kalmar Nyckel" Western Tala 1972,1979 SUFS Samoa 10 Tala 1979 SUFS South Arabia 25 Fils 1964 Arabian dhow (YEMEN DEM. 50 Fils 1964 As above REPUBLIC) Lest the above lead you to believe that ships are fairly modern subject matter for coinage, keep in mind that many of the city-states of the Ancient World (Rome included) had to IMPORT a large percentage of their foodstuffs. Ships played a crucial role in this commerce, a fact reflected by the frequency of ships as a "type" on local coinage. Ships also, of course, played an extremely important role in defense, a fact reflected on the coinage of such "would-be-kings" as Allectus. For reasons both of commerce and defense, then, the ship "motif" recurs on Roman Imperial coinage as late as the reign of Theodosius I. Greek Imperial coinage (provincial coinage of the Roman Empire) is especially well-represented by the ship motif: either a prow alone (Smyrna and Samos, for example), or--more often--an oar-driven SUFS. Richard Plant's GREEK COIN TYPES AND THEIR IDENTIFICATION depicts a number of ship motifs (line drawings #2234-2298), and is an excellent introduction to the type as respects Ancient Greek coinage. David Sear's ROMAN COINS AND THEIR VALUES and GREEK IMPERIAL COINS AND THEIR VALUES are excellent introductions to the type as respects Roman and Greek Imperial coinage. Although we've not done a scientific analysis of the matter, we would "guesstimate"--based on more than a quarter-century's collecting experience-- that for every example of ships-on-COINS there are AT LEAST ten (10) examples of ships-on-MEDALS! This is an ideal situation for the collector, both because medals are generally less expensive than coins, and also because medals generally afford engravers more space within which to work their artistry. To give you an idea of what's available on medals, we've listed below a few of the medals issued by just TWO countries--the U.S. and Great Britain--on which ships are a MAJOR part of the design element. Hopefully, this admittedly brief corpus will stimulate your appetite for a more thorough investigation of your own...! We list the U.S. first because its seafaring tradition is much younger than Great Britain's, as a consequence of which its "ships-on-medals" are fewer.... [NOTE: Dates given below are the dates depicted on the medals themselves, and NOT the actual date of minting, which often occurred many years after the person(s) or event(s) commemorated!] *************** UNITED STATES * *************** DATE PERSON(S)/EVENT(S) DESCRIPTION **** ****************** *********** 1779 Capt. John Paul Jones "Vessels of the Enemy Captured or Put to Flight" 1800 Capt. Thomas Truxtun Naval engagement 1804 Commodore Edward Prebble U.S. warships firing on Tripoli 1812 Capt. William Bainbridge Battle between U.S. warship "Constitution" and British warship "Java" 1812 Capt. Stephen Decatur, Jr. Battle between U.S. warship "United States" and British warship "Macedonia" 1812 Capt. Isaac Hull Battle between U.S. warship "Constitution" and British warship "Guerriere" 1812 Capt. Jacob Jones Battle between U.S. warship "Wasp" and British warship "Frolic" 1813 Lt. William Burrows Battle between U.S. warship "Enterprise" and British warship "Boxer" 1813 Master Commandant Battle between U.S. and British fleets Jesse Elliott 1813 Capt. James Lawrence Battle between U.S. warship "Hornet" and British warship "Peacock" 1813 Lt. Edward R. McCall Battle between U.S. warship "Enterprise" and British warship "Boxer" 1813 Master Commandant Defeat of British fleet on Lake Erie Oliver H. Perry 1814 Capt. Johnston Blakely Battle between U.S. warship "Wasp" and British warship "Reindeer" 1814 Lt. Stephen Cassin Battle between U.S. and British fleets 1814 Lt. Robert Henley Battle between U.S. and British fleets 1814 Master Commandant Defeat of British fleet on Lake Thomas Macdonough Champlain 1814 Capt. Lewis Warrington Battle between U.S. warship "Peacock" and British warship "Epervier" 1815 Capt. James Biddle Capture of British warship "Penguin" by U.S. warship "Hornet" 1815 Capt. Charles Stewart Battle between U.S. warship "Constitution" and British warships "Cyane" and "Levant" 1846 Loss of the "Somers" Sinking of "Somers" off Vera Cruz during Mexican-American War 1853/54 Cmdr. Duncan Ingraham U.S. sloop-of-war "St. Louis" and Austrian brig-of-war "Hussar" in harbor of Smyrna, Turkey 1867 Cyrus Field SUFS laying 1st Trans-Atlantic telegraph cable 1874 Vessel Owners' and Sailors being rescued from sinking Captains' Association SUFS of Philadelphia Astute readers will have noticed that most U.S. medals depicting ships were issued to commemorate events associated with the War of 1812. The enemy in this war--Great Britain--issued very few medals associated with the same war (probably because few nations issue medals commemorating their DEFEATS!). However, Great Britain's seafaring tradition, being many centuries older than that of the United States, has given rise to a vaster and more diverse array of naval medals, as the following list makes quite clear.... *************** GREAT BRITAIN * *************** DATE PERSON(S)/EVENT(S) DESCRIPTION **** ****************** *********** 1588 Defeat of Spanish Armada Spanish fleet in distress (several different medals!) 1596 Defeat of Attempted Spanish fleet in distress Invasion by Spain 1630 "Dominion of the Sea" SUFS 1639 Spanish fleet destroyed Battle between Dutch and Spanish fleets by Dutch off Dover 1639 "Dominion of the Sea" SUFS 1653 Naval Reward Naval engagement 1654 Peace between England British and Dutch frigates sailing and Holland side-by-side 1660 Charles II, Embarkation Fleet under sail at Scheveningen 1660 Charles II, Landing at SUFS Dover 1665 Naval Victory against Naval engagement Holland 1665 Naval Action against Naval engagement within harbor Holland 1666 Proposed Commercial Sea-lanes crowded with shipping Treaty with Spain 1667 Peace with Holland British and Dutch SUFS sailing side-by-side 1682 Duke of York, Shipwrecked SUFS in distress off rocky coast off Yorkshire Coast 1687 Spanish Wreck Recovered SUFS searching for treasure 1688 Landing of William III Fleet at anchor at Torbay 1690 Arrival of William III Fleet approaching coast in Ireland 1691 Return of William III Fleet off Dutch coast to Holland 1692 Battle of La Hogue French SUFS sinking (several different medals) 1694 French Coast Bombarded British fleet firing on French coastal defenses 1697 Fortunes of Prince James SUFS in stormy seas 1702 Expedition to Vigo Bay British and Dutch fleets attacking French and Spanish fleets 1705 Barcelona Taken Fleet bombarding city 1708 Prince James(III), SUFS off coast Restoration of Kingdom 1708 Attempted Invasion of SUFS "Salisburi" and fleet Scotland 1709 Capture of Tournay Spanish SUFS in heavy seas 1727 Gibraltar Beseiged by Spanish fleet bombarding Gibraltar Spanish Fleet 1734 Wier Built at Hameln SUFS on river Weser 1739 Capture of Portobello Naval engagement (several different medals) 1740 Fort Chagre Taken 6 SUFS entering Portobello harbor 1741 Carthagena Taken 2 SUFS entering harbor 1742 Proposed Attack on Havana 4 SUFS entering harbor 1742 Spanish Galleons Destroyed SUFS attacking moored galleons 1745 Capture of French Treasure Naval engagement Ships "Marquis d'Antin" and "Louis Erasme" 1758 Louisburg Taken Shore batteries firing at fleet 1761 Belleisle Taken SUFS around island 1772 Capt. Cook's 2nd Voyage 2 frigates viewed from astern to the Pacific 1779 Naval Action off Naval engagement Flamborough Head 1781 Capture of St. Eustatius Naval engagements (several different medals) 1781 Battle of Dogger Bank Dutch SUFS firing at departing British SUFS 1782 Great Siege of Gibraltar SUFS w/battering rams! 1783 Blockade of Gibraltar SUFS in bay of Gibraltar 1794 Battle of 1st of June Lord Howe's flagship, "Charlotte," sinking French SUFS 1796 Naval Engagement off British Lion running amok on Helvoetsluys dismasted ship 1796 London Missionary Society SUFS 1797 Battle of Camperdown Starboard quarter-view of "Monarch" (several different medals) 1797 Battle of Cape St. Vincent Spanish SUFS under attack 1797 French Expedition to Bantry 3 SUFS in stormy seas Bay 1798 Battle of the Nile Bird's-eye view of British fleet (several different medals) 1798 Naval Action off Fleet at sea Tory Island 1799 King Ferdinand IV SUFS entering bay of Naples Re-Established at Naples 1799 Siege of Acre British SUFS in bay of Acre 1805 Battle of Trafalgar Bird's-eye view of British fleet (several different medals) 1816 Bombardment of Algiers Naval engagement 1825 Destruction of the East "Kent" in flames Indiaman "Kent" 1827 Completion of Gloucester Partially-rigged SUFS and Berkeley Canal 1831 New Channel to Newport SUFS in channel Opened 1843 Launching of S.S. "Great Starboard view of "Great Britain" Britain" 1844 London Missionary Society Missionary ship "John Williams" 1845 Passage of S.S. "Great Starboard view of "Great Britain" Britain" from Bristol to London 1846 Voyage of Junk "Keying" Starboard view of junk under sail 1846 Centenary of the Starboard view of SUFS Lutterworth Benefit Society 1848 Voyage of Junk "Keying" Starboard view of junk under sail (several different medals) 1854 Sir Charles Napier Broadside view of SUFS 1858 Newport Dock Extension Panoramic view of ships at dock 1859 Death of Isambard Starboard view of "Great Eastern" Kingdom Brunel 1861 The "Great Eastern" Starboard view.... 1875 Samuel Owen Broadside view of paddle-steamer 1876 Joseph Turner; "Temeraire" under tow Laudatory Medal 1894 Manchester Ship Canal Shipping on waterway Opened 1896 London Missionary Society Missionary ship "Duff" Centenary 1897 H.M.S. "Foudroyant" "Foudroyant" w/sails furled Wrecked 1897 Conquest of Trinidad, SUFS at anchor in mole of Port of Spain Centenary 1899 S.S. "Maine" Broadside view of S.S. "Maine" 1899 Launching of H.M.S. Starboard view.... "Vengeance" 1905 Launching of the "Katori" View of warship "Katori" 1907 Liverpool, 700th Anniv. Medieval ship obverse, 4-funnelled of Foundation steamship reverse (several different medals) 1912 Centenary of Steam Broadside view of steamship Shipping in Europe 1912 "Titanic" Relief Fund Broadside view of 4-funnelled passenger ship 1914 Bombardment of Coastal bombardment by 3 ships Scarborough 1915 Sinking of S.S. Steamship sinking in heavy seas "Lusitania" 1915 Manchester Manx Society Medieval longboat under sail 1915 Winston Churchill, 1st Single-funnel steamer Lord of the Admiralty 1916 Victory of Jutland Bank Broadside view of battleship "Lion" 1925 Prince of Wales, Visit 17th-century SUFS to Cape Town 1934 Launching of R.M.S. Passenger ship under steam "Queen Mary" 1936 R.M.S. "Queen Mary" "Queen Mary" under steam Commissioned 1968 R.M.S. "Queen Elizabeth," QEI under steam Final Voyage 1969 R.M.S. "Queen Broadside view of QEII Elizabeth II," Maiden Voyage 1970 Pilgrim Fathers, 350th 17th-century SUFS Anniversary As we noted in our introduction, the foregoing are but a FEW of the many 1000's of coins and medals which have been minted, over the centuries, with a nautical motif. And we haven't even looked at TOKENS...! Or PAPER MONEY...!! Or...!!! Happy Hunting!