Tuesday 17 June 2008

The Sealand Dollar

The Sealand Dollar is the official currency of the Principality of Sealand, and the first coins were minted in 1972. Pegged to the US$, it has become a very rare currency, partially because of the metals it has been minted in, and is unique in the fact that a Sealandic rebel government has also minted a SX$100 coin in 1991.

The Microstates Site itself holds a collection of various coins as well as postage stamps from Sealand, and the three below are some of the first coins within that collection. Here you can see a silver SX$1 from 1994 (left, mintage 20,000), a bronze 25c from 1994 (middle, mintage 1,111, numbered) and a cupro-nickel 50c from 1994 (right, mintage 1,111).


Below is a SX$2.50 from 1994 that has been added later, that has an even smaller mintage of 1000 and is coated in .999 silver. What you will also notice from the picture, is that it is much larger than most other Sealand coins (or any common coin) with a diameter of 63.5 mm. Placed next to it are a 10p from the United kingdom and a €0.50 coin as a comparison.




These 1994 coins are the some of the last coins that Sealand has minted so far, and older coins from the 1970s are extremely rare. Most show the Sealandic coat of arms along with the motto "E Mare libertas" or "From The Sea, Freedom", while all 1994 coins hold a "Treasures Of The Sea ORCA" design for the reverse.