The favorite coins that I own are the ones that I’ve found accidentally (nothing like buried treasure for a coin collector), such as the French 5 Franc coins I found in a clay jar in an open air market in Mali, West Africa. The coins were 1939, 40 and 41 and were issued for the Algerian occupation. Just thinking about the history of these coins and what was going on in the world at that time was irresistable. Or the buffalo nickel I received in change at a Radio Shack. Or the coins I got from an elderly neighbor who said “Oh honey, I have a few silver coins you can look at” and then handed over three bank bags of walking liberties, Franklins and silver Kennedys! UFB…
I love the two-pound dual-metal coin - it’s just…nifty. And the Scottish and Northern Irish pound coins are nice pieces of coinage.
American money is boring. At least the state quarters are throwing some new designs into the mix…for a little while…