The Golden Birds of the World
Birds of all types have had a special relationship with gold coins, and this association goes back long before one could buy gold bullion coins in $10 “Eagle” denominations. The history of gold coins goes back to ancient Greece, where coins stamped for the city of Athens featured an owl in 600 BCE.
Birds exist everywhere and interact with human beings in every culture, one way or another. In the US alone, we eat chickens at tremendous rates, await the arrival of robins in the spring, keep parrots in cages and venerate the Eagle in painting, verse and coinage. Their symbology as a flying creature is seen in the depiction of large birds, very often predators.
Rome was represented by heraldic Eagles that symbolized entire regiments of troops. That tradition was later carried on by France. Birds appear on the coinages of many countries, too, often in proud stances or dramatic poses. In fact, an eagle is found in many European coins. The Russian ruble portrays a two-headed eagle on the reverse and comes in many sizes, dating back hundreds of years.
That's not to say a farm animal cannot be the object of veneration, as is the case with the 20-Franc, gold Rooster, minted from 1901-1914. Look for symbolic privy marks instead of lettered mint marks. Many millions of these coins, with slightly more than 5g of pure gold, were minted until the outbreak of the First World War in France halted their production. These are very affordable bullion, gold coins in fractional values of about 1/10-ounce being analogous.
The 20-franc “lucky” Angel gold coins also feature a small rooster in addition to the feathered figure in the foreground. Also found as being just over 5g of gold, their smaller sizes make them a good choice for consumers to purchase gold coins. For 27 years between 1871 and 1898 these 90% gold coins were minted, with tens of millions having been struck. They were hoarded on all sides during the First and Second World Wars and can be difficult to find in good condition, though hordes to occasionally still turn up outside France, to the delight of those who collect gold coins.
The Mexican Libertad features a winged Victory on the reverse. The obverse side has long featured an Eagle locked in battle with a snake. A new obverse design chosen in 2000 shows a progression of eagle designs around a larger and new central eagle design. Made from 99.9% pure gold, these coins are plentiful and of great interest to consumers who buy gold bullion coins, ranging in size down to 1/10-ounce.
Many nations have minted coins featuring native birds, but do not confuse “Nordic gold” for the real thing. Many coins of interest to thematic collectors are made from this alloy that actually does not contain even a little bit of gold, though possesses several of its characteristics, being a complex alloy of copper, aluminum, zinc and tin. You'll know something is amiss when you find deals that are far too good when you're specifically looking to buy gold bullion coins. However, many fine collections include proof-types of many base metal coins.
Ivan Torres
March 24, 2009
