What is the most valuable coin in common circulation, No bullion,NCLT or obselete ones.

I have always found this interesting, which coin is the highest face value in common usage.

By this, not the number of zeroes on it, but the coin that has the most value against other currencies.

The coin can not be a limited circulation commemorative piece, non circulating coin or a bullion issue and must be a CURRENT circulating coin, not something that has been demonitised.

Many set coins like $5 and £5 are legal tender, but not really circulation beyond occasional maverick usage, generally the coins I am interested in are ones that are standard circulation ones you can expect to get in change with having to specially ask for.

I can see two clear contenders at the moment.

One is the Swiss 5 Franc coin which has a exchange rate of $7.95 NZ on August 23rd
The second is the Japanese 500 Yen coin at $7.35 NZ

The rates often change due to our fluctuating dollar - I have never seen the Swiss coin that high and the Japanese one that low.

Other rates I have found, value in NZD

2 Euro = $3.16
2 Pound Sterling = $3.81
Danish 20 Kroner = $3.45
Norway 20 Krone = $3.39
Australia $2 = $2.18
NZ - Our top coin is $2, any $5 coins are non circulating commemoratives
USA - $1 = $1.53

On the other hand, these places seem to have very low face value coins

India 10Rupees = $0.23
China 1 yuan = $0.22
Hong Kong $5 = $0.91
Jamaica $20 = $0.20
Malaysia 50 sen = $0.16
Indonesia 1000 Rupiah = $0.09

Can anyone think of a coin that has more value than the 5 Francs swiss?

Nothing exceeds the Swiss 5 Francs coin, mainly because other currencies have lost more value than the Swiss Franc has.

Other high worth coins are the Czech 50 Koruny, Norwegian 20 Kroner and Tunisian 5 Dinar.

Oh okay - I just thought there might be a more valuable one.

Have most of them, but never knew about the Tunisian dinars, surprised as most Arab currencies generally have low value coins and start with the notes early like UAE dinar where the 1 dinar coin is 40 cents our money, but they have a 1000 Dinars note. I also think Jordan's dinar is about 2.40 or so.

Hong Kong had a $10 coin for a short time (Minted 1994/95) but stopped minting it, yet in 2014 I could still use them in the Subways with no problems.

Also it seemed Singapore tried to release a $5 coin that scalloped and it failed obviously.

I find the Swiss coin so interesting as its quite small and unassuming for such a high value coin. It is the size of our old 50 cent piece and not much larger than an American Half Dollar.

When the first 50 Cent pieces came out in 1966 I believe it was equivalent to approx. 3 Swiss Francs. This illustrates how much value the Dollars (except the one from Singapore) have lost over time.

Not really, the NZ currency was floated in March 1984 and before that had been protected by the Sterling standard of the UK. In the 1940s 5/- was worth around 70 US cents.

When our dollar was floated it dropped from $1.10 US to 42 cents overnight, since then it has bounced around from 38 cents (2000) up to 89 cents (2011) and is currently at 63 cents.

Swiss Francs, not sure before 1985, but in 1985 it was 1 to 1. And usually around 75 - 80 Rappen, but now its low around 62 Rappen. Donald Trump's trade war has affected it and we have a depression because of Trump.

The NZ dollar is worth 95 Australian cents and 92 Singapore cents, our dollar is in a slump at the moment along with the Australian dollar. Usually we are over a Singapore dollar each.

We are however cleaning up over Pacific Island currencies. In 1990, a Samoan Tala was worth 90 NZ cents, a Fijian dollar was worth $1.25 NZD and Tongan Paanga was $1.40 NZD and the Kina of PNG was worth $1.20.

Now its Fijian $ worth 67 cents, Samoan Tala 55 cents, Tongan Paanga 72 cents and Kina only 46 cents!

As we were protected by the Pound zone, bear in mind the Pound sterling was devalued by 30% in 1949 and a further 10% in early 1967. Thats a 33% drop and bear in mind, all colonial pounds (Non British) were only worth 80% of the mother currency.

So pre 1949, the Pound may have been worth some 15 Francs, but the colonial pound only 12 Francs and -33% made that 8 Francs by 1967. Also the Pound was $2 in our money, so thats 4 Francs by 1967 per dollar and the free market float and inflation wore that down by parity by 1984.

According to Wikipedia the NZ Dollar was initially worth US$ 1.43. Assuming this was in 1967 there were 4.3 Swiss Francs in a US$ at the same moment, implying a cross rate of 6.149 Swiss Francs for 1 New Zealand Dollar.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand_dollar

I just love to be pretty precise with these numbers!

The Isle of Man has standard circulating 5 pounds coins in circulation as well as circulating commemorative 5 pounds coins.

Quote: "jokinen"​According to Wikipedia the NZ Dollar was initially worth US$ 1.43. Assuming this was in 1967 there were 4.3 Swiss Francs in a US$ at the same moment, implying a cross rate of 6.149 Swiss Francs for 1 New Zealand Dollar.
​
​https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand_dollar
​
​I just love to be pretty precise with these numbers!

​Really, can't really say I picked that up.

Guess I never really focussed on NZ$ vs CHF mainly as its not a British Commonwealth or Dollar currency, but would never deny how important it is. The Swiss Franc is a benchmark currency in the rarified air of currencies like the USD, Yen and the former Deutschmark.

High valued
10 ILS = 4.54 NZD
10 SEK = 1.64 NZD

Low valued (below 1 NZD)
2 SAR = 0.85 NZD
10 THB = 0.52 NZD
5,000 ND = 0.34 NZD
10 PHP = 0.31 NZD
5,000 IRR = 0.24 NZD
2 ZAR = 0.21
50 SYP = 0.15 NZD
100 MMK = 0.10 NZD
5 AFN 0.10 NZD
0.5 LAK = 0.000091 NZD

Wow, how did I miss this thread?

Seconding the 10 sheqel coin as very valuable (and fairly common in circulation, from what I remember of my visits to Israel).
The 500 yen and 5 franc coins do appear to be the most valuable; £2 and €2 coins are also worth a lot, but not quite that much (and IIRC actually less than 10 sheqel at modern rates).

That said, I certainly would not call the Swiss 5 franc coin "small and unassuming" - it is actually fairly large by world coin standards. If anything, the 500 yen coin is more unassuming.

As for my own country, 10 rubles is about 15 cents US (or $0.25 NZ), which is... not a lot. Very not a lot.
There are technically 25 ruble circulating commemoratives, but they can hardly be said to be in common circulation (in fact they are barely in circulation at all, and I suspect that most people are unaware they exist).

I don´t know about the most valuable, but the less valuable must be Argentina 1 cent, Km# 108/ Km# 113
It is still on circulation (theoretically). It equals aprox. 1/6000 US dollars.

Quote: "FacundoEche"​I don´t know about the most valuable, but the less valuable must be Argentina 1 cent, Km# 108/ Km# 113
​It is still on circulation (theoretically). It equals aprox. 1/6000 US dollars.

Or the ​1 Russia kopeck, which equals 0,00015 USD.

We haven't seen any recent introduction of highee denominations in any of the major economies. Eurozone has had €2 since 2002, UK a £2 since 1998, let alone that the US could certainly use $1 and $2 coins.

Then again, a new €5 coin would cost me at least €100 to add to my collection knowing that those coins would be worth a lot less after being demonetised. I'd rather spend that money on a few pieces from the 18th or 19th century :-)

Quote: "ngdawa"​High valued
​10 ILS = 4.54 NZD
​10 SEK = 1.64 NZD
​
​Low valued (below 1 NZD)
​2 SAR = 0.85 NZD
​10 THB = 0.52 NZD
​5,000 ND = 0.34 NZD
​10 PHP = 0.31 NZD
​5,000 IRR = 0.24 NZD
​2 ZAR = 0.21
​50 SYP = 0.15 NZD
​100 MMK = 0.10 NZD
​5 AFN 0.10 NZD
​0.5 LAK = 0.000091 NZD
​

​Sorry I don't know what currencies some of those acronyms translate to.

I do know that ZAR (South AFRICAN Rand - Acronym is still the Afrikaans spelling - Zuid Afrikanse Rand and Afrikaans was changed to one of the 13 "Secondary" languages of South Africa in 1997, with English being the only supreme official one now)

There are 5 rand coins circulating, older ones with the Springbok and a modern Circulating commem with Nelson Mandela.

ILS = Israeli Sheqel
SEK = Swedish Krona
SAR = Saudi Riyal
THB = Thai Baht
VND = Vietnamese Dong (took me a bit to uncover ngdawa's typo)
PHP = Philippine Piso
IRR = Iranian Rial
MMK = Myanmar or Burmese Kyat
AFN = Afghani New Afghani
LAK = Lao Kip

Not all currencies can be exchanged that easily. Iran is affected by sanctions so no electronic payments with Western bank cards can be made. One can buy Rials locally, and I guess locals are buying foreign hard currency here and there as well. And often there is a difference between the official rate and what's quoted by unofficial secondary dealers.

On the other end Sheqel, Krona and Rand are completely convertible.

Many of the others, such as Philippine Piso, can only be owned 'onshore' with a local bank. Still there is a daily reliable exchange rate for it.

Quote: "FacundoEche"​I don´t know about the most valuable, but the less valuable must be Argentina 1 cent, Km# 108/ Km# 113
​It is still on circulation (theoretically). It equals aprox. 1/6000 US dollars.

over the last seven years ​never saw one in circulation....
today even the 25 and 50 cents are "worthless" and hardly used anymore...

For Latin American standards the 50 pesos Uruguay is at about 1.5 USD a coin with a very high value.
It' s not used very much but it is in circulation. The 50 pesos banknote is preferred by the people.

https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces22260.html

the second highest I can think of is Chile.
In Chile they use a 500 pesos while the lowest banknote is a 1000 pesos
(sort of 1 dollar)

Colombia, Brazil..Argentinia... highest value coin goes for about 0.25 USD

Quote: "jokinen"​ILS = Israeli Sheqel
​SEK = Swedish Krona
​SAR = Saudi Riyal
​THB = Thai Baht
​VND = Vietnamese Dong (took me a bit to uncover ngdawa's typo)
​PHP = Philippine Piso
​IRR = Iranian Rial
​MMK = Myanmar or Burmese Kyat
​AFN = Afghani New Afghani
​LAK = Lao Kip
​
​Not all currencies can be exchanged that easily. Iran is affected by sanctions so no electronic payments with Western bank cards can be made. One can buy Rials locally, and I guess locals are buying foreign hard currency here and there as well. And often there is a difference between the official rate and what's quoted by unofficial secondary dealers.
​
​On the other end Sheqel, Krona and Rand are completely convertible.
​
​Many of the others, such as Philippine Piso, can only be owned 'onshore' with a local bank. Still there is a daily reliable exchange rate for it.

​Thanks

I have the Israeli coins up to 5 Sheqels and amazed how tiny the coins are. The 5 sheqel does not look like it could be worth nearly $2 our money and the 1 sheqel is teensy smaller than a dime, whilst the 10 agorot worth 3 cents is a fairly large brass piece.

I thought the Brazilian real was worth about 50 cents now, after slumping from 1 to 1. I had a set from a copper steel 5 centavos, through a brass 10 and 25 and a steel 50 centavos and a bimetallic real.

I find it funny how both Thailand, Phillipines and India have new coins and yet their Top coins (10 Baht, 10 Rupees and 10 Pesos) are all worth around 20 cents each (Well okay the 10 Baht is 40 cents).

I know these are 3rd world countries, but would it kill them to have a coin worth about a dollar in real money?
Here 10 and 20 cent pieces are useless and worth nothing except as change pieces and buying 1 or 2 lollies.

Also about reals and all, bear in mind I work with a New Zealand dollar, not an American one which is worth a lot more, ours is only worth 62 cents American and barely one half of a pound or a euro. So if a coin is 50 cents my money, it could only be 25 - 30 cents your money etc.

Price levels for basic necessities in countries you mention are much much lower than in the wealthy parts of the world. Just go to a local food market and you'll be amazed of the purchasing power of the local coins.

Greetings!
5 PEN = 2.35 NZD! PEN stands for Peruvian New Soles. 5 soles is the highest coin denomination in Peru and also bimetallic!
5BAM = 4.44 NZD! BAM stands for konvertibelna marka of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It's also bimetallic coin and a highest denomination. I think, they prefer to use Euro there.
I think, we should have a 5 New Zealand dollars as a coin and get rid of 10 and 20 cents pieces. Small change is such a nuisance!