Top 5 Fascinating Foreign Coins That Are a Must-See for Any Collector!

Foreign coins have gotten complicated with all the grading standards and market hype flying around. As someone who’s been collecting world coins since I found a bag of old British pence at a garage sale, I learned everything there is to know about which foreign coins are actually worth paying attention to. Today, I will share it all with you.

Here are five foreign coins that I think every collector should see at least once:

**1. The British Pound Sterling series.** UK coins carry centuries of history on them, from monarchs to national symbols. The coin I always tell people to look for is the “Kew Gardens” 50p piece from 2009 — only 210,000 were minted, making it one of the most sought-after modern circulation coins in the world. I found one in a jar of mixed foreign change once and nearly fell out of my chair.

**2. Euro coins with their country-specific designs.** Here’s what makes the Euro interesting for collectors: one side is standardized, but the other side is designed by each issuing country. Greek euros feature ancient mythology. Italian ones show Renaissance art. The German eagle, the Irish harp, the Spanish portrait of the king — each one tells you something about that country. I have a binder of just Euro coins sorted by country, and it’s one of my favorite things in my collection.

**3. Japanese Yen coins.** The 100-yen coin with its cherry blossom design is beautiful, but what I really love about Japanese coins is how consistently well-made they are. The craftsmanship is noticeable even on everyday circulation pieces. Japan’s been minting coins with that same level of precision for decades, and older pieces from the Showa era have a dedicated following among collectors.

**4. The Canadian Loonie and Toonie.** Canada’s one-dollar coin got its nickname from the common loon bird on the reverse — and then when they introduced the two-dollar coin, everyone just called it the Toonie. I love that. These coins reflect Canada’s obsession with its natural landscape and wildlife, and they’re cheap enough that you can build a nice date-run collection without spending much.

**5. The South African Krugerrand.** This is the big one. The Krugerrand was the first modern gold bullion coin when it launched in 1967, and it basically created the gold coin investment market. It features Paul Kruger, a former president of the old South African Republic, on one side and a springbok antelope on the other. Even if you never buy one, seeing a Krugerrand in person is worth the trip to a coin show.

That’s what makes foreign coin collecting endearing to us numismatists — every coin is a little ambassador from another country. You don’t need a passport to explore the world through its currency. Start with whatever foreign coins you can find locally, and go from there.