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ZINC COINS OF THE WORLD 1900 TO DATE
Try and put together a complete high grade (EF up) type or date set of worldwide zinc coinage since 1900. The first large issuance of these began in World War I as many European countries substituted zinc in their coinage for the more strategic metals of copper and nickel needed in the war effort. Zinc coins were widely minted again during World War II as a similar emergency measure. Some zinc coinage continued in the postwar years, mostly in Denmark and Peru. Our current U.S. cent is copper plated zinc.
At first glance this may not seem like a big deal. Many of these coins are quite common with large mintages. However, acquiring EF or better PROBLEM FREE coins is going to be quite a challenge! Reason? Zinc coins corrode easily and even many higher grade pieces exhibit white spots or built up areas of underlying corrosion. The majority of modern Uncirculated zinc coins also have unsightly spots. Assembling a collection of choice world zinc coins will be very difficult - an Uncirculated collection virtually impossible! A similar challenge awaits if you want to build a high grade collection of world iron or aluminum coins 1900 to date.
WORLD COINS STRUCK BY U.S MINTS 1876-1980
This would be an excellent crossover set for both U.S. and world coin collectors. U.S. mints were authorized to manufacture coins for other countries in 1874. The first coins struck under contract were the 1 and 2 1/2 Centavos of Venezuela in 1876. Over 11 billion coins and coin blanks were produced by U.S. mints for foreign governments by the end of 1980. This activity virtually ceased in the early 1980's. A complete list of these coins with mintage figures can be found in the "Official Blackbook Price Guide to World Coins" (Random House) or I can send you a Xerox copy for a 60 cent stamped self addressed envelope. Try and build this collection in a minimum grade of EF and acquire Uncirculated pieces when possible. Make sure that all the brass, copper, bronze and copper-nickel coins are problem free! Putting this together could get expensive so you might want to exclude the gold coins or confine your collection to the World War II years. A historical note: The Mexico 1907 20 Centavos (KM435, curved 7 variety) is the ONLY world coin ever struck at the New Orleans mint even though it bears the Mo mintmark!
WORLDWIDE EMERGENCY COINS AND CURRENCY
The chaotic economic conditions caused by wars, revolutions, military occupations and high inflation have led to some really innovative substitutes for standard coins and currency.
German metal and paper "Notgeld" issues of the World War I era (1917-1923) are probably the best known. Thousands of varieties exist, many quite inexpensive. The coins were mostly struck in iron & zinc but other metals (even porcelain) were also used. The German state of Westphalia produced some beautiful crown sized inflation Notgeld in different metals during 1923. Coins and currency of the Mexican Revolution (1910-1917) is another fascinating area but unfortunately not for the budget collector as as many of these issues are quite scarce to rare. Coins were made in lead, pressed cardboard, copper, brass, silver and even gold. Some paper money issues of Oaxaca in 1915-1916 were even printed over lined notebook paper! The World War II paper money issued by the various guerilla movements in the Philippines during the Japanese occupation of 1942-1945 offers another challenge. Many of these notes were made literally "on the run" using crude printing blocks, home made ink and any paper that was available. A fairly good starter set of these can be purchased for about $1-$2 per note.
Other unusual materials used in emergency currency include red & brown fiber (Manchoukuo 1 Fen 1945), baked clay (Japan 5 Sen 1945) and postage stamps (Russia 1915-1916, Spain 1938 and others). Specialized reference books covering these areas are available from larger coin supply companies.