Non-circulating legal tender

As a pseudo coin, a coin is called, their status is as valid currency exchange rate in question. This status is often very controversial.

The majority of these pseudo coins is produced by the process of coin minting, ie as proof with high relief and other characteristics in design, diameter, thickness or alloy, which make them unsuitable for the customary circulation of money.

Pseudo coins can be roughly divided into the following areas:

Fantasy imprints

Fantasy coins are coins that were minted not by or for the States, they purport to represent, or impressions that were not made by or on behalf of a government that is authorized by law to issue coins. These include produced by the private sector, as a "Sample Sale " marketed or character of micronations (apparent States) issued coins.

Many fantasy coins have nothing to little to do with the country whose name they bear. They are designed, stamped and issued by Münzhandelsfirmen, and her (if at all present ) legitimacy as " legal tender " they received only in that the respective countries ( mostly " exotic" countries with no coins in circulation, such as African countries or Pacific Island States) against a fee grant permission.

Pseudo currencies

Pseudo currencies with " official " status. This is from a state issued or approved coins denominated par value of a currency that is not rate valid in the State concerned. An example of this is the Andorran diner that serves only to issue collector coins and convertible neither is nor can be used for payments (the currency of Andorra is the Euro ).

Collector coins

Coins whose price capability, although guaranteed by law, a purely theoretical nature. These coins are never available at their face value, but are sold from the beginning with a high charge. Your money is also worth therefore hypothetical, because they are unknown in the population and mostly self with banks ( and therefore can not be given or exchanged in payment ). Examples are French silver coins in denominations of ¼ or 1 ½ Euro.

Commemorative coins of small states

Some small countries sell licenses to European and American companies that allow these to issue commemorative coins on behalf of the state. However, many of the embossed motifs have absolutely no connection to the country (eg, the Gorch Fock or the fall of the Berlin Wall). They have formally the character of an official means of payment (where often it is questionable whether you could actually pay locally so ) and thus a coin, as opposed to other private mint the medals are. Nonetheless, these imprints are treated in the coin market such as medals, since the corresponding company may issue as many different coins as it wants and thus there is no numismatic value. The resale value of such pseudo coins on the coin market is therefore the pure metal value. Therefore, they are not traded in Münzfachhandel; Main distribution channels are newspaper advertisements and teleshopping, where it tries to unsuspecting customers supposed rarities to sell at significantly inflated prices.

Countries whose Gedenkprägungen appear under license in Europe and are regarded by numismatists as worthless medals are: Cook Islands, Gibraltar (issue on your own), Isle of Man (issue on your own), Liberia, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Zambia, Samoa, Somalia, Togo, Tokelau, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu and Uganda. However, giving some of these states also "real" own commemorative coins with numsimatischem value out, so is not always clearly established in doubt whether it is a "real" commemorative coinage or a license produced in pseudo coin. Caution should be used when the subject has no relation to the issuing country as well as in issues of Small Island States ( particularly in the Pacific) and in some African countries. Also the distribution channel system is in operation, so it is in all advertised in newspapers and teleshopping imprints are expenses German private companies.

The Western European small states Liechtenstein, Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican City are not affected. Your coin issues are all pure state and thus full commemorative coins in the numismatic sense, so here also is reselling some high prices are paid. The status of Andorran coins, however, is controversial, see: Andorran diner (pseudo currency) and Andorran euro coins ( from 2014 ).

Demarcation

Commercial gold coins, however, are marked for legitimate banking transactions or for the proper storage and use of gold and do not fall under the pseudo coins. See also additional investment coin.