Coins and Currency

2020? Two French Fable Tokens. Nickel. €10.95 each from NumisCorner.Com through todocoleccion, Oct., '24. This is something new to me. The verso of each is the same, a representation of "Republique Française," apparently a 1 Franc coin from 1960. The other side is a small -- not quite 1" -- representation of a fable of La Fontaine with its title. These images are so small as to be difficult to photograph well!

2021 Jean De La Fontaine Euro Souvenir Banknotes. Two copies. $5 each from infomalta2013 through Ebay. March, '24. I had not known that there was such a thing as this, valueless currency. I am happy to find copies of the La Fontaine version while they are available.

2021 Ten cardlets containing coins of Jean de La Fontaine and his fables. Illustrations by Thomas Baas. Coins designed by Joaquin Jimenez, General Engraver of Monnaie de Paris. Made in France.$68.66 from euro-commemorative through Ebay, Oct., '22. One extra at the same time of TMCM from the same seller for $6.82. How to pay tribute to Jean de La Fontaine without mentioning the Fables? Monnaie de Paris wanted to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the poet by reinterpreting his work. The reverse of each card contains the complete fable in its original version. Both the cards and the coins are nicely executed! I negotiated with the seller to avoid the ridiculously high postal charges; for that I had to give up getting an original box.

2006 Mardi Gras dubloon showing TH. Mobile: Order of Myths. "The Fables of Aesop." $15 from buy1selz2 through Ebay, May, '22. A very happy tortoise crosses the finish line while a hurrying hare tries to catch up. The verso offers a fascinating scene. Folly has been chasing Death; at the end of Mardi Gras parade, Folly defeats Death. The Order of Myths was founded in 1867, though the maker of this coin thought it was 1868. The Order of Myths was the oldest order to celebrate Mardi Gras in Mobile, Alabama.

2005 Two 2005 Mardi Gras dubloons showing Proteus with trident and, on the verso, a lion with a book "Fables Famous and Familiar." $2.50 twice from Patricia Albert, Metairie, LA, through Ebay, July, '19 and Feb., '20. I look forward to catching up well enough that I do not repeat myself in the future!

1980 A Sap's Fables Mardi Gras doubloon. Knights of Momus, New Orleans. $2.25 from P. M Berry, Carmel, Indiana, through Ebay, May, '99. On the front of a coin, a pudgy girl sticks her tongue out at the beholder, with "A Sap's Fables" written above her and "1980" below. On the back side, a knight is pictured with the legend above "Knights of Momus" and below "Dum vivimus, vivamus" (while we live, let us live). I never knew such a thing existed!

1974 Aesop's Fables Mardi Gras doubloon. Argus. Emperor Romulus. Jefferson Parish, LA. 1973. $3 from The Witch Lady, Metairie, LA, through Ebay, March, '99. Second copy for $2 from Jonathan Singer, Bronx, NY, through Ebay, Oct., '99. What does one do with a coin that has different dates on its front and back? On the front, there are a stork with a tall vase, a grasshopper playing a violin, a Greek temple facade, a building column, and a written scroll. The back seems to feature Argus and the peacock.

1972 "Fabled Isles" Mardi Gras doubloon. Comus. Gift of Jonathan Singer, Bronx, NY, through Ebay, Oct., '99. On one side there is pictured and captioned "The Golden Cup of Comus," with a nice Latin phrase: "Sic volo, sic jubeo." Apparently the Comus krewe began in 1857. The fabled isles side of the coin shows an island with a classical temple wreathed in laurel. Before it lie a ship, a lyre, and two vases. What a lovely gift!

2011 €5 coin commemorating the year of the rabbit. On the verso is Jean de La Fontaine with the 12 animals of the zodiac. $32 from Numest in Estonia through Ebay, Dec. '18. This is a nice presentation of La Fontaine. Apparently commemorative coins are a way for governments to raise funds. This one comes in a lovely holder. I am not even sure I can figure out how to open the holder or close it again, and so I will not!