I am not prepared to offer a complete history of Ebola or how it relates to bats, but it is a dread disease and the occasional outbreaks may have a link to bats. I leave this to the reader to research if interested, as it is a fascinating subject but only here related in that a coin with the words "Stop Ebola" on it has a bat as the main feature.
So far I have located three of these Stop Ebola coins, and they will be the next three posts here. They are all Fantasy Issues, as not legal tender, but are certainly important (and in some cases rare) bat coins. They are issued using the name of a country, a denomination in that country's coinage, and a back that says "African Monetary Union" along with a denomination in "Afros." And there is another thing I do not wish to discuss here in great detail, the AMU. Like the Europeans and the Euro, the Africans have discussed various monetary unions for a single currency. This is seemingly part of this effort, but does not seem to be well-connected to any particular effort. I find these coins to be oddities that so far defy reason as to exactly who minted them and why.
First up is the 2015 Liberia 250 Dollar coin. It is a reasonably large, bi-metal coin with the inset part (likely copper/nickel alloy) just larger than a US quarter. The outer ring is thin comparted to most bi-metal coins, leaving a lot of room in the center for design elements.
So far I have located three of these Stop Ebola coins, and they will be the next three posts here. They are all Fantasy Issues, as not legal tender, but are certainly important (and in some cases rare) bat coins. They are issued using the name of a country, a denomination in that country's coinage, and a back that says "African Monetary Union" along with a denomination in "Afros." And there is another thing I do not wish to discuss here in great detail, the AMU. Like the Europeans and the Euro, the Africans have discussed various monetary unions for a single currency. This is seemingly part of this effort, but does not seem to be well-connected to any particular effort. I find these coins to be oddities that so far defy reason as to exactly who minted them and why.
First up is the 2015 Liberia 250 Dollar coin. It is a reasonably large, bi-metal coin with the inset part (likely copper/nickel alloy) just larger than a US quarter. The outer ring is thin comparted to most bi-metal coins, leaving a lot of room in the center for design elements.
2015 Liberia 250 Dollars "Stop Ebola" bat coin
The text in the outer rim of the obverse is the country at the top and the denomination at the bottom. The denomination has a five-petal flower/star on each side, and to balance the design they included four symbols. These symbols are tiny versions of the large symbol above the words Stop Ebola. This design is based on the international Biohazard design of three touching rings open to the outside and a full circle in the middle. But to customize the design, they added a miniature outline of Africa in the middle and the word "virus." Of interest, is the words Stop Ebola have an exclamation point after them, a rare use of punctuation on a coin.
The bat itself is a flying fox, well rendered and quite accurate. The coin is well-struck and has great detail, although not quite on the level of a proof coin.
The bat itself is a flying fox, well rendered and quite accurate. The coin is well-struck and has great detail, although not quite on the level of a proof coin.
The back of the coin has a lot going on. Around the rim are the words "African Monetary Union" in a bunch of languages. In the center is the denomination 1 Afro, a unit that has never really been accepted that I know of. And for another point of interest, it is repeated in braille below the English lettering.
The center focus of the reverse is a nice map of Africa showing a lot of the political boundaries, surrounded by a somewhat normal array of rays and stars, although here in great abundance. Near the island of Madagascar there is what appears to be a mint mark, but I am unfamiliar with this design so it could be the designer's logo, a mint mark, or something else.
And finally, a bit of humor, intended or not. In the upper right are the four symbols for some of the world's currency units. In order they are the Euro, the Afro (or Afriq), the US Dollar, the Japanese Yen/Chinese Yuan. Which looks sorta like EASY, and the obvious translation as "EASY MONEY"
The center focus of the reverse is a nice map of Africa showing a lot of the political boundaries, surrounded by a somewhat normal array of rays and stars, although here in great abundance. Near the island of Madagascar there is what appears to be a mint mark, but I am unfamiliar with this design so it could be the designer's logo, a mint mark, or something else.
And finally, a bit of humor, intended or not. In the upper right are the four symbols for some of the world's currency units. In order they are the Euro, the Afro (or Afriq), the US Dollar, the Japanese Yen/Chinese Yuan. Which looks sorta like EASY, and the obvious translation as "EASY MONEY"
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