Flowers on coins

 There are 59 different flower types’on125 coins from 43 countries. Some of the most interesting flower coins arethe Chad 500 franc reverse showing a native woman holding the flower of a palmtree. This is the only flora in the huge Sahara desert portion of Northern Chad.

 The 5 korun reverse of oldCzechoslovak Republic depicts stylized building cranes with a star and ablooming flower symbolizing reconstruction. Jamaica has ackee fruit on their 1ccoin, lignum vitae on the 10c and the 25c shows a Doctor bird feeding onflowers. Italy has an old 10 centesimi coin reverse showing a bee over ahibiscus.  

 South Africahas many flower reverses featuring Aloe, Sugar Bush, Giant Protea, King Protea,Calla Lily, African lily and Strelitza. Sri Lanka has a flower on every coinbut it was hard to depict it. The badge on the obverse has a loin in the centreand this is surrounded by lotus petals.

Japanfeatures only three flowers on their many coins, the national flower the CherryBlossom, the Emperor’s Royal flower the Chrysanthemum and the royal flower ofthe Empress the Paualowina. The most prolific flower to appear on coins is theIris it appears on most coins as a finial in the monarch’s crown or in the coatof arms. This flower is better known by its common name the fleur-de-lis. It isalso the badge of the world Scouting movement and the national flower of France.

In Australiaall the coins have the Fleur-de-lis which appears in the crowns and the mace onthe reverse of the coins. Both the shields in the arms of the Victoria andQueensland contain a crown and these appear in the coat of arms of Australia onthe 1938 – 1963 2/-, 1937-38 5/-, 1977 Jubilee 50c, 2000 Royal Visit 50c, 2001Centenary of Federation, Queensland, Victoria, 2002 Accession Coronation, 2006Royal Visit and 2008 Scout $1 commemoratives.

Other flowersappearing on Australian Coins are the Rose, Thistle, Shamrock and Leek on theCivic crown on the obverse of the 1985-1991 coins and the rose as finials onthe obverse crown of all coins since 1999. The Rose of York appears in the baseof the shield of the 2001 ACT 50c. The Royal Bluebell appears on the 2001 ACT20c commemorative, the Waratah on the 2001 NSW commemorative, the Common Heathon the VIC 20c commemorative, Sturt’s Desert Pea on the 2001 SA 20c and 50 ccommemoratives and the Red and Green Kangaroo Paw on the 2001 WA 20c and 50c commemoratives.

Australia’snational flower the Golden Wattle appears in the 1977 Jubilee 50c and in thefield of the coat of arms on the 2001 Centenary of Federation 50c. Finally ared Poppy graces the reverse of the 2012 Remembrance $2 coin and NNS hasFleur-de-lis in the crown of our Jubilee medallion.

By A.M