Europe & the Americas
An uprising, a viceroy on horseback and one of the biggest silver coins of the 1970s. Europe and the Americas have some of the best stories in world silver.
Jump to: Poland · Croatia · Panama · British Virgin Islands · The Franklin Mint
Poland: the 1930 5 złotych
In 1830 Poland rose up against Russian rule in what's known as the November Uprising, which lasted into 1831. A hundred years later, the newly independent Second Polish Republic marked the anniversary with this 5 złotych, designed by Wojciech Jastrzębowski.
| Silver | .750 |
| Weight | 18 g |
| Diameter | 33 mm |
| Mint | Warsaw |
| Made | 1,000,000 |
| Silver inside | about 0.43 oz |
Check the edge: it's lettered SALUS REIPUBLICAE SUPREMA LEX, "the welfare of the Republic is the supreme law."
Croatia: Ban Jelačić on horseback
Josip Jelačić was Ban (viceroy) of Croatia from 1848 to 1859. Anton Dominik Fernkorn's statue of him on horseback went up in Zagreb's main square in 1866, was taken down in 1947, and came back on 16 October 1990. Sterling silver medals from 1990 show that famous horseman.
Panama: 20 Balboas of Bolívar
Panama's balboa is pegged one-to-one to the US dollar, and US banknotes circulate there. But in the 1970s Panama put out some seriously big silver. The 20 Balboas shows Simón Bolívar, who led much of South America to independence from Spain.
| Silver | sterling (.925) |
| Weight | 129.59 g |
| Diameter | 61 mm |
| Silver inside | about 3.85 oz |
| Mint | the Franklin Mint |
| 1974 made | 161,000 proof and 99,000 matte |
That's almost four ounces of silver in one coin. Hold one and you'll get it.
British Virgin Islands: birds in silver
The British Virgin Islands are a British Overseas Territory, and their official currency is the US dollar. Their first official coins came in a 1973 Franklin Mint set, and the bird designs by Gilroy Roberts are some of the prettiest island coins of the decade.
The Franklin Mint years
The Franklin Mint was a private mint founded in 1964 by Joseph Segel in Wawa, Pennsylvania. That same year Gilroy Roberts, the US Mint engraver behind the Kennedy on the half dollar, quit his job and became chairman of the company that turned into the Franklin Mint.
In the 1970s the Franklin Mint struck coins for small nations all over the map: Panama, the British Virgin Islands, the Cook Islands and more. Big proofs, full proof sets and a lot of nature designs. If you find a 1970s island proof set in a fancy case, check the paperwork, because there's a good chance it came from Pennsylvania.
Want the Kennedy side of the story? Read America's Small Silver.
Proof or matte?
A proof is struck specially for collectors, with mirror-like fields and frosty designs. Some 1970s issues, like Panama's 20 Balboas, also came in a matte finish. Same coin, different look.
Keep learning
- Britain & the Commonwealth: crowns, the round pound and the Queen's portraits.
- Asia & the Pacific: Pandas, Kookaburras and Niue's endangered animals.
- Is My Canadian Coin Silver?: the Canadian guide that started it all.
Big proofs, old silver and island sets: browse our World Coins.