Numiscollect like to experiment with unusual designs and subjects for their coins, and being based in the Netherlands, I guess it was a natural fit that many peoples favourite plant would find itself adorning a silver coin. The Cannabis plant has a long association with the Dutch capital Amsterdam, home as it is to the cafe culture and liberal attitude that made the use of the plant for recreational purposes tolerated in a way it wasn’t in Western society elsewhere. That’s obviously changing, especially in the US, and there’s a growth in the use of the distinctive plant leaf as a cultural emblem.

Back in 2010, Numiscollect launched a Cannabis coin that was impregnated with the scent of the leaves. It went on to be popular, spawning further releases such as the equally scented, leaf-shaped 2011 coin you can see further down the article, and on to the latest release to launch you see here. Struck in the increasingly common concave style, the coin isn’t truely domed, being flat on the obverse side, much like the Wonderful Mosaics series, also from Numiscollect.

It’s a simple, but attractive design, more modern in style and with a good amount of relief. No smell this time, it’s superior to previous releases as a numismatic in our opinion. Like previous coins, it’s issued for the African state of Benin. Shipping in a box with a Certificate of Authenticity, the one-ounce, proof fine silver coin ships in early May.

MINTS DESCRIPTION

The motive that speaks for itself. Now back on a pure 1oz silver coin in high concave relief and stunning bright colors. A low mintage that will sell out.

Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa L., Cannabis indica Lam., and Cannabis ruderalis Janisch. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre (hemp), for medicinal purposes, and as a recreational drug. Industrial hemp products are made from Cannabis plants selected to produce an abundance of fiber and minimal levels of THC, a psychoactive molecule that produces the “high” associated with marijuana. The psychoactive product consists of dried flowers and leaves of plants selected to produce high levels of THC. Various extracts including hashish and hash oil are also produced from the plant.

Below-left is the 2010 proof silver coin, and below-right the leaf-shaped 2011 silver coin.

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SPECIFICATION