In 1921, the United States came up with a new dollar coin, adding the word PEACE to it, which ran from 1921-1935. In that timeframe, the United States was not involved in any wars. Coincidence? Perhaps.
In 1994, Kenneth Bressett had an idea to use the word ‘PEACE’ on a coin in every country in the year 2000-yet it never came to fruition.
Here is an idea for a special coin that takes from these ideas.
It’s called POSTAL PEACE COIN.
On the obverse is a design of the entity that authorizes making coins. On the reverse is a design representing the authority to issue stamps.
It’s like a forever stamp, that will go up in value whenever the price of postage goes up.
It’s also actual commerce, that unlike a paper stamp can be used as money.
The word PEACE is added to the reverse.
Every country in the world could also issue such a coin, with ‘PEACE’ added, in their native language.
While unique, it’s inexpensive to possess, easy to carry, and can easily be given away as a stocking stuffer.
Right before pay day when your looking through the couch cushions for change to make it, this coin would come in handy to help buy that soda and candy bar, and then easily be replaced after pay day.
This coin is not like a temple token-you can still buy stamps by other means, coins, paper money, checks, debit and credit cards and so on.
It marries the two hobbies of coin and stamp collecting in an interesting way. The value on the coin is ‘FOREVER’. Like the term, Trade Dollar and Nickel, neither have a specific numeric value. However, ‘Forever’ written on our NVI stamps is understood to be equal to the price of a first class stamp. The same would be true of the coin.
If every country were to issue such coins, with the word ‘PEACE’ on them-would it bring about world peace?
One can only hope.
If not, it is a start, and with almost 200 countries, coin (and perhaps stamp) collectors would have a lot of new and interesting things to collect.
Here are examples from the United States.
