Ethiopia’s one-birr coin, one of many foreign circulation coins struck by the Royal Canadian Mint, has been turning heads since it was first issued by the East African nation in 2010. Over the previous week, Laurin received two “birrs,” which are slightly smaller than the toonie’s 28-millimetre diameter; however, both coins share a bi-metallic composition. A 2012 Reddit thread, in which the original poster warned, “This is NOT a toonie,” drew some discussion about the “novelty” of acquiring African currency. “This would be an entertaining novelty, the first time,” wrote one user. “Then I lose part of my collection.”Since opening in 1908 as the Ottawa branch of Britain’s Royal Mint, what’s now known as the Royal Canadian Mint has produced tens of billions of foreign coins and planchets for about 90 countries.

Source: Ethiopian News December 24, 2021 01:20 UTC