Marhundo (Meckelnburgh coin)

The Meckelnburgh Marhundo (Aspiranto: /mar.hund.o/) are the official bullion coins of gold, silver or platinum produced by the United Kingdom of Meckelnburgh. The coins are named for the seal or seahound—called "marhundo" in Aspiranto. The name reflects that the reverse image of every coin contains the image of the common seal, the national animal of Meckelnburgh. It was introduced in 1738 AN.

The Marhundo was authorized by the Parliament of Meckelnburgh in response to the Recession of 1737 that was plaguing neighboring countries.

History

Investments in precious metals serve as a store of value and reliable hedge against inflation. Bullion coins are traditionally valued over spot price for their small size and limited storage and distribution costs. As of 1737 AN, no nation on Micras offered for sale standardized bullion coins with status as legal tender. The introduction of Marhundo made Meckelnburgh the world's only supplier of investment-grade bullion coins.

Specifications and value

As a bullion coin, the value of a Marhundo is based primarily on the metal content and the spot price on the open markets. Marhundo are legal tender in Meckelnburgh but have no fixed value in Meckelnburgh rixdollars, rather are legal tender to the value of their previous metal contents. Gold Marhundo coins have a fineness of .9167, or 22 karat, an alloy known as "crown gold." Silver and platinum coins have 99.9% and 99.95% precious metal content, respectively. The coins are minted by expected and actual demand, and production varies from year to year accordingly.

Design

The designs on the coins remain the same each year; only the year of issue changes. The reverse of each Marhundo depicts a common seal resting on top or in front of a glacier. A royal crown is either worn on the seal's head or sits above. Highlands poppies, the national flower of Meckelnburgh, decoratively adorn the lower side and borders of the coin.

The observe of the coins depends on the metal. On silver coins, the observe is a forest of Crowsilver sequoia on the shore of the Crowsilver Sea. On gold coins, the obverse shows the profile of the monarch of Meckelnburgh, Queen Ĉielero III since the coins' inception. Finally, on platinum coins, the observe depicts a cross representing the Church of Meckelnburgh adorned with poppies and leaves.

Coins

Metal	Denomination	Image (no text)		Specifications					Minted
		Obverse	Reverse	Fineness	Mass	Diameter	Thickness	Edge
Silver	1 oz t			.999	31.103 g	40.6 mm	2.98 mm	Reeded	1738 AN–
	5 oz t				155.5 g	76.2 mm	3.25 mm
Gold	⅒ oz t			.9167	3.393 g	16.5 mm	1.19 mm
	¼ oz t				8.483 g	22.0 mm	1.83 mm
	½ oz t				16.965 g	27.0 mm	2.24 mm
	1 oz t				33.931 g	32.7 mm	2.87 mm
Platinum	1 oz t			.9995	31.12 g	32.7 mm	2.39 mm