Indonesia 1999 50 rupiah
This specimen was part of lot 1338 in Sedwick Treasure Auction 35 (Winter Park, FL, May 2024), where it sold for $2,400. The catalog description[1] noted, "INDONESIA, eight-coin rupiah proof set in aluminum and aluminum alloys, 1992-1999. KM-52 through 56, 60, 61. box is 7-1/4" x 4-3/4" x 1-1/2". A handsome wooden display box housing a design and specifications card and epoxy-encased coins in proof as follows (reverse theme of each in parentheses): bimetallic 1000 rupiah 1995 (oil palm); aluminum-bronze 500 rupiah 1992 (jasmine); aluminum-bronze 500 rupiah 1995 (jasmine); aluminum-bronze 100 rupiah 1995 (buffalo race, card says 1992); aluminum 100 rupiah 1999 (kakatua raja bird); aluminum-bronze 50 rupiah 1995 (komodo lizard); aluminum 50 rupiah 1999 (kepodang bird); and aluminum 25 rupiah 1995 (nutmeg, card says 1992). With wooden display box." This type was struck 1999-2002. At present (May 2024), US$1 = 16,100 rupiah, giving this coin a exchange value of about 3/10 cent, presuming the regime has not demonetized it. The "kepodang bird" on the obverse is known in English as the black-naped oriole, Oriolus chinensis. Indonesia was one of the victims of the 1997 currency crisis, which saw the rupiah fall from Rp2,350/dollar in July to Rp5,650/dollar by December. When the rupiah fell to Rp10,000/dollar in early 1998, rioting ensued and Suharto was forced to resign.
Recorded mintage: unknown but common.
Specification: 1.35 g, aluminum, 19.95 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM 60.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Sedwick, Daniel Frank, Augi Garcia, Cori Sedwick Downing and Connor Falk, Treasure Auction 35, World, U.S Coins and Paper Money, Winter Park, FL: Daniel Frank Sedwick LLC, 2024.
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