MY COLLECTION - ALBUM NO 6 - NORTH AMERICA - USA - 50 STATES QUARTER DOLLARS - I

CHAPPIDI ABHIRATH REDDY
C/O COL GKS REDDY

Secunderabad - 500 015.

United States of America - 50 States Quarter Dollars.

          The 50 State Quarters program (Pub.L. 105–124, 111 Stat. 2534, enacted December 1, 1997) was the release of a series of circulating commemorative coins by the United States Mint. From 1999 through 2008, it featured each of the 50 U.S. states on unique designs for the reverse of the quarter.

         The 50 State Quarters program was started to support a new generation of coin collectors,and it became the most successful numismatic program in history, with roughly half of the U.S. population collecting the coins, either in a casual manner or as a serious pursuit. The U.S. federal government so far has made additional profits of $3.0 billion from collectors taking the coins out of circulation.

            In 2009, the U.S. Mint began issuing quarters under the 2009 District of Columbia and U.S. Territories Program. The Territories Quarter Program was authorized by the passage of a newer legislative act, H.R. 2764. This program features the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the United States Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands.

I managed to procure the complete set of 50 States Quarter Dollars, including District of Columbia and US Territories Coins. I clubbed the District of Columbia and US Teritories coins with the other USA Coins for the purpose of making a Blog.

Note - Some of the images of coins in my collection, have been taken from the Gallery to the extent available, to save on time & effort involved in photography & editing.

MY COLLECTION - ALBUM NO 6 - NORTH AMERICA - EL SALVADOR, GUATEMALA, HONDURAS AND MEXICO COINS

CHAPPIDI ABHIRATH REDDY
C/O COL GKS REDDY

Secunderabad - 500 015.


El Salvador coins.

          The colón was the currency of El Salvador between 1892 and 2001, until it was substituted by the U.S. Dollar. It was subdivided into 100 centavos and its ISO 4217 code was SVC. The plural is colones in Spanish and was named after Christopher Columbus, known as Cristóbal Colón in Spanish.

          On October 1 of 1892, the government of President Carlos Ezeta, decided that the Salvadoran peso be called 'Colon', in homage to the "discoverer" of America. The colón replaced the peso at par in 1919. It was initially pegged to the U.S. dollar at a rate of 2 colones = 1 dollar. El Salvador left the gold standard in 1931 and its value floated. On June 19, 1934 the Central Bank was created as the government body responsible for monetary policy and the sole body authorized to issue currency in the nation. On January 1, 2001 under the government of President Francisco Flores, the Law of Monetary Integration went into effect and allowed the free circulation of U.S. dollar in the country (see dollarization), with a fixed exchange rate of 8.75 colones. The colon has not officially ceased to be legal tender.

One Centavo - El Salvador - Brass  1981

Three Centavos - El Salvador - Brass - 1974

Five Centavos - El Salvador - Cupro-Nickel - 1963

Fifty Centavos - El Salvador - Nickel - 1977

Guatemala Coins.

          The quetzal (locally: [keˈtsal]; code: GTQ) is the currency of Guatemala. It is named after the national bird of Guatemala, theResplendent Quetzal. In ancient Mayan culture, the quetzal bird's tail feathers were used as currency. It is divided into 100 cents, called centavos in standard Spanish or lenes in Guatemalan slang. The plural is quetzales.

         The quetzal was introduced in 1925 during the term of President José María Orellana, whose image appears on the obverse of the one-quetzal bill. It replaced the peso. Until 1987, the quetzal was pegged to and domestically equal to the United States dollar and before the pegging to the US dollar, it was pegged to the French franc as well, since the quetzal utilized the gold standard.

One Centavo - Guatemala - Brass - 1963

Honduras Coins.

          The lempira (/lɛmˈpɪrə/, sign: L, ISO 4217 code: HNL) is the currency of Honduras. It is subdivided into 100 centavos. The lempira was named after the 16th-century cacique Lempira, a ruler of the indigenous Lenca people, who is renowned in Honduran folklore for leading the (ultimately unsuccessful) local native resistance against the Spanish conquistador forces. He is a national hero, and is honoured on both the 1 lempira note and the 20 and 50 centavos coins.

        The lempira was introduced in 1931, replacing the peso at par. In the late 1980s, the exchange rate was two lempiras to the U.S. dollar (the 20 centavos coin is called a daime as it was worth the same as a U.S. dime). As of May 19, 2014, the lempira was quoted at 20.58 HNL to 1 USD.

One Centavo - Honduras - Copper - 1992

Two Centavos - Honduras - Copper - 1949

Ten Centavos - Honduras - Brass - 1989

Fifty Centavos - FAO - Honduras - Cupro-Nickel - 1973

Mexico Coins.

         The peso (sign: $; code: MXN) is the currency of Mexico. Modern peso and dollar currencies have a common origin in the 15th–19th century Spanish dollar, most continuing to use its sign, "quot;. The Mexican peso is the 8th most traded currency in the world, the third most traded in the Americas (after the United States dollar and Canadian dollar), and the most traded currency in Latin America.

           The current ISO 4217 code for the peso is MXN; prior to the 1993 revaluation (see below), the code MXP was used. The peso is subdivided into 100 centavos, represented by "¢". As of January 27, 2014 the peso's exchange rate was $18.3763 per euro and $13.4408 per U.S. dollar.

Twenty Centavos - Mexico - Nickel - 1917

Five Dollars - Mexico - Brass - 1985

Five Dollars - Mexico - Bimetallic - 1999

Ten Dollars - Mexico - Miguel Hidalgo - Nickel - 1988

Ten Pesos - Mexico - Miguel Hidalgo - Cupro-Nickel - 1976

Note - Some of the images of coins in my collection, have been taken from the Gallery to the extent available, to save on time & effort involved in photography & editing.

VISIT TO EUROPE - SWITZERLAND - GENEVA - CRUISE ON GENEVA LAKE

CHAPPIDI ABHIRATH REDDY,g
C/O COL GKS REDDY,

Secunderabad - 500 015.

Geneva Lake

Lake Geneva or Lake Léman (French: Lac Léman, Le Léman, sometimes Lac de Genève, German: Genfersee) is a lake in Switzerland andFrance. It is one of the largest lakes in Western Europe. 59.53% 345.31 km2 (133.32 sq mi) of it comes under the jurisdiction of Switzerland(cantons of Vaud, Geneva, and Valais), and 40.47% 234.71 km2 (90.62 sq mi) under France (Haute-Savoie).

A view of Geneva Lake taken from a Boat

Another view of the Lake taken from the shore

The Water Jet Fountain

          The Jet d'Eau (French pronunciation: ​[ʒɛ do], Water-Jet) is a large fountain in Geneva, Switzerland, and is one of the city's most famous landmarks, being featured on the city's official tourism web site and on the official logo for Geneva's hosting of the 2008 UEFA Championships. It is also one of the largest fountains in the world. Situated at the point where Lake Geneva empties into the Rhône, it is visible throughout the city and from the air, even when flying over Geneva at an altitude of 10 km (33,000 ft).

            Five hundred litres (132 gallons) of water per second are jetted to an altitude of 140 metres (459 feet) by two 500 kW pumps, operating at 2,400 V, consuming over one megawatt of electricity. The water leaves the nozzle at a speed of 200 km/h (124 mph). When it is in operation, at any given moment there are about 7,000 litres (1849 gallons) of water in the air. Unsuspecting visitors to the fountain—which can be reached via a stone jetty from the left bank of the lake—may be surprised to find themselves drenched after a slight change in wind direction.

The Jet d'Eau as seen from the Shore

A bit closer view of The Jet d'Eau from the shore

Boat Cruise on Geneva Lake

          Several navigation companies organise Lake Geneva cruises stopping at charming places. Numerous landing stages along the lake shore, allow passengers to get off and enjoy a walk through the county side or to take a boat back to the city.

At the Geneva Lake Boat siding, prior to commencement of the Cruise

On the Boat, in Geneva Lake

The Jet d'Eau as seen from the Boat

A very close view of The Jet d'Eau, from the Boat

Sailing Boats in the Lake, as seen from the Boat

Port Noir (Located in Geneva Lake)

          Marina like harbor situated at the end of Quai Gustave-Ador and the begin of the Quai de Cologny in Geneva. Here you can see the statue La Brise (the breeze) which was sculpted by Henry Koenig in 1939.

          This is a location of historical and symbolic importance. It was here that on the 1st June 1814 two Swiss contingents - Soleure and Fribourg - landed. This event lead to the integration of Geneva into the Swiss confederation (19th of May 1815).

The Port Noir Monument as seen from the Boat

A closer view of the Port Noir Monument from the Boat

The Statue of Mermaid in Geneva Lake

Maison De Saussure

          Maison de Saussure – Built in 1723. In 1765, it became the residence of Horace-Bénédict de Saussure, a famous scientist. This mansion has had such famous visitors as Dwight D. Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan.

Maison De Saussure (The House of Horace Benedict de Saussure as seen from the Boat)

Manor Colgate – A mansion built in 1890 for Colgate, the toothpaste manufacturer.

Villa Josephine – Given to Joséphine de Beauharnais by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1811.

Centre William Rappard

           The Centre William Rappard at Rue de Lausanne 154, Geneva, Switzerland, was built between 1923 and 1926 to house the International Labour Office (ILO). It was the first building in Geneva designed to house an international organization. In 1975 the ILO moved to Grand Saconnex and in 1977 the Centre William Rappard was occupied by the secretariat of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and the library of the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies. By 1995, the World Trade Organization (WTO) replaced the GATT and became the main occupant of the Centre William Rappard. In 2008-2013, the building was completely renovated and an extension was constructed to make available more office space and meeting rooms.

Centre William Rappard - Formerly ILO office and presently the 

World Trade Orhganisation, as seen from the Lake

Villa Bartholoni – Built in 1828, it now houses the History of Science Museum.

Wilson Palace

          The Palais Wilson in Geneva, Switzerland, is the current headquarters of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. It was also the headquarters of the League of Nations until that body moved its premises to the Palais des Nations, which was constructed between 1929 and 1938, also in Geneva. It is named after U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, who was instrumental to the foundation of the League of Nations. The treaty bodies also hold their sessions in the Palais Wilson.

          The building, located on the western side of Lake Geneva, is one of the most prominent on the waterfront.

Palace Wilson on the Lake Front - The HQ of UN Commissioner for Human Rights

A closer view of Palace Wilson from the Boat

Note:- The information about the places visited has been Extracted from Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia