A Treasure for Collectors: Cannabis-Scented Coin Minted in Benin

Numismatics, the science that studies coins and notes, is an ancient discipline that has existed since the time of the Roman Empire. Experts in this branch of knowledge, in addition to investigating the history of the pieces and the reasons behind the designs of their engraved surfaces, usually gather many of them in valuable collections. However, it is not necessary to be a scholar in the matter to have a good sample of these elements that, at times, may become authentic works of art.

Apart from the usual coins that display insignia and shields of the countries, there are curious pieces that commemorate anniversaries and pay homage to characters, monuments or even elements of nature. Among them, there is one that could not be missing in the collection of a cannabis lover: a coin that displays a leaf of the 'Cannabis sativa' plant, coined by the Government of Benin, a West African country.

Issued for the first time in 2010, this piece has different designs. In addition to the more traditional versions in gold and silver of the round piece with the green plant, there is another even more exceptional model: it is a copper and nickel coin moulded with the profile, and even the nerves, of the marijuana leaf.

But this coin is not only visually appealing in all its forms. One of its sides keeps an aromatic secret: whoever rubs it can enjoy the smell of cannabis, as if holding a real leaf in their hands. However, the piece does not contain any of the active ingredients in cannabis. The fragrance has been created from different chemical substances combined in the laboratory by experts in the creation of perfumes. The formula is so well made that it mimics almost perfectly the aroma of a marijuana plant.

This curious coin is the first in a very special series called 'Plants of the World' issued by the Government of the African country between 2010 and 2011 with a value of 100 CFA francs and a weight of around 27 grams. The collection also includes coins that pay homage to other plant species from around the world, each with its corresponding aroma.

One of the plants represented in the collection is 'Abies numidica', also known as Algeria spruce, an endemic tree from that country genetically related to the Spanish spruce species. The branches of this plant appear in the coin along with the drawing of a train that circulates between mountains, like a commemoration to this means of transport. Another piece of the series shows on its side a tea rose, the 'Rosa indica fragans', a type of garden rose native to Asia. Finally, part of this series is a coin that displays the leaves and flowers of the 'Convallaria majalis', an herbaceous species better known as lily of the valley.

While on their front they show some of these designs, the back of the coins is engraved with the coat of arms of the Republic of Benin, guarded by two leopards and divided into four parts, each with a different design: a castle, the star Of Benin (the highest award of the State), a ship and a palm tree.

Although its value does not diminish over time (on the contrary) the pleasant fragrance that impregnates the coins ends up disappearing after rubbing them about forty times. The government of Benin has wanted to make them especially unique by coining only a few thousand: there are only 2,500 pieces with the cannabis leaf. According to numismatics enthusiasts, its scarce diffusion makes it an "almost instantaneous" classic, a precious treasure both for collectors of coins as well as for lovers of plants and especially of that of marijuana.

Plants as a symbol

Plants have recurrently appeared in coins and bills issued around the world since antiquity. Cereal species, such as maize or rice, symbolized abundance in the mid-eighteenth century, while olive branches, such as those depicted on the first notes of the Bank of England or on a German bill in 1900, conveyed a message of peace, victory and opulence.

The plant species also illustrate banknotes used in some of the British colonies in Asia during the 19th century and Finnish notes have portrayed during history different trees to evoke the northern winter of their region.

For its part, Benin has a long tradition in the issuance of coins focused more on collectors than on their common use. The African state has thus joined countries like Somalia, Palau, Cook Islands and other small territories that have opted to produce pieces of original designs and features to take advantage of the profits obtained in the coin market from coins that do not have a legal tender status.

Although they could be employed within their borders, this type of coins is not used to make transactions, because their value exceeds the established value for legal tender coins. On the contrary, they are often sold to collectors, museums or investors without the intention of being used as money. Other examples of these valuable pieces, in addition to the commemorative ones, are those used in minting tests, i.e. the first samples of a new batch of coins that were issued in the past to check their quality and that were subsequently kept in archives.

Among the best-known coins issued by the Benin authorities, there is one dedicated to dinosaurs, a piece commemorating the Olympic Games held in Sydney in 2000 and another of the World Cup in France in 1998. However, although all the pieces minted in the African country are beautiful, it cannot be denied that the star of their collections is the one dedicated to the cannabis plant.