| 1 spesmilo | |
|---|---|
| File:Esperanto spesmilo.jpg | |
| General information | |
| Used by | |
| Value |
|
| Years |
1912 |
| Measurements and composition | |
| Mass |
11 g |
| Diameter |
28 mm |
| Composition |
silver |
| Appearance | |
| Shape |
round |
| Obverse |
Coat of arms, value, year |
| Reverse | |
| v · d · e | |
The 1 spesmilo coin is a coin that was issued in 1912 by Esperantists, speakers of the international auxiliary language Esperanto. It was minted along with a 2 spesmilo piece by the Swiss firm Holy Frères to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the first publication of Esperanto, Unua Libro, which was written in 1887 by Esperanto's founder, Ludwig Lazarus Zamenhof (1859–1917), known simply as L. L. Zamenhof.
The coin is composed of .92 fine silver (92% silver and 8% copper), weighs approximately 11 grams, and measures 28 millimeters in diameter. A left-facing bust of Doctor Ludwig Lazarus Zamenhof is featured in the center of the obverse, and below the bust truncation is the name "HOLY FRÈRES" in small print. Inscribed around the coin's upper rim is the Esperanto text "D.RO L.L. ZAMENHOF", an abbreviated form of Doctoro L. L. Zamenhof, which translates to English as "Doctor L. L. Zamenhof". The legend "AŬTORO DE ESPERANTO", meaning "author of Esperanto", is printed along the bottom periphery of the coin, and is separated from the text near the top of the coin by a five-pointed star, an Esperantist symbol, at either side of the obverse. An image of a two-fold shield with a five-pointed star in the upper field and a dark second field is displayed in the middle of the reverse, surmounted by a pot of fire. Below it are two crossed branches. The coin's value, inscribed as "1
", is featured in the center of the reverse, with the numeral being separated from the spesmilo sign by the shield. Written at the very top of the coin is the arched legend "JUBILEO DE ESPERANTO" (English: "Jubilee of Esperanto"), and printed around the periphery at the bottom of the reverse are the dates "1887 - 1912", the first representing the publication date of Unua Libro and the second signifying the year of production. Because the coin's year of minting is part of a legend, the piece is technically undated.
No more than four examples of this coin are estimated to exist.
References
Esperantismo kaj mono on the Esperanto Wikipedia- Numismatic Guaranty Corporation – ESPERANTO Spesmilo X# 1 1912
Template:Esperanto currency