The apsar (, ''āpsār'') is a currency of
Abkhazia
Abkhazia, ka, აფხაზეთი, tr, , xmf, აბჟუა, abzhua, or ( or ), officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, recognised by most countries as part of Georgia, which ...
. So far, only coins in denominations of 1, 2, 3, 5, 10, 20, 25, 50, and 100 apsars and banknote for 500 apsars have been issued. While the coins are legal tender in the Republic of Abkhazia, their usage is very limited, and the coins are mostly made for collectors. In Abkhazia, the
Russian ruble
''hum''; cv, тенкĕ ''tenke''; kv, шайт ''shayt''; Lak: къуруш ''k'urush''; Mari: теҥге ''tenge''; os, сом ''som''; tt-Cyrl, сум ''sum''; udm, манет ''manet''; sah, солкуобай ''solkuobay''
, name_ab ...
is used in practice. The first apsar coins were introduced in 2008.
The name derives from the Apsars, a tribe mentioned in ''
The Georgian Chronicles
''The Georgian Chronicles'' is a conventional English name for the principal compendium of medieval Georgian historical texts, natively known as ''Kartlis Tskhovreba'' ( ka, ქართლის ცხოვრება), literally "Life of Ka ...
'' who inhabited the region in the Middle Ages and who are believed to be the ancestors of the
Abkhaz people
Abkhazians (russian: Абхазы), or Abkhazs ( ab, Аԥсуаа, Aṕswaа, ), are a Northwest Caucasian ethnic group, mainly living in Abkhazia, a disputed region on the northeastern coast of the Black Sea. A large Abkhaz diaspora populati ...
.
The
Bank of Abkhazia is responsible for the apsar coins, and has so far issued two series: "Outstanding personalities of Abkhazia" (6 coins) and "The patriotic war of the Abkhaz nation 1992–1993" (2 coins). People who have appeared on coins include:
*
Vladislav Ardzinba,
1st president of Abkhazia (1994–2005)
*
Fazil Iskander
Fazil Abdulovich Iskander (russian: Фази́ль Абду́лович Исканде́р; ab, Фазиль Абдул-иԥа Искандер; 6 March 1929 – 31 July 2016) was a Soviet and Russian"There's no doubt I'm a Russian writer who pr ...
, writer
*
Dmitry Gulia, writer
*
Samson Chanba, writer and statesman
*
Bagrat Shinkuba
Bagrat Uasyl-ipa Shinkuba ( ab, Баграҭ Уасыл-иҧа Шьынқәба; russian: Баграт Васильевич Шинкуба; 12 May 1917 – 25 February 2004) was an Abkhaz writer, poet, historian, linguist and politician. He ...
, writer and politician
*
Aleksandr Chachba, artist
10 and 100 apsar coins are made of
silver
Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...
; 25 and 50 apsar coins are made of
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...
. The number of coins produced is low: 2,000 silver coins are minted and 1,000 gold coins.
[ Regnum.ru]
"Apsar" — part of the country's image
/ref>
Issues
2008 commemorative coins of the 15th anniversary of the Abkhazian victory in the 1992–93 war
2009
Commemorative coins of Abkhazian writers
Commemorative Nart coin
2010
Commemorative Coins of 2010 Historic Monuments of Abkhazia
2011
Commemorative Coin of 2011 World Domino Championship
Commemorative Coins of 2011 Historic Monuments of Abkhazia
2012
Commemorative Coins of 2012 Historic Monuments of Abkhazia
Banknotes of the Abkhazian apsar
On September 29, 2018, the National Bank of the Republic of Abkhazia issued its first banknote for 500 apsars, in commemoration of the 25th Anniversary of the victory in the Patriotic War of the People of Abkhazia and its first president, Vladislav Arynba. 10,000 notes were printed, but were not released for general circulation.Abkhazia 500 apsars
Banknote Museum (www.banknote.ws). Retrieved on 2018-10-28.
References
External links
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(Numista)
(Numista)
{{Portal bar, Abkhazia, Asia, Europe, Money, Numismatics
National symbols of Abkhazia
Fixed exchange rate
Gold coins
Silver coins