The bi-metallic 2 euro coin used in the Euro currency zone of the European Union bears an uncanny resemblance to the 10 baht coin used in Thailand.
The thai coin was minted first, so the members of the Euro coin design committee - and this being Europe we know there must have been a committee - must have had red faces when the issue was first publicised in 2002.
Today I have two of the thai coins that I was unfortunate enough to get in change. I say unfortunate because instead of being worth EUR 2, they are worth only EUR 0.21. If I was dishonest I could pass them on to someone else in change, or use them in a vending machine which might accept them.
It is interesting that ebay.ie, and other European ebay sites, are not swamped with thai residents selling bags of the coins.
As a sidebar, why do so many Eastern coins show their leaders wearing glasses? While it must be a reality surely for the purposes of a portrait one would take off glasses as they are considered a sign of weakness.
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