$10 Westarctican Dollars Coin
The $10 Westarctican Dollars Coin or $10 WAD coin has been a popular and frequently-produced denomination of Westarctica's coins. $10 WAD coins were minted by the Central Bank of Westarctica in the years 2005, 2008, and 2011 in a total of five different designs.
Historically, the $10 WAD coins paid homage to the ruler of Westarctica, however, when the 2011 mintage was created, it was the year following the overthrow of Grand Duke Jon-Lawrence, therefore Westarctica had no Grand Duke upon the throne.
2005 $10 WAD coin
The 2005 $10 Westarctican Dollars coin was the third coin minted by the Central Bank and the first bearing a likeness of a person. It features an image of Grand Duke Travis on the obverse, which was created from a portrait session. The reverse provides a rare example of a color version of Westarctica's arms as they were in 2005.
Aside from being the first coin to feature a person, it is also unique in that both sides of the coin are encased in a malleable plastic to protect them from wear and damage. This makes the coin particularly resilient, leading Grand Duke Travis to comment:
Metal can rust away in a few hundred years or less, but plastic can take a thousand years to break down. Considering the fact that this coin is metal encased in plastic, thousands of years from now, some future archaeologist could find this coin in a landfill somewhere and they would still be able to make out my portrait and the name of Westarctica. This single coin ensures our nation and the dream that created it will echo into eternity.
The $10 Westarctican Dollars coin has proven immensely popular with collectors around the world and it is one of the most difficult Westarctican coins to find.
When Jorge Fernandez Vidal, Westarctica's first Minister of the Treasury, proposed the idea for a coin that would celebrate the Grand Duke, he acknowledged that there would be some technical design challenges to overcome in the production of the coin. However, Grand Duke Travis was so enthusiastic about the coin moving forward that he had a proper portrait photo taken on the spot and sent it to Jorge so that it could be incorporated into the design and the coin could be minted as quickly as possible.
The initial sketch design created by Jorge Vidal that was used to create the coin looked less than impressive, but once the coin was minted, everyone in the government was incredibly pleased with the final result.
| Year | 2005 |
| Material | Copper-Nickel |
| Denomination | 10 Westarctican Dollars |
| Mintage | 175 of each design |
| Diameter (mm) | 39 |
2008 $10 WAD coin
| Year | 2008 |
| Material | Copper-Nickel-Brass |
| Denomination | 10 Westarctican Dollars |
| Mintage | 100 |
| Diameter (mm) | 26 |