In November 2013, Japan announced a 3,000-riel silver Cambodian coin, intended for Japanese coin collectors, that would feature Angkor Wat on one side and celebrate the 60th anniversary of the two Asian nations enjoying diplomatic relations. Initially sold for ¥6,000 in Japan (far more than the roughly 75 yen that is the coin’s face value), the Japan Mint said it planned to make about 10,000 of the coins. Cambodia may sell some of the coins to its own resident collectors, but Cambodian coins are generally not used for daily transactions there; banknotes have won out.
The .925 silver coins are colored one one side, with a design that is based on the Cambodian and Japanese national flags swirling around each other to form a “60”, and features both Khmer script and English inscriptions (curiously, there is no Japanese writing on the coin). The English reads:
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2013
60th Anniversary
JAPAN and CAMBODIA
Trust we built, Future we share
The coins are 35 mm in diameter and weigh 20 grams. Collectible Japan and Cambodia 60th anniversary silver friendship coins will hopefully be on the online marketplace for interested collectors soon.
