When the Communists seized power in my country in 1948 in a coup d'état, most people thought it was only for a few months. No one knew that their rule would last almost forty-one years.

In the beginning was "nationalization". Whoever had what property, the state (controlled by the communists) confiscated it. In theory, the confiscated property belonged to everyone. But only a few comrades decided how it would be distributed.

The comrades permanently made the wrong decision. Our science was falling further and further behind, as was our education. Industrial enterprises were not repaired in the same way as roads or houses. There was no investment. State property was falling into disrepair. Instead, our state armed itself, supported leftist revolutionaries/terrorists around the world, and built megalomaniacal monuments.

I present a few coins from the last four years of communist rule.

100 Czechoslovak Crowns (100 Kčs), 1985, 150th anniversary of the death of Petr Brandl (leading Czech Baroque painter), diameter 29 mm, weight 9 g of silver, purity 500/1000, 75.000 pieces

100 Czechoslovak Crowns (100 Kčs), 125th anniversary of the birth of Martin Kukučín (Slovak writer), 1985, diameter 29 mm, weight 9 g of silver, purity 500/1000, 65.000 pieces

100 Czechoslovak Crowns (100 Kčs), 225th Anniversary of the Mining Academy in Banská Štiavnica, diameter 31 mm, weight 13 g of silver, purity 500/1000, 60.000 pieces

100 Czechoslovak Crowns (100 Kčs), 100th anniversary of the birth of Martin Benka (Slovak painter), diameter 31 mm, weight 13 g of silver, purity 500/1000, 60.000 pieces

Note that silver coins react to the price of silver. The newer ones are heavier and larger.

In several articles I have presented the silver coins of my country 1918 - 1989 that I have. I thought it might be interesting to show what the coins of a central European country of 15 million people looked like. I'm sure not many people outside of Europe have them in their collection.

I'll let you in on a secret. There are many more types of commemorative coins minted by us. But I don't collect them. I collect older coins. I acquired these coins by chance in the last 50 years of my life.

I think I still have plenty of topics (and coins) to write about. I'll probably go beyond my original plan.