Nagorno-Karabakh: News and Numismatics

The autonomous region of Nagorno-Karabakh has been in the news recently. Even though you may not have heard of such a place before, you may be excited to know that there is collectable currency from the region!

For those unfamiliar with the the region, here is a good breakdown that walks you through the turbulent history of Nagorno-Karabakh since its creation 100 years ago. Here is a more in-depth look at what’s happened in the past two weeks. Basically, Nagorno-Karabakh is a disputed region within Azerbaijan that is claimed by both Azerbaijan and Armenia. It has its own semi-autonomous government, but it is not internationally recognized. With tensions rising in the region due to Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, fighting has broken out over Nagorno-Karabakh again.

So, what does this mean for coin and banknote collectors? While one would think that Nagorno-Karabakh uses only Armenian currency, since it is ethnically Armenian, it actually has its own legal currency to use alongside the Armenian dram. The Nagorno-Karabakh version is also called the dram. Both banknotes and coins were created in several very basic denominations, more as a point of national pride than to fully supply the economy with useable currency.

ECC, of course, has a variety of Nagorno-Karabakh currency. We stock coins and banknotes, both of which are simply but elegantly designed.