20 Mark Freie Republik Nias

Nias is a real island off Sumatra's west coast, but "Freie Republik Nias" is not and has never been a recognized political entity. This is a fantasy piece — a privately issued novelty struck with no governmental authorization, using invented German-language nomenclature to evoke an air of 19th-century colonial coinage. The "20 Mark" denomination has no legal basis anywhere. Indonesia has issued no such coin, and the attribution to Indonesian sovereignty is fictitious.

Collectors encounter these regularly from European novelty dealers. The silver-plated copper-nickel construction makes the fantasy explicit on any decent scale.