The Eidolon

Portuguese India 1901 1/8 Tanga It doesn't really fit the topic, but here's my other recent Portuguese India purchase: Portuguese India 1959 60 Centavos The monetary system at the time had a strange series of denominations: 10-30-60 centavos and 1-3-6 escudos. I hadn't realized that Portugal retained its Indian colonies until 1961, well after India's 1948 independence from the UK. They were taken from Portugal by force.

I've always enjoyed coins with strange denominations, and like to ponder the reason why a coin in that amount came to be. We had a long thread over at the other form, and I was hoping we could continue a version of it here. A few examples to start off: New purchase: Luxembourg, 2½ Centimes, 1901 Jersey, 1844, 1/26 Shilling. (Jersey had 13 pence to the shilling as a side effect of decimalization during the French Revolution making old denominations unavailable.) Bremen, 2½ Schwaren, 1820 Ceylon, 1½ Pence, 1839 If you have any coins with strange or interesting fractions, please post some!

Japan Kanei Tsuhou 文 1668-83

My local coin shop had purchased a decent-sized collection, so I picked out a few to get before them got mixed in with the rest of the stock. (Or is it before other collectors had the chance to grab them first?) Here are 3 unpackaged coppers I got for $17 total. USSR 3 Kopeck 1924. I like early Soviet coppers, but I don't find them very often. This one was in passably good shape. And two from Japan: 1 Sen Meiji 34 1901 and 2 Sen Meiji 8 1875. The sunburst Meiji 1 sen is a new type for me, though I have the Taisho version, which is almost the same. I have lots of 2 sen coins, but I am gradually working on a date set. There was a big stack of Meiji dragon 1 sen coins, but they weren't priced yet and the shopkeeper gets annoyed if I ask him to price too many loose coins when there are other customers in the store... Sometimes I can get them to accept an offer for a set of loose coins as a lot to save them the trouble of looking them up, but often they don't go for it. It's usually a pretty good deal when it works, though.

Here's a few early Canadian tokens. I have many more. When I'm lucky, I can find ones in a junk bins, but most are a few dollars.

I mostly collect coppers, but I have quite a few from the Netherlands. Here's a favorite: Netherlands Maastricht siege 1 stuiver 1579 An here's a souvenir from my first (and only so far) trip to Amsterdam. Was only a couple Euros. 700 year anniversary token.

Here's a 1616 German 1 Kopeck I have. Color in this photo is a bit off. I have tons of circulated 1914-1918 coins if I look around and get some photos.

I have a few around.

Last of the batch. Some modern coins which caught my eye for whatever reasons: Egypt 1984 5 Qirsh, Philippines 1 Piso 1972, Peru 1980 100 Soles de Oro, Suriname 1966 5 Cents, USSR 5 Kopeck 1961 Nicaragua 1997 1 Córdoba, New Zealand 1998 2 Dollars ($1.26 face!), Morocco 1371-1952 50 Francs, Finland 1995 1 Markka, USSR 1984 1 Kopeck Iceland 1981 5 Krónur, 1965 10 Aurar, Portugal 1963 5 Escudos, Seychelles 1981 10 Cents, Czechoslovakia 1964 50 Haléřů

Germany: 1874 and 1907 2 Pfennig, 1921 5 Pfennig (Iron), 1921 50 Pfennig, 1924 10 Rentenpfennig Miscellaneous, from top L: Spain 1870 10 Centimos, Belgium 1925 5 Centimes (Dutch text), Chile 1923 20 Centavos, Cyprus 1955 3 Mils, Portugal 1940 1 Escudo, Czechoslovakia 1926 20 Haléřů, Japan Showa 28 (1953) 10 Yen, reeded edge

France: 1856 10 Centimes, 1897 5 Centimes, 1921 10 Centimes, 1922 5 Centimes, 1926 25 Centimes, 1937 10 Centimes New Zealand Pennies: 1942, 1952 (These are slightly different types. Not sure why the metal aged so differently, though.) 1952 was the last year of his reign.

Canada: 1811 Bank of Montreal 1/2 Penny Token, Large Cents 1886, 1910, 1919 I'm pretty happy with all of these. I almost never see pre-Federal Canadian tokens in junk bins, even in worn condition. The Victoria is also in very passable condition for a 10 cent coin. I'm surprised so few American collectors seem to be interested in Canadian large cents.

Got some more from what I suspect was the same source as the coin store put out a few more bags for me to pick through. UK: Pennies 1906, 1916, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1929, 1935, 1938, 1939, 1948; Halfpenny 1932

Some actual farthings: William and Mary Farthing 1694 Charles II 1672 Farthing Commonwealth Farthing Merchant Token 1669 (Maybe this one from Dorsetshire?) Farthing 1732 George II Not sure about this one. I assume it's some sort of replica or token imitating a 1713 Queen Anne farthing pattern. Some more modern farthings: I also like the fractional farthings for use in the colonies.

...on a tiny, uninhabitable island in the Arctic between Ellesmere Island and Greenland. Source Kind of cool because both countries formerly only had one land border, the US and Germany, respectively. Still needs to be ratified. If you like, please post a Canadian or Danish coin to celebrate the peaceful resolution of the "Whisky War." Some early Canada tokens: Denmark: 1856 16 Skilling, 1841 4 Rigsbankskilling, 1852 1/2 Rigsbankskilling

A few years ago I saw some cut pennies for sale. For some reason the halves were cheaper than two quarters, so I got a half. I suppose I could cut it into quarters to get some homemade farthings! Not sure which ruler. My notes say probably 1200s.

In the era before widespread free speech, defacing coinage was one way to anonymously make a political statement. I think I only have two clear examples, both coincidentally involving a Napoleon. France, 5 Francs, 1807, Emperor Napoleon. Someone did not care for the (former?) emperor and repeatedly struck the face with a sharp object. France, 2 Francs, 1866, Napoleon III "Sedan". Probably a commentary protesting his loss in the Franco-Prussian War in 1870 and capture at Sedan. I think this type of coin is an interesting snapshot into history. I don't seem to be competing with a lot of other collectors of defaced coinage, so the prices are usually quite reasonable. If you have any examples of something similar, please post!

My largest copper: Sweden 4 Daler 1756. Probably shipwreck salvage. 1930 grams even heavily corroded.

Here are the rest of the (non-junk) purchases from that day. Even I occasionally spend more than $0.10 on a coin. Azores 1843 10 Réis Maria II Bolivia 1858 4 Soles Panama 1904 10 Centésimos (I think 1904 was the first year of coinage after Panamanian independence from Colombia.) Spain 1879 10 Centimos Alfonso XII Peru 1866 1 Dinero ($2 US--melt is about $1.60)

I think my only Sasanian. Purchased ~1997. Probably one of my first ancients. I like the thinness and delicacy of these.

This is from a different shop (Since closed) about 3 years ago, but it's one of my favorite junk bin finds: Sedan Double Tournois 1634-38 I probably picked hundreds of Japan prewar coins out of their 10 cent bin over years. Oddly, they almost never had anything good in the 25 cent bin. I got a decent start on a 10 and 5 sen date set just from that junk bin. I'll miss it now that they are gone.

I found an Algeria 1414/1993 100 Dinars in a junk bin a couple months ago (top 4th from L)! Neat coin. Later I saw several coins from the same series for sale packaged for $10-15. So getting one at junk bin prices is quite a good deal, I think. Nice finds.

Got a handful of jitals a few months ago, knowing nothing about the type, but the price was right ($5 each). At the time I took the photo, I didn't even know what direction was upward. Pleasingly chunky coins.

Last batch, except for the pile of no-date buffalo nickels, which don't require additional explanation here. Thanks for following along! Left: 8.35 g, 27 mm. Too worn to tell, but probably a UK halfpenny, token or counterfeit. Possibly William III from the hair and the right-facing portrait. Center: 8.37 g, 28 mm. I think this is a young bust George II halfpenny (1729-1739). You can make out the "II" over the right side of his hair. The old bust version the "II" is a little further clockwise. I've seen enough of these I can usually spot them even in terrible condition. There are also lots of similar tokens and counterfeits. Right: Denmark 1 Skilling Rigsmønt 1856 Frederick VII

Various early-mid 20th Century, L to R from top row: Austria 1951 20 Groschen Poland 50 Groszy 1938 (says 1938, but I think this was issued during the 1939-44 German occupation) Sweden 1920 5 Öre Canada 1929 1 cent "low 9" version, I think. Not sure the relative mintages of the versions. Norway 1958 2 Øre ("Small script" single-year type. The date is so tiny as to be hard to read.) Turkey 1948 2½ Kuruş Paraguay 1950 1 Centimo France 1923 50 Centimes Mexico 1906 1 centavo, narrow date (the less valuable version of the two date styles) Norway 25 Øre 1958