PATTERN, PROTOTYPE, SPECIMEN OR TRIAL COINS

Patterns are trial pieces which may or may not be issued for general use. During the period when new coin proposals are being considered, several trial strikes are authorized for examination before finalizing the process. The rejected pieces not put into production are known as patterns. Patterns may have minor to major differences compared to the final coins. The type or quality of metal used may be different. The design may also vary in small detail or showing entirely new motifs. Most of these rejected patterns are beautiful works of art and have a special appeal to collectors due to its numismatic and historical importance. Most pattern coins are extremely rare and much sought after by collectors.
Patterns may also emerge where the design has been modified or altered somehow prior to the production process. Patterns are usually uniface and may bear words such as "Prototype", "Specimen", or "Trial". "Prova", "Prueba" or "Probe" is indicative of "test" in other languages.
In many cases patterns are similar to the issued coins, but made of different metals and should not be confused with off-metal strikes "(OMS)", i.e. error coinage struck in other than their officially authorized compositions. Collectors of Germanic coinage may be familiar with the term "Abschlag" which readily identifies similar types of coinage.
In conclusion, pattern coins are a fascinating part of the numismatic history demonstrating the changes applied to the coinage over the years.

GLOSSARY FOR COINAGE METALS

Acmonital: A form of stainless steel used in Italy since 1939.

Alloy: Mixture of metals. The vast majority of coins are struck from an alloy.

Aluminium: Lightweight silver colored metal. First used in British West Africa and British East Africa for coins of low denominations.

Aluminium bronze: Durable, gold-colored alloy of aluminium and copper.

Base metal: Any non-precious metal or an alloy containing neither gold nor silver.

Bath metal: Bronze alloy containing 78 per cent copper and 22 percent tin, used to produce tokens for Ireland, pennies for the Isle of Man and coins for colonial America.

Billion: Any alloy containing less than 50 percent silver.

Bimetallic: Made of two different metals or alloys; such coins usually have a plug or disk in one metal and the outer ring in another.

Brass: Alloy of copper and zinc.

Bronze: Alloy of copper and tin.

Bullion: Precious metal whose value is determined entirely by its weight and fineness.

Bullion coin: Coin struck in precious metal, most often with an inscription displaying its weight and fineness. Values fluctuate according to the market price. 

Copper: Metal widely used for coinage since classic times. Pure copper was used for British coinage until 1860. 

Crown gold: Gold of 22 carat (.916 ) fineness. First used in England in 1526 for the gold crown. 

Cupro-nickel: Alloy of copper and nickel.

Electrum: Also known as white gold, a natural alloy of about 73 per cent and 27 per silver. Used in the ancient coins of the Mediterranean region. 

Gold: Precious metal used for coins since the 7th century BC.

Iron: Extensively used in primitive currency and for emergency coinage in Scandinavia during both World Wars.

Lead: In its pure form used by Frederick 111 of Denmark in 1660.

Nickel: Durable base metal used extensively in coinage to replace silver. Nickel has been used by many countries including Switzerland, Austria and South-Africa.

Pewter: Tin alloyed with lead. Used in China for some time. 

Platinum: Used for Russian roubles from 1826 to 1845 and occasionally in recent years for proof coins.

Potin: Twenty per cent silver mixed with copper, tin, zinc and lead. Used by Celtic tribes with the addition of a little gold.

Silver: Precious metal widely used for coinage from the 6th century BC onward.

Steel: Metal refined from iron and used in stainless or chromed version for coinage since 1939. 

Tin: Even though tin corrodes badly it was used for coins in Malaysia, Thailand and the East Indies as well as for English farthings in 1684-92. 

White gold: Ancient term for electrum.

Zinc: Metal alloyed with copper to produce brass. Zinc coins were common in Asia in the nineteenth century and first used in Europe in 1923.

DUCATOONS, DUCATONS, SILVER DUCATS AND SILVER RIDERS

These silver coins worth 3.15 guilders each, were struck from 1618-1795 by various cities and provinces. The coins that were struck under Spanish kings usually have the Spanish arms. The term also refers to the Dutch silverrijders or silver riders, so called after the knight on horseback depicted on them. Silver riders were also called silver ducats, which can be confusing. These pieces were abandoned in the Netherlands as a medium of exchange after 1816. At the Cape ducatoons and rijksdaalders were worth about 72 stivers (60c) and 48 stivers (40c) respectively.

The Dutch rijksdaalder from which the English term rixdollar is derived was a full dollar equal to the Spanish real. The prefix (empire or kingdom) served to distinguish it from the other dollars. The value of the rixdollar was initially 2½ gulden. The silver ducats of the same value were also called rijksdaalders

A selection of ducatoons and silver riders minted at various provinces of the United Netherlands:

Campen (Campine Kempen)

Crowned lion shield in inner circle. Armored knight behind lion shield in inner dotted circle. Rev: Rampart lion in inner dotted circle.

Gelderland (Gelria)  Gel in legend.

Standing Warrior. Rev arms.

Holland (Hollandia)

The same as Utrecht.

Overyssel (Transisulania) Transi in legend 

Bust of Philip 111 of  Spain. Rev lion holding sword and sheaf of arrows.

Utrecht (Trajectum) Tra in legend.

Warrior on galloping horse.  Rev. Two lions supporting coat of arms. (the famous silver rider).

West Friesland (West Frisia) Westfri in legend.

Warrior over arms. Rev. Lion holding sword and sheaf of arrows.

Zeeland  Zel in legend.

Warrior over arms. Rev. 7 shields.

Zwolle

Eagle. Rev. arms.

Leeuwendaalder and half-leeuwendaalder dated 1683 and 1640 respectively

  

EDWARD V111 RARE COINAGE

No coins bearing Edward V111 effigy were officially issued but some patterns dated 1937 exist and are extremely rare. Because there had been a major design reform of the silver coinage in 1927 it was felt unnecessary to radically alter the reverse designs of the new king’s coins except the crown, sixpence and threepence. The reverse of the crown was used on the same denomination for Edward’s successor George V1.

These coins are dated 1937 and inscribed as follows:

Silver Crown: Crowned royal arms with supporters and the motto DIEU ET MON DROIT on a scroll below. 

Silver Half crown: Royal Arms as a standard flag with a crowned E8 monogram either side. 

Silver Florin: Crowned rose between a thistle and a shamrock, the latter two having the ER below. 

Silver Shilling: Crowned lion holding a sword and scepter seated facing on a crown, with the date split either side, and two small shields showing on one the cross of St Andrew and on the other a thistle. 

Silver sixpence: Six interlocked rings of St Edward. 

Silver threepence:  Three interlocked rings of St Edward.

Nickel- brass 12 sided threepence.  Thrift plant. A few were struck but most melted down. 

Bronze Penny: Figure of Britannia with some slight alterations to the drapery.

Bronze Halfpenny: Golden Hind 

Bronze Farthing: Wren left Head left 

The gold coins:  five pounds, two pounds and a sovereign featured the St George Dragon and dragon design of Pistrucci.

Some coins bearing the king’s name and titles, but not his portrait, were issued for British East Africa, British West Africa, Fiji and New Guinea and these were produced in large numbers bearing the date 1936.

BRITANNIA ON BRITISH AND OTHER COINS

People familiar with British coins will instantly recognize the figure of Britannia, the spirit of Britain personified. Britannia suggests the might of the British navy and skill of its soldiers. The seated lady holding a shield and trident or spear has been a feature of British coins since the days of the Roman conquest. More than a thousand years later, it turned up as Britannia on a coin of Charles 11 of England. Two centuries later, the figure, slightly altered also appeared on the liberty seated dimes of the United States and other coins.

She first appeared on the coins of the Roman emperors Hadrian and Antoninus Pius, the man responsible for the building of Hadrian’s wall and the Antonine wall in Britain. These were issued to celebrate the building of the walls. In fact, Britannia’s pedigree goes even further back, to the image of the goddess Athene on the reverse o Lysimachus’ Alexander the Great coin. The pattern for the first Britannia on a British coin, designed in 1665, had the motto Quattuor Maria Vindico ("I claim the four seas" ). But in 1667 before the coin had been struck, the Dutch won a resounding naval victory from the English. The proud claim disappeared from the coin.

Britannia reappeared in 1672 on the halfpenny and farthing of Charles 11. The figure was modernized when the king’s friend Frances Stewart acted as a model for the legendary figure. During the reign of George 1V in 1825 a new type of Britannia was approved.

Today Britannia on British coins

Cartwheel 2 pence of 1797

wears a helmet and faces right. She does not "always rule the waves" as she does in the famous song "Rule Britannia." On some coins, a lighthouse and ship appear in the background and on other, the background of a ship and waves has been deleted. Sometimes she holds an olive branch, the familiar emblem of peace. On some coins you can see a beehive and horn of plenty, denoting industriousness and plenty.

IRISH GUN-MONEY

During the 700 years or so of English rule, Irish bitterness continued to simmer and boil over at the slightest occasion. Consequently when the English expelled the tyrannical James 11 in 1688, he fled the country to France and later went to Ireland to rally Catholic support. His attempts to regain the throne petered out speedily enough, produced one of the most interest oddities of coinage, the famous Irish gun-money. James promised to redeem the Irish gun money in due time for silver coins of the realm but did not in fact do so. Arriving in Ireland in June, 1689, James immediately set about raising an army. In need of coinage to pay his troops, he issued emergency money by melting cannon, church bells, and scrap. Remarkably well executed considering the circumstances, these curious coins were struck in denominations of a crown, half crown, shilling and sixpence. Besides the crown they show not only the year, but the month of issue as well. In those days the year did not begin on January 1 but on March 25; consequently the coins dated March, 1690 were issued only a few days after the coins dated March, 1689!  The calendar we use now came into existence in the eighteen century. Dates of Irish gun-money: July, 1689 – March 1689 and March 1690 – August 1690.

                          

MULES ALSO KNOWN AS HYBRID COINS WITH MINTAGE AND VALUES

Mules are coins whose obverse and reverse designs are wrongly matched. It can include different denominations or even other foreign countries. Mules or hybrid coins have been recorded since Roman times, the obverse and the reverse portraying the effigy of different emperors. The mixing of dies at mints where coins of various countries are being struck resulted in the occasional mule or hybrid coin.

Below are a few mules or hybrid coins with their mintage and approximate values:

Canada

Nickel Dollar Elizabeth 11 Obv: Young bust right. Rev: Voyageur.

Date      Mintage         MS-60 MS-63 Proof

1985       not known       1,000   1,950                

Note:     Mule with New Zealand 50 cent

Silver 10 Dollars Elizabeth 11 1976 Montreal Olympics Obv: Young bust right, small maple leaf below. Rev: World map.

Date      Mintage        MS-63                                 

1974          320            290

Spain

Copper-Nickel   5 Pesetas  Obv: Juan Carlos I  Rev: World globe,

soccer ball, value and star with numeral 80.

Date        Mintage           XF         Unc          BU 

1975   Est. 30,000           200         290          330

American Samoa

                              

Gold  100 Dollars Obv: USA's yacht passing New Zealand's yacht. Rev: Olympic rings and Chamshil Stadium above denomination.

Date                 Mintage      Proof

1988                       5             2200  

German Empire

Iron 5 Pfennig  Obv: Denomination, date below. Rev: Crowned imperial eagle with shield on breast.
Mule with Polish reverse, 5 fenigow
Date     Mintage   F      VF       XF     Unc    BU
1917F        -         600  1000   1500   2200  2500