WORLD COMMEMORATIVE COINS

Many commemoratives have been issued as crown-size coins, but other sizes have been used just as frequently. Commemoratives have designs and legends that mark important occasions, celebrate a historic anniversary, or glorify famous men. Philatelists describe issues by several countries celebrating the same event as omnibus issues.  Most modern commemoratives recall events of times past; they are frequently issued to celebrate the anniversary of some political or military achievement. The centennial of an event is perhaps most often celebrated.

 Events commemorated on recent coins are as far distant in time as 544 BC. Ceylon marked 2500 years of Buddhism in 1957 with a set of coins. Commemoratives also pay respect to famous men and mark events in the lives of people as well as of nations. 

Births, marriages and deaths, sporting events like the Olympic Games, anniversaries of the reign-all have been celebrated with coins. Besides statesmen and rulers, coins have recognized discoveries and explorers, builders, physicians and scientists, writers and musicians, religious leaders and saints. 

Countries with monarchs often strike commemorative coins to celebrate coronations, anniversaries of the reign, and occasionally to memorialize a whole dynasty. Private events of monarchs’ lives such as birthdays and weddings are also recorded on special commemorative coins. 

Silver wedding anniversary

Commemoratives are by no means limited to royalty. However, it is unusual for a commoner, no matter how deserving, to be memorialized during his lifetime. The honor went to General Douglas MacArthur who was portrayed on coins of the Philippines. The Churchill crown was issued in 1965 to commemorate the death in that year of Sir Winston Churchill. The crown has a milled edge and is unusual for a modern coin in that it does not bear any mark of value of denomination. Churchill was the first commoner to appear on a British coin since Cromwell. 

Silver Jubilee of King George V in 1935

Reverse of King George Jubilee crown

TABORAS AND RUPIEN OF GERMAN EAST AFRICA

German East Africa (Tanganyika) is located on the coast of east-central Africa. Germany acquired control of the area by treaties with coastal chiefs in 1884, established it as a protectorate in 1891, and proclaimed it the Colony of German East Africa in 1897. During World War 1, German troops fought a skillful guerrilla campaign to the very end, and even produced emergency coins inscribed “D.O.A”

Mintmarks

A - Berlin

J - Hamburg

T - Tabora

Monetary System until 1902

64 Pesa  = 1 Rupie

Commencing  1902

100 Heller = 1 Rupie

Legends

The pesa has the legend of the German East Africa Company with the imperial eagle on the obverse and an Arabic inscription on the reverse.

Coins inscribed “Deutche Ostafrika” were introduced in 1904, based on the rupee of 100 heller, and featured the imperial crown and a wreathed value.

All the silver coins feature the bust of Kaiser Wilhelm on the obverse. From 1890 -1902 the reverse design depicts a lion and from 1904 a wreathed value.

The gold tabora or 15 rupien features the imperial eagle on the obverse and an elephant on the reverse.

Denominations and dates of mintage

Pesa   Copper                        1890-92

½ Heller   Bronze                  1904-06

Heller   Bronze                       1904-13

5 Heller   Bronze                    1908-09

5 Heller   Copper-Nickel       1913-14 

5 Heller    Brass                       1916T 

Two varieties exist.

Emergency coins inscribed “D.O.A”

10 Heller    Copper-Nickel        1908-14   

20 Heller Copper and brass versions   1916T 

Varieties exist. Emergency coins inscribed “D.O.A”

A selection of German East African Coins

¼  Rupie     Silver    1891-1914

½  Rupie     Silver    1891-1914

     Rupie          Silver    1890-1914

 2 Rupien     Silver    1893-94

15 Rupien   Gold      1916T

Many of the German East African coins were incorporated in jewelry. The gold taboras or 15 rupien are difficult to find in superb condition. Two versions of the 20 heller copper coins are rare. Four patterns exist.

SCHEEPJESGULDEN OR SHIP'S GUILDER

In 1795 the Cape was captured by a British fleet and for the first time British gold and copper coins were officially imported. In 1802, following the Peace of Amiens, Britain handed the colony back to the Netherlands, but in 1806 retook it.

 It was Commissioner-General de Mist who was responsible for the minting of the first coins. During the brief Dutch repossession of the Cape, the mint of Enkhuizen in Holland struck the first coinage to be made for the colony. A total of 100 000 silver scheepjesguldens  in denominations of 1/16, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2 and 1 guilder, dated 1802 were struck. Copper doits in denominations of 1/16^th and 1/32^nd of a guilder were also sent to the Cape.  After the British reoccupation a supply of the two smallest denominations ship coins were issued in 1806 for local use.

The 1 guilder and the copper coins were apparently never circulated at the Cape to any large extent. Most of the coins were forwarded to the Batavian Republic, Indonesia where they were declared legal tender.

The obverse of the silver guilders depicts an image of a three-massed ship on a stormy sea, encircled by a rope with the words “indiae bata vorum”.

The reverse bore the denomination and the crowned lion shield of the United Netherlands in a rope circle. The legend contains the name of the province in which the coins had been minted. The copper doits also depicts the crowned lion shield on the obverse and “indiae bata vorum“on the reverse.

Silver and gold specimens of the 1-, ½- and ¼ guilders are extremely rare. Varieties of all the denominations do exist.

The scheepjesgulden or ship’s guilder may be regarded as the first true South-African coin.

HOW TO DETECT IRREGULARITIES ON COINS

Rim nicks

Get into the habit of first examining the rim of a coin. This will prevent you from omitting the most vital aspect of your examination of any coin. Rim nicks can reduce the value of the coin to a large extent, depending on the seriousness of the nick and the general grade of the coin.

Rim pin mounted coins

Look for pinholes in the rim, which would make the coin "ex-mount". Examine the milling carefully. Any irregularities might indicate that a pinhole has been repaired. If you come across an irregularity look for other irregularities at the corresponding positions. If the irregularity is at 12 o'clock, there might be another at 6 o'clock. If there is no corresponding hole, the damage may be other than ex-mount damage. A favorite combination is 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock, or at four equidistant points. Although the face of the coin may be perfect, the ex- mount coin reduces the value considerably.

Ex-mount traces on the face of the coin

Coins may have been holed or pierced to wear as jewelry. The hole could have been cleverly repaired. Look for blemishes in the center of the coin or two at diametrically opposite sides of the coin. 

Ex-clasp coins

Clasps or holders were used with the intention of mounting coin without damaging them. Coins should be carefully examined since it is difficult to detect the damage to these coins.

Silvering

The coin has been treated with some chemical, most often to match it with its mounting or for other reasons. The coin will have an unnatural appearance.

Gilding 

Gold coin were frequently mounted and gilded to match the brooch into which they were mounted. Gilding leaves a thick coat on the coin, which affects the clarity of the detail.

Polishing

The coin might have been polished with a commercial cleaner or have been buffed. The coin is recognized by an unnatural shininess. Polishing may briefly improve its superficial appearance, but such abrasive action will destroy the patina and reduce the fineness of the high points of the surface. On first view the coin looks beautiful, but its value has been impaired. 

The extent of the diminutions in values can vary substantially. It often takes an expert to discern variations in irregularities, and reach an overall conclusion.

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