A few neat world coin items at the local dealer

coinpictures · November 9, 2013 12:51PM

While I'm familiar with Wayte-Raymond coin albums from the lightside, I never realized that another company, Mehgrig, had a similar album format that apparently preceded Wayte-Raymond. More to the point, I have never seen this world coin "album" before. I'm not sure when it was made, but presumably in the 1930s or early 1940s (Since Germany is not designated as East or West, my assumption is that it predates the end of WWII).

It's fairly large, as coin folders go, measuring 9.25 inches by 12.5 inches, and with the coins in it, weighs in at a hefty 2.5 pounds.

The dealer wouldn't sell just the folder... or let me cherrypick any coins out of it. it was an all-or-nothing proposition. I decided to bite, even though the price was likely more than the coins within are worth (most of the coins are of nominal value), but it's a neat historical item.

(Apologies for the concave sides on the pics; I forgot that I left an add-on-lens on the camera.)

Then I also liberated a 2-coin Philippine set from the melt bin:

ormandh · November 9, 2013 1:04PM

The album is definitely from the late 1940's, but probably from the 1950's. Israel was not a country until 1948. It is still a cool pickup though.

ajaan · November 9, 2013 10:20PM

It's interesting they call Thailand Siam. The name changed in 1939 but from 1945 to 1949 it was changed back to Siam. So I'm guessing the board is from 1948-1950.

STLNATS · November 9, 2013 11:58PM

What an interesting piece of collecting ephemera. The selection of countries is particularly noteworthy - Tonkin, Bohemia-Moravia, Danzig, German East Africa, Manchukuo, etc is quite eclectic as are some of the coins filling the slots. Nice start on a OFEC collection and great item itself. Congrats!

Of course, if you ever want to sell it . . .

ajaan · November 10, 2013 1:18AM

The Philippine set is also fantastic.

Pokermandude · November 10, 2013 3:38AM

Cool toners. I've have snagged those in a second too if I came across them in a shop.

Zohar · November 10, 2013 4:43AM

Very cool find!

MrEureka · November 10, 2013 12:03PM

Amazingly, I also bought one of these albums (empty) at Baltimore. I can't say I remember seeing another.

BTW, mine is not for sale. I bought it for a YPN (Young Pre-Numismatist).

Cocoinut · November 10, 2013 1:54PM

The original owner of the album, Joe Wagoner, was born in 1922 and died in 2004, according to the Social Security Death Index. It's very possible that he was in the military during WWII. Perhaps he brought coins home as souvenirs, and they were the beginning of the collection purchased by the OP. It's fun to speculate.

Jim

HoledandCreative · November 10, 2013 3:51PM

Several nice coins in there. I have a similar one of those someplace. The spaces are not labelled though, just blank. Mine hasn't got nice coins in it.

secondrepublic · November 11, 2013 7:21AM

The font suggests 1950s, but the fact that it includes Estonia (which ceased to exist in 1940 after being invaded by the USSR) suggests it may be earlier.

Sapyx · November 11, 2013 6:22PM

<< <i>The font suggests 1950s, but the fact that it includes Estonia (which ceased to exist in 1940 after being invaded by the USSR) suggests it may be earlier. >>

Many other countries in the album had ceased to exist by the time the album was made - Danzig, Chinese Turkestan, Slovakia and Zanzibar, for example. It appears to be a list of 20th century coin-issuing countries, whether the country was in existence at the time of album issue or not - which is pretty much what it says on the cover.

It has Israel (1948) and Pakistan (1948) but not most French Union territories such as Reunion (1948) and French Oceania (1949), Taiwan (1949, though the coin filed in the album under "China" is actually Taiwanese), Saarland (1954) nor Ghana (1958). So "sometime during 1948" seems a reasonable suggestion for album production, or at least for the album producer acquiring their list of coin-issuing countries. It is of course possible for the album to be produced and sold for several years with an "outdated" list of countries.

coinlieutenant · November 14, 2013 11:56AM

I like the nickel in the U.S. spot.

coinpictures · December 28, 2013 5:56AM

I have put the vintage album for sale on the BST, intact as received. Better coins than I expected actually, with a number of $25-150 coins. Selling for less than 25% of Krause and you get the album for free.

Linky

P.S. MacArthur set not included; that was sold a while back.

coinkat · December 28, 2013 7:05AM

GREAT find.

Thanks for finding the 1947 MacArthur coins. Sometimes I am just not sure what to say to someone that would contemplate melting them

rec78 · December 31, 2013 3:39PM

Good buy and not as easy to assemble as one may think.

A few neat world coin items at the local dealer

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