Jester's Challenge #185

1jester

Welcome to Jester's Challenge, an interactive history lesson.

Inspired by many others here on the Darkside forum, I'd like to present what I hope will turn into a great learning experience for all of us. Many members on this World and Ancient Coin Forum have done a formidable job of sharing with us many fascinating and historically important coins. Since looking at coins is also one of my greatest pleasures, I'd like to try to follow in that time-honored tradition and submit for your pleasure and entertainment some world coins I've come across in my short lifetime.

I will pick out a coin on a regular basis, and post it along with the challenge to you to name the coin, its provenance, denomination, metallic content, mintage, any distinguishing characteristics or noteworthy features, and its value. The more information, the better. I'd like as many people as possible to participate, regardless of how little knowledge you might have on the subject. I appreciate comments on every aspect of the coin, including its history, or its role in human history, or info on similar coins in its series, etc. I myself don't presume to know 1/1000 of what you collectively know, hence my challenge to all of you to share your knowledge with the rest of us. Hopefully this exercise will encourage thought, discussion, and most importantly, more friendship.

Thanks for your participation!!!

Here is the one hundred eighty-fifth selection:

JamminJ

I like this coin!

North Borneo, a Dutch colonial possession, and reading the coins tells me 1903 2 1/2 cents - a very cool denomination IMO. Without checking a catalog I'll guess a composition of Bronze.

-JamminJ

tbirde56

It's copper-nickel, only issued 1903 and 1920.

Shipcoin

Nice one , Jester!! I'm hunting for those , because of that small ship at the coat of arms. But, as I understood, these coins are very rare, isn't it?

JamminJ

I stand corrected! Tough to tell composition from a photo - you never know how the lighting plays with the coin.

-JamminJ

1jester

I don't know how common they are but I rarely run across them for sale.

It really is difficult to tell from the scan, but the coin is the same color as our nickels. This coin has amazing luster, too, but you wouldn't be able to ascertain that from the drab and flat-looking scan. I think there's a slight layer of verdigris on the coin which appears in the scans as micro spots all over the coin. I'm tempted to treat this coin to some MS70, but I dont' think I will, because I'd rather keep the original surfaces, even with the slight verdigris contamination. The amazing luster, which shines through, tempts me.

1jester

By the way, since when was this a Dutch colony? I thought it was British. The Dutch did have a colony in the area, though, and so did the Portugese, if I remember correctly. But this coin was a British colonial production. The coat of arms is the same as earlier coins.

Lloyd

British....

Bruce

Very cool Jester. I like your idea of the Jester's challenge. I would post some of mine like that but don't want to copy your idea.

1jester

Thanks, Bruce! Don't worry about copying--I think we all would like more of this type of exhibitionism...

JamminJ

Oops, I confused Borneo (British - current day Malaysia) with the Netherlands East Indies (Dutch -current day Indonesia) and was way off on the composition. Maybe I should stick to checking the catalog before responding!

-JamminJ

1jester

Better to respond in error than to not respond at all.