Jester's Challenge #187

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-seventh selection:

tbirde56

Holy seashells by the seashore Batman! I see a Singapore seahorse!

cladking

I like these old Singapore coins. All the denomination are pretty neat. If memory serves
they were all designed by the same artist who also did many coins for other countries in
the region, including NZ. His name escapes me right now. The ten cent pictured is only a
little easier to find than the higher denominations. The 1975 issue was quite low. There
were 8,000 to 160,000 mint sets made and this is where most examples are found. The
dollar coin with a lion depicted is actually quite popular which is most atypical for base metal
moderns.

Proofs exist but were struck in very limited quantities for the early years. These have held
up nicely and are occasionally encountered for relatively nominal sums.

cladking

The name might be A. Machin.

1jester

Remember "Project Trumpet Blast" for Pam? This is one of the coins I got from Avarel.

Shipcoin

Wow! What a nice coin, Jester!

Thanks for posting those pictures for us!!

spoon

Wow! that's pretty cool detail How big is it?

cladking

It should also be noted that these series of coins have been obsolete since 1985
when they were replaced by a new smaller version. Since they don't show up a lot
in poundage it is likely that the circulating coins were melted.

1jester

Spoon, it is 19mm in diameter, about the same size as a US penny.

Shipcoin

<US penny.>?

Is it 5 cents or something else, Jester?

newsman

<< <i>The name might be A. Machin. >>



Isn't he the same guy who designed the 2nd portrait of Queen Elizabeth on the British and Commonwealth coins?

1jester

Nick, a penny is 1 cent. The term for a 5 cent piece is "nickel" and 10 cents is "dime" and 25 cents is "quarter."

Askari

Neat!!

Shipcoin

Thanks Jester ,so I though, but for some reason I though that 1 cent is not 19 mm, may be because you made such a big and great picture!

JamminJ

Just five minutes ago I plucked one of these out of the bulk lot I bought from ajaan!

-JamminJ

1jester

Nick, thanks for the compliment on the picture. Even though it makes it tough determining the size of the coin, I like making big pictures because you can see the details of the coin better. I still haven't graduated to the quality of images produced by Cacheman and Cosmic and that infernal Mouse, as I don't have a digital camera. But at least a scanner shows the details, if not the luster.

Shipcoin

I didn't know that you have your PERSONAL emotion!

1jester

laurentyvan

<< The name might be A. Machin. >> Interesting coin Jester-

Also interesting is that machin is a french catchword you use when you can't think of the proper name or place you're talking about, as in "Monsieur ...hmmm, machin", or, "I went to see machin this weekend", shortened from machinchouette (sp?). My mother used it all the time when I was a child. Takes me back...

cladking

I'm pretty sure I have the name confused and it's not Machin. Tried to find it
with Alta Vista last night but all I got was a bunch of pop-ups. I'll check some
records when I get the chance.

cladking

Getting the dang search engines to cough up anything except sponsored links
was a feat in itself, but I finally found that name I couldn't remember.

Stuart Devlin has designed some of the finest coins of all time and many of them
are circulating issues which have been destroyed through wear, attrition or inten-
tional destruction.

Stuart Devlin

1jester

Thanks for the interesting and informative link, Cladking.

SYRACUSIAN

<< <i>Also interesting is that machin is a french catchword you use when you can't think of the proper name or place you're talking about, as in "Monsieur ...hmmm, machin", or, "I went to see machin this weekend", shortened from machinchouette (sp?). My mother used it all the time when I was a child. Takes me back... >>



Me too Laurent! I haven't heard of this expression since my studying years in Lausanne and Brussels.Seven long and nice years, a short lifetime that seems so far away now

Sorry Jester, I didn't mean to hijack your challenge .Nice coin as usual, and with a special pedigree from what I read

1jester

Have at it, Dimitri!! This is one of the few Challenges that got into the second page, so I'm happy!