Jester's Challenge #202

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 two hundred second selection:

spoon

I just now noticed that Polish coins didn't carry the commie star like other eastern bloc countries Is there a special reason why?

Nice one there, btw

1jester

Well, they hated communism, and were able to get away with it, I guess. However, the royal eagle did have to lose his crown for the duration of the occupation.

1jester

Where are the Polish coin experts?

JohnZ

Sorry, I've been away for a few days. That's a pattern piece, denoted by the word "proba". For those of you who don't collect Polish coins, the Warsaw Mint routinely issues coins with rejected designs in comparitively large quantities for collectors. I don't have any of my resources handy at the moment, but I believe the only difference between this coin, and the ones minted for circulation is the composition, this one being of brass, and the circulating ones being of nickel.

P.S. Jester, when are going to start posting Polish coins with the obverse first and the reverse second?

1jester

John, probably never! This seems more natural to me.

This brass coin (Parchimowicz P-288b) is extremely rare, and mintage is unknown. At 22 mm in diameter, it is exactly the same size and metallic content (brass) as the standard issue 10 zlotych piece of 1989 and 1990. The normal pattern (Parchimowicz P-288a) is indeed made of nickel, and has a mintage of 500.

I suppose the reason for the mysterious nature of this coin is the changeover to non-commie coins about this time. The roundtable discussions were held in early 1989, which set the stage for elections later, and Poland eased into a non-commie regime. Later, the "LUDOWA" part of the country's name would be dropped, and the eagle's crown was restored.

JohnZ

Jester, this coin is listed by Fischer and Lanowy as P-130. All of your information jibes with mine. It is indeed rare and valuable. Where and how did you acquire it? The mintage numbers and values are not available. If you're ever looking to part with it, give me a holler.

1jester

I got it at a WCN auction. I've only seen this one and another one sold at a different WCN auction. So only a few are extant. I'd consider extremely high offers for it.