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Here's something strange

BlackhawkBlackhawk Posts: 3,899 ✭✭✭
in World & Ancient Coins Forum
I got this in a bulk lot and it has me perplexed. It's about 20mm in diameter and appears to be nickel. While my photos don't give that impression, it's the same color on both sides. It has Charlemagne on one side and Hernri IV on the other. The fields are concave and it has what looks like a stylized monogram of the designer on both sides, consisting ,I believe, of the letters C, I, R, not neccesarily in that order. The piece is not perfectly round, like it may have been worked a bit with a file...the field in front of Charlemagne has a bunch of deep scratches that look like someone may have been trying to determine what it was made out of. A thought that it might have been a piece of jewelry at first, but am now steering away from that determination because the design is on both sides and also because of the initials. It's junky to say the least, but it has me interested enough to try and identify it. Any ideas?

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"Have a nice day!"

Comments

  • ColinCMRColinCMR Posts: 1,482 ✭✭✭
    no clue, but from the photo i get the feeling that the stylized initials arent as old as the wear on the surface

    and i agree that it looks like someone was trying to dig to see what it was made out of
  • DBSTrader2DBSTrader2 Posts: 3,487 ✭✭✭✭
    HOBO Nickel?
  • BlackhawkBlackhawk Posts: 3,899 ✭✭✭
    You know, a hobo nickel is a possibility. If you consider the buffalo's rump as Charlemagne's beard, I believe that the design is concave enough on the unknown piece to have it come out of the nickel...same goes for the other side if you align the lettering HENRI iV with the lettering of LIBERTY on the buffalo nickel. The problem comes in when you consider that the buffalo nickel would have to have had a rotated reverse for this to work.
    "Have a nice day!"
  • lordmarcovanlordmarcovan Posts: 43,661 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Wish I could see it. I'm at work (no Photobucket).

    Explore collections of lordmarcovan on CollecOnline, management, safe-keeping, sharing and valuation solution for art piece and collectibles.
  • WeissWeiss Posts: 9,942 ✭✭✭✭✭
    TTT Blackhawk,

    This caught my eye big time just now:

    http://forums.collectors.com/messageview.cfm?catid=26&threadid=635952

    Electrotype of 1911 trial nickel by Fraser (buffalo nickel). Could it be you've got unkown pieces by Fraser?

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    We are like children who look at print and see a serpent in the last letter but one, and a sword in the last.
    --Severian the Lame
  • MrEurekaMrEureka Posts: 24,332 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Seems like an awfully esoteric subject for a hobo. The piece probably never was a nickel, and always was a medal.
    Andy Lustig

    Doggedly collecting coins of the Central American Republic.

    Visit the Society of US Pattern Collectors at USPatterns.com.
  • BlackhawkBlackhawk Posts: 3,899 ✭✭✭
    The key to identifying the piece may well turn out to be the monogram on each side. I've not seen another that matches it, but will continue to keep my eyes open when viewing other medals and coins.
    "Have a nice day!"
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