The Rarest Coins of the World, 1900-1909

MrEureka

Please provide your candidates for the years 1900-1909. Tell us how rare the coin is, provide a story if there is one, and an image if you have one.

I'll edit my first ten posts with the best candidates as they come in.

If this works well, we can do the same with other decades in separate threads.

MrEureka

1900

MrEureka

1901

From Lord M -


Well, from personal experience of collecting 1901 British Empire pieces for my daughter, I know that the 1901 Australian half-sovereigns from the various mints were issued in proof only in tiny mintages, and have pricetags that probably run into the low five figures. For that reason, they are excluded from our collection. The full sovereigns will be challenging enough for us but since those were made in business strikes, we should be able to eventually find some.

MrEureka

1902

1902-S Australian 5 Pounds. Proof only, 4 struck. No other Australian 5 pounds of this type were issued in other years.


(Sorry, Veld Pond and 1902-J German one pfennig. You got bumped by a rarer coin!)

MrEureka

1903

Nominated by IloiloKano :


1903-S US-Philippines Fifty Centavos - 2 known, both graded EF-45 by ANACS.

MrEureka

1904

I'll nominate this 10 rappen specimen from Switzerland. The consensus is a mintage of 5 coins. This specimen is the PCGS SP68, and currently owned by one of this forum's members

MrEureka

1905

From 3Mark:

The German 1905F one mark is the King of KR minors. In the Künker/Grün sale of November 14, 1998, the example list as PP (proof) was cataloged as: RRRRR! in dieser feinsten Erhaltung einzig bekanntes Examplar! In other words, this is the only one.

MrEureka

1906


Canada - 1906 25c Small Crown. Estimated 35 known






Can you top this?

MrEureka

1907

Last time I checked, the USA was still part of the world.

This is the unique 1907 Indian Head Pattern $20, affectionately referred to as "Teddy's Coin". (As in "Teddy" Roosevelt.)

MrEureka

1908


From Gene:

For 1908 I nominate the 1908C sovereign mintage of only 638 pcs all specimen strikes.


(Surely we can top that!)

MrEureka

1909

Courtesy of Daltonista:

My fave for the decade is this 1909 Australian florin pattern.
Sorry I can't find the Rx image on my PC right now,
because it's very unusual in that it features the homeland
(uncrowned, right-facing) effigy of Edward VII. It's unique or nearly so.




Also, from Svessien:

In 1909 there was made a trial strike of the Norwegian 20 an 10 kroner that were issued in 1910.
Only one of each were minted in gold, and were given to King Haakon VII as a gift. In addition the celator (Ivar Throndsen) also struck some samples in copper and bronze. Some of these he plated with gold and gave away to friends. These trial strikes sell for high prices today.

The two gold coins reside in the Royal Castle in Oslo.

IstilllikeZARcoins

FOR SALE if the price is right

PM for more info if interested

1935 South Africa NGC PF65 2 1/2 Shilling

Mintage of just 20





The Baldwin Collection contained an entire 1935 Proof Set.

More info here.

Edit: Just to add that I did read the instructions for this thread but I don't have any rare coins for that period nor do I know what exceptionally rare coins are for that period apart from the Veldpond.

Veldpond info:


Here and here.

lordmarcovan

Well, from personal experience of collecting 1901 British Empire pieces for my daughter, I know that the 1901 Australian half-sovereigns from the various mints were issued in proof only in tiny mintages, and have pricetags that probably run into the low five figures. For that reason, they are excluded from our collection. The full sovereigns will be challenging enough for us but since those were made in business strikes, we should be able to eventually find some.

MacCrimmon

1904? Tough year all around. I'll nominate this 10 rappen specimen from Switzerland. The consensus is a mintage of 5 coins. This specimen is the PCGS SP68, and currently owned by one of this forum's members; nay, not me.

IstilllikeZARcoins

In case my edit was missed in the last post I'd like to nominate the 1902 Veldpond.

When the Brits invaded the Boers in 1898 the Boers took all coinage including minted, semi-minted and blank planchets with them via railroad to safety. Some planchets were never minted and so resulted the 'Kaal' series ( Kaalpenny, Kallpond etc ). On the run and without proper resources the boers needed money to do transactions ie pay troops, buy merchandise etc. Therefore they set up a temporary hand-carving mint in the fields. Veld is Afrikaans for Field ie Field Ponds.

Mintage is thought to be around 950 pieces but appearently only about 520 pieces were minted.

Try to find one though.....very, very tough.

Please see links in my previous post for more info.

MyWorldCoinTypeSet

1904? Tough year all around. I'll nominate this 10 rappen specimen from Switzerland. The consensus is a mintage of 5 coins. This specimen is the PCGS SP68, and currently owned by one of this forum's members; nay, not me.

I'd be interested if the owner wants to sell.

svessien

In 1909 there was made a trial strike of the Norwegian 20 an 10 kroner that were issued in 1910.
Only one of each were minted in gold, and were given to King Haakon VII as a gift. In addition the celator (Ivar Throndsen) also struck some samples in copper and bronze. Some of these he plated with gold and gave away to friends. These trial strikes sell for high prices today.

The two gold coins reside in the Royal Castle in Oslo.

Daltonista

My fave for the decade is this 1909 Australian florin pattern.
Sorry I can't find the Rx image on my PC right now,
because it's very unusual in that it features the homeland
(uncrowned, right-facing) effigy of Edward VII.



Oops...edited to add that it's unique or nearly so.
Tom

lordmarcovan

<< <i> >>



Jeepers creepers, I have never even SEEN that one before!

MrEureka

Jeepers creepers, I have never even SEEN that one before!

That's the idea!

IloiloKano

1903-S US-Philippines Fifty Centavos - 2 known, both graded EF-45 by ANACS.


Pictures of one and some backgroung history here.

1960NYGiants

For 1908 I nominate the 1908C sovereign mintage of only 638 pcs all specimen strikes.

coinkat

Does condition rarity count?

I think a high grade 1905 British Half Crown counts for something... lets at least include one coin that was really meant to circulate... if folks don't like that, there is always the 1905 Canadian Half high grade of course

FilamCoins

<< <i>1903-S US-Philippines Fifty Centavos - 2 known, both graded EF-45 by ANACS.


Pictures of one and some backgroung history here. >>




There's a third in a PCGS 50 holder.

It is currently for sale by the way.

IloiloKano

Is it actually one of the same two known, which has since been crossed to PCGS?

The reason I ask is that every reference I have seen states 2 known, and I don't remember a third one being discovered recently. After all, that would be significant coin news, probably as significant as finding a second 1910-S Ten Centavos, after the previous unique coin was destroyed/lost when the Manila mint was bombed (and utterly decimated) by the Japanese in WW2.

Who is selling and for how much?

bidask

Republic 50 Centesimos 1904, KM5, Proof 66 PCGS Eliasberg, beautiful multi-hued toning over fully mirrored surfaces. An incredible coin to behold and a classic rarity in the Latin American series. Only 12 pieces were struck in Proof, and this example is certainly among the finest known.

From the Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. Collection

Sapyx

A couple of nominations from the German sphere:

1905: Saxe-Meiningen gold 20 mark 1905 D, mintage 1000, CV $3000 in Fine, $13,500 in Unc. Not uber-rare, but not too shabby for a circulation coin. The gold coins of this German state all have low mintages, and when you throw in the probablility of a gold coin surviving intact through two world wars with a Great Depression and hyperinflation in between, and you end up with a pretty scarce coin. The CoinArchives database listing shows eleven sales, many of which appear to be the same coin being sold and resold.

1908: Germany silver ½ mark 1908 F mintmark, mintage 1000, CV $2000 in Fine, $10,000 in Unc. Probably the "1909-S-VDB of German coins". CoinArchives has only a couple.

Rickc300

I see you already have a choice for 1902 but I will nominate the 1902-J German one pfennig with a mintage of 150 pieces anyway. The '02-J was a regular business issue and circulated over 100 years ago. I wonder how many survived? (I've never seen one).

The 1906-A 2 pfennig in proof with a mintage of 110 pieces would be another candidate but is excluded from my list since I collect only business strikes. (If I did collect proof issues, coinpictures has a nice one for sale in his eBay store that I would jump on). There are many German proof issues over these years with similar mintages but I can't seem to locate my list to give you the numbers.

Rick

WWW

The 1911 Canadian dollar would be my vote. Just slightly outside the date range specified in this post.

The following is copied from Heritage's web site when it auctioned the only privately held silver example back in 2002:

The premier Canadian rarity and the finest of only two pieces struck in silver (there is also a single piece known in lead), the 1911 Canada dollar has been nicknamed "The Emperor of Canadian Coins". The other piece is permanently impounded in an Ottawa bank museum. Struck as a pattern in 1911, this issue has carved a unique niche in Canadian numismatics and is, without a doubt, the most storied issue in the entire Canadian coin series.

The obverse was designed by Sir E. Bertram Mackennal and his initials (B.M.) appear on the truncation of the bust. Interestingly, the reverse has a different designer, W. J. Blakemore, who borrowed from an earlier design of L.C. Wyon, the noted British coin designer. The 1911 obverse dies were later used to strike the 1936 Canadian dollar.

It is generally thought that the dies for the 1911 Dollar were prepared in London and the coins produced in London. In the official Ottawa Mint Report for 1911, Deputy Mint Master states, "the Dollar piece was not struck," but a 1911 Canadian Dollar is illustrated in the official Royal Mint Report for that year.

The existence of the 1911 Dollar was pure speculation until the noted London coin dealer, B.A. Seaby, announced the acquisition of "The Emperor of Canadian Coins" in 1960. He was quoted as having acquired the coin from an "unknown source," but word quickly spread that the coin had been purchased from the family of Sir William Grey Ellison-MacCartney who was the Mint Master at the time the coins were struck. Later investigation by Seaby determined that a second specimen of the dollar in silver was in possession of the Royal Mint Museum in London. This second specimen is on permanent loan to the Bank of Canada Museum in Ottawa.

Truly one of the great rarities of world numismatics, rivaling the American 1913 Liberty Nickel and 1804 Silver Dollars, the coin is expected to bring in excess of $500,000 US.

MrEureka

The 1911 Canadian dollar would be my vote. Just slightly outside the date range specified in this post.

I believe we have a volunteer to run the 1910-1919 thread!

Seriously, go for it if you like. I'm just doing one decade, but I hope we can do them all with a group effort.

If we get a bunch of these going, I can put up an index, hopefully pinned to the top. It could be a lot of fun.

3Mark

<< <i>1905 >>



Andy:

The German 1905F one mark is the King of KR minors. In the Künker/Grün sale of November 14, 1998, the example list as PP (proof) was cataloged as: RRRRR! in dieser feinsten Erhaltung einzig bekanntes Examplar! In other words, this is the only one.

3Mark

worldcoinguy

No Russian yet? How about this 1906 Russian rouble in proof? I honestly do not know the mintage of proof, but it makes by heart bet faster looking at it.


IMage from coinarchives
Coin sold in 2006 Markov auction #397 - lot 14546

MrEureka

No Russian yet? How about this 1906 Russian rouble in proof? I honestly do not know the mintage of proof, but it makes by heart bet faster looking at it.

Is it rarer than the 1906-A 2 Pfennig?

ColinCMR

great thread idea!!

worldcoinguy

<< <i>No Russian yet? How about this 1906 Russian rouble in proof? I honestly do not know the mintage of proof, but it makes by heart bet faster looking at it.

Is it rarer than the 1906-A 2 Pfennig? >>



I can't find any of the proof mintage numbers in any of the 3 guides I have, the proof roubles probably would not be good candidates in a rarity contest.

IloiloKano

The .900 Fine 1907 US-Philippines One Peso Pattern

I prefer the nominations of regular mint issues intended for circulation, followed in preference by proof issues; however, since patterns are being considered, I nominate either the .800 fine 1907 US-Philippines One Peso pattern (unique and residing in the Philippines Central Bank Money Museum) or the .900 fine version, which barely escaped the silver melt in 1980 (when it was discovered) and which is also unique.

With the .900 fine discovery in private hands, maybe it would make for a better nomination. Even so, I would still prefer to see a regular or proof issued coin in each date category.

Finally, in response to another poster...
Though I have nothing against US Coins, (and yes, they indeed fit the strictest definition of World Coins), there is a US Coin Forum, so the obvious implication of there also being a World & Ancient Coins Forum is that these are coins other than those which have there own forum. If such is not the sensible interpretation, then why have this forum? Would it be to exclude coinage minted on another planet?

MrEureka

I prefer the nominations of regular mint issues intended for circulation, followed in preference by proof issues; however, since patterns are being considered, I nominate...

As I see it, priority should be given to the most desirable coin, whatever that may be. In other words, market value is the ultimate arbiter.

So if a proof or pattern is not all that important, and therefore not that valuable, it can easily be bumped by a more common coin.

MrEureka

I nominate either the .800 fine 1907 US-Philippines One Peso pattern (unique and residing in the Philippines Central Bank Money Museum) or the .900 fine version, which barely escaped the silver melt in 1980 (when it was discovered) and which is also unique.

Interesting! I had never heard of those, and that's what this thread is all about.

However, Teddy's Coin will still keep the top spot for 1907. It doesn't get any better than Teddy's Coin!