Beat up and abused, but I still love it!

[Steve D'Ippolito]

Use this thread for coins that have been beat up, abused, mutilated, etc., but you are still pleased with.

[Steve D'Ippolito]

 

 

This coin has been knifed twice (possibly for acid testing), is bent, and is quite worn to boot. Nevertheless it is a genuine specimen of the unique experiment Russia did in circulating platinum coinage. The 3 ruble piece actually did circulate to a limited extent; the 6 and 12 probably did not.

 

You can see both knife marks on either side of the tail. You can easily follow the knife mark that's left of the tail up and to the left, just missing the large shield at the lower right corner, and up through the right wing (as seen by the viewer). The other knife mark is harder to see with the light angled the way it is (it's a scan, by the way--more recent attempts with the camera were less satisfactory), but it runs almost straight up the center of the shield and you can see it shaving the back of the neck on the left head and almost reaching the left side of the crown.

 

In spite of being pretty badly abused, this coin has considerable intrinsic value and still retains some collector value, so perhaps it's not the best example of what this thread is for. Judge for yourself and bring us your tired, beaten up coins yearning for a day in the spotlight (to render Emma Lazarus almost unrecognizable).

[Roger]

OK--Here's a 1908o Half Dollar from a shed fire that occured on my Grandfathers farm in 1917<br>Blackened, Heat Deformed, and Scratched but forever will be in my collection<p><img src=http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/1/0/2/4/5/7/0/webimg/549408002_o.jpg><p><img src=http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/1/0/2/4/5/7/0/webimg/549408033_o.jpg>

[Art1.2]

From the wear it seems that this large cent was drilled and used as a washer or spacer. I understand that it was common to use large cents for washers as it was cheaper to do so than to use an disk of metal make for that purpose.

 

1851 Nx holed rev by UGotaHaveArt, on Flickr

 

1851 Nx holed obv by UGotaHaveArt, on Flickr

 

(Good thread by the way. The results should be quite interesting. )

[UncleBobo]

Liberty with hoop earrings, I like it Art!

[ikaros]

This old soldier, a 1749 halfpenny, now the vice-dean of my collection. One wonders what it's seen on its journey from mid-18th century England to early 21st century America...

 

[Art1.2]

This old soldier, a 1749 halfpenny, now the vice-dean of my collection. One wonders what it's seen on its journey from mid-18th century England to early 21st century America...

 

 

Nice coin to have in your collection.

[ScottO]

old, battered and scarce

unbarred A's in britannia - again rare if this is 100% the case. i like it because the reverse is still quite well detailed

1771 fartings are rather scarce

these 3... all farly scarce... got them all at once for a rather expencive.... 15 pence

rarest coin here perhaps... bought off ebay for £2 with a normal 1879 penny, perhaps around 1000 of these left

[Art1.2]

Great selection Scott.

[Roger]

I understand that it was common to use large cents for washers as it was cheaper to do so than to use an disk of metal make for that purpose.

 

This still holds true today! I recently used 6 Washington Clad quarters to repair my sister-in-law's SUV. She had a spinout trying to avoid a burro and in the process tried to remove the rear bumper cover. The job required special washers that could not be found locally so George (once again) came to the rescue! They worked so well that when it came time to "professionally" repair the vehicle the body shop reused the quarters. Next time she is over I will take a picture.

[YeOldeCollector]

I've got too many to post here, but here are a few.

 

 

This genuinely looks like a teabag when held up to the light but I'll always love it as it was my first Offa of Mercia penny. It is well struck and dates to around 790, a very scarce coin.

 

 

 

A penny of Henry III. Henri on London. Class IIIc. This dates to around 1249.

 

At first I thought that it had been broken by a spade or a plough. However, on closer inspection, it has not been dented at all and so could not have been caused by trauma. I then thought that it had been bent and then folded out to straighten, but it is too flat and has no distortion. I believe that an attempt was made to cut this coin post-mint which, if caught, would have involved severe punishment.

 

 

 

It is an Expanding Cross penny of Edward the Confessor, minted by Leofred at London.

 

 

 

 

It is a standard silver penny but has been lightly gilded. It also has a piercing and a dark stain across the obverse. I bought it as a 'pendant coin' but I believe it to be an example of a contemporaneous brooch penny, as this would explain the silver stain that runs across the obverse, where the pin would have been. The piercing could, perhaps, have been the location of the main stud that held the pin in place.

 

 

 

William II or William Rufus, as he was often known. A cut halfpenny of a rare monarch and a scarce type.