All the other S.R 3 pence I have the center spear is the lowest. I've searched for this coin and can't find any records on it. Please help, if you know anything about it. Thanks.
I dont have my krause catalog so I cannot confirm but I have seen no coin with a reverse like this (this kind of spear and the arrangement and date)...only back to 1932 with rounded spears. That and the reverse on this coin looks very wrong, as if it were tampered with...That is what I think is the case here, an altered coin.
Someone really messed with that coin. The 3d is an obvious alteration, along with the last digit of the date (changed from a 2, 4, 5, or 6). The central spear was moved somehow or redesigned altogether. The spears are incorrect anyway, they should be rounded around the base of the head, not pointed. At any rate a unique piece.
Hahaha this is so odd, I had a feeling the coin was not right. The strangest part of this is, the fact I fond it in a seemingly backward village in Blantyer Malawi, It's obvious it's had a lot of fine work put into the coin. I paid about US $2 for it, all the work for 2 bucks, Lol I would have paid him that to clean my car. I had my suspicions, but I still can't get my head around why he would sell it for so little.
That's quite an interesting find for Blantyre. I would be surprised if it had been altered locally. Definite conversation piece.
You found a pretty wild piece You found a pretty wild piece. Would a 1931 dated piece would be a pattern of some sort? The coin is pretty obviously altered. The coin shows many post mint issues with the 1 in the date, the crudeness of the arrows, & all the differences in relief. It would have been cool if you had found a mint product (pattern) struck in proof which fell into circulation. Here is a picture of my best Southern Rhodesia coin. Very best regards, collect89
This is really starting to bother me, I can see the coin has been messed with, but I can't work out how it was done. Could anyone offer an explanation on how it was done, please ? Here is a pic of what the coin would have looked like, and how it looks now, for people that don't know the coin. Thanks for all the help
The metal may have been chased by hand much like hobo nickels. The metal that was the "3" got moved around & was used to form the arrow tips. I think the artist had to use some of the underlying material to make the new "3". Do you see the surface of the coin being a little lower where the "3" is now located? That's what I meant by "differences in relief". Maybe someone else will have some other ideas. Very best regards, collect89
Wow, this is very strange, the only reason, I can think of, for a person to go to that much trouble, especially in Africa would be for a scam. Also who ever altered it, was talented, and smart, so why did he get the design so wrong , if he was intending to use it for a scam ? The person that sold it to me, wasn't a scam artist. I'm waiting for the rest of my collection to be sent to me from S. Africa, I have 3 or 4 other 3 pence, from the same era, that looked to have been messed with in similar ways, I'll post pics as soon as the arrive. Thanks for the feed back collect89, acanthite,and Drusus, you have helped me a lot.
Magical coin In a little over a week, I will be seeing a friend of mine that is more knowledgeable about Southern Rhodesia coins. I'll let you know if he sheds any light on the 1931 date or alteration. The new photos you post look like example of the same chased metal alteration. Very best regards, collect89
garth botton Hi There, I have a 1931 southern rhodesia 3 pence. it has on the reverse of rex, the triangular acorns with shaft and leaf scrolls. does this help? regards, Garth; Durban RSA
