Ok now this may seem like a weird question but... for some reason my father did this to a bunch of coins.... dont ask me why but they are encased in some sort of plastic, all of them say Queen Elizabeth on the backs, and they are all different sizes... now to the question. How should I remove them or any advice??? The fronts are NOT visible therefore the date isnt either... it's about 1/2in thick plastic *EDIT I have determined that its fiberglass resin
For a while around and after the middle of the last century, there was quite a fad of creating paper weights by encasing coins, shells, and other small stuff, in Lucite. If Lucite dissolves in acetone, you can get the coins out without damaging them. Otherwise Added after a trip to Googleland. Lucite dissolves in chloroform! Not only is it even more tricky and potentially dangerous to handle than acetone, chloroform would definitely damage most coin metals. It also melts at 100 degrees C (212 F) - the sea level boiling point of water. Perhaps immersion in boiling water would release Liz from her prison.
I would leave them as they are. These appear to be common coins, 25 cent items from the coin shop bargain box. Maybe he got them in England during World War II or something. Maybe there is some other story. In any event, you have something that your father made. Consider yourself lucky. All I have is a newspaper obituary. Call it a paperweight. Give it to your kids and it becomes an heirloom. By 2100 it will be an antique.
I totally agree with mmarotta It's much more valuable as a "souvenir" from your dad than the numismatic value of the coins, whatever they are... And quite a nice paperweight IMO Cucumbor
