Hi Everybody I recently bought a batch of coins on eBay and found this in a bag of UK have pence pieces. At first I thought it was a groat (four pence) but it is smaller in size. It has a Queen Victoria Jubilee head on one side with George and the dragon on the reverse and is dated 1887. The text seems to say 1 M of a crown but that makes no sense and the letters on the other side of the jubilee head read L: CHR LAUER. When I type this into a web browser it brings up German Third Reich Tinnies. I know that the Mountbatten's were from Germany and that there is a strong connection to Germany with the Royal family but I can't find this coin anywhere, if it is a coin at all!!! The size of the coin is 13mm or half an inch which is the smallest British coin I have ever seen. Does anyone know what it is or can anyone help. Gerard
No idea, never heard or neen one before. 13mm is very small. Looks like it's been dropped in acid or something aswell :-|
My scanner doesn't do the "coin" any favors it is highly magnified and dulled to show the lettering and seems to be silver but I don't want to clean it in case it may be rare.
Just tested it with a magnet and its not silver. Must be tin or an alloy. I can't understand why someone would go to all the trouble of producing such detail on so small a coin
Just found this: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Imitation-miniature-sovereign-in-brass-by-Lauer-1887-EF_W0QQitemZ160069745020QQihZ006QQcategoryZ98774QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Must be IM for imitation, instead of 1M, except this one say sovgn, instead of crown. Seems Lauer made many different ones around that time.
I have been trying for days to get info on this with no luck. This is it. I Only registered with CT yesterday and this response is fantastic thank you.
You are right this is definitely toy money from the 1880s. This one is not made of brass and may be tin as it will lift with a magnet and it is an imitation of a crown not a sovereign
You're welcome, and welcome to CoinTalk. Sure wasn't anything I knew, I just kept searching using the info you provided.
Gerard,you need to buy Krause's 'Unusual World Coins' catalogue,as it lists a whole series of model coins.You can buy it here; www.amazon.com .The order is processed somewhere in America,but it is shipped from a warehouse somewhere in Germany,most likely Frankfurt.The postage from Germany is dirt cheap.You will save a few Euros there in postage. Aidan.
Apparently they made model coins, buttons and a lot of other stuff LOL now they make speakers :smile most of what they are famouse for is the WWII Nazi regalia stuff. De Orc :kewl:
