Hello everyone I thought I'd share this coin with you. I've had it for a while I got it from a bag of world coins I bought some time ago. It's a fun "little" coin quite a bit smaller than a US dime and it has a low mintage of 2,000,000. I have a question about it. After looking on internet and ebay sales for this coin I noticed many have lines that from what I've seen is usually on the side that says Island Aurar. I Know zinc coins can do some strange stuff but anyone have a idea what may cause this on so many of them and possibly give me a clue what grade this one is in?
Most of the emergency coinage of WW2 corroded pretty badly. I don't think they did much research about the composition before they made them. I also don't think anybody cared if the coins would last more than a couple of years. That said, considering that Iceland has a population of 333,000 now, a mintage of 2 million in 1942 is not low.
Nice coin. Made me look in some uncataloged ones i have. Found this one. Krause value is $1.65 in Fine. It also is an one year only mintage. As to the lines, the only thing I can think of is what some call woodgrain effect, it has to do with the way the metal is rolled out in a sheet. lots of posts of lincolns cents with this effect. Mine is hard to see, and on the reverse.
Thanks for the input everybody. As far as the mintage yeah 2,000,000 coins for 300k people I guess wouldn't be considered low mintage but im not a world coin collector 2 million is low by American standards if it was a Lincoln cent 2 million would be extremely low and for as many id say there have been lost or destroyed over the years for it to turn up in a bag of world coins in eastern KY 74 years after being minted is amazing.
Kind of surprised about the low grade opinions here. The metal has unfortunately succumbed to its physical properties, but other than that the coin does not appear to have much, or really any, actual wear. Though to be honest the grade won't make much of a difference in value with all the zinc rot.
